Author: Sara Embrey

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From Child Star to Successful Actress: Our Top 5 Ella Purnell Films

 

Happy 21st Birthday, Ella Purnell! Since beginning her acting career in 2010, Ella Purnell has starred in over 10 films and shows before her 21st birthday. With her breakout roles in Never Let Me Go and Ways To Live Forever in 2010, Ella has launched herself into the movie spotlight. From heartfelt dramas to whimsical fantasies and horror, Ella proves that she is capable of playing a wide assortment of roles in both British and American films.

  1. Ways To Live Forever (2010)

Ella Purnell plays Robbie Kay’s romantic interest in Ways To Live Forever as she helps her cousin and friend complete a “bucket list” for their terminal illnesses. Ella is charismatic and open-minded in the film as she watches and helps her friends through their leukemia and entering their teenage years.  

  1. Intruders (2011)

Ella Purnell stars in Intruders, a horror film, and early on shows her versatility as an actor. As a creature named Hollow Face torments her and her family, Ella’s mental state and sanity go out with a bang. Ella breaks out of her typical teen and adolescent roles after her performance in Intruders.

  1. Wildlike (2014)

Wildlike is an amazing drama showcasing the emotional turmoil of a broken home and sexual abuse. As Ella’s character, Mackenzie, tries to run away from her abusive uncle, she joins Bruce Greenwood's character as he travels across Alaska. With her ultimate goal of reaching her mother in Seattle, Ella showcases her skills in a mature drama; bringing her character and traumatic experiences to the big screen.

  1. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016)

In Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Ella Purnell plays the mischievous and eccentric Emma Bloom. With the ability to manipulate air and breathe underwater, Ella helps her fellow orphan “peculiars” to fight against the evil forces hunting them down. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was directed by Tim Burton and is an exhilarating dark fantasy film.

  1. Churchill (2017)

Ella Purnell plays Winston Churchill’s secretary in Churchill. Based on Churchill’s experiences during World War II, the film goes in-depth to portray Churchill’s private moments and mental sanity during the war. Ella’s strong character, Helen, brings courage and insight to Churchill’s sensitivity in the war room during the war.

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Remake of Stephen King’s IT

 

Coming out September 8th, IT is definitely one of the most highly anticipated horror films of the year. Based on the novel by Stephen King, IT was first adapted as a TV mini-series in 1990. The story is about a group of kids who band together when a monster in the shape of an evil clown returns to their hometown and starts hunting children. IT is now being remade as a feature film, directed by Andy Muschietti, and fans are excited.

Would the original fans go see the IT remake? The IT television series has held up pretty well amongst horror fans considering it was made almost thirty years ago. However, IT director Andy Muschittei has come out and said that he is “not a fan” of the TV mini-series, stating that he was not a child anymore when the IT television series was released and was more of a fan of the book.

 

Still, the excitement is high for a good film to make up for this summer’s slew of below average blockbusters. Adding to the hype is a new IT movie haunted house that has popped up in Hollywood, giving fans the IT experience as they navigate through the house while being terrorized by Pennywise the evil clown. If you are not one of the few people banned by Stephen King from seeing this movie (in other words if you are not Donald Trump) then make sure you check out IT coming out in theaters September 8th!

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Supporting Women in the Film Industry on Women’s Equality Day

 

Today is Women’s Equality Day, which was recognized as a holiday in 1971 by the U.S Congress to remember the 19th Amendment of the Constitution. It says that “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex”. It's a day we remember the long fight for women rights reforms and realizing that we still have a long way to go.  It may be almost fifty years later but we still have domestic violence,  genital mutilation,  sex trafficking, the wage gap and a low conviction rate for rapists.  The people have spoken out from the streets to boardrooms, with video footage of mansplaining, women fighting back, and women bringing their issues to the public's attention. Unfortunately, even though progress has been made some parts of the ceiling remain unbroken and social media has made sexual harassment, stalking, and trolling even easier.

Film industry changes

In 2015, Jennifer Lawrence wrote an essay on equal pay in the film industry since then many other actresses have stepped up to demand a change. They include Hilary Swank from "Boys Don't Cry,"  who revealed that she couldn’t cover her health insurance on her salary. Emma Stone, Michelle Rodriguez, Emilia Fox and Robin Wright from the"House of Cards" all demanded to be paid the same as their male counterparts.  Many others have spoken out like Viola Davis best known for her role in "How to Get Away With Murder" who said that “if a woman does the same job as a man, she should be paid the same amount of money. She just should. That’s just the way the world should work. ” Actresses aren’t the only ones demanding equal pay many female directors and even the BBC director general, Tony Hall, has said that he hopes they can close the gender pay gap sooner than 2020, after an impressive intervention by more than 40 of its most high-profile female stars.

