WELCOME TO WILLITS (Trevor Ryan, 2016)

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Re: WELCOME TO WILLITS (Trevor Ryan, 2016)

Postby Tom on 25 May 2017, 15:54

I agree with the view above really. It's a pretty decent horror. There's an interesting twist on the Alien invasion thing and the film definitely owes a lot to Tucker And Dale Vs Evil. There's some nice fx in the film. The performances are solid, and Bill Sage is very good in the lead. Make no mistake, this is in no way a Dolph Lundgren film. His role is similar to that of Small Apartments really. But the way he's been included here is actually quite clever. It is just a cameo (the UK cover and sales pitch is ludicrous, even by marketer standards).

This was a lot better than Altitude which was dull and uninspired. If you're a horror fan then 5 quid for Alien Hunter is worth a purchase. But buy it as a subversive horror film, not as a Dolph Lundgren sci-fi actioner as marketed.
8)
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Re: WELCOME TO WILLITS (Trevor Ryan, 2016)

Postby Scifibuff5 on 01 Jun 2017, 19:41

Thanks for the insightful review, Tom. I so can't wait now!
"No, I haven't seen any of [the new 'Punisher' movies]," - Dolph in 2009 MTV News Interview
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Re: WELCOME TO WILLITS (Trevor Ryan, 2016)

Postby Jox on 02 Jul 2017, 12:12

Trevor ventured into the medical marijuana field, with the intention of raising money for a feature film project. The venture ended unhappily with his arrest in Wisconsin for non-medical marijuana, and he was sentenced to 65 months in Federal Prison. He served just over four years, working on writing projects all the while, and staying in close touch with his brother. They planned on making a feature film upon Trevor’s release. During the last year of Trevor’s incarceration, they collaborated on the project that would come to be titled WELCOME TO WILLITS. Tim penned the script, would mail it to Trevor in prison. Trevor would write notes and mail it back. They used the Taft Correctional Institution visiting room as a development office, meeting weekly to go over changes to the script, and to brainstorm new ideas.

Upon Trevor’s release, the pair set about immediately to make the dream a reality, and reached out to their contacts in the film world to undertake the production of WELCOME TO WILLITS. The feature film is based upon the successful short film collaboration between the Ryan Brothers and Mark Webber, with the same title, that premiered at SXSW Film Festival in 2015.

http://welcometowillits.com
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Re: WELCOME TO WILLITS (Trevor Ryan, 2016)

Postby Jox on 13 Jul 2017, 00:50

IFC Midnight Acquires Horror Comedy ‘Welcome To Willits’
http://deadline.com/2017/07/welcome-to- ... 202126790/
IFC Midnight has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Welcome to Willits, the feature directorial debut of Trevor Ryan. The horror-comedy starring Bill Sage, Dolph Lundgren, Rory Culkin and Chris Zylka is slated to open in theaters and digital platforms September 22.

Written by the director’s brother Tim Ryan, the feature is adapted from their short Welcome to Willits: After Sundown, which premiered to critical acclaim at SXSW in 2015. The film is set in the Northern California woods, where residents struggle to fight off repeated attacks from mysterious creatures. When Brock (Sage), a local pot farmer, gets caught up with an unusual group of campers, the situation quickly escalates into total carnage.

With his wife Peggy (Sabina Gadecki), he tries to defend his family and maintain his sanity alongside a ragtag group of misfits including their niece Courtney (Anastasia Baranova), scruffy drifter named Possum (Culkin), a wannabe singer-songwriter Zack (Garrett Clayton), good ol’ boy Jeremiah (Chris Zylka), unemployed stoner Klaus (Thomas Dekker), his naive girlfriend (Karrueche Tran) and ditzy sorority girl Cassie (Keelin Woodell). All the while, Derek (Lundgren), a weathered police officer from Brock’s past, haunts him with his partner Jackson (Serge Levin). John Hickman also stars as an ominous convenience store clerk.

The film is produced by Jordan Yale Levine, Scott Levenson, Jon Keeyes of Yale Productions and Shaun Sanghani of SSS Entertainment. Matthew Helderman and Luke Taylor serve as executive producers alongside Patrick DePeters of BondIt Media Capital, Michael Rothstein, Brandon Baker and Serge Levin.

Willits marks the second collaboration between Yale Productions and distributor IFC Midnight after last year’s King Cobra, which told the true story about the murder of a gay porn producer. That film starred Welcome to Willits co-star Clayton, James Franco and Christian Slater and was released in October .

