Annie (2014 remake)

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by Rose_Petal

If you listened to the golden globe crazies and the blind critics as a reason for not watching this movie than your just as crazy as they are. If your not watching it because Annie is BLACK then I can't help you.

To those of you who are neither crazy nor a racist :

I just watched the movie this week on blue-ray and all I can say is do your self a favour and watch it! It was on point the whole way through out. No one out shone the other, everyone's acting ability complimented each other. The singing was great, everyone could sing, (I was very surprised upon hearing Cameron Diaz). It was a lovely funny family movie so get ready for nice CLEAN comedy with great acting. You'll be laughing a lot too! I sure did!

what about those of us who aren't racist, don't listen to the critics AND still hated it for being a soul less mess of a movie?

[Rose_Petal]

Originally Posted by robgmun

There seems to be a bit of a backlash on studios recasting characters with black people at the moment, They had to rewrite the Finn character in Star Wars to not make him so prominent and give Poe more screen time and the push to make the next James Bond Black was slapped down too.

It does seem there is a push back on studios unnecessarily trying to force diversity on movies.

Didn't like it because the main characters were black huh? Can't stand to see African Americans making a great movie or being in any movie at all, right? Should be nothing but white as lilies in the field people. White actors acting all the parts because, after all, black people aren't as important as they are, hmm? Not good enough, right? Skin too DARK, or maybe they can't act as good as white people in your opinion? The race card is still alive and kicking, isn't it? So many WHITE people have said this, "Why should I pay for the sins of people in the past. I'm not racist, see here's my black friend Jamal!" But you have just proven that statement false, you are judging African Americans by the color of their skin and not the content of their character. Shame on you

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by Rose_Petal

Didn't like it because the main characters were black huh? Can't stand to see African Americans making a great movie or being in any movie at all, right? Should be nothing but white as lilies in the field people. White actors acting all the parts because, after all, black people aren't as important as they are, hmm? Not good enough, right? Skin too DARK, or maybe they can't act as good as white people in your opinion? The race card is still alive and kicking, isn't it? So many WHITE people have said this, "Why should I pay for the sins of people in the past. I'm not racist, see here's my black friend Jamal!" But you have just proven that statement false, you are judging African Americans by the color of their skin and not the content of their character. Shame on you

or how about people not happy about recasting someone who is already established as a certain skin color? Would you say the same thing if they cast a white guy in the next blade movie, or if Black Panther was some asian dude who wore a black mask? What happens if we make Luke Cage played by Triple H... it doesn't matter if he's originally another color right? me thinks someone is a BIIIIIIIIIIT too sensitive. It's not like we expect Tyler Perry movies to be suddenly white either.

[Rose_Petal]

Originally Posted by wormraper

what about those of us who aren't racist, don't listen to the critics AND still hated it for being a soul less mess of a movie?

That's good to know that you aren't racist. I did say however those of you who aren't CRAZY or racist. So I guess that leaves you as crazy, .(no insult intended)

Seriously though I LOVED that movie and plan on buying it, I rented it from the red box. I saw great actors acting their hearts out! You didn't? Did you watch it at home or in the theaters? I watched it at home where I was free to rewind a part I missed from laughing. If you watched it at home than to be honest I don't see what the problem was. This multicultural movie was great. Maybe you just want to stick with the 1982 version with Carol Burnett? I liked that one too, but I like this Annie and Mr.Warbucks/Mr. Stacks better than the Annie and Mr. Warbucks with Carol Burnett. I loved it, the whole movie.

You could try and think of this as a different Annie, because she is. The first girl on this new "Annie" was the Annie that would go on to be adopted by Mr. Warbucks. The second Annie, Annie Bennett, is going to be adopted by Mr. Stacks. You could think of it as them telling you the story of a different girl with same first name but different circumstances if you like. Or an alternate universe like the newest Star Trek movies.
Still think you're crazy though!

[Rose_Petal]

Originally Posted by wormraper

or how about people not happy about recasting someone who is already established as a certain skin color? Would you say the same thing if they cast a white guy in the next blade movie, or if Black Panther was some asian dude who wore a black mask? What happens if we make Luke Cage played by Triple H... it doesn't matter if he's originally another color right? me thinks someone is a BIIIIIIIIIIT too sensitive. It's not like we expect Tyler Perry movies to be suddenly white either.

I think Tyler Perry movies are trash so if your going to suggest one, suggest a good REAL movie. As for the Black Panthers, why would you when they're historical people?(By the way I've NEVER agreed with the Black Panthers message, violence is not the answer). But do what you want. Annie on the other hand is NOT a historical character, she is absolutely fiction. Oh and a black character was recently recast as white on The Green Lantern. The Green Lantern in the comics was originally black. What blade movie are you talking about? I've never heard of it. As for Triple H he's white and he's a real person, why would someone do that? But again, do what you want.

