#Lydia Hourihan

[thebutcher-5]

Benny Loves You

Benvenuti o bentornati sul nostro blog. Nello scorso articolo abbiamo nuovamente parlato dei classici Disney, arrivando a discutere di un loro lavoro molto interessante ossia Pocahontas. La storia parla di Pocahontas, figlia del capo di una tribù di nativi americani, che da un po’ di tempo fa degli strani sogni, sogni che potrebbero indicarle il proprio destino. In quello stesso periodo però…

[fearsmagazine]

BENNY LOVES YOU - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: Epic Pictures | DREAD

SYNOPSIS:  Jack is a grown man who makes a meager living that affords him the ability to remain a child at heart. He designs toys. His world comes crashing down around him after the accidental death of his parents. Of the many harsh realities is that he will probably have to sell his family home. Trying to get himself sorted Jack desperately tries to improve his life and he backs up and locks away his childhood belongings, including his beloved plush, Benny. Suddenly and mysteriously Benny comes to life. Benny loves Jack, but his actions are deadly.!

REVIEW: There is just something about this twisted toy gore fest that reminds me of the early films of Peter Jackson. This macabre fairy tale is a wild ride right from the opening as we meet a spoiled child who is set upon by her discarded teddy bear gone feral. And while the main focus of the film is the horrifying relationship between Jack and the now awakened Benny, the filmmakers, ro a large scale simply Karl Holt, hint at some dark force that is turning discarded play things transformed into serial killers.

With the reboot of the “Child’s Play” franchise and Full Moon’s “Puppet Master” film series, there is a long history of killer toys in the cinema. BENNY LOVES YOU puts a wickedly delightful spin on it. Filmmaker and actor Karl Holt does an excellent job of creating this down on his luck lost boy who grows to have a bit of an edge but still maintains an element of innocence. Benny is this odd looking plush creature that looks like a mutant teddy bear crossed with a Muppet, but for all his cuteness comes across as a Hannibal Lecter puppet crafted by the creators of the play “Avenue Q.”

The physical effects are over the top and gore as hell, and some of the gags are simply dark comedy for the horror fans. The special effects and visual effects are well done and designed to accentuate the limitations of the toys. Between the sound of his voice and the way that he movies, Benny could be the bastard love child of Charles Manson and Elmo from Sesame Street. It’s simply wicked. It’s funny as the way these toys move and act, the murdering not witch standing, might be who you pictured it in your imagination if you were playing with them

The cast does a fine job of creating  over the top, a bit cliched, characters caught up in this deadly child’s game. They have fun with it and keep it fresh. With much of the film being over the top, the actors are keeping the energy and comedy levels high and still manage not to take it to an extreme that might lose the audience. They remain likeable, a bit sympathetic, and a pleasure to watch.

BENNY LOVES YOU is an extremely creative independent film that delivers a ton of impressive visuals effects that puts filmmaker Karl Holt in the same league as Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson. It is a wickedly entertaining horror film that is painful to watch due to all the smiles and laughs it delivers. At tad too graphic for the younger crowd, but is certainly fine to watch with the tweens and older in the family. I can’t wait to see what Holt does next.

CAST: Karl Holt, Claire Cartwright, George Collie, James Parsons, Anthony Styles, Darren Benedict, Lydia Hourihan, David Wayman CREW: Director/Screenplay - Karl Holt; Producers - John Bowe & Karl Holt; Cinematographers - John Bowe & Karl Holt. OFFICIAL: darkline.co.uk/benny-loves-you/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/BennyLovesYouMovie TWITTER: twitter.com/benny_loves_you  |  @benny_loves_you TRAILER: https://youtu.be/j5pV3aqtMZA RELEASE DATE: In Select Theaters May 7th, On Demand May 11th and on Blu-ray June 8th, 2021

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay),  or 👎 (Dislike) Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri

[alexandrawilbraham]

Review: Big Bones, VAULT Festival

First published: https://www.ayoungertheatre.com/review-big-bones-vault-festival/

By Alexandra Wilbraham

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, gather round and take your seats. Welcome to the Big Top Circus where many a freak of nature awaits to leave you stunned to silence. Marvel at our contortionist, wiry enough to fit herself into a vase. Have the world’s strongest man balance you on his finger. Gaze at the bearded lady as she combs her admirable moustache. And finally, stand in wonder and trepidation at the most extraordinary curiosity, the man whose horse rides him, the Irish Giant, Big Bones! At least that’s how it once was at the Big Top Circus. In the days when Big Bones the Giant brought droves of audience members to the performances. But the circus might be performing its final show before very long. Ever since Big Bones’ skeleton was stolen and put on display in a museum against his dying wishes, a dreadful curse hangs over the theatre. They haven’t had a single audience member in over 100 years. Can Big Bones’ great-great-great-great-granddaughter Nora (Emma MacLean) and her new friends manage to save the theatre and finally lay both Big Bones’ skeleton and the curse to rest? Inspired by the true story of the 18th-century ’Irish Giant’ Charles Byrne, Faceplant Theatre Company have created a rollicking family show about celebrating differences and finding out where you truly belong. Big Bones by writers Alice Bounce, Owen Jenkins and Maxwell Tyler is filled with physical comedy and a spatter of well-placed jokes for the adults in the audience (although Uranus gags are enjoyable at any age). Composer Cat Gisby has created a series of catchy tunes, the final song is still stuck in my head (‘Everything is big at the Big Top…’) and encompasses the show’s message of friends becoming family and raising you to embrace what makes you stand out. Actors MacLean, Joey Timmins, Lydia Hourihan, Grace Dunne and Alice Bounce revel in a myriad of unique characters, showing a lot of skill with quick costume changes and a variety of accents. Dunne’s strongman character Jim Membership definitely wins the best name in the show. However, Bounce and Timmins stint as the two sitcom-esque bumbling museum guards Gavin and Gareth is my favourite part of the play. Incompetently stumbling around, disrupting Hourihan, Dunne and MacLean’s stealthy museum heist, Bounce and Timmins give the perfect comedic duo. I wish Gavin and Gareth the best, but I do fear they have been fired from their positions. Big Bones is a feat for family theatre. It ploughs its way forward without losing steam, setting an example for any company looking to create theatre for a young audience. Hearing both little voices and their parents still singing snippets of the show’s songs while leaving the theatre is, I think, proof enough that this is a performance anyone will enjoy.

