Allison Williams Explains How Her Get Out Performance Enhances Her Character In The Perfection

Allison Williams Explains How Her Get Out Performance Enhances Her Character In The Perfection

There are many reasons why Jordan Peele’s Get Out is a phenomenal film, but certainly high on the list is the performance given by Allison Williams. Throughout the movie she does such an amazing job representing herself as an ally to Daniel Kaluuya’s Chris, so when the big twist goes down it basically feels like taking a shovel to the face. It’s become one of the most beloved surprises in modern horror, which makes it all the more exciting that Williams is returning to the genre with the upcoming The Perfection.

Interestingly, though, the connection between the two features doesn’t end with that. Without giving too much away, Allison Williams stars as a character in The Perfection that’s purposefully hard to get a full read on, and as a member of the audience you spend the majority of the runtime not quite sure if you can fully trust her. As you might imagine, this is a feeling that is only enhanced by those who associate the actress with her part in Get Out – and it’s a connection that Williams definitely recognized in the making of the new movie.

With The Perfection set to hit Netflix this Friday, I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with Allison Williams, co-star Logan Browning, and writer/director Richard Shepard last week at the film’s Los Angeles press day, and during the interviews I took the opportunity to bring up the movie’s unique relationship with Get Out. Discussing the influence of audience perception of her character, Williams agreed with my analysis, and noted that it was something that occurred to her shortly after reading the script for the first time:

Richard [Shepard] sent it to me and said, 'This is insane. You need to call me after you read it.' And I was like, 'Okay, well if you think it's insane, and you're insane, and I think it's insane, and I'm insane, this must be really, really crazy.' And it was! And I called him right afterwards and as we were talking about it, it occurred to me that if you have a sort of associative hangover of me from Get Out, it's very helpful to go into The Perfection with that.

In the new movie, Allison Williams stars as Charlotte Willmore, a former cello prodigy who, at a young age, had to drop out of one of the most esteemed music schools on the planet when her mother got sick. Following her mother’s death, she tries to reconnect the world she was forced to disconnect from, and in the process gets to know Elizabeth Wells (Logan Browning) –the star student who joined the aforementioned school when Charlotte left. The two quickly hit it off during a special event in China, eventually making plans to go on a two-week vacation together in the country, but things start to go very badly very quickly on the adventure.

Without getting into spoiler territory, as the story progresses in The Perfection you’re never quite sure how to feel about Charlotte’s relationship with Elizabeth – and this is where memories of Allison Williams' Rose Armitage from Get Out start to play a role. As Williams explained, she loved that her past role tweaks the way we look at her new performance, while at the same time fully appreciating that Charlotte is an absolutely wonderful character independently. Said the actress,

I thought, what is more fun than using that to make people very, very untrustworthy when they see me for the first time and very wary of sending us off on a bus together in rural China - as you should be in the movie! And so I thought that was a very interesting sort of meta level to it. But first and foremost I was just fascinated by Charlotte. I thought she was so interesting and I just had to play her so that I could understand what makes that girl tick and what, what is going on in there.

This was a sentiment shared by Richard Shepard, who noted that he wrote the role of Charlotte in The Perfection with Allison Williams specifically in mind – having previously worked with her directing episodes of the HBO comedy series Girls. And while Get Out may not have had any specific influence in the writing process, it is something that he acknowledges will have an effect on the way people watch his film. Said Shepard,

The fact that people don't initially really trust Allison because of Get Out helps us enormously because Alison's playing a character that you're not quite sure is a good guy, or a bad guy. You can't quite get a grasp on her. And that's really important in a movie like this because people are projecting what they think. So Allison's sort of baggage helps a lot.

Continuing, the filmmaker further added that part of what makes Allison Williams such a talented performer is the way in which she is able to modulate her emotional reactions to effective degrees. She doesn’t show her full hand until exactly the right moment, and when that happens it can be powerful and affecting. Explained the director,

I've always seen in Allison an ability to hold back her emotions until it's really ready to show. And in this it was perfect because she was holding back just enough to keep the audience leaning in, and then when she needed to show it she really could.

