Five Armies and a Little Orphan
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You have been graciously given one of the best gifts that our film critic, Tony Toscano, can give to you, me and everyone out there. He is giving us reviews for two different movies in one video. Today we have a review of “The Hobbit – The Battle of the Five Armies” and “Annie – The Musical.”
“The Hobbit”
Release Date – December 19, 2014
TONY TOSCANO’S rating –
Opening in theaters today is the long awaited third film in the “Hobbit” series “The Battle of the Five Armies” And what a finale it is! Peter Jackson surpasses the first two films and gives us a glorious ending and opens the door for his continuation into the “Lord of the Rings” series. The film gets four plays and is rated PG-13.
“The Hobbit” is an epic fantasy adventure film, directed by Peter Jackson and written by Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Guillermo del Toro. It is the third and final installment in the three-part film adaptation based on the novel The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien, following “An Unexpected Journey” (2012) and “The Desolation of Smaug” (2013). It stars Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Evangeline Lilly, Benedict Cumberbatch and James Nesbitt. It also features Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee and Orlando Bloom.
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“Annie”
Release Date – December 19, 2014
TONY TOSCANO’S rating –
Also in theaters today an updated version of the Broadway musical “Annie” The remake of Annie stars Quvenzhané Wallis in the title role of the always-positive orphan. Along for the ride is Jamie Foxx, as a rich bachelor who doesn’t have time for a family. The film loses a little momentum with an oddly over-the-top performance by Cameron Diaz as Miss Hannigan, Annie’s foster mother. In the end “Annie” is an enjoyable revisit – but falls short of its predecessor. Annie is rated PG while also only getting two and a half plays.
“Annie,” a musical comedy-drama directed by Will Gluck and produced by Jay-Z and Will Smith, is a contemporary adaptation of the musical of the same name, which was based upon the 1924 comic strip Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray.
The fourth film adaptation following Columbia Pictures’ 1982 theatrical film, the 1995 television sequel “Annie: A Royal Adventure!” and Disney’s 1999 made-for-television film, it began production in August 2013 and will be released today.
The film tells the story of ten-year-old Annie, a foster child living in Harlem, and her friendship with and subsequent adoption by Will Stacks, a cell phone mogul and billionaire.
