film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: Alton Williams

  • The Pining: BRWC Exclusive Clip

    The Pining: BRWC Exclusive Clip

    The Pining: BRWC Exclusive Clip

    In the tradition of The Exorcist and End of Days comes a paranormal whodunnit that pits a detective, priest and photographer against unexplainable evil. From director Eduardo Castrillo, and starring Tom Sizemore (“Twin Peaks”, Natural Born Killers), Miguel A. Nunez Jr (“Nashville”, Return of the Living Dead) and Stranger Things’ Jackie Dallas , The Pining available this August on Amazon Prime.

    When members of a therapy group start dying under mysterious circumstances, A hardboiled detective is forced to reopen a cold case. Her only leads are a burnt-out priest and a handicapped photographer, who seem to know more than what is in their police statements.

    Here’s the clip.

    Also starring Jonez Cain, Natalie Gibson and Diogo Hausen. From Uncia films, The Pining available now on Amazon Prime.

    When members of Joe’s therapy group start dying under mysterious circumstances, Detective Harris (Jackie Dallas) is forced to reopen a cold case. Her only lead: Father William – the group therapy leader who seems to know more than what is in his police statements.

    Thomas Edward Sizemore Jr. (born November 29, 1961) is an American film and television actor and producer. He is known for his supporting roles in films such as Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man(1991), Passenger 57 (1992), True Romance (1993), Natural Born Killers (1994), Strange Days (1995), Heat (1995), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Red Planet (2000), Black Hawk Down (2001), Pearl Harbor (2001), and for voicing Sonny Forelli in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. He also played Anthony Sinclair in the revival television series Twin Peaks (2017).

  • BritFilm Blank Wraps

    BritFilm Blank Wraps

    New British Sci-fi drama ‘Blank’ – the latest film from Templeheart Films – has wrapped filming and is now in post-production, as the company reveals the full cast and first look images.

    Blank sees a desperate writer sign up for a fully A.I. operated retreat to cure her writer’s block, but when an unforeseen software glitch occurs, she gets trapped inside her unit with an unstable android and no communication with the outside world. Filming took place in the north west of England, predominantly Macclesfield, Bolsover and Chesterfield, with additional scenes shot in LA.

    Leading the cast is The L Word and Deep State actor Rachel Shelley playing the role of writer Claire Rivers, with Heida Reed (Poldark, Stella Blómkvist) as ‘the A.I’. Wayne Brady (The Wayne Brady Show, How I Met Your Mother) as the ‘host’, with Jamie Lomas (Hollyoaks, Eastenders), Bhasker Patel (Anuvahood, Emmerdale), Rebecca-Clare Evans (The Zombie King and Plan Z) and Annie Cusselle (The Silent Child) rounding out the cast.

    Blank
    Blank

    Blank marks the feature debuts of director Natalie Kennedy and writer Stephen Herman, and is executive produced by Templeheart Films’ Lyndon Baldock, whose previous films include Heretiks, The Seasoning House and Being Keegan and is produced by Rebecca-Clare Evans, who produced the BIFA winning In Another Life. 

    Director Natalie Kennedy said: “For me as a director, one of the most important things was casting this project properly, and I feel that we have found the perfect artists for the roles.  It is incredibly fulfilling working with such talent and seeing my vision brought to life.  We have also been remarkably fortunate to have such dedicated and talented crew members in roles that could make this film look as beautiful as it is.”

    Blank
    Blank

    Producer and actor Rebecca-Clare Evans said: “It’s been an amazing journey from finding Stephen Herman’s script to the production itself. We spent quite some time looking for the right cast members with our casting director as having the right actors on this project really makes a huge impact to the production, so it’s been great to be able to attach the incredible talent that we have that has lifted the words from the page and has brought the film to life.”

    Executive Producer Lyndon Baldock of Templeheart Films said: “Once we read the script we knew we had to pull out all the stops to help make this movie. Rebecca and Natalie have been great to work with, from development, through to full prep and shooting. Their communication and enthusiasm has made this production a joy for us to work on and no doubt that spread through the whole team of talent to bring this film together.”

  • Dumbo Flies To Number 1

    Dumbo Flies To Number 1

    Tim Burton’s live-action Dumbo remake flies to Number 1 following its release on disc. Rising two places, the much-loved Disney flick knocks last week’s chart-topper Alita: Battle Angel from the chart summit to Number 4; former Number 1 Captain Marvel holds on at Number 2, while superhero Shazam! debuts at Number 3 on digital downloads only.

    Starring Zachary Levi, Mark Strong and Asher Angel, Shazam! is an action-comedy about a teenage foster child, Billy Batson, who is gifted super-powers by a wizard. When he says the Wizard’s name – Shazam – he transforms into a fully-grown adult superhero. The film follows Billy as he learns how to correctly use his powers to fight crime and help his community, whilst also searching for his birth mother.

    Jordan Peele’s horror Us rebounds five places to its previous peak of Number 5 following its physical release, ahead of Mary Poppins Returns which drops one place to Number 6.

    Aquaman zooms 21 places back into the Top 10 at Number 7; Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse drops two to Number 8; Cornish singers’ story Fisherman’s Friends is down five to Number 9. Finally, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald shoots up 27 places to round off this week’s Top 10, a nice birthday present for author J K Rowling who celebrated her 54th birthday last week.