[londontheatre]

Les Enfants Terribles and ebp in association with Creature of London are delighted to announce the cast of “ALICE’S ADVENTURES UNDERGROUND” which returns to The Vaults at Waterloo from 15 April 2017.

The cast of “ALICE’S ADVENTURES UNDERGROUND” will be comprised of Richard Booth (BFG, Goosebumps Live), Farrell Cox (The Lost Carnival, Penguin! Elephant,), Dominic Creasey (Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs 2), Matthew Crouzieres (The Game’s Afoot, Back To The Future with Secret Cinema, Alice’s Adventures Underground), Jack Dorning (Hansel and Gretel, Mermaid) Emily Essery (OSLO, GO SOLO), David Frias-Robles (Cornwall vs China, The Beast), Alex Gilbert (The Fitzrovia Radio Hour’s Christmas Special, Daisy Pulls It Off), Mathew Hamper (Once, The Scarecrow’s Wedding), Nicholas Hart (Hand To God, War Horse, Alice’s Adventures Underground), Philippa Hogg (The Vaudevillians, The Forever Machine), Richard Holt (Partners in Crime, The Pillowman), Lydia Hourihan (The Marvellous Imaginary Menagerie), Sam Hoye (Monstersaurus!, The Night Before Christmas), Michael Humphreys (The Good Earth, Little Shop of Horrors), Kojo Kamara (King Lear), Max Krupski (The Emperor Jones, Blast Off!), Robert Lightfoot (Don’t Touch Me, Before The Fall, Alice’s Adventures Underground), Emma Maclennan (Room on the Broom, The BFG), Elizabeth Mary-Williams (The Thinning Veil, The Selfish Giant), Jonathan Mathews (The D List, Bridget Jones’ Baby, The Frontier Trilogy), Miranda Menzies (Wallace, Romeo and Juliet), Michele Moran (Beyond The Fence, A Little Night Music), Alice Morgan Richards (China Doll: A Neuropera in Four Seasons), Olivia Nakintu (Antigone, Romeo and Juliet), Rhys Owen (Dick!, Our House), Will Palmer (Hell Yes I’m Tough Enough, Wesley), Alan Pearson (One Man, Two Guvnors, My Girl), Zara Plessard (How Not To Sink, Half A Sixpence national tour), Marah Stafford (Back To The Future with Secret Cinema, Joyce: The Golden Needle, Alice’s Adventures Underground), Tom Syms (Back To The Future and Dr Strangelove with Secret Cinema and The Game’s Afoot, Alice’s Adventures Underground), Kyle Taylor (The Smurfs Live Tour, In The Night Garden live), Deborah Tracey (Fee Fi Fo Fum [BBC], A Mad World My Masters), Meghan Treadway (War Horse, The 24 Hour Plays: Old Vic New Voices), Maxwell Tyler (The Bear, From Dusk Till Dawn), Marta Vella (The Bacchae, Calendar Girls), and Hemi Yeroham (Romeo and Juliet, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes).

Also returning as The Mock Turtle, composer of the original song ‘The Mock Turtle’s Lament’, Alexander Wolfe.

This unmissable immersive production was the hit of summer 2015, welcoming over 100,000 visitors and culminating in a 2016 Olivier Award nomination for Best Entertainment and Family Show. “ALICE’S ADVENTURES UNDERGROUND” was originally conceived as a celebration of the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s classic novel of the same name – it will play a limited season from 15 April 2017 – 23 September 2017, with press night on 25 April 2017. Ticket prices range from £39.00 to £71.50 (£31.50 – £54.00 during previews); and there are a limited number of tickets for £25 for under 26’s at the first performance on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout the run.

Also returning is the bespoke children’s show, “ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND” for those aged 5 to 10 from 13 May 2017 – 3 September 2017. Casting for this will be announced at a later date.

Audiences experience immersive theatre in spectacular detail in this interactive, puppetry-packed, fusion of storytelling, music and circus deep below Waterloo station. Audience members are invited down the rabbit hole in intimate groups, where they will be presented with a choice of EAT ME or DRINK ME, which will affect the way their show will unfold… Make your choice and find yourself at the centre of the story as you wander through Wonderland, piecing together the puzzle to search for Alice who is lost in the looking glass.

“ALICE’S ADVENTURES UNDERGROUND” is written by Oliver Lansley and Anthony Spargo and directed by Oliver Lansley and James Seager.

LISTINGS ALICE’S ADVENTURES UNDERGROUND Previews: Saturday 15 April – Monday 24 April 2017 Performances: Tuesday 25 April – Sunday 23 September 2017 (PRESS NIGHT: Tuesday 25 April)

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