Last week, I had the incredible experience of jetting off to New York City for an advance screening of the movie Annie, which, as a huge fan of the 1982 film, I was dying to see. Then, as if that wasn’t exciting enough, I sat down for roundtable interviews with the cast and director, who arrived fresh from their Good Morning America visit with Robin Roberts. I had the privilege of sitting next to the only Texan in the room, Jamie Foxx.
In the coming weeks, I will be sharing my review of the film (spoiler: it’s a whole lot of fun) and highlights from interviews with Cameron Diaz (Miss Hannigan), Jamie Foxx (Will Stacks), Quvenzhané Wallis (Annie), Bobby Cannavale (Guy), and director Will Gluck.
But first, some exciting news that cannot wait. Free Fun in Austin is the screening partner for the Austin advance screening of Annie, happening in North Austin on Saturday, December 13, 2014 at 10 a.m. Several lucky families will be able to see Annie for free, before it opens in theaters on December 19!
Head over here for your chance to get tickets to the screening. Sony Pictures will distribute admit-4 passes at random on Wednesday, December 10, 2014. Please note that that these passes do not guarantee entry to the screening. Sony Pictures will give away many more passes than seats are available, to ensure that every seat at the screening is filled. If you receive a pass, it is vital that you arrive early, as seating will be first come, first served. When the theater is full, no one else will be admitted, even if you arrive with screening pass in hand. And, you know this will be a popular screening!
Academy Award® nominee Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild) 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 (Cameron Diaz). But everything’s about to change when the hard-nosed tycoon and New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx) – advised by his brilliant VP, Grace (Rose Byrne) and his shrewd and scheming campaign advisor, Guy (Bobby Cannavale) – 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.
In other local Annie-related news, if you donate a new or gently used coat to any Austin area Alamo Drafthouse, through December 10, 2014, you will receive a free movie pass to use in January 2015! There is a limit of three passes per family. All coats will be distributed to local families through Coats for Kids. For more information, click here.
