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Melissa Barrera is one of the most talented rising stars in Hollywood. The Mexican actress began her career in her country with telenovelas like Siempre tuya Acapulco and Tanto Amor, and she debuted in Hollywood with the 2018 coming-of-age drama series Vida and later went on to play one of the leads in a big-budget musical film In the Heights. She is most known for playing the role of Sam Carpenter in the Scream films. So, if you love Melissa Barrera’s performances we have picked out the 7 best films and TV shows starring Barrera, that you should check out.
7. Carmen (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Sony Pictures Classics
Carmen is a musical drama film directed by Benjamin Millepied from a screenplay co-written by Alexander Dinelaris Jr., Loïc Barrère, and Millepied. The 2022 film follows the story of Carmen, a...
Melissa Barrera is one of the most talented rising stars in Hollywood. The Mexican actress began her career in her country with telenovelas like Siempre tuya Acapulco and Tanto Amor, and she debuted in Hollywood with the 2018 coming-of-age drama series Vida and later went on to play one of the leads in a big-budget musical film In the Heights. She is most known for playing the role of Sam Carpenter in the Scream films. So, if you love Melissa Barrera’s performances we have picked out the 7 best films and TV shows starring Barrera, that you should check out.
7. Carmen (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Sony Pictures Classics
Carmen is a musical drama film directed by Benjamin Millepied from a screenplay co-written by Alexander Dinelaris Jr., Loïc Barrère, and Millepied. The 2022 film follows the story of Carmen, a...
- 11/2/2024
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
Exclusive: Red Skies star Annie Shapero has signed with Verve Talent and Literary Agency.
The Australian-uk actress’ first major role was in Red Skies, the Israeli drama from the team behind the original Euphoria, and is next up appearing in an FX pilot.
Red Skies debuted last month at Series Mania, where it was in International Competition. Shapero plays Jenny, an American journalist forced to pick a side when an unlikely friendship between an Israeli and a Palestinian is tested when tragedy strikes. Euphoria‘s Ron Leshem and Daniel Amsel co-created the series with Amit Cohen.
The series comes from Yoav Gross Productions alongside U.S. firms Red82 and Nebo Content for Reshet 13, with Shistel’s Alon Zingman is set to direct. Amir Khoury, Maor Schwitzer and Alona Sa’ar are among the other stars.
Shapero is also set to star in the pilot of FX drama The Border, which is...
The Australian-uk actress’ first major role was in Red Skies, the Israeli drama from the team behind the original Euphoria, and is next up appearing in an FX pilot.
Red Skies debuted last month at Series Mania, where it was in International Competition. Shapero plays Jenny, an American journalist forced to pick a side when an unlikely friendship between an Israeli and a Palestinian is tested when tragedy strikes. Euphoria‘s Ron Leshem and Daniel Amsel co-created the series with Amit Cohen.
The series comes from Yoav Gross Productions alongside U.S. firms Red82 and Nebo Content for Reshet 13, with Shistel’s Alon Zingman is set to direct. Amir Khoury, Maor Schwitzer and Alona Sa’ar are among the other stars.
Shapero is also set to star in the pilot of FX drama The Border, which is...
- 4/4/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
"You can do something for the world that's beyond yourself..." Gravitas Ventures has revealed the official trailer for an indie drama titled All the World is Sleeping, the latest film made by writer / director Ryan Lacen. This first premiered at one film festival back in 2021 and is finally opening in a limited release with a VOD option as well starting this March. Fighting for her own life and the ones she loves, a young mother in New Mexico sinks deeper in her addiction while struggling to surface for her daughter. The film "highlights the stigma connected with substance abuse and the seemingly never-ending cycle many people battle..." All the World is Sleeping stars Melissa Barrera as Chama, along with Jackie Cruz, Jorge Garcia, Kristen Gutoskie, Valentina Herrera, Lisandra Tena, and Luis Bordonada. This really doesn't seem so bad, an intimate and captivating look at just how hard it is to...
