ANNIE.....(2014)....the old classic has been updated, contemporary urban style.....Casting the ever adorably cute 11-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis as Annie, Jamie Foxx as wealthy technology tycoon Will Stacks (i.e. the modern version of Daddy Warbucks) and Cameron Diaz in the villainous role of Miss Hannigan, puts this film right smack in the middle of the modern flow of 2014 New York City life. The film is bursting with song and if you know me well youll know that applying song and dance to almost anything usually creates a winning formula in my book. The iconic standards are here, including my favorite Its a Hard Knock Life which is arranged with a lively percussion sound. I enjoy percussion in my soundtrack and this film had lots of it. Young Miss Wallis, serenading us with Tomorrow, firmly established herself in the pantheon of famous Annies. Much of the music, born of the original 1977 Broadway production, was punched up with an urban hip-hop flair to match the modern pulse of the story. This version will probably not win any awards and certainly wont eclipse the 1982 Carol Burnett, Albert Finney movie but it will stand as a cute, perky and refreshing contemporized update. The 2014 cast doesnt boast of any particularly outstanding vocal skills. But as a piece of fun and an entertaining package, it works at the most basic level. All I know is that my toes were tapping and my fingers were drumming during Its a Hard Knock Life. And I sang aloud, much to the chagrin of the people to my left and right, as an improvised duet to Tomorrow. I really loved the Jamie Foxx character. Instead of traditional Daddy Warbucks, Foxx portrays a wealthy technology entrepreneur with a bigtime mega bucks smartphone business, living in a jaw dropping multi-million dollar penthouse suite filled with the most imaginative high-tech domestic gizmos. Something to inspire the entrepreneur in all of us. Foxxs struggle to get himself elected Mayor of NYC is a sweetener to the story. It is that quest which drives him to ingratiate himself with Annie, a natural vote magnet, in a storyline I found highly amusing. Actor Bobby Cannavales character as the Mayoral candidates manipulative political adviser was quite the stereotype. As a matter of fact, most of these characters were undeniably one dimensional. You wont find any complex, multi-layered characters here. This was essentially a live action, musical cartoon and it shouldnt be seen as much more than that. Ive been a fan of Quvenzhane Wallis since she gained my respect and admiration in her role as Hushpuppy in the critically acclaimed 2012 film Beasts of the Southern Wild. As a result of her work in that film, Ms. Wallis became the youngest actress to ever receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. For that reason alone, casting her as the newest ANNIE is a beautiful boost to the timeless preservation of the ageless comic strip icon. Its always good to remember that the sun will come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow therell be sun. --- RAM
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 13:39:56 +0000