You can watch Allison Williams and Richard Shepard discuss the special influence of Get Out on The Perfection by clicking play on the video below!

Also starring Steven Weber, Alaina Huffman, Mark Kandborg, and Graeme Duffy, The Perfection is a horrific delight that first premiered at Fantastic Fest last year, and will be available soon to set your brain on fire. As mentioned earlier, the movie will be available on Netflix this Friday, May 24th – and we’ll have more from my interviews with the cast and filmmakers coming your way soon here on CinemaBlend!

Bill And Ted 3's Official Release Date Has Been Announced

Bill And Ted 3's Official Release Date Has Been Announced

Somewhere out there is a scientist, crunching the numbers on how the right mathematical conditions must be present for a movie sequel to actually happen after a decade or more of time has passed. And that brainiac is about have another case study on his or her hands, as Bill and Ted 3 has not only been confirmed, it has also been given a release date. But don't take our word for it, as the August 21, 2020 slot was announced by two rather familiar faces in a video posted today:

Straight from the mouths of Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, the long dreamt of third entry in their cult classic series will be a summer release next year. And even better, the film's name is confirmed as well: Bill and Ted Face The Music! Taking place in the modern day, with middle-aged Bill and Ted still playing best buds who are waiting for their big break, this third adventure has the fate of the world in the balance yet again.

This time, the only thing between the future of the universe and total destruction is a song. A song that Bill and Ted will need to provide. Directed by Galaxy Quest's Dean Parisot, and written by Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure creators Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, Bill and Ted Face The Music is currently shooting in New Orleans. Something that wouldn't have happened, if it weren't for the fans who wanted the Wyld Stallions to reunite for one more musical journey.

Much like plenty of delayed sequels before it, Bill and Ted Face The Music has been talked about a lot over the past couple of years, but movement was always slow. Every time you turned around, it felt as if there was a new reason or a new cause behind why the third film wasn't happening just yet. All the while, those involved kept proclaiming they did want to be a part of a third movie, the stars just needed to align for it to happen. We even got to a point last year where Keanu Reeves himself didn't think this third film would happen.

It's almost been 30 years since Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey first quenched the thirst for a sequel adventure pertaining to the well-being of William S. Preston, Esq and Theodore Logan. Now, the powers that be will finally give everyone a third riff of excitement that's been decades in the making. Whether or not that trip to the U.K. that was previously rumored to be a part of this adventure, or even if  how they got back from Mars will be explained has yet to be seen. There's actually a movie where either of those possibilities can take place, because up until now it felt like Bill and Ted 3 was still a pipe dream.

Bill and Ted Face The Music rocks out most excellently on August 21, 2020. It's a heinous wait, to say the least, but the 2019 release schedule looks rosy enough that you could find some sweet action at the movies much sooner than you thought.

Chris Pratt Shares A Star-Studded, 'Really Illegal' Video From The Avengers: Endgame Set

Chris Pratt Shares A Star-Studded, 'Really Illegal' Video From The Avengers: Endgame Set

The following contains spoilers for Avengers: Endgame.

Avengers: Endgame is already one of the biggest movies ever made following a record shattering opening weekend. However, for the cast and crew the biggest thing about the film coming out may be that they can now actually talk about about the movie. While the entire world hasn't seen the movie yet, a lot of people have, and the cast has already begun to loosen up. Chris Pratt has even published a video he took on the set that he really would have gotten in trouble for at the time, but it looks awesome now. If you've already seen the movie, check it out.

The video shows a lot of the cast of the film, and a few of their stunt doubles, all surrounding one of the final sets in the film, showing the Avengers base destroyed. We see several Guardians of the Galaxy stunt doubles in makeup, the members of the actual cast are all in street clothes and they're going over a scene.

It's a really impressive collection of people. Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth, Sebastian Stan and Tom Holland, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Chadwick Boseman, and more, are all in one place. Sean Gunn jokes that he's the most famous person in the room. A lot of these people are probably used to being the most famous person in the room.

