Tribeca Film Festival: ‘Back Roads’ is rural noir

Back Roads
Feature Narrative
Country: USA
Director: Alex Pettyfer
Writer: Adrian Lyne, Tawni O’Dell
Starring: Juliette Lewis, June Carryl, Nicola Peltz, Jennifer Morrison, Alex Pettyfer
A young man cares for his sisters after their mother is imprisoned for murdering their abusive father. When he strikes up an affair with a married woman, long-dormant family secrets bubble to the surface in this noir thriller.

No distribution as of posting.

Melissa:

Alex Pettyfer directs himself in the main role of a man who has a lot on his mind. Just when you think his life can’t get worse, something else emerges. While some saw his performance as flat, I found it incredibly nuanced and full of pain.

Liz:

This film is the epitome of dysfunctional family life. The plot twists are endless and it is truly emotionally taxing to watch. While the storytelling is dark, it delves deep into issues ranging from depression, guilt, and gender stereotyping. I couldn’t find a loose thread in the acting department and Pettyfer‘s particular performance is gripping.

‘Jem and the Holograms’ Trailer is Here

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Universal Pictures has just released the first trailer for Jem and the Holograms directed by Jon M. Chu (G.I. Joe: Retaliation). You can check out the absolutely abysmal trailer below

In a hyper-linked social media age, an orphaned teenage girl, Jerrica Benton (Aubrey Peeples), becomes an online recording sensation, and she and her sisters embark on a music-driven scavenger hunt – one that sends them on an adventure across Los Angeles – in an attempt to unlock a final message left by her father.

The movie stars also stars Stefanie Scott as Kimber, Aurora Perrineau as Shana, Hayley Kiyoko as Aja and Ryan Guzman as Rio. Molly Ringwald and Juliette Lewis also star.

Created by Christy Marx, the original “Jem and the Holograms” series ran for three seasons beginning in 1985 and quickly became a cult favorite. A  joint collaboration from Hasbro, Marvel and Sunbow Productions, the series followed Jem, the mysterious lead singer of the rock group “Jem and the Holograms”. Her real name is Jerrica Benton, and under this name she is the owner and manager of Starlight Music. Jerrica adopts this persona with the help of a holographic computer, known as Synergy, which she would use to project “the Jem hologram” over herself to disguise her features and clothing enabling her to assume the Jem persona. While disguised as Jem, she would be able to uses this ability to avoid danger and provide special effects for the performances of her group.

Jem and the Holograms is written by Ryan Landels and produced by Chu, Jason Blum for Blumhouse Productions, Scooter Braun for SB Projects, Bennett Schneir, and Brian Goldner and Stephen Davis of Hasbro Studios.

The movie arrives in theaters on October 23rd

Trailer for Fox’s ‘Wayward Pines’ Starring Matt Dillon Debuts

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FOX has released the trailer Wayward Pines, an event series starring Matt Dillon and executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan. You can watch the trailer below!

Dillon plays a U.S. Secret Service agent investigating the disappearance of two federal agents in a mysterious small Idaho town. The show boasts an all star cast including Carla Gugino, Toby Jones, Shannyn Sossamon, Reed Diamond, Tim Griffin, Charlie Tahan, Juliette Lewis, Melissa Leo and Terrence Howard, who is currently starring in the hit Fox series Empire.

The show is based on the novel “Pines” by Blake Crouch and developed for TV by Chad Hodge. The pilot episode was written by Hodge and directed by Shyamalan himself.

Wayward Pines is set to premiere on FOX Thursday May 14th