Burning Annie (2004)

The story of a college student with an "Annie Hall" addiction trying to make his new relationship work.

Director:

Van Flesher

Writers:

Randy Mack, Zack Ordynans

Stars:

Gary Lundy, Sara Downing, Kim Murphy

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gary Lundy	...	Max
Sara Downing	...	Julie
Kim Murphy	...	Beth (as Kim Murphy Zandell)
Brian Klugman	...	Charles
Jay Paulson	...	Sam
Rini Bell	...	Amanda
Todd Duffey	...	Tommy
Kathleen Rose Perkins	...	Jen
Jason Risner	...	Scott
Carrie Freedle	...	Sara
Keith Page	...	Mark
David Hall	...	Andy
Alex Bolano	...	Young Max
Evan Price	...	Adolescent Max
Jaisey Bates	...	Amy

Storyline

A dark comedy about Max, who thinks Woody Allen's "Annie Hall" is a cautionary tale about the futility of romance. Just as he begins to suspect the movie is ruining his love life, his world is turned inside-out by a girl who just might be the modern equivalent of Annie Hall herself.

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Plot Keywords:

student | love | college | watching tv | watching a movie | 

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Taglines:

Putting the 'Freud' in 'Schadenfreude'

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Armak Productions trailers, photos, bios, production journal [United States] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 March 2003 (USA)

Filming Locations:

West Virginia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Armak Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Max, the name of the protagonist, is also the name the Tony Roberts character calls Alvy Singer at the beginning of Annie Hall. "It's a good name for you," he tells him during a scene in which they walk and discuss antisemitism (a scene also echoed at the beginning of this film, along with many other structural and scene homages).

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Goofs

When Max is describing his group he says Sam is the "Alpha male" of the group, which primarily consists of "zeta males." The implication is the other males would be the lowest social caste, but that would be the "omega males" because Omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet. Zeta is the 7th letter.

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Quotes

Max: Cheers to a new semester, full of potential that will surely go to waste.

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Connections

References Chasing Amy (1997)

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Soundtracks

I Switched You
Performed by Frank Black & The Catholics
© 1999 Spime Songs (BMI)
Used By Permission. All Rights Reserved

User Reviews

As close as you could get to a real college experience.

I'm not a big fan of long winded reviews, technical blathering, unabashed praise for "breaking new ground" or endlessly cheering another cinematic innovation when these elements disguise a weak story.

Thankfully, BURNING ANNIE is anything but that. It's a somber, somwhat bipolar view of what it's like at College for THE REST OF US. You know, the one's who didn't have that AMERICAN PIE experience in the "best years of our lives", the one's who, more often than not, didn't get the girl, and ultimatly, the ones who still examine our lives, wondering what more we can get from it. That said, BURNING ANNIE holds more in tune with THE RULES OF ATTRACTION than VAN WILDER or any recent college film in memory. It's not entirely uplifting, but it's true to life, and it's humor is found through these moments, the ones we all can relate to. While the copy of BURNING ANNIE I saw wasn't 100% complete, and the festival venue was less than stellar, it was truly one of the gems out there. Few times have I heard more people discussing it over a post-film cigarette.

Will BURNING ANNIE be a smashing success like AMERICAN PIE? Probably not.

Does BURNING ANNIE break new ground? Not exactly.

Are it's characters rich, fully fleshed out, with real flaws and real pains? Yes, yes and YES!

And that's it's strongest point. Everything else, from the moody rag-tag indie label music, to the subdued somber lighting, paints a beautiful portrait of REAL people struggling with REAL problems trying to find their places in the REAL world. From the direction to the acting and everything in between, it's a solid, consistent production that, despite a few minute hiccups, has earned a place among my favorites.

But it's not a movie for everyone, and if it doesn't get distribution (which would be a shame) few will have a chance to disagree with me. In an age of target marketing and mindless gross out targeted at the village idiots, it's a breath of fresh. And to those who like thoughtful well paced character studies about the transitions in life and the prices we pay, this is a film for you!

As a first time movie, few films rival it, so it's with great excitement that I look foreward to another production by the same cast and crew.