We already knew that Vin Diesel was “fast and furious,” but can he stand his ground amidst a coven of witches? In The Last Witch Hunter, Vin Diesel is Kaulder, a warrior who seeks revenge against the Queen Witch, an evil force who has returned to wreak havoc on Earth. Co-starring Elijah Wood, Michael Caine and Rose Leslie, the film’s latest trailer, titled “Live Forever,” was recently released.
It may not be as prestigious as sitting on the Iron Throne, but Vin Dieselstill looks intimidating (in a pensive way) on a new poster that was just released for The Last Witch Hunter. Opening October 23, the story centers on Kaulder (Diesel), a warrior who has spent centuries killing his share of witches.
Opening September 12 in select theaters, iTunes, on VOD, Honeymooncenters on Paul (Harry Treadaway) and Bea (Rose Leslie), newlyweds who shack up in a remote cabin for a little rest and relaxation. Their romantic bliss is shattered when a half naked Bea sleepwalks her way into the middle of the woods, and her nighttime jaunt leads to her gradual mental and emotional transformation.
Paul tries his best to shake Bea out of her current state, and although he tries to solve the mystery of his wife’s transformation, his luck is slowly running out. Clocking in at 87 minutes, Honeymoon is a tightly paced thriller packed with its share of tension and inevitable heartbreak.
Playing Bea, a woman whose humanity is slowly slipping away was a challenging process for Leslie. “In terms of head space, it was very much leaning on Harry and being able to have a dialogue with him on and off screen,” said the actress, who’s best known for her work as Ygritte in Game of Thrones. “And kind of tackling it together.”
Although Honeymoon is a psychological thriller, it’s doesn’t approach the genre with paper thin insight. Treadaway, who celebrates his 30th birthday today, believes the film tackles even deeper issues regarding trust and intimacy:
Hopefully these are people that you can believe in and that universal question that must be asked when you decide to fully commit yourself to someone in life. To love them with all of yourself and to trust them with everything you have. The very process of that is opening yourself up to the possibility of them breaking that trust or not being the person that you hoped they were.
Click on the Soundcloud bar to hear Treadaway talk about one of the themes behind Honeymoon.
Opening September 12 in select theaters and on VOD, Honeymoon centers on newlyweds (Rose Leslie, Harry Treadaway) who leave the city to spend some quality time at a remote cabin. With hardly anyone in sight, surrounded by trees and a lake, Bea (Leslie) and Paul (Treadaway) should be having the time of their lives.
Unfortunately, a nighttime excursion in which Paul catches Bea sleepwalking leads to dire repercussions, as the woman he loves gradually transforms before his eyes.
Though it was shot in North Carolina and has its share of exterior sequences, Honeymoon is a claustrophobic thriller in the vein of Roman Polanski’s Repulson or The Tenant. The storyline’s main scares come from Bea’s emotional and mental undoing by an unseen force as Paul is rendered helpless in the process.
During the interviews, first time filmmaker Leigh Janiak explained why she initially considered shooting the movie in Super 16 and eventually went digital (with the Arri Alexa). She also talks about how watching Amour and Zero Dark Thirty helped inform her the film’s visual aesthetic (most notably in Honeymoon’s use of lighting).
Click on the Souncloud bar below to hear Leigh Janiak talk about the benefits of using the Arri Alexa:
Known to millions of Game of Thrones fans as the fearless wildling warrior Ygritte, Rose Leslie traverses new ground with the psychological thriller Honeymoon. The narrative focuses on Paul and Bea (Penny Dreadful’s Harry Treadaway, Leslie), newlyweds who spend their honeymoon at Bea’s family cabin. With a nearby lake and seclusion as their bedside companions, the pair are ready for several days of pure bliss.
Their loving bond breaks when a nighttime venture into the woods leaves Bea a physically and emotionally changed woman. Not only does she forget how to cook French toast for breakfast (a worried Paul takes over food duties), Bea furtively continues to write her own name in a notebook. Directed by Leigh Janiak, Honeymoon is a tense, atmospheric, and ultimately scary journey into a once loving couple’s gradual undoing.
During the Honeymoon interviews (I will post a review of Honeymoon as well as other features on the film in the near future), I asked Rose Leslie about Game of Thrones and getting the chance to utter the iconic and much beloved line “You know nothing Jon Snow!” I also, in relation to Honeymoon, asked if she makes a better French Toast than Mr. Treadaway. Her response is below:
“First and foremost, I make the best French Toast. Secondly, I feel incredibly privileged and extremely humbled to be part of such a global phenomenon that is Game of Thrones. I had an utter blast for the three seasons that I was on it. And I feel so much warmth and admiration to the loyal and passionate fans and I love that they enjoy the catchphrase and they love that catchphrase. It’s a huge privilege to have been a part of it. It really is.”
Harry Treadaway & Rose Leslie in Honeymoon (Magnet Releasing)
To hear Rose Leslie’s full version, check out the Soundcloud audio below (Treadaway is also heard in the tail end of the clip):
Honeymoon hits theaters, On Demand, and iTunes on September 12.
