Author: Sara Embrey

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Halloween: The Time of Fear

 

Halloween, also known as All Hallows’ Eve or All Saints’ Eve, is a celebration remembering the dead. Over time, it has formed many different traditions. People of all ages dress up in many types of costumes and are able to be whomever they want. If you’d like to be a gladiator for the day, then go for it. A person can be a clown, a famous celebrity, a firefighter, a ghost, or a combination of sell three; the possibilities are endless. You can hear the sounds of children going house to house collecting candy from their neighbors with the shrieks of “trick or treat!”. Many college students use this holiday as an excuse to dress up in revealing costumes and to drink copious amount of alcoholic beverages. Another normative tradition during this time is the viewing of horror and thriller films. Some people really enjoy the feeling of fright and being terrified. They usually watch these films in the dark which enhance the feelings of terror and suspense. There are people who enjoy watching these films in a comedic sense to see what the characters will do, often with those so-bad-it’s-good movies. Others watch it with the goal of being spooked and having lingering paranoia and series of nightmares days. One dictionary defines fear as an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that some person or thing is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat. These type of movies use the different fears that people have to power their films. For example, the new film entitled Lights Out, uses the fear of the dark for their premise.

Here is a list of horror and thriller films that you can watch to get in the Halloween mood:

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The psychological/horror film Real Killers is about two brothers, who killed their parents in cold blood, that are taken them in after escaping death row. The film is available on DVD courtesy of World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation.

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BE YOURSELF AND CELEBRATE NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY

 

Welcome to 2016 where same-sex marriage has been legalized, visibility for the LGBTQ community has skyrocketed, and where calling something or someone “gay” does not mean dumb or stupid. Thanks to the efforts of the Human Rights Campaign in  spreading awareness, coming out of the closet to friends and family has become a safer place for everyone in today’s society.

Before there was National Coming Out Day (NCOD), there was the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights fighting to spread the awareness of the AIDS crisis and how little the Ronald Reagan administration did not recognize the dilemma as an actual issue. A year later, to celebrate the anniversary of the march, NCOD came to be!

So, how does the Teen Wolf, Arrow, The Grinder, and Scream Queens star play a role into this huge scheme of national coming out day? Colton Hayne was honored with the Human Right Campaign’s Visibility Award! Haynes’s speech trended over Facebook the weekend of the event.

Haynes shares three facts about himself that individuals that didn’t follow him on social media should know:

  1. He grew up in Kansas.
  2. He has been obsessed with clouds and wanted to be a meteorologist.
  3. Lastly, the fact that he’s gay.

During his speech, he states that his sexuality comes as natural as the colors of his eyes. Working with his sexuality has made him an open and honest person, which tied into his acting career. Haynes talks about how he takes on so many different roles that he never felt like himself until that moment on his the stage giving his speech.

“I don’t necessarily feel especially deserving of this recognition. We all know that there are many other ways, many other people  who have come before me and blazed the trail as LGBT advocates and role models. And I’m walking in their shoes and I’m following in their lead. Instead, I’ll accept this award as a promise. My promise is simple and real and I’m not making it you. I’m making it to the next generation of lesbians and gay men, bisexuals, transgender youth, and I hope my example will give them the confidence and hope to be who they are as well and for them to conquer their own fears and their own hesitations.”

Haynes reassures those questioning about coming out of the closet that if they do, it will be worth it in the end. They will finally get to be themselves along with find out who they are, who their families and friends are, and help them become honest and open individuals.

National Coming Out Day is not about finding that happily ever after, as Haynes states in his speech, but it is about having a happy beginning. So whether you’re a cowboy, a drag queen, a bartender, or a mobster, like in Pop Kowboy, celebrate yourself and enjoy being the only person you can be, yourself!

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Time for a Champion – an Anti-Bullying Student Film

 

World Wide Motion Pictures is excited to distribute the stirring new indie film Time for a Champion. Time for a Champion, written by Barry Glasser, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, was produced in Pharr, Texas by college preparatory students and faculty from the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District.