- 2/9/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has picked up North American rights to the drama All the World is Sleeping, toplined by rising star Melissa Barrera (Scream VI), slating it for release in theaters and on demand on March 17.
Written and directed by Ryan Lacen, All the World is Sleeping follows Chama (Barrera), who as a young girl in New Mexico, strived to be different from her mother. Now in her twenties, she’s found herself falling into a similar cycle of generational addiction. This struggle then threatens her balance as a mother to her own daughter. As Chama tries to keep it all together, a harrowing accident will spiral her out of control, causing her daughter to be taken from her custody. With nothing left, she’ll have to confront her past in order to fight for a future — one that can either guide her closer to getting her daughter back or...
Written and directed by Ryan Lacen, All the World is Sleeping follows Chama (Barrera), who as a young girl in New Mexico, strived to be different from her mother. Now in her twenties, she’s found herself falling into a similar cycle of generational addiction. This struggle then threatens her balance as a mother to her own daughter. As Chama tries to keep it all together, a harrowing accident will spiral her out of control, causing her daughter to be taken from her custody. With nothing left, she’ll have to confront her past in order to fight for a future — one that can either guide her closer to getting her daughter back or...
- 1/25/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Josué Guerra (Somos) has been cast as a series regular opposite E.J. Bonilla in FX pilot The Border, a drama based on the third book in Don Winslow’s bestselling Cartel Trilogy, from Daniel Zelman,, Shane Salerno (Salinger, Avatar) sequels and FX Productions.
The Border is an epic saga that reveals the dark truths about America’s failed 50-year war on drugs. Taking us from the streets of New York to the poppy fields of Mexico, the jungles of Central America, and the White House, The Border explodes the myths of the drug war through the intertwining narratives of characters on both sides of the Mexican-American border: an obsessive Mexican-American DEA agent, a young boxing promoter who inherits a drug empire, a jaded teenager who rises to power in the world of high class escorts, and an Irish kid from the streets of Hell’s kitchen who becomes a ruthless,...
The Border is an epic saga that reveals the dark truths about America’s failed 50-year war on drugs. Taking us from the streets of New York to the poppy fields of Mexico, the jungles of Central America, and the White House, The Border explodes the myths of the drug war through the intertwining narratives of characters on both sides of the Mexican-American border: an obsessive Mexican-American DEA agent, a young boxing promoter who inherits a drug empire, a jaded teenager who rises to power in the world of high class escorts, and an Irish kid from the streets of Hell’s kitchen who becomes a ruthless,...
- 12/19/2022
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
A bestselling cartel epic is set to make the leap from page to screen with "The Border." Deadline reports that a series based on Don Winslow's super-popular "Cartel Trilogy" is in the works at FX with a pilot deal. The 720-page tome "The Border" is actually the third book in the pulpy, epic crime novel series, following "The Cartel" and "The Power of the Dog".
Winslow's trilogy concluded with "The Border" in 2019, and it was only a matter of time before the story about the failed war on drugs made it to the small screen. Now, fans of the series and newcomers alike have an adaptation to look forward to -- one with a talented team behind the camera. Here's everything we know about "The Border" so far:
When And Where To Watch The Border
"The Border" is still in the early stages: according to Deadline, its pilot is...
Winslow's trilogy concluded with "The Border" in 2019, and it was only a matter of time before the story about the failed war on drugs made it to the small screen. Now, fans of the series and newcomers alike have an adaptation to look forward to -- one with a talented team behind the camera. Here's everything we know about "The Border" so far:
When And Where To Watch The Border
"The Border" is still in the early stages: according to Deadline, its pilot is...
- 12/9/2022
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
FX has given a pilot order to The Border, a drama based on the third book in Don Winslow’s bestselling Cartel Trilogy, from Daniel Zelman,, Shane Salerno is set to lead the cast, which also includes Frank Blake, Annie Shapero (Red Skies), Sebastián Buitrón and Luis Bordonada. Produced by FX Productions, the pilot will begin production in Mexico in 2023.
