By Derrik J. Lang, Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --The Screen Actors Guild officially stands opposed to the California ballot initiative that would ban same-sex marriage.
After weeks of being criticized for not contributing enough to defeat Proposition 8, members of the film-TV industries have recently stepped up their contributions – financial and otherwise – to fight Proposition 8, and on Tuesday a union committee voted to oppose the measure.
“No actor should have to disclose his or her sexual preference in order to get health and retirement benefits,” said SAG Chairwoman Anne-Marie Johnson. “Being legally married means everyone is treated the same. It’s important that we take a stand to protect all actors from discriminatory hiring practices and provide same-sex couples access to benefits.”
SAG said the organization does not endorse political candidates, but the actors union often takes positions on ballot initiatives. The union’s Colorado branch previously announced it is opposing Amendment 47, a right-to-work measure on the state’s November ballot which would bar unions from requiring nonunion workers to pay dues.
In the last two weeks, several SAG members have personally donated money to defeat Proposition 8, according to state fundraising records, including: “Two and a Half Men” actor Jon Cryer ($10,000); “Bones” actress Emily Deschanel ($2,000); “The New Adventures of Old Christine” actress Wanda Sykes ($3,500) and “In Plain Sight” actress Mary McCormack ($3,000).
Review: Director James Watkins’ “Speak No Evil”
Quick. Has there ever been a horror film set in a country home with a decent cell signal?
Nope, and there's no signal at Paddy and Ciara's house, either, deep in the English countryside. Soon, that land line will be cut, too, but we're getting ahead of ourselves.
Paddy and Ciara are that fun-but-somewhat-odd British couple whom Louise and Ben, early in "Speak No Evil," meet on their idyllic Tuscan family holiday. Americans based in London, Louise and Ben are at loose ends, with both job and relationship issues. And so, when the new acquaintances write to invite them for a country weekend, they decide to go.
After all, how bad could it be?
Don't answer that. There are many such moments in the first two-thirds of "Speak No Evil," a Hollywood remake of the 2022 Danish film, here starring a deeply menacing James McAvoy. Moments where Louise and Ben, out of mere politeness and social convention, act against their instincts, which tell them something is wrong – very wrong.
Director James Watkins and especially his excellent troupe of actors, adult and children alike, do a nice job of building the tension, slowly but surely. Until all bloody hell breaks loose, of course. And then, in its third act, "Speak No Evil" becomes an entertaining but routine horror flick, with predictable results.
But for a while, it's a way more intelligent film. And the jumpy moments work — I'll confess to literally springing out of my seat when someone uneventfully turned on a power drill.
We begin in stunning Tuscany, where Louise (Mackenzie Davis, in the film's most accessible and empathetic performance) and Ben (Scoot McNairy, all nerves and insecurity) are vacationing with 11-year-old daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler). At the pool, they... Read More