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‘Bill and Ted Face the Music’ is a Nostalgic Romp Through Time and Space

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Bill and Ted Face the Music lands in theaters tomorrow. It’s a sequel 30 years in the making that was entirely worth the wait!

As the film opens, we find Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) performing a song at Ted’s brother’s wedding to Missy (Amy Stoch). You remember Missy. She was their step-mom back in the first film.

After a disastrous couples’ therapy session with their wives following the wedding, the guys arrive home–they’re now next door neighbors–to discover that they have indeed, not written the song that will save the universe and worse, the very fabric of time and space is being ripped apart.

With that, we’re off to the races. As Bill and Ted rush out to restore reality, their daughters Thea (Samara Weaving) and Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine) stumble upon a new and improved time travel pod and set out to round up a killer band to help their dads out.

Old friends and new join Bill and Ted on this new journey.

This film was honestly just about everything that a fan of Bill & Ted could want in a sequel, and I’ll admit that it made me feel like a kid again as I settled in for this latest adventure.

Director Dean Parisot assembled a number of familiar faces from the previous films to accompany Reeves and Winter including William Sadler as Death, Hal Landon, Jr. as Ted’s father, and the previously mentioned Stoch. It was a brilliant move to tie the film back to its predecessors, and it was astonishing how seamlessly all of these actors slipped back into their roles.

Yet with all its nostalgia, the new cast of characters are regularly allowed to steal the show.

Weaving and Lundy-Paine are absolutely incredible as the duo’s daughters. They are almost more Bill and Ted than Winter and Reeves, bringing that youthful energy from the first films to the mix.

Brigette Lundy-Paine and Samara Weaving with Kid Cudi in Bill and Ted Face the Music

Likewise, Kristen Schaal is hilarious in the role of Rufus’s daughter, Kelly. More intense than her father, but dedicated to his mission, Schaal delivers every line with a razor-sharp wit that cuts through all of the various agendas going on around her especially with Holland Taylor as the new Great Leader.

Of course this wouldn’t be a Bill and Ted movie without a smattering of historic musicians. Always an adventure, this one went just a little strange. While Jimi Hendrix (DazMann Still), Louis Armstrong (Jeremiah Craft), and Mozart (Daniel Dorr) are all along for the ride, the ladies also pick up Ling Lun (Sharon Gee)–the mythic founder of music in China given a fun gender-swap–and Grom (Patty Anne Miller), a cavewoman and a badass drummer.

This shiny new cast is the film’s ultimate saving grace.

Writers Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson rightfully remembered that even the most nostalgic sequel must still move the story forward. They chose a route that not only honors what came before but also breathes new life into this particular tale that could very well open the door to more storytelling in this universe.

What struck me most about the film, however, is just how timely it seems.

Though it was made long before Covid-19 struck and protests broke out across the U.S. in particular, the film’s message of being kind and respectful to one another and that there are universal needs that can bring us together when we put aside our prejudices and fear is one that the world sorely needs right now.

That’s not a new idea in this franchise, by the way, for those who might think the movie suddenly got political. Go back and watch the original. It’s there, as well. You were just too young to pick up on it.

As the credits rolled on Bill and Ted Face the Music, I honestly felt better. The film actually lifted my spirits and put me in a good mood. Maybe it’s the time travel. Maybe it’s the music. Maybe it’s the trippy escapades in Hell with Death. Something about it works, and if you’re a fan of the first two films, then this sequel is an absolute must-see.

Bill and Ted Face the Music is out in theaters and on digital platforms on August 28, 2020.

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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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