Zelman will write and serve as showrunner and executive producer along with Salerno, who adapted The Border for television with Zelman, Winslow, Diego Gutierrez, Jayro Bustamante, who will direct the pilot, and Scott Free. Anabel Hernández will serve as Consulting Producer.
The Border is an epic saga that reveals the dark truths about America’s failed 50-year war on drugs.
Zelman will write and serve as showrunner and executive producer along with Salerno, who adapted The Border for television with Zelman, Winslow, Diego Gutierrez, Jayro Bustamante, who will direct the pilot, and Scott Free. Anabel Hernández will serve as Consulting Producer.
The Border is an epic saga that reveals the dark truths about America’s failed 50-year war on drugs.
- 12/7/2022
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
FX is heading to The Border.
The Disney-owned cable outlet has ordered a drama pilot based on a trio of novels by best-selling author Don Winslow. The Border — named after the third book in Winslow’s cartel trilogy — will delve into the drug war at the U.S.-Mexico border via the lives of several people on both sides of the conflict.
E.J. Bonilla (The Old Man) will star as Art Keller, a Mexican-American DEA agent. The cast also includes Frank Blake (Normal People) as Sean Callan, Annie Shapero as Nora Hayden, Sebastián Buitrón (Narcos: Mexico) as Adan Barrera and Luis Bordonada (Vida) as Miguel Angel Barrera.
FX optioned Winslow’s cartel trilogy — which also includes 2005’s The Power of the Dog (no relation to the 2021 film of the same title) and 2015’s The Cartel — in March 2019, shortly after The Border was published.
FX is heading to The Border.
The Disney-owned cable outlet has ordered a drama pilot based on a trio of novels by best-selling author Don Winslow. The Border — named after the third book in Winslow’s cartel trilogy — will delve into the drug war at the U.S.-Mexico border via the lives of several people on both sides of the conflict.
E.J. Bonilla (The Old Man) will star as Art Keller, a Mexican-American DEA agent. The cast also includes Frank Blake (Normal People) as Sean Callan, Annie Shapero as Nora Hayden, Sebastián Buitrón (Narcos: Mexico) as Adan Barrera and Luis Bordonada (Vida) as Miguel Angel Barrera.
FX optioned Winslow’s cartel trilogy — which also includes 2005’s The Power of the Dog (no relation to the 2021 film of the same title) and 2015’s The Cartel — in March 2019, shortly after The Border was published.
- 12/7/2022
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Network: Starz.
Episodes: Tbd (half-hour).
Seasons: Three.
TV show dates: May 6, 2018 — present.
Series status: Cancelled.
Performers include: Mishel Prada, Melissa Barrera, Ser Anzoategui, Carlos Miranda, Chelsea Rendon, Maria-Elena Laas, Elizabeth De Razzo, Ramses Jimenez, Luis Bordonada, and Elena Campbell-Martinez.
TV show description:
Based on the short story, Pour Vida, by Richard Villegas, Jr., the Vida TV show is a half-hour drama from creator Tanya Saracho. The story follows two Mexican-American sisters.
Despite growing up together on the Eastside of Los Angeles, Emma (Prada) and Lyn (Barrera) could not be any more different from each other. There has also never been more distance between them -- than when they have to reunite in the...
Episodes: Tbd (half-hour).
Seasons: Three.
TV show dates: May 6, 2018 — present.
Series status: Cancelled.
Performers include: Mishel Prada, Melissa Barrera, Ser Anzoategui, Carlos Miranda, Chelsea Rendon, Maria-Elena Laas, Elizabeth De Razzo, Ramses Jimenez, Luis Bordonada, and Elena Campbell-Martinez.
TV show description:
Based on the short story, Pour Vida, by Richard Villegas, Jr., the Vida TV show is a half-hour drama from creator Tanya Saracho. The story follows two Mexican-American sisters.
