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William McGregor’s ‘Gwen’ is a Haunting, Dark Welsh Folk Tale

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Gwen

Writer/director William McGregor (His Dark Materials) takes viewers to the stark hills of Wales in Gwen, a dark folk tale built on dread.

It is the 19th century, and Gwen (Eleanor Worthington-Cox) lives with her mother Elen (Maxine Peake) and younger sister Mari (Joddie Innes) alone on a struggling farm. It seems the whole world is turning against her family as Elen succumbs to illness and a local mining company who wants their land successfully turns the local community against them.

Darkness creeps ever closer to the family and McGregor deftly captivates and works the emotions of his audience to keep them guessing if that darkness comes from humans or something even more insidious.

McGregor makes smart choices throughout the film. There is very little score to speak of, so we are left to the sounds of nature, and it isn’t long before creeping winds and crackling fires take on a sinister tone.

Worthington-Cox (The Enfield Haunting) is transcendent in the role of Gwen delivering a flawless performance that is tonally near-perfect throughout. The character is constantly pulled between childlike innocence, teenage stubbornness, and adult responsibilities, the last carrying with it a weighty burden as her mother becomes ill and she must try to keep the farm running on her own.

Elanor Worthington-Cox is stunning the title character in Gwen.

Likewise, Maxine Peake (Peterloo) radiates the quiet desperation of a mother trying to hold her family together. With the mining company constantly watching she cannot be seen as weak, no matter the circumstances, and we watch as she pricks her fingers in order to draw blood that she massage into her cheeks to give them a healthy glow and walking the great distance to attend church when she can barely stand.

Among the supporting cast, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith stands out as Doctor Wren, a man torn between his allegiances to the mining company and his oaths as a doctor when Gwen begs for medicine for her mother.

Unfortunately, other members of the supporting cast aren’t given much more to do than scowl and look threatening. While it works overall, at the very least the head of the mining company and perhaps the minister could have been given more development to underline why they do what they do.

And then there’s the Welsh countryside itself. There are times when the hills and countryside of sparsely populated filming location, Gwynned, seems to loom over the family and press in on them, underscoring their isolation.

Gwen was filmed in County Gwynned in Wales and it’s landscape becomes a character all its own.

As the elements come together, not only does McGregor manage to convey a nearly consuming sense of dread within his characters, but he pushes it beyond the screen onto his audience.

How can there be nothing to fear after all if we know that something or someone is moving inside the shadows and it will devour us if we allow it?

Gwen will release this Friday, August 16, 2019 in select theaters and video on demand, and it is definitely a film that fans of The Witch will want to see.

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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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