The Welcome to Willits deal was negotiated by Arianna Bocco of IFC Films and Uwe Boll of Event Films Worldwide on behalf of the filmmakers.
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Re: WELCOME TO WILLITS (Trevor Ryan, 2016)

Postby Jox on 15 Aug 2017, 17:04

Another festival selection at NOLA Horror Film Fest before its US release.
http://nolahorrorfilmfest.com/festival/2017list/

I gotta finally watch my DVD, as even though Dolph makes a minor appearance this seems to be one of the better films he's been in this year...
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Re: WELCOME TO WILLITS (Trevor Ryan, 2016)

Postby Jox on 25 Aug 2017, 01:41

Trailer and poster on EW for the U.S. theatrical and VOD release on September 22

Alien monsters and drug madness collide in Welcome to Willits trailer
http://ew.com/movies/2017/08/24/welcome ... s-trailer/



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Re: WELCOME TO WILLITS (Trevor Ryan, 2016)

Postby Jox on 30 Aug 2017, 11:51

Clips of Dolph
https://vimeo.com/231662790
(don't know if it's all his scenes since I still haven't watched it)

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Re: WELCOME TO WILLITS (Trevor Ryan, 2016)

Postby Jox on 13 Sep 2017, 12:21

New Gross-out Imagery from ‘Welcome To Willits
https://bloody-disgusting.com/home-vide ... e-willits/

New Stills Offer a Bloody Welcome to Willits
https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/25129 ... e-willits/

Dolph promo shot:

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Re: WELCOME TO WILLITS (Trevor Ryan, 2016)

Postby Jox on 19 Sep 2017, 09:59

Interview: Bill Sage Talks Welcome to Willits, Practical vs CGI, Hap and Leonard, and More!
https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/25209 ... p-leonard/

Dread Central: You’re no stranger to horror, especially in the last several years. What’s the appeal of the genre?

Bill Sage: It’s independent. It belongs to the fans. They own it. Much of my career has included indy film and no other genre keeps to the spirit of indy filmmaking quite like this genre. What’s really incredible about horror and sci-fi that I absolutely love, is the way you can sneak a substantial story into a genre that a lot of snobs think is a substandard genre.

DC: Tell me a bit about Welcome to Willits and working with the cast and crew.

BS: Yes, “Welcome To Willits” is about aliens, burnouts, clueless campers and shit, but you’ve also got a story about the horror of our great divide as a people and the insanity of it. Our mentality seems to have gone back to the Civil War. Not to get political, but we’re building a wall! What? This film is about the “us and them” mentality. At least thats how I saw it.

Working with Trevor Ryan, we were on the same page as far as the allegory, the humor, and trying to keep it just right without beating people over the head with it. Sabina Gadecki who plays my wife, Peg, and Anastasia Baranova who plays my niece, Courtney, were angels. The three of us would get together after each days shooting and prep for the next. I think that’s where a lot of the spontaneous humor came from. That, and Tim Ryan’s script, as brutal as it is, is also fucking hysterical.

DC: In the film, you get to portray a character who is high on intense drugs quite often. How does one prep for that kind of role and, additionally, maintain it?

BS: So, yeah, Brock digs the finer things in life without getting all materialistic about it. He’s a man of means. He likes drugs, fucking, and fighting. But, he’s also an inquisitive man and is pretty damn sure he’s already got the answers. A pretty volatile cocktail. Oh, and there’s aliens…

So, there wasn’t much prep for me with Brock. It came to me last minute and sometimes that can be good. I’d like to say I did a lot of sense memory, but I was flying by the seat of my pants. If not for Trevor, Sabina, Anastasia, and Rory Culkin, who I’d worked with before on ‘Electrik Children’, I’m pretty sure I would have sucked, and it’s a distinct possibility that I do anyway. So…

DC: Horror fans absolutely adore practical over CGI when it comes to effects. For an actor, what are the differences of working with both mediums?

BS: Look, when you can share a smoke with one of the aliens your about to shoot, it’s always a plus. I’m with you. As an actor and a fan I prefer the genuine article. The only thing I like about working with a green screen is that you’re usually making more bank when you’re doing it.

DC: What do you think makes Welcome to Willits something fun and exciting for genre fans?

BS: I’ve got to say the humor, and then it turns severe. I think fans will appreciate what we did with so little. If just one person can wet themselves just a little from laughter and terror, we’ll have done our jobs.
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Re: WELCOME TO WILLITS (Trevor Ryan, 2016)

Postby Jox on 02 Oct 2017, 20:23

Talking with the makers behind ‘Welcome to Willits’ horror film
http://www.willitsnews.com/lifestyle/20 ... orror-film
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Re: WELCOME TO WILLITS (Trevor Ryan, 2016)

Postby Jox on 07 Nov 2017, 21:13

Blu-ray & DVD release in the US on February 6 through Scream Factory
https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/we ... ct_id=6540

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EDIT:
Pre-order link
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0776K6N65/
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Re: WELCOME TO WILLITS (Trevor Ryan, 2016)

Postby Jox on 13 Nov 2017, 21:45

Review
http://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/258 ... lits-2017/
You may have seen the film being marketed using the image of Dolph Lundgren. While Mr. Lundgren is indeed in the movie his role isn’t that of a main cast member but rather as part of the film’s most subversive plot device. No spoilers here but, suffice to say, his presence as a no-nonsense T.V. detective is both surprising and hilarious.
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