Despite growing up together on the Eastside of Los Angeles, Emma (Prada) and Lyn (Barrera) could not be any more different from each other. There has also never been more distance between them -- than when they have to reunite in the...
- 3/23/2020
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
"I'm just an entertainer, that's all." 1091 has unveiled an official trailer for an indie comedy titled Sister Aimee, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. From directors Samantha Buck & Marie Schlingmann making their feature debut, the film stars newcomer Anna Margaret Hollyman as Sister Aimee. America's most famous evangelist in 1926 is a woman looking for a way out. Fed up with her own success, and swept up in her lover’s daydreams about Mexico, she finds herself on a wild road trip to the border. "Based on true events. Mostly made up." The cast includes Michael Mosley, Andrea Suarez Paz, Julie White, Amy Hargreaves, Macon Blair, Luis Bordonada, Nathan Zellner, Lee Eddy, John Merriman, and Bill Wise. This looks like it gets extra wild by the end, with all sorts of happenings. Here's the first trailer for Samantha Buck & Marie Schlingmann's Sister Aimee, from 1091's YouTube:...
- 8/21/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Samantha Buck and Marie Schlingmann’s Sister Aimee, which had its premiere in the Next section at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, has been acquired by 1091 (formerly known as The Orchard Film Group) and Obscured Pictures. It will now hit theaters September 27 at the Village East Cinema in New York and the Laemmle Glendale in Los Angeles ahead of a further rollout and a VOD bow October 1.
The pic written and directed by Buck and Schlingmann tells the mostly fictional story of the real-life early 20th century mega-star evangelist Sister Aimee Semple McPherson (played by Anna Margaret Hollyman), with the movie’s plot revolving around the media sensation faking her own death at the pinnacle of her fame to run away to Mexico with her married lover. In real life, the Foursquare Church founder was allegedly kidnapped and held captive for more than a month, but the...
The pic written and directed by Buck and Schlingmann tells the mostly fictional story of the real-life early 20th century mega-star evangelist Sister Aimee Semple McPherson (played by Anna Margaret Hollyman), with the movie’s plot revolving around the media sensation faking her own death at the pinnacle of her fame to run away to Mexico with her married lover. In real life, the Foursquare Church founder was allegedly kidnapped and held captive for more than a month, but the...
- 8/5/2019
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
"I had a purpose over there." "You got one here, too." Fs is proud to exclusively debut the official trailer for a film titled Sgt. Will Gardner, another emotional drama about soldiers returning home from war with Ptsd, struggling to reintegrate into society. Actor Max Martini writes, directs, produces, and stars in this film as Will Gardner, an Iraq War veteran who sets out on a cross-country motorcycle journey with the plan to reunite with his young son. "My hope with Sgt. Will Gardner is to raise awareness for the on-going battles which returning soldiers encounter," said Martini, whose production company, Mona Vista Productions, will donate a portion of the film's proceeds to three charities which support veterans suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury (Tbi), Ptsd and veteran homelessness: Higher Ground, Warriors Heart and the Gary Sinise Foundation. The film also co-stars Lily Rabe, Luis Bordonada, Dermot Mulroney, Elisabeth Röhm, Omari Hardwick,...
- 11/30/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Better Call Saul Season 4 Trailer AMC‘s Better Call Saul: Season 4 teaser trailer, entitled ‘Gainful Employment’, stars Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Jonathan Banks, Giancarlo Esposito, and Luis Bordonada. Better Call Saul: Season 4’s plot synopsis: “In Better Call Saul‘s fourth season, Chuck’s death catalyzes Jimmy McGill’s transformation into Saul Goodman. In the wake of his loss, Jimmy takes [...]
Continue reading: Better Call Saul: Season 4 Teaser Trailer: A Friend’s Death Catalyzes Bob Odenkirk’s Transformation [AMC]...