How to help

There are many ways for you to get involved - from supporting women in their careers to donating to Women’s Rights organizations. Some of these organizations include Women For Women International, Equality Now, Lady Parts Justice, Global Fund For Women, National Organization For Women, and National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. All of these organizations help women in different parts of the world. The most effective way to change the law is to call your representatives and vote your elections. People are also using social media to get their message out to the general public and using their creativity to create memes, gifs, and documentaries about women’s rights that are very popular these days. Remember that on August 26th,  we celebrate the women who fought for equality and remember to keep fighting for the cause.

 

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Happy Birthday, Ben Chaplin and Emilia Fox!

 

Back in 2010, Mr. Gustavo Ron brought to the screen Sally Nicholls debut 2008 novel, Ways to Live Forever. Documenting the life of a boy suffering from leukemia, the films stars many talented individuals, two of which are celebrating a little something special today. Actors Ben Chaplin and Emilia Fox not only star in this heartfelt film but also share the same birthday!


Born Emilia Rose Elizabeth Fox, this lovely English actress became widely known for her role as Dr. Nikki Alexander on the BBC crime drama, Silent Witness, after joining the cast in 2004. Fox has continued to have a very successful career in both TV and Film having starred in Merlin as Morgause, Flashbacks of A Fool as Sister Jean, and of course in our very own Ways to Live Forever as the mother. These are but a few projects that Fox has taken part in!

Mr. Ben Chaplin was born Benedict John Greenwood on July 31st of 1969 in England. After being applauded for his performance as Tom Wingfield in Sam Mendes’ stage production of The Glass Menagerie (1995), he went on to star in both TV and film productions, some of his most recent being, Mad Dogs as Joel, Little Boy as Ben Eagle, and like Ms. Fox, Ways to Live Forever as the father.

From all of us at WWMPC we would like to wish you both a very happy and joyous birthday, cheers to you, Ben and Emilia!

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So what is Parent’s Day anyways?

 

            Even if you aren’t a holiday junkie like I am, you should at least know about the upcoming national holiday that is Parent’s Day. Held annually on the fourth Sunday of July, Parent’s Day is a day that celebrates the responsibilities of parents and all that they’ve done for their children. On this day, children make the effort of showing how thankful they are to their parents, who shaped them into the people that they are today. Parents not only bring us into the world but also guide our paths until one of us leaves first. The role of parents is to positively shape us into better human beings, and having a day dedicated to their efforts is just a tiny fraction to show how much we appreciate them. Plus, it’s a great reason to spend time with your folks.

        Parent’s Day was started in 1994 by the Bill Clinton administration. President Clinton realized that although there were specific holidays for fathers and mothers, there wasn’t a day that celebrates the efforts of both the parents together. Parent’s Day recognizes the important role of responsible parenting of both parents in the everyday family life for their children. According to the Congressional Resolution, Parent’s Day is established for “recognizing, uplifting, and supporting the role of parents in the rearing of children.” And it isn’t only native to the United States alone. Countries like South Korea and Vietnam have their own separate date for Parent’s Day as well, and they take it very seriously. The United Nations designated June 1st to be the Global Day of Parents, which honors parents throughout the world. So the fact that we have our own separate day in America means that this is a pretty big deal.

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The Best 4th of July/Independence Day Movies

 

On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies claimed their independence from the United Kingdom, an event that would lead to the formation of the United States as we know it today. Each year, the holiday is celebrated by igniting brilliant fireworks and barbecuing our hearts out! After you’ve lit up the night’s dark sky with your friends and family, have a relaxing weekend by watching our top 3 patriotic films!

Have a safe and happy 4th of July weekend!

Born on the Fourth of July

Born on the Fourth of July (Stone, 1989)-  Winner of two Academy Awards, for Best Director and Best Film Editing, the film follows Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise) in mid-1960’s, suburban New York, as he enlists in the Marines. The second of three films written by Oliver Stone, Born on the Fourth of July further explores the effects of the Vietnam War. What makes this film even more special is that it was co-written by Ron Kovic, Vietnam War veteran, himself, as the American biographical war drama is based on the best-selling autobiography of the same name.

Independance day

Independence Day (Emmerich, 1996)--  If you’re looking for an epic adventure film, this one’s the one for you. As a series of unfortunate events unfold, survivors struggle to come together to save the human race; it’s a mission over the Fourth of July weekend led by a computer genius (Jeff Goldblum), a jet pilot (Will Smith), and the President of the United States (Bill Pullman). If you think the film is good, keep your ear out on the film's Grammy Award-winning score composed by the great David Arnold!

Patriot

The Patriot (Emmerich, 2000)-- Emmerich came back with another Patriotic classic! The American epic historical fiction war film was written by Robert Rodat and follows the life of Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) a man forced to join the American Revolution after the British threaten to harm his livelihood. Together with his son Gabriel (Heath Ledger), they fight the Redcoats. Fun fact: it’s said that Rodat wrote seventeen drafts of the script before there was an acceptable one! Although almost 3 hours long, The Patriot is definitely worth watching this 4th of July weekend!