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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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Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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