    This week’s Official Film Chart online show features an exciting clip of Stranger Things’ David Harbour as the titular character in the new Hellboy reboot, available to Download & Keep from August 9.

    The Official Film Chart Top 10 – 7th August 2019

    LWPOSTITLE
    31DUMBO (2019)
    22CAPTAIN MARVEL
    NEW3SHAZAM!
    14ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL
    105US
    56MARY POPPINS RETURNS
    287AQUAMAN
    68SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
    49FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS
    3710FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD

    © Official Charts Company 2019. Chart shows the Official Film Chart for the week ending 3rd August 2019

  • Bits & Pieces: Turo Edition

    Bits & Pieces: Turo Edition

    Life isn’t great for Turo (Johannes Holopainen – All the Sins), he’s stuck in his hometown, a small village in Finland where not much happens. The only thing that makes him happy is being the lead singer of amateur metal band Impaled Rektum.  He and his bandmates are not what you’d call successful…it’s been 12 years practicing in their parents’ basement and they’ve never played a gig…no, not even one.  But is their luck about to change? 

    Led by rising stars Sebastian Croft (GAME OF THRONES) as Roman teenager Atti and Emilia Jones (PATRICK) as his Celtic rival Orla, HORRIBLE HISTORIES: THE MOVIE – ROTTEN ROMANS features an all-star cast including Nick Frost (FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY) as Orla’s father Arghus, Craig Roberts (SUBMARINE) as Emperor Nero and Kim Cattrall (SEX AND THE CITY) as Nero’s mother Agrippina.  Additional cast include BRIT Award-winning artist Kate Nash (GLOW) as Boudicca, Rupert Graves (SHERLOCK) as Governor General Paulinus, Alex Macqueen (THE INBETWEENERS) as Nero’s assistant Sycophantus and Sir Derek Jacobi reprises his iconic role as Claudius. Here’s a clip.

    After a devastating family tragedy, a priest travels to China to find deeper spirituality, but instead is endowed with an ancient ability that allows him to turn into a dinosaur. At first, he is horrified by his newfound superpower, but a local prostitute convinces him to use his newfound gift to fight evil – and ninjas.

    Francis Ford Coppola’s exhilarating masterpiece returns this summer in all its cinematic glory with a striking brand-new 4K, Dolby Atmos©, Dolby Vision © version. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Oscar-winning Vietnam cult war epic this summer, STUDIOCANAL will release a special, never-before-seen cut restored with breathtaking realism by Coppola himself to the highest and finest audio and visual standards, for a truly visceral cinema experience.

    Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci star in Martin Scorsese’s THE IRISHMAN, an epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries and connections to mainstream politics.

    On 15 November 2019, Lupita Nyong’o, fresh from the success of Jordan Peele’s Us, returns to the screens in another brilliantly inventive and fantastically entertaining horror comedy, LITTLE MONSTERS – but this time with laughs and musical numbers! Also starring Josh Gad (Olaf from Frozen) and Alexander England (Alien: Covenant), this is the funniest zombie horror since Shaun of the Dead, bolstered by a knowing self-awareness and an uproarious script.

  • Jesse Ray Sheps: Interview

    Jesse Ray Sheps: Interview

    As far as young actor Jesse Ray Sheps is concerned, any film set that serves hot pizza for lunch is the goods! We spoke to the young star of Such a Funny Life (opening August in select theaters) about his ‘piping hot’ new movie.

    What a wild year you’re having! Tell us about some of the exciting things that have gone on!

    Thanks so much. Its been such a fun and amazing year for me. I started off the year attending all of these incredible film festivals such as SXSW for the movie All Square that I star in with Michael Kelly and Pam Adlon. It was just so inspiring getting to meet so many cool people who have such a deep passion for film making. From Austin, to Maryland, to Florida and ultimately the Los Angeles Premiere of All Square it was a dream come true. Then on top of it now having Such a Funny Life coming out just makes it absolutely incredible.

    When did you shoot Such a Funny Life?

    The movie was filmed a couple of years ago.

    And where did it lens?

    We shot the movie in New York. There is nothing better than having hot New York pizza for lunch on the set!

    Having been in big projects, is it more relaxing working on smaller films like this?

    I love making movies both big and small. I just love being on the set any opportunity I can get. I find them all pretty fun and relaxing when I get to do what I really love.

    At the same time do you feel pressure, or that more is at stake, than you did on some of the other films you’ve been in because you have a leading role in this one?

    I was fortunate enough to have a leading role in both All Square and Such a Funny Life. I have the same approach to any project I work on- work hard, get deep into the heart of your character and always try to have a good time and learn something new.

    What can you tell us about David’s journey in the film?

    David was such an amazing character to play. His life was incredibly difficult with a mother who had so many challenges and a terribly abusive father. At such a young age David really became the man of the house and an anchor for the family- especially for his younger sister. He overcomes some incredibly difficult tragic events in his life in his journey to find happiness. It was a wonderful character for me to get to develop.

    Jesse Ray Sheps

    What do you think audiences will be able to relate to in this film? How will it inspire?

    I think audiences love genuine characters that they can root for. Despite all of the tragic events in his life- David gives back to everyone the gift of laughter. No matter how challenging things become- David overcomes to become a comedian that brings joy to so many people. I think audiences will really walk away loving his journey getting to see how this tragedy unfolds. Having the chance to develop this character for an audience was such a thrill.