Continue reading: Better Call Saul: Season 4 Teaser Trailer: A Friend’s Death Catalyzes Bob Odenkirk’s Transformation [AMC]...
- 7/3/2018
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
Starz new Latinx drama series Vida has rounded out its cast with Elena Campbell-Martínez (The Big Bang Theory), Ramses Jimenez (Fear the Walking Dead), Luis Bordonada (Better Call Saul), Elizabeth De Razzo (The 33), Renee Victor (Coco), Adelina Anthony (Bruising for Besos) and Erika Soto (Romeo & Juliet stage production) set for recurring roles. From showrunner Tanya Saracho (How to Get Away With Murder), Vida focuses on Mexican-American sisters Emma and Lyn (Mishel…...
- 12/8/2017
- Deadline TV
Sometimes you have to travel half the world to find your family, and that notion sparks the indie drama “Barracuda.” Directed by Julia Halperin and Jason Cortlund, the film tells the story of a family fractured and stitched back together, and today we have the exclusive look at the first five minutes of the film.
Starring Allison Tolman, Sophie Reid, JoBeth Williams, Luis Bordonada, and Larry Jack Dotson, the story follows two half-sisters, connected by their deceased musician father, and darker secret that lies between them.
Continue reading Family Reconnects In First 5 Minutes Of ‘Barracuda’ [Exclusive] at The Playlist.
Starring Allison Tolman, Sophie Reid, JoBeth Williams, Luis Bordonada, and Larry Jack Dotson, the story follows two half-sisters, connected by their deceased musician father, and darker secret that lies between them.
Continue reading Family Reconnects In First 5 Minutes Of ‘Barracuda’ [Exclusive] at The Playlist.
- 10/20/2017
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Consider it an old lesson: If a stranger shows up on your porch, claiming to be your long-lost sister, maybe don’t automatically believe them. Such is the pickle that Allison Tolman’s Merle finds herself confronting in “Barracuda,” when young Sinaloa (newcomer Sophie Reid) appears, touting a shared genealogy that is only the tip of the metaphorical iceberg.
While the sisters eventually bond, long-simmering resentments on Sinaloa’s side — the pair apparently share a father, a country music star who influences her own musicianship — threaten to pull them apart. Or perhaps that’s what Sinaloa wanted the entire time? After the film debuted at this year’s SXSW, our Eric Kohn wrote that “Barracuda” is a “beautiful, haunting drama,” with a particular focus on how music ties together people (and maybe even pulls them apart).
Read More:‘Downward Dog’: Allison Tolman Talks About Strong Single Women, Smart Pups...
While the sisters eventually bond, long-simmering resentments on Sinaloa’s side — the pair apparently share a father, a country music star who influences her own musicianship — threaten to pull them apart. Or perhaps that’s what Sinaloa wanted the entire time? After the film debuted at this year’s SXSW, our Eric Kohn wrote that “Barracuda” is a “beautiful, haunting drama,” with a particular focus on how music ties together people (and maybe even pulls them apart).
Read More:‘Downward Dog’: Allison Tolman Talks About Strong Single Women, Smart Pups...
- 9/19/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.
Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films have acquired the U.S. rights to Julie Halperin and Jason Cortlund’s suspense drama “Barracuda.” The film premiered in competition at SXSW and was nominated for a Grand Jury Award in the Narrative Feature category.
Read MoreGuillermo del Toro’s ‘The Shape of Water’ Trailer Breakdown: Sally Hawkins Befriends Doug Jones’ Man-Fish in Gorgeous Fairy Tale
Co-directed by Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin and written by Cortlund, “Barracuda” stars Allison Tolman, Sophie Reid, JoBeth Williams and Luis Bordonada and features live music performances by Butch Hancock, Bob Livingston, Colin Gilmore, The Mastersons, and The Harvest Thieves.
The film follows a woman named Merle (Tolman), whose life begins to splinter when...
Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films have acquired the U.S. rights to Julie Halperin and Jason Cortlund’s suspense drama “Barracuda.” The film premiered in competition at SXSW and was nominated for a Grand Jury Award in the Narrative Feature category.
Read MoreGuillermo del Toro’s ‘The Shape of Water’ Trailer Breakdown: Sally Hawkins Befriends Doug Jones’ Man-Fish in Gorgeous Fairy Tale
Co-directed by Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin and written by Cortlund, “Barracuda” stars Allison Tolman, Sophie Reid, JoBeth Williams and Luis Bordonada and features live music performances by Butch Hancock, Bob Livingston, Colin Gilmore, The Mastersons, and The Harvest Thieves.
The film follows a woman named Merle (Tolman), whose life begins to splinter when...
- 7/14/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
The film received world premiere in competition at SXSW.
Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films have secured Us rights to Julie Halperin and Jason Cortlund’s suspense drama Barracuda, previously titled La Barracuda.
The film centres on Merle, whose life begins to splinter when Sinaloa, the half-sister she never knew existed, appears on her doorstep in Texas. Initially distrustful of this enigmatic woman, a bond quickly forms between the two sisters.
As Merle allows Sinaloa into her life, Sinaloa reveals a quiet fury to Merle through her music. Sinaloa’s fierce attachment jeopardises Merle’s career aspirations, her relationship with her mother, and even her impending marriage. Merle fights to keep her world together while Sinaloa’s increasingly intense and erratic behavior threatens to erupt into something much darker.
Allison Tolman, Sophie Reid, JoBeth Williams and Luis Bordonada star in the film, which premiered in competition at this year’s SXSW .
David Hartstein and Nancy Schafer produced...
Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films have secured Us rights to Julie Halperin and Jason Cortlund’s suspense drama Barracuda, previously titled La Barracuda.
The film centres on Merle, whose life begins to splinter when Sinaloa, the half-sister she never knew existed, appears on her doorstep in Texas. Initially distrustful of this enigmatic woman, a bond quickly forms between the two sisters.
As Merle allows Sinaloa into her life, Sinaloa reveals a quiet fury to Merle through her music. Sinaloa’s fierce attachment jeopardises Merle’s career aspirations, her relationship with her mother, and even her impending marriage. Merle fights to keep her world together while Sinaloa’s increasingly intense and erratic behavior threatens to erupt into something much darker.
Allison Tolman, Sophie Reid, JoBeth Williams and Luis Bordonada star in the film, which premiered in competition at this year’s SXSW .
David Hartstein and Nancy Schafer produced...
- 7/11/2017
- ScreenDaily
Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films have teamed for U.S. rights to Julia Halperin and Jason Cortlund's suspense drama Barracuda. The film premiered in competition at SXSW and won top prizes at the Oak Cliff and Hill Country film festivals. Barracuda stars Allison Tolman, Sophie Reid, JoBeth Williams and Luis Bordonada and features live music performances by Butch Hancock, Bob Livingston, Colin Gilmore, the Mastersons and the Harvest Thieves. Tolman plays Merle, whose…...
- 7/11/2017
- Deadline
"This is one race. You've got a lot more races in you." This is an impressive short about a person we rarely hear stories about - a jockey. Most films about horseracing are about the sport, or the owners, or the horses, but not many films talk about the jockey and his life. 9 Races is a short film directed by Clint Bentley (website) telling the story of an injured jockey who tries to endure nine races on nine horses over the course of one unforgiving night on the track. Luis Bordonada stars as Gabriel, playing a jockey trying to hide his pain as he starts to race. I like the documentary-style approach to this, makes it feel more real. Watch below. This short film was first debuted by Short of the Week. Original description from Vimeo: "An injured jockey must endure nine races on nine horses over the course of...
- 6/6/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
An enlightening conversation with the team behind one of the best films at this year’s SXSW.
