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Denis Villeneuve Talks Directing ‘Blade Runner 2049′:’It’s a Brutal World in 2049’

Published

7 years ago

October 1, 2017

When Blade Runner was released theatrically in 1982, the film was a box office and critical failure. It was a major disappointment for its director, Ridley Scott, and star, Harrison Ford. The critical consensus at the time was that Blade Runner was a great-looking film whose technical credits overwhelmed its characters and story.

Time changes everything. Over the following decades, Blade Runner has received, from audiences and critics alike, a sweeping reappraisal and is now regarded as a visionary masterpiece. One of Blade Runner’s original supporters was Denis Villeneuve, the director of Arrival and Prisoners, who was a teenager when he first saw Blade Runner in 1982. “I think I read about Blade Runner in the pages of Cinefantastique, which had a big spread on the film and showed images from the film, which got me really excited about the film,” says Villeneuve. “Years before the arrival of the internet, that’s how I discovered films like Blade Runner. I saw Blade Runner in a small Quebec theater, and I thought it was amazing. The opening sequence, seeing the first images of the landscape, was unbelievable. The rest of the film was just as great. Blade Runner was, for me, one of the first films I saw growing up that was better than I imagined it would be.”

Now Villeneuve is the director of the long-awaited Blade Runner sequel, Blade Runner 2049. Ryan Gosling stars as Officer K, an LAPD officer who’s been tasked with retiring a new breed of replicants. “It’s obviously a very different world now, and it’s a much more brutal world than we saw in the first film,” says Villeneuve. “Earth has collapsed, and everyone wants to leave earth. Those who live on Earth are trapped here. They have no choice and must survive the best they can. K, Ryan’s character, works for the Blade Runner unit, and he’s facing the same challenges, obstacles, that Rick Deckard did in the first film but on a much grander scale. Some of the replicant models are illegal on Earth, and he has to find the illegal ones and eliminate them. Within a science fiction film, this is a detective story with a strong noir element.”

Along the way, K makes contact with the original blade runner, Rick Deckard, who shares his experience with K. This is the same role that Harrison Ford played on the set with Gosling and Villeneuve. “Harrison was so helpful on many levels, especially in terms of trying to project the world that Harrison and Ridley created in the first film into the future. Harrison waited over thirty years to see this film become a reality. His commitment to the project was incredible. It was the same with Ryan. From the moment the three of us became attached to this project, we started talking about the script, exchanging ideas, and this carried over to the filming.”

Instead of relying solely on CGI, Villeneuve insisted on building physical sets. “The problem with CGI is that the actors and the director don’t have the freedom to exchange ideas, to improvise,” says Villeneuve. “You’re bound by the green screen. CG-heavy films also look very artificial, very unreal. If the audience doesn’t believe in the universe they’ve been placed inside of, the film can’t be successful. I’m the type of filmmaker who likes to see things, touch things, and most actors are the same way. This is a much better film because we built sets.”

Villeneuve says that Scott, who served as an executive producer on the sequel, acted as a low-key mentor throughout the process. “Most of the time I spent with him was prior to the filming, when we had long talks about the first film, about what inspired him to make the first film,” says Villeneuve. “After that, he told me he’d be there if I needed him, and I felt his support throughout the filming. I think Ridley visited the set three times. I felt his presence throughout this journey.”

Blade Runner 2049 will be released theatrically on October 6, 2017.

Images courtesy of Warner Bros. Publicity.

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Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

4 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

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Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

6 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

8 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.