People joke with Pratt about how illegal the video is, and yet, he's able to take it and he got off the set with it. I'm honestly shocked that he was able to get his phone on the set in the first place. You'd think those sorts of things wouldn't be allowed just to prevent the temptation of doing exactly this. If nothing else, the video confirms various characters being on the set during a key part of the film, something which the marketing was very clear about leaving out.

In his Instagram post Chris Pratt just says that he couldn't help himself but get pictures of this moment considering just how huge the moment was, seeing so many of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's actors on set working to make this scene perfect. Considering how secret the production largely was, there probably isn't a great deal of official behind the scenes footage (though there is certainly some) so videos like this may be some of the few peeks we have into moments like this.

The only thing more epic than this is actually seeing the scene that was filmed here, when Avengers: Endgame and the entire MCU, comes to a head. Calling this a long awaited conclusion feels like a significant understatement considering that the movie made over $1 billion around the world on opening weekend. While that has as much to do with the luck of release dates in foreign territories like China lining up, the film has shattered nearly every opening weekend record that exists. It seems that bringing all these people together in one place was just as big a deal as Chris Pratt thought it was.

ReelBlend #59: The Netflix Vs Spielberg Debate And An Exciting Announcement

ReelBlend #59: The Netflix Vs Spielberg Debate And An Exciting Announcement

ReelBlend has its Patron Saints. Christopher Nolan. Martin Scorsese. Steven Spielberg. But that doesn’t mean that we blindly follow the words and thoughts of these filmmakers. Sometimes, we vehemently disagree with something that one of our icons has said… which makes this week’s ReelBlend all the more interesting.

Episode #59 of the weekly podcast kicks off with a description of Nolan’s next film. And if you want to hear three brains simultaneously melt, then explode, listen to Sean, Kevin and Jake read the logline for Nolan’s new movie. It sounds incredible. The hard part will be waiting for this movie to get into theaters!

Speaking of theaters, the ReelBlend guys transitioned to the big conversation of the week, which is Steven Spielberg’s belief that no movie made for a streaming service should be eligible for an Oscar – even if it gets a theatrical release. Spielberg allegedly sided with Green Book over Roma in the recent Oscar competition, mainly because Alfonso Cuaron (yet another Patron Saint of ReelBlend) made his deeply personal movie for Netflix.

Spielberg wants to implement rule changes that would block films like Roma from competing for Oscars. The guys have a lot to say on this topic, so give it a listen.

Only Kevin managed to see Captain Marvel before the guys recorded this week. Jake and Sean will have seen it by next week, which mean you all have homework. Go see it before Episode #60, because while Kevin teased his reaction to Marvel’s latest in this episode, the guys will take a full dive in next week’s show, spoilers left and right.

The #Blend Game this week was dedicated to a personal favorite of the ReelBlend hosts: Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. They played #ChivoBlend, and Sean’s pick literally stunned Jake and Kevin. It’s times like this, we wish that we still did the Facebook Live video.

Finally, the boys have a very big announcement about a future meet up that we hope people can make it to. Listen all the way to the end for details!

ReelBlend is a weekly podcast that we do on CinemaBlend. You can download the latest episode (and all of our past episodes) for FREE on our iTunes page! Visit. Subscribe. Like and comment. Review! Apple loves when you have star ratings and reviews, so if you listened, and you liked it (or even if you didn't), let us know. We also are on Spotify. And Google Play. And basically everywhere that you download podcasts. So download us.

Meanwhile, follow the guys on Social Media! We have an official Twitter feed for the show, so follow @ReelBlend. In addition, follow the guys at @Sean_OConnell, @JakesTakesand @KevinMcCarthyTV.

