Quvenzhané Wallis has done more in her eleven years than most people do in a lifetime, and she doesn’t seem to be slowing down. This time she took a classic and made it even more lovable. She stars as the titular character in the film Annie, a remake of the Broadway musical of the same name. It features a contemporary storyline and a contemporary soundtrack to boot.

Synopsis:

Quvenzhané Wallis stars as Annie, a young, happy foster kid who’s also tough enough to make her way on the streets of New York in 2014. Originally left by her parents as a baby with the promise that they’d be back for her someday, it’s been a hard knock life ever since with her mean foster mom Miss Hannigan. But everything’s about to change when the hard-nosed tycoon and New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks – advised by his brilliant VP, Grace, and his shrewd and scheming campaign advisor, Guy – makes a thinly-veiled campaign move and takes her in. Stacks believes he’s her guardian angel, but Annie’s self-assured nature and bright, sun-will-come-out-tomorrow outlook on life just might mean it’s the other way around.

Cast:

Quvenzhané Wallis – Annie Bennett

Jamie Foxx – William “Will” Stacks

Rose Byrne – Grace Farrell

Bobby Cannavale – Guy Danlily

Cameron Diaz – Colleen Hannigan

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje – Nash

Tracie Thoms – Annie’s fake mom

Dorian Missick – Annie’s fake dad

David Zayas – Lou

Crew:

Director – Will Gluck

Writer – Will Gluck

Writer – Aline Brosh McKenna

Producer – Will Smith

Producer – Jada Pinkett Smith

Producer – Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter

Producer – Caleeb Pinkett

Producer – James Lassiter

Producer – Lawrence “Jay” Brown

Annie is available for purchase here. The soundtrack can be found here.

The post DVD Release: Annie appeared first on Films of Color.

Ray Charles was a pioneer in soul music. Known as “The Genius,” his talent could not be contained to one genre. Blinded at age seven, this hindrance did not stop Ray Charles from being one of the greats.

Ray is a biopic starring Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles. Ray chronicles his career, from how he went blind to how he found his calling to becoming a musical pioneer.

Jamie Foxx was praised for his performance. He received an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a BET Award, a Black Reel Award, and an NAACP Image Award amongst others. The film garnered countless more awards. It is available here.

The post Black History Month Day 21 – ‘Ray’ appeared first on Films of Color.

In the second half of February, we’ll be focusing more on the entertainment/art side of Black History. I think Muhammad Ali serves as the perfect bridge. Ali was one of the greatest boxer in the world, but his fight for racial justice was just as admirable.

Ali focuses on a ten year period in the life of Muhammad Ali, played by Will Smith. Key points in the film include his epic fight with Sonny Liston, his journey with Islam and its ideals, his refusal to be drafted for the Vietnam War and its fallout, and his comeback.

It was nominated for many awards and won several, including three NAACP Image Awards, with both Will Smith and Jamie Foxx winning one. It is available here.

The post Black History Month Day 15 – ‘Ali’ appeared first on Films of Color.