Elena, the main character, is a homeless Latina girl who is adopted by a journalist and, although now in a loving home, overcomes difficult circumstances by pouring herself into her high school track team. The track team provides solace for Elena, who is bullied by her peers, since her classmates find her quiet and standoffish attitude off-putting. As Elena learns in the film: words hurt, running heals.

World Wide Motion Pictures is distributing this unique and independent film with a distinct purpose: to help decrease bullying. In an effort to help spearhead this ever-evolving and important topic, World Wide has partnered with several anti-bullying organizations to raise awareness of the negative effects bullying can have in schools.

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Several international organizations like Stop the Bully, founded in Ireland  by spokesman Pat Forde, or proponents from the Anti-Bullying Movement in Louisiana. These supporters of the film are helping cast a wide net on the issue of bullying and draw this behavior into the limelight. Will Elena overcome bullying in her school?

Stay tuned for an expected release date of February 24th, 2017 in Pharr, Texas:  make sure to check out all our social media, where we will keep you posted on dates, behind the scenes content, and a few contests too! - coinciding with Anti- bullying Day on February 28th & 29th.

More Info: Press Release

 

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Drink Beer Day 9/30

 

Beer - one of the world’s oldest and most widely-consumed beverages. From beer halls in Germany to U.S. college bars, it is one of the most popular beverages of all time. Though its popularity, it has become a part of the culture of many nations. With celebrations such as beer festivals, anniversaries of breweries, and games including this drink, it has become an important part of society. Today is Drink Beer Day and was commemorated to celebrate drinking beer and the wonderful variety of this delicious drink. Throughout time, it has evolved and people have been able to create hundreds of flavors of beers. There are also many different types of beer depending on how it is fermented the different ingredients involved. The many types of beer include:

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  • Pale Ale: Predominantly comprised of pale malt and uses a top-fermenting yeast.
  • Stout/Porter: Darker beer using roast barley or roasted malts. They usually have slow fermenting yeast when brewed. Included in this category are sub-varieties such as dry stout, imperial stout, and Baltic porter.
  • Mild Ale: Made predominantly with a malty palate, it has an abv of 3%-3.6%.
  • Wheat Beer: Contains a significant amount of malted barley but is brewed with a large proportion of wheat.
  • Lambic: Naturally fermented using wild yeasts, rather than cultivated.
  • Lager: Cool fermented beer using a cool bottom-fermenting yeast.

Aside from celebrating with the use of this alcoholic beverage, alcohol can also be used as a toast of commemoration or remembrance, as seen in this scene of the film Red Roses and Petrol.  The film is available on DVD and digital download courtesy of World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation.

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Where are Robbie Kay and Ella Purnell now?

 

Back in 2010, actors Robbie Kay and Ella Purnell became more visible to American audiences with the release of the film Ways to Live Forever, but now, they are both well-established actors with their careers expanding further than anyone could ever dream for them!

Since Ways to Live Forever, Robbie Kay has worked on many projects on the big screens and on television. Robbie was the Cabin Boy in 2011 for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, assisting Captain Jack Sparrow find the fountain of youth. He then moved on to the 2013 release of Rita, a television movie about a private-school teacher struggling to raise her three children, along with becoming Peter Pan on Freeform’s (formerly ABC Family) hit television series Once Upon a Time. Playing Rumplestiltskin's father in the series along with being the main antagonist for nearly an entire season, Kay has taken the hearts of many across America. If being the main antagonist on Once Upon a Time wasn’t enough for Kay, he soon became the main protagonist in Heroes Reborn, playing Tommy Clark, the son of Claire from the beloved Heroes series. The spinoff of Heroes showcased Kay learning to use his powers and attempting to save the world with his character’s sister.

Although most of his appearances on television are coming to an end in early 2016, he has a new film coming out this year called Cold Moon where he plays Ben Redfield. Not much is known about the film currently, but with an all-star cast including Josh Stewart, Candy Clark, Frank Whaley, and Christopher Lloyd alongside with Robbie Kay, the film is sure to be a success!