Song Of The South: The Story Behind The Disney Movie That Disappeared

Song Of The South: The Story Behind The Disney Movie That Disappeared

Last week, Disney CEO Bob Iger told a room full of Disney stockholders that the plan for the upcoming Disney+ streaming service was to have Disney’s entire motion picture library available shortly after launch. Clearly, this is an exciting concept for both Disney fans, as well as movie fans in general, as Disney has a library stretching back decades. However, it seems highly unlikely that literally every Disney movie will ever actually be on the service, as there’s at least one movie that will almost certainly be missing: 1946’s Song of the South.

Whether or not you’ve ever actually seen the movie, you likely know at least something of the controversy that surrounds it. Last released in theaters in 1986, the film hasn’t been shown publicly since then, and has never received a VHS or DVD release in North America. When Bob Iger was asked about the film during the same Disney stockholders’ meeting in 2010, he called the film “fairly offensive” and has said we should not expect to see the movie released any time soon, if ever.

Song of the South focuses on a young boy named Johnny who has traveled with his parents from Atlanta to his grandmother’s plantation in an undisclosed Southern location. Upon arriving there, Johnny learns his father is turning around and going home. It seems Johnny parents will be separating for a while, perhaps something to do with his father’s controversial editorship of a newspaper. It’s all very vague and never explained.

Johnny attempts to run away back to his father, but he’s stopped by the kindly Uncle Remus, an elderly black man (James Baskett), who tells him a story about Br’er Rabbit and a time he tried running away from his problems, and only found greater ones. Johnny decides to stay, if only to hear more stories from Uncle Remus.

Johnny makes a friend in a young girl his age, Jenny, but runs afoul of her bully older brothers. Every time Johnny finds himself in trouble, Uncle Remus is there with a story that relates to the issue and helps Johnny through it.

While the stories of Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear are animated, Song of the South is still very much a live action movie. The animated sequences cover no more than about 20 minutes, broken up in three segments, of the 90-minute film. Song of the South has been the subject of controversy since it was released back in 1946, and that controversy has only increased since then.

The first problem with Song of the South is that it never makes it entirely clear what the relationship is between the black and white characters in the film. While the movie is supposed to be set during the era of Reconstruction, it never comes out and simply says this. Many audiences have viewed the relationship between the black and white characters as being that of slaves and masters, and there’s little evidence to discount this view. The closest the movie comes is when, 10 minutes before the film is over, Uncle Remus decides to leave the plantation. The fact he’s allowed to do so is the only indication he’s not a slave.

Regardless, the relationship between black and white characters is portrayed as ideal. Everybody is happy, even though one group here is clearly rich and the other is clearly poor.

Beyond that, Song of the South deals with the use of racist dialects, as well as the use of the trope that would later become known as the “magical negro.” Even the animated sequences aren’t free of controversy. One of Br’er Fox’s plans to capture Br’er Rabbit involves the use of a golem made of black tar which the fox refers to as a ...tar baby. Yeah, this thing can get rough.

On the other side of the controversy, however, is a movie that has a lot going for it. It’s the second feature film in Disney history to see human actors performing with animated characters in the same frame, and it’s done to far greater effect than it was in The Three Caballeros.

The film is a two-time Oscar winner. The song “Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah” won the award for Best Original Song and James Baskett was given an honorary Oscar for his performance as Uncle Remus.

Since its final theatrical release in 1986, Disney has largely tried to forget that Song of the South exists. While the popular Splash Mountain attraction found at Disneyland and Walt Disney World takes its inspiration and music from the film, the ride focuses exclusively on the exploits of Br’er Rabbit and other animal characters. Uncle Remus does not appear and he is not mentioned.

Today, there are two minds about what to do with Song of the South. Many believe the film should simply stay buried. It’s a product of an era and attitudes about race that we all understand today were wrong. Bringing the film back would only remind people of something we should forget.

Others, however, would like to focus on the film’s positives, such as the popular music and the revolutionary animation. Many do feel there’s value to the film historically and that it should exist. Perhaps Song of the South could be brought back, maybe on a disc that also includes additional material like documentaries and retrospectives that put the film in context and accept the film has elements worthy of criticism, but uses them as a teaching moment.