“Patricia Highsmith is Texas-born. A lot of people think she’s English, or from New York or something, but she’s Fort Worth born and bred.” Jason Cortlund, who along with Julia Halperin wrote and directed the SXSW narrative competition entry La Barracuda, is telling me about how the famed writer of The Talented Mr. Ripley and Strangers on a Train was an influence on the film’s screenplay. Indeed, Cortlund and Halperin’s engrossing Austin-set thriller evokes shades of those page-turning mysteries, albeit with a Texas-fried perspective that is entirely their own. La Barracuda is one of those films you can only hope to catch at a festival, an utterly new take on familiar conventions that leaves you with the unshakeable feeling that you have witnessed a breakout for all involved. You’ve seen the dysfunctional Texas family drama...
“Patricia Highsmith is Texas-born. A lot of people think she’s English, or from New York or something, but she’s Fort Worth born and bred.” Jason Cortlund, who along with Julia Halperin wrote and directed the SXSW narrative competition entry La Barracuda, is telling me about how the famed writer of The Talented Mr. Ripley and Strangers on a Train was an influence on the film’s screenplay. Indeed, Cortlund and Halperin’s engrossing Austin-set thriller evokes shades of those page-turning mysteries, albeit with a Texas-fried perspective that is entirely their own. La Barracuda is one of those films you can only hope to catch at a festival, an utterly new take on familiar conventions that leaves you with the unshakeable feeling that you have witnessed a breakout for all involved. You’ve seen the dysfunctional Texas family drama...
- 3/19/2017
- by Fernando Andrés
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Not all family reunions are happy ones. In Julia Halperin and Jason Cortlund’s “La Barracuda,” premiering this Saturday as part of SXSW’s narrative feature competition, sometimes they’re just downright sinister.
The duo’s new film, starring Allison Tolman and Sophie Reid, explores the unease of a new familial discovery when a so-called sister shows up unannounced. “Sisters. Strangers.” the film’s first teaser hints, and it looks like that’s only the beginning.
Read More: SXSW 2017: 13 Must-See Films At This Year’s Festival
Per the film’s official synopsis, the film follows “a young British woman named Sinaloa [who] comes to Texas to find Merle, her half-sister by way of their dead country musician father. It doesn’t take long for Sinaloa to charm her way into Merle’s life. Her singing awakens something in Merle and erases some of the lingering doubts about their shared bloodline.
The duo’s new film, starring Allison Tolman and Sophie Reid, explores the unease of a new familial discovery when a so-called sister shows up unannounced. “Sisters. Strangers.” the film’s first teaser hints, and it looks like that’s only the beginning.
Read More: SXSW 2017: 13 Must-See Films At This Year’s Festival
Per the film’s official synopsis, the film follows “a young British woman named Sinaloa [who] comes to Texas to find Merle, her half-sister by way of their dead country musician father. It doesn’t take long for Sinaloa to charm her way into Merle’s life. Her singing awakens something in Merle and erases some of the lingering doubts about their shared bloodline.
- 3/9/2017
- by Kerry Levielle
- Indiewire
After drawing attention to the festival’s annual Gaming Awards, organizers behind the South by Southwest Film Festival have posted the full, comprehensive lineup, revealing that the likes of Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver and Free Fire, the riotous ensemble thriller from Ben Wheatley, are among those films that will screen for critics and attendees.
Per SXSW 2017‘s website, this year’s showcase will host “84 World Premieres, 11 North American Premieres, and 6 Us Premieres. First-time filmmakers account for 51 films, continuing our tradition of unearthing the emergent talent of tomorrow.” British auteur Ben Wheatley (Kill List, Sightseers, A Field in England) is a regular of the Texas festival, and will be rubbing shoulders with other favorites including Michael Winterbottom, Nacho Vigalondo, Michael Showalter.
SXSW 2017 begins on March 10th in Austin, Texas and you can get up to speed on everything the festival has to offer down below.
Narrative Feature Competition
A Bad Idea Gone Wrong...
