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Enemies of Dorothy are Making the Queer Horror Parodies We Didn’t Know We Needed!

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This morning as I sat contemplating my day, a Facebook video from a page called Enemies of Dorothy popped up with a title that commanded my attention: Social Justice Strangers.

I haven’t been so happy to have watched a Facebook video in a long time and I was immediately on the hunt to track down the men behind the satire.

Their names are Christopher Smith Bryant and Ryan Leslie Fisher, a real life couple with a flare, if I do say so myself, for poking just the right amount of fun at the world around them. Not surprisingly, they had a story to tell and a real reason behind their video projects.

“After Trump [was elected] and all the political changes we were seeing,” Christopher says. “both of us felt like we had a lot to say, and we both deal with our emotions through humor and comedy which is why we started Enemies of Dorothy.”

For those who don’t know, Enemies of Dorothy is a play on “Friends of Dorothy” a mid-twentieth century code phrase for being gay that simultaneously paying tribute to gay icon, Judy Garland and her iconic role in The Wizard of Oz. It was a time when being gay was still punishable with jail time and worse, and “Are you a friend of Dorothy?” was just one of the many ways gay men could identify themselves without drawing unwanted attention.

One of the most hilarious and bumbling stories from our nation’s military history involved this very phrase. The leaders of the U.S. Navy were trying to crack down on the “gay problem” they were having, and upon hearing the phrase “friend of Dorothy” repeatedly, they assumed that a woman named Dorothy was at the center of a “massive homosexual conspiracy” in the Navy.

They spent months trying to track her down! But, I digress.

Christopher, a stand-up comedian in the Los Angeles area who has been listed on Pride.com as one of the top 10 LGBT comedians you need to know, and Ryan, an actor with credits on “The Mentalist” as well as his original series “Openly Jake,” dropped their first horror parody some time ago with a video in which Pennywise the Clown and the Babadook announced their engagement.

The video, directed by Michael Varrati, came in the wake of the Babadook grabbing queer iconic status after a mix-up over at Netflix. It was a viral hit and the couple never looked back.

Since then, there have been a host of new videos including Gay Hell and Gay Beast Friends, each with its own satirically funny flare with a dose of social commentary thrown in for good measure.

But where and how did Social Justice Strangers come to be?

“Our friend Zack Ogle came over for one of our monthly “Werewolf” (the board game) nights, and immediately spat out this idea,” Ryan says. “It just clicked. We sat down and wrote it together. Then we got Michael Varrati on board to direct and it was a recipe for success!”

In their version, the three terrifying killers from the popular film The Strangers show up to murder the two men only to be flummoxed when its discovered that the men are gay, and hilarious worry sets in that they might be committing a hate crime.

One thing is certain: we have not heard the last of these two.

The Enemies of Dorothy, or as I like to call them “The Ambitiously Gay Duo”, have a lot more tricks up their sleeves, and I for one can’t wait to see them come to fruition.

Check out Social Justice Strangers below, and if you like what you see subscribe to their Facebook Page and their YouTube channel!

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

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The Blair Witch Project Cast

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

Blair witch
The Blair Witch Project Cast

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

The blair witch project

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello

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