[Chedwiggen]

I love the 82 film and when I watched the remake from the 90's I realized that I didn't care for it nor would I care for any remake of it which is why I didn't care what changes they made with this update. When the previews came out I thought it looked cute but had no immediate desire to see it and after having watched the first five minutes free through On Demand preview I have absolutely no desire to see the rest, the insulting opening didn't help.

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by Rose_Petal

I think Tyler Perry movies are trash so if your going to point one out point out a good REAL movie. As for the Black Panthers, why would you when they're historical people? But do what you want. Annie on the other hand is NOT a historical character, she is absolutely fiction. Oh and a black character was recently recast as white on The Green Lantern. The Green Lantern in the comics was originally black. What blade movie are you talking about? I've never heard of it. As for Triple H he's white and he's a real person, why would someone do that? But again, do what you want.

as for green Lantern....... wrong. the first green lantern was Alan Scott. he was a white guy. John Stewart, the Black Green Lantern (one of SEVERAL people who wore the mantle of Green Lantern) was later ..and they're not "recasting" him, they're using one of the OTHER people who wore the green Lantern ring over the comics life time... different people, different identities, but all were dubbed Green Lantern at one time or another since the Green Lantern is more of a ROLE rather than a single person. The movie used Hal Jordan (another white guy)

[jscoggins]

Originally Posted by Rose_Petal

I think Tyler Perry movies are trash so if your going to suggest one, suggest a good REAL movie.

The artistic merits of a movie don't matter if we're discussing recasting characters' ethnicities. The same rules apply, good movie or bad movie.

[markus7]

Originally Posted by Rose_Petal

[FONT="Palatino Linotype"]If you listened to the golden globe crazies and the blind critics as a reason for not watching this movie than your just as crazy as they are. If your not watching it because Annie is BLACK then I can't help you.

One question.

Is the comic strip Annie... Annie?

Yes or No.

If yes, then Annie wasn't in this movie.

It's reasonable to expect an iconic comic strip character to be the star in a movie bearing "their" name.

The absence of Harold Gray's Annie was the movie's most glaring flaw, but certainly not its only flaw. There were flaws across the board in this one.

[50strat54]

Originally Posted by Rose_Petal

I think Tyler Perry movies are trash so if your going to suggest one, suggest a good REAL movie.

I liked Alex Cross.

[OneWayFilms]

I'm white and I was looking forward to seeing this new Annie. I have no problem with re-casting a classic story with black people, as long as they do a good job. I LOVE THE WIZ! However, I HATED the all-black cast remake of Steel Magnolias. The acting was terrible and it just didn't feel right to me, that was almost as bad as if white people tried to remake THE COLOR PURPLE.

Anyways, I like the idea of this new ANNIE.....but when I saw a few clips from it, I immediately changed my mind.

I saw Cameron Diez's new version of 'Little Girls' and it was HORRIBLE. Some of the other songs I heard was SO different and bad, I decided not to see this one. It has NOTHING to do with the color of their skin.

[markus7]

Typical politically correct analysis, but it doesn't hold up.

If skin color doesn't matter, then it shouldn't matter that whites are playing Egyptians in the Exodus film.

Skin color/race is very important when it comes to casting films appropriately. It's about being true to the source material. With an established visual character like Harold Gray's Little Orphan Annie, an American icon as a white ginger redhead for 90 consecutive years, it's extremely important to match her famous comic strip appearance and personality traits within reason. If no such attempt is made by the filmmakers, business will suffer. People want faithful adaptations of famous characters like Annie.

[DisneyBlu]

We had a free Redbox code and rented Annie, because I've seen almost everything else out. I didn't think I would like this movie, and I'm definitely not the target audience, but I enjoyed it.

It was a sweet little movie. I liked the soundtrack. Cameron Diaz was terrible. There was a moment towards the end where

[Show spoiler]Stacks tells her Annie said she has a very nice singing voice, and the look on her face lets you sympathize with her a bit because she has this "I treat her that bad and she said something that nice about me?" look,

I thought that was nice. Otherwise, her performance was cartoonish, over the top, and just bad. Like community theater actress bad.

Wallis was really likeable as Annie. I prefer iconic characters to retain their iconic looks in adaptations, but I don't have any kind of nostalgia towards Annie. Never cared about Annie, so a black Annie isn't a big deal to me. She did a good job in the role.

It was a cute little family movie with heart. I laughed a few times. Enjoyed the musical sequences. All in all, very surprised by this one.

[markus7]

Originally Posted by Rose_Petal

That's good to know that you aren't racist. I did say however those of you who aren't CRAZY or racist. So I guess that leaves you as crazy, .(no insult intended)

Seriously though I LOVED that movie and plan on buying it, I rented it from the red box. I saw great actors acting their hearts out! You didn't? Did you watch it at home or in the theaters? I watched it at home where I was free to rewind a part I missed from laughing. If you watched it at home than to be honest I don't see what the problem was. This multicultural movie was great. Maybe you just want to stick with the 1982 version with Carol Burnett? I liked that one too, but I like this Annie and Mr.Warbucks/Mr. Stacks better than the Annie and Mr. Warbucks with Carol Burnett. I loved it, the whole movie.