Ella Purnell, unlike Robbie, started her career in 2010 with Ways to Live Forever and Never Let Me Go playing Kaleigh and Young Ruth, respectively. Her career slowly started with these two films as she continued her career with Candy, a short, and Intruders in 2011. It wasn’t until 2013 where she made her appearance in Kick-Ass 2, as Dolce, when her career started to pick up. After that appearance, she took a turn and played the teenage Maleficent in Disney’s Maleficent in 2014, the tragic backstory of the “evil” queen. She ended her 2014 year as the main lead in Wildlike, a drama about a teenage girl running away from home. Entering the 2015 year, Ella starred in Cyberbully, a television movie about a girl being blackmailed into doing an anonymous hacker’s bidding. Her next project was no surprise after her appearance in Disney’s Maleficent, as she starred in The Legend of Tarzan, as young Jane alongside with Ways to Live Forever’s Ben Chaplin, who played Robbie Kay’s father in the film. However, the 2016 year is not over for Purnell as she has four featured films coming up in late 2016 - early 2017.

The most anticipated film Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children showcases Ella as Emma Bloom. Her other three films that do not have a release date yet are Access All Areas, Churchill, and The Journey is the Destination. Not much is known about these three films either, but after Miss Peregine’s, Ella’s expected to be a big star in the film industry!

Congratulations to the Ways to Live Forever stars; they both have gone a long way since 2010, when the film was first released in the United States. Six years later and they have established their names into films, shorts, and television. We can’t wait to see how far they will go.

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7 Movies With Iconic Grandparents

 

Grandparents Day is filled with love and joy. In celebration of National Grandparents Day 2016, we have created a list of well-known movies with awesome grandmas and grandpas.

The Godfather

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Vito Corleone is one of the most ruthless, violent bosses of New York’s biggest crime syndicate. He is wise and intelligent, an excellent reader of others’ intentions, and a smooth, subtle talker, able to convince with words, not only bullets.Though a cold-hearted criminal, Vito is also a warm, loving grandfather; he’s a family man who loves playing hide-and-seek with his grandson, Anthony. Although the movie is three hours long, it absorbs us so effectively, it never has to hurry, and is worth watching.

The Proposal

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Betty White nails it again, playing yet another awesome Nana in The Proposal. Playing Grandma Annie in the film, White’s acting alone is worth watching this romantic comedy. Gammy definitely takes the spotlight during her 90th birthday party weekend, innocently budding the romance of Andrew and his boss, Margaret.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

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Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a well-loved movie based on the book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Parents love it, children love it, everyone loves it. In both versions of the tale, it’s pretty clear who is number one in Grandpa Joe’s mind. He decides he must accompany Charlie to the chocolate factory and nonetheless they were tempted by the Bubble Room. But really, wouldn’t anyone be?

The Nightingale

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This movie is the epitome of a “family movie,” and would be great to watch on National Grandparents day. No other movie portrays such a light-hearted relationship between grandfather and granddaughter. Watch as Zhu Zhi Gen takes his granddaughter, Ren, on an adventure to discover her roots in the country.

Parenthood

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Frank Buckman experiences quite the transformation throughout the movie, Parenthood. Back in the day, he had always been seen as quite the neglectful father, being unable to emotionally relate to his four children. Amid all conflict that went down in the family, Frank had to step up and dramatically change into the most wonderful grandparent. A combination of drama and comedy, this cutting-edge classic would be a delightful way to celebrate family life in all its imperfection.

The Princess Diaries

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Who wouldn’t want the fabulous Queen Clarisse Renaldi as their grandmother? When her son dies, her majesty grooms her daughter, Mia, into the princess of the fictional country of Genovia that she is today. This movie depicts the realm of many girls’ fantasy - from having a royal makeover, to becoming a princess, to living happily ever after. It is an entertaining, warm-hearted story that every grandmother/granddaughter duo would enjoy.

Ways to Live Forever

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Sometimes, being a grandparent can be hard. Phyllida Law played Sam’s grandmother, who has to endure the hardships of having her grandson diagnosed with leukemia. This touching film addresses the extremely difficult topic of incurable, terminal diseases. It asks many of the big questions about life and death and reasons through them in a simplistic, childlike sort of way that is thoroughly logical from the perspective of a 12-year-old. This is a simply-made drama, but everything about it is absolutely solid.