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Movie Review: Adam Green’s ‘Digging Up the Marrow’

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Above all else, Adam Green’s Digging Up the Marrow (based on art by Alex Pardee) is fun. It’s bound to appeal much more to genre fans than to the general public, and this is evident right from the beginning as we see appearances from a variety of familiar faces (all playing themselves). These include the late Oderus Urungus (Dave Brockie) from Gwar, Troma’s Lloyd Kaufman and Toxie, Tony Todd, Don Coscarelli, and Dread Central’s Steve Barton. Some other fun cameos appear later.

The film is presented in mockumentary style, and features Green (known for films like Hatchet, its sequels and Frozen as well as the Fearnet series Holliston) and cinematographer Will Barratt as themselves as they set out to make a doc about a man named William Dekker, who claims he has found monsters who live underground. Is he for real, is he full of shit, or is he just crazy? These are the questions the filmmakers are seeking the answers to throughout the movie.

Much of the film plays like we’re just watching a documentary about Green himself. We spend time at his house and at his place of work, and we even follow him to a horror convention. We see a lot of imagery related to his past work ( a Victor Crowley doll, Frozen shirts, Kane Hodder). We’re getting to know Adam as much as we are learning about the monsters and the Marrow.

Ah yes, the Marrow. That’s the name Dekker (played brilliantly by Ray Wise) has given to a hole in the ground at the edge of a cemetery, which serves as the gateway to an underground metropolis (or perhaps metropolises) where the “monsters” live. If the word “Midian” crosses your mind, you’re not alone.

Dekker (hmm, that name sounds really familiar) has become an expert on these monsters over the years, and has plenty of art to show Green, but little in the way of evidence of their existence, so everyone is forced to wonder how true it all is throughout much of the film. While most of the film’s characters are skeptical at best, Green plays the Mulder role with the “I want to believe” approach. As a lifelong monster movie fan, he’s always wanted there to be real-life monsters, and he’s mostly buying into what Dekker is selling. Even when we start to see what Dekker claims are these monsters, the truth remains up in the air.

It’s Wise as Dekker that really sells this movie. His monster stories and descriptions are nearly as creepy as anything we actually see. As a huge Robocop fan, I’ve always liked him, but here he shines as brightly as in any other film I’ve seen him in. He was perfect for this role, and was a great complement to the likable Green who’s on screen for the majority of the time.

If you’re going in expecting a ton of monster screen time, you may be disappointed, but in my opinion, it’s handled just right. Also, if you’re expecting a gorefest, you may want to look elsewhere. That’s not what this is about. If you’re happy to put a bit of your logic on hold and just have some fun looking for monsters with Green and co., I think you’ll enjoy the ride.

Digging Up the Marrow feels closer in tone to a film like Fantasm than to Hatchet or Frozen. It is, after all, a pseudo-documentary. While part of my brain keeps telling me that I’m getting tired of so many genre films using the mockumentary or found footage styles, the more sensible part of my brain reminds me that there are plenty of good films that take these approaches, and tells that other part of my brain to just shut up. I don’t think the former part is going to completely abide, but as long as movies like Digging Up the Marrow, and last year’s The Sacrament and Afflicted continue to entertain and/or disturb, I’m happy to keep patronizing the sub-genre.

I can’t say I found the movie to be the scariest in two decades as the quote in the trailer says (especially since I watched The Canal earlier this week), but as I said at the beginning, it’s just fun. Watch it when you get a chance.

Digging Up the Marrow on Blu-ray is available for pre-order from Amazon.

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

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The Blair Witch Project Cast

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

Blair witch
The Blair Witch Project Cast

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

The blair witch project

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello

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