You could try and think of this as a different Annie, because she is. The first girl on this new "Annie" was the Annie that would go on to be adopted by Mr. Warbucks. The second Annie, Annie Bennett, is going to be adopted by Mr. Stacks. You could think of it as them telling you the story of a different girl with same first name but different circumstances if you like. Or an alternate universe like the newest Star Trek movies.
Still think you're crazy though!

The movie was absolutely horrible from beginning to end with probably the worst singing ever heard in a Hollywood movie. The miscast lead actress couldn't sing even with the auto-tune, nor could Cameron Diaz or the rest of the cast, aside from Jamie Foxx and his Marvin Gaye impersonation. The numbers were all basically an embarrassment to the Broadway musical and previous films.

Your account being created in March 2015 seems very suspicious. Sony is desperate to salvage this money loser on home video since its massive domestic/international marketing push in 80 countries failed to make it a hit.

[unjichan]

People just need to get over themselves and stop complaning about a movie that you are not the target audience. I know a lot of kids who'd never know Annie and now hooked on Sia's rendition of the songs. They are keeping the classic alive in their own way (think The Sound of Music Live). So unless you are 12 year old girls, I doubt your opinion matters to the filmmakers. I didn't necessarily enjoy the movie but it was exactly what it promised. Just like I won't be criticizing Sofia The First the Movie, I shouldn't take Annie too seriously. And for those "just show your kids the classics" people, your classic is timed. The pacing, the relevance is outdated. This movie has its purpose and it did its job pretty fairly.

[Chedwiggen]

Originally Posted by unjichan

People just need to get over themselves and stop complaning about a movie that you are not the target audience. I know a lot of kids who'd never know Annie and now hooked on Sia's rendition of the songs. They are keeping the classic alive in their own way (think The Sound of Music Live). So unless you are 12 year old girls, I doubt your opinion matters to the filmmakers. I didn't necessarily enjoy the movie but it was exactly what it promised. Just like I won't be criticizing Sofia The First the Movie, I shouldn't take Annie too seriously. And for those "just show your kids the classics" people, your classic is timed. The pacing, the relevance is outdated. This movie has its purpose and it did its job pretty fairly.

And what a great message the opening of this kids film sends to red headed girls, that an Annie that looks like them is boring and outdated unlike the new hip Annie.

[BDrischBDemented]

Frankly, I think BOTH the 1982 and 2014 movies are pretty lousy. It's a good middle ground.

[markus7]

Originally Posted by unjichan

People just need to get over themselves and stop complaning about a movie that you are not the target audience. I know a lot of kids who'd never know Annie and now hooked on Sia's rendition of the songs. They are keeping the classic alive in their own way (think The Sound of Music Live). So unless you are 12 year old girls, I doubt your opinion matters to the filmmakers. I didn't necessarily enjoy the movie but it was exactly what it promised. Just like I won't be criticizing Sofia The First the Movie, I shouldn't take Annie too seriously. And for those "just show your kids the classics" people, your classic is timed. The pacing, the relevance is outdated. This movie has its purpose and it did its job pretty fairly.

So any movie with a period setting cannot be watched by the current generation, nor understood by them. Really? Should Pirates of the Caribbean be remade with modern naval warships so kids can enjoy the films? Should Zorro be updated for "relevance" with El Zorro driving a car instead of riding an outdated horse?

Were kids incapable of enjoying Raiders of the Lost Ark or Temple of Doom because those films were set in the 1930s? Were kids incapable of enjoying Sherlock Holmes, Titanic, The Mummy, Pocahontas and Mulan because of the period settings of each?

Are kids incapable of enjoying Disney's Cinderella because it's a period film and therefore its relevance is outdated? Must a setting be updated to "modern" for the purposes of "relevance" otherwise kids won't understand the story or appreciate it? Really?

How many examples do you need?

Who says I'm not the target audience for Annie?

Harold Gray's Little Orphan Annie comic strip was filled with political/social commentary and aimed at adults reading their daily newspaper.

The Broadway musical was also aimed at adults and attended by mainly adults.

The faithful (to the comics) 1982 film was aimed at adults and children and earned $158 million domestic (adjusted for inflation). It's a timeless film with universal themes. Still very relevant and educational opening up discussion on the era in which the story takes place. See the Blu-Ray.

As for this 2014 movie, I'm sure it wasn't the intention of Harold Gray for his character to be deliberately miscast in a story dumbed down to the level of Sesame Street. Talk about abandoning the source material. All that was missing was Big Bird and the Cookie Monster.

[Forneverland]

This film was a travesty...I mean the song in the Helicopter was atrocious. I mean when it clocked into nearly 2 hours, it was painful. Only redeeming quality was Rose Byrne and even she seemed forced into this film.

[Dubstar]

Originally Posted by Forneverland

This film was a travesty...I mean the song in the Helicopter was atrocious. I mean when it clocked into nearly 2 hours, it was painful. Only redeeming quality was Rose Byrne and even she seemed forced into this film.

oh I loved that new song.