Of course, if that does happen, then audiences will learn something else that’s important about Song of the South. It’s not very good. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but it isn’t actually a great film. The animated segments really are fun (tar babies notwithstanding), but the live-action sequences just draw on and on and you get really bored waiting for the cartoons to come back on.

I’m not going to pretend like I know what the right decision to make here is. However, I’m also not sure that Disney knows either. Clearly, the studio's plan is to leave Song of the South in the vault for now. Maybe a compelling argument will be made to bring it back one day, but I don’t expect that day will come this year. When Disney+ brings every other Disney movie right to your TV, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to The Cat From Outer Space and more, don’t expect Br’er Rabbit or Uncle Remus to come with them.

Looks Like The Shazam! Cast Could Be Back For Quite A Few More Sequels

Looks Like The Shazam! Cast Could Be Back For Quite A Few More Sequels

The following contains spoilers for Shazam!

DC has found another big comic book hit thanks to the success of DC's Shazam! The movie has been at the top of the box office for the last two weekends and has been largely celebrated by critics and fans alike. We know that a sequel is already in very early stages, but there may be far more than one new movie on the way.

Michelle Borth is the woman who plays Mary Marvel, the adult version of Grace Fulton's Mary Bromfield in Shazam! In a new interview, the actress reveals that she got the part thanks to a single audition when she didn't even know what she was auditioning for, but the biggest piece of information, is that she's now signed to a five-picture deal. According to Borth...

It was tears of joy, but it was just so overwhelming. I had never gotten a role from one taped audition, let alone a five-picture deal with Warner Bros. from a one-tape audition. You always have to go through a really long process. There’s a fight to get there, so it was a really incredible moment. That’s all I can say.

If Michelle Borth was signed to a five-picture deal with Warner Bros. it's safe to assume that the same is true for the rest of the Shazam! family. Both the adult and child versions of all the characters are likely signed to the same deal. Star Zachary Levi and his kid version, played by Asher Angel, might even be signed to longer deals than that as they may have more crossover opportunities.

The fact that everybody is on board for five movies doesn't necessarily mean that there's a specific plan for those five films. While it's possible that the DC film universe, of which Shazam! is a part, has been mapped out and there are five specific movies that DC and WB know they want Mary Marvel to appear in, it's more likely that the studio just wants to be sure the actors are under contract if and when they're needed.

It's also possible, though less likely, that the five picture deal isn't specific to playing Mary Marvel. It's possible Warner Bros. just sees potential in Michelle Borth and wanted her under contract.

Regardless, it is remarkable that Borth has found such success from a single audition. It's even more impressive when you learn from her Parade interview that, in order to keep the secret of what she was auditioning for, the actual audition wasn't running lines, but doing a dance. According to the actress...

It was one of those really magical moments of, ‘Oh, my God. You hear about this sometimes. Every now and then, this happens,’ and that was mine. I did a great dance, an interpretive dance, and had a lot of fun with it, and then forgot, and that was it.

Whatever else actually happens, a direct sequel to Shazam! is a virtual guarantee at this point. We only actually got to see a small amount of Mary Marvel and the other members of the Shazam Family, so a sequel will likely let these characters gain a bit more depth and let actors like Michelle Borth stretch their wings a bit more.

DC’s Booster Gold Movie's Script Is Completed, But Now What?

DC’s Booster Gold Movie's Script Is Completed, But Now What?

The DC live-action universe has had a fascinating tenure in theaters, full of peaks and valleys. Warner Bros.' shared universe began with Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, and quickly attempted to catch up to the MCU by skipping origin stories and going straight to ensemble movies. While fan excitement was significant , the trio of movie that followed Man of Steel failed to meet expectations, and were critical bombs.