Per SXSW 2017‘s website, this year’s showcase will host “84 World Premieres, 11 North American Premieres, and 6 Us Premieres. First-time filmmakers account for 51 films, continuing our tradition of unearthing the emergent talent of tomorrow.” British auteur Ben Wheatley (Kill List, Sightseers, A Field in England) is a regular of the Texas festival, and will be rubbing shoulders with other favorites including Michael Winterbottom, Nacho Vigalondo, Michael Showalter.
SXSW 2017 begins on March 10th in Austin, Texas and you can get up to speed on everything the festival has to offer down below.
Narrative Feature Competition
A Bad Idea Gone Wrong...
- 1/31/2017
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
Stars: Luke Moran, Sean Astin, Sara Paxton, Omid Abtahi, John Heard, Michael Welch, John Robinson, Elijah Kelley, Scott Patterson, Jermaine Williams, Cru Ennis, Bernhard Forcher, Luis Bordonada, Jerry Hernandez | Written and Directed by Luke Moran
This dramatic war thriller follows soldier Jack Farmer (Luke Moran) from small town America to Iraq’s most infamous prison, Abu Ghraib, where he’s tasked with guarding the Army’s highest priority detainees. Pressured by his superior (Sean Astin) into using harsh techniques on a seemingly innocent detainee (Omid Abtahi), the seductive allure of war quickly turns to a haunting reality that threatens to break him.
War. What is it good for? Well seemingly it’s good for churning out war film after war film. Some bad. Some good. Thankfully Prisoner of War falls into the latter camp. Produced by the same people behind Traffic and Blood Diamond, the films is loosely based...
This dramatic war thriller follows soldier Jack Farmer (Luke Moran) from small town America to Iraq’s most infamous prison, Abu Ghraib, where he’s tasked with guarding the Army’s highest priority detainees. Pressured by his superior (Sean Astin) into using harsh techniques on a seemingly innocent detainee (Omid Abtahi), the seductive allure of war quickly turns to a haunting reality that threatens to break him.
War. What is it good for? Well seemingly it’s good for churning out war film after war film. Some bad. Some good. Thankfully Prisoner of War falls into the latter camp. Produced by the same people behind Traffic and Blood Diamond, the films is loosely based...
- 8/26/2014
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
In two more weeks, Denzel Washington takes on Gary Oldman to save his precious book in “The Book of Eli”, the latest movie from the brothers Hughes. It’s their first post-apocalyptic action-adventure, with loads of martial arts, swordplay, and Mila Kunis trying to seduce Eli for that book. Tough go there, girl, cause ol Eli looks pretty harden and not prone to seduction in this movie. Check out some new images below. Co-starring Jennifer Beals, Michael Gambon, Ray Stevenson, Chris Browning, Tom Waits, Frances de la Tour, Luis Bordonada, and Joe Pingue. Grab a read January 15, 2010. Three of the 10-plus new images below, see the rest in the “Book of Eli” image gallery.
- 1/2/2010
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
tweetmeme_url='http://www.beyondhollywood.com/first-look-at-mila-kunis-in-book-of-eli/'; tweetmeme_style = 'normal';; Here’s your first look at Mila Kunis in the Hughes Brothers’ post-apocalyptic action movie “The Book of Eli”, although according to the bros, they really don’t like it when you call the film a “post-apocalyptic” movie, even though, er, it is. In the film, Kunis plays a character named Solara, a young girl who is sent by her Warlord step-dad played by Gary Oldman to get that mysterious book from Eli (Denzel Washington), which I still think is a phone book. Or the bible. Or a cook book. Hey, it’s the not-post-apocalypse. Anything is possible. Starring Mila Kunis, Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Jennifer Beals, Michael Gambon, Ray Stevenson, Chris Browning, Tom Waits, Frances de la Tour, Luis Bordonada, Joe Pingue, and directed by Albert and Allen Hughes. Kunis chases Eli’s book January 15, 2010.
- 8/25/2009
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
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