Since then, the DCEU has shifted away from crossover-heavy projects, instead allowing directors to have more autistic autonomy over their massive blockbusters. It's a method that worked well for both Aquaman and Shazam!, but some fans are still left wondering if the long-gestating Booster Gold movie will ever come to fruition. Zack Stentz has been tasked with writing the project, and recently offered an update on the film's script, saying:

I do not know what’s going on with it right now, honestly. And I don’t know if the DC people know what’s going on with it. Their strategy seems to change depending on how […] most recent movie did. But I can tell you that a script has been turned in that the director and producer, Greg Berlanti, has proclaimed himself to be very happy with. And it’s something that’s ready to go, but DC and Warner Bros. would need to give the green light to it. The ball is in their court.

Well, this an interesting development. It looks like the Booster Gold script has been completed and given the thumbs up from Greg Berlanti. So the movie's potential life all depends on what Warner Bros. is planning for the future of the DCEU.

Zack Stentz's comments to Revenge of the Fans are sure to elicit a mixed back of emotions from the fandom. On one hand, there's something hopeful about his update. The Booster Gold script seems to be up to par, and director/producer Greg Berlanti seems happy with the final result. So if the DCEU actually moves forward with the movie's development, at least there's a strong base to work with.

Related: Upcoming DC Movies: What's Next For The Extended Universe

But while the Marvel Cinematic Universe typically releases release scheduled that span entire years, Warner Bros. is a bit more mysterious with the DCEU. Rather than announcing projects ahead of time, the studio is letting the success of each release influence the future of the shared universe. As such, the performance of upcoming movies like Birds of Prey, Joker, and Wonder Woman 1984 may be the deciding factor for Booster Gold's potential arrival.

Considering how Shazam! resonated with audiences, Booster Gold does seem like a solid choice to follow it. Booster is also inherently comedic and quirky, with his ego and futuristic origin often being the butt of jokes. He's a hero that isn't always taken seriously by members of the Justice League, and might be an opportunity for the DCEU to break new ground and keep things fresh.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a pretty well-oiled machine at this point. Aside from the firing of James Gunn last July, Phase Three went off without a hitch, and every single installment was a box office and critical success. Meanwhile, the DC Universe is only now hitting its stride.

Man of Steel helped kickstart the DC universe, with a more gritty and realistic version of Clark Kent's comic book origin. It has of Zack Snyder's stylistic signatures, and a strong cast in Henry Cavill and Amy Adams. And although the movie was the subject of some backlash after Snyder had the title character uncharacteristically kill off the villainous Zodd, Man of Steel's success was notable enough to inspire Warner Bros. to craft their own shared universe.

When it was revealed that Zack Snyder would be expanding the DCEU with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the generations of DC fans were very excited. The two iconic comic book heroes had never shared the screen in live-action, and the additional inclusion of Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman was enough to get moviegoers giddy with anticipation.

Unfortunately, the movie ended up being quite divisive and suffering poor reviews. But it still made money, and plans for both Justice League and Suicide Squad continued on regardless. But when neither of those movies managed to get good reviews or make the adequate amount of money, Warner Bros. went back to the drawing board to plan out the future of the DCEU.

Crossovers were put on the back burner starting with James Wan's Aquaman, which wholly focused on the title character played by Jason Momoa. Rather than setting up connections to the greater DCEU, Wan spent his time building the underwater world of Atlantis and its denizens. Aquaman also pushed some boundaries of the genre, with elements of horror and comedy helping to buoy (pun intended) the movie.

It's a pivot that seems to have really resonated with the public, as Aquaman made a ton of money at the box office. And following it's success, Warner Bros. revealed that both a spinoff and sequel will be coming down the pipeline. Like Zack Stentz stated above, Warner Bros. is making its decision about DC's future based on how each new release performs.

Shazam! followed Aquaman's lead, and was another movie focused on one corner of the DC Universe. This time, it was seeing the massive franchise through the eyes of its children. Shazam! went in on comedy, and brought a childlike wonder to theaters that was noticeably missing from the grittier comic book franchises.

DC will give another go at an ensemble project with Birds Of Prey, including a variety of Gotham City femme fatales. Let's hope that the studio has figured out how to balance a larger cast, and still provide the same quality as its most recent releass.

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) on February 7th, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.