Based on the earlier looks at Annihilation, Ex Machina director Alex Garland‘s upcoming film promises to be very thought-provoking if not perplexing. For one thing, Paramount and producers are worried that the film may be too smart for the average audience. In fact, this has led to some conflicts that have occurred on set.

It’s not clear what the end result will be, at least not until the film is released, but a new trailer should provide some clarity about the film. Or at least it should try to. Check it out below.

Paramount Pictures has released the first trailer for Annihilation, the latest from Ex Machina writer and director Alex Garland.

The movie is based on author Jeff VanderMeer‘s Southern Reach trilogy, and stars Natalie Portman (Black Swan, V for Vendetta), Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight, Fast Times at Ridgemont High), Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin, Deepwater Horizon), Tessa Thompson (Creed, Westworld), Tuva Novotny (A War, Dag), and Oscar Isaac (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Ex Machina).

Continue below to check out the trailer.

This week’s edition of Digital Wire Blu-ray Releases features new release announcements for several important upcoming home video releases, including a pair of acclaimed indie genre flicks, a raunchy comedy smash featuring two of the funniest actors working today, and a trio of high profile cult classics making their Blu-ray debut soon courtesy of Shout! Factory. We also have an update on this summer’s release of an extended cut of one of last year’s biggest blockbusters.

Below you’ll find info on several future home video releases complete with technical specs, release dates, and links to pre-order at Amazon, as well as a list of titles coming out this week.

We would greatly appreciate it if you use those links to order because a small percentage of each order helps keep this website running at max power. The cover art for certain titles has yet to be finalized.

Ex Machina director Alex Garland has very few titles attached to his name, but is considered one of the best screenplay writers in the business. Most of his works are original, but he did work on both 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, as a screenwriter for the former and an executive producer for the latter. Of course with the kind of following that the 28 films have produced, fans have been wondering when there would be 28 Months Later.

Now Garland kind of has an answer for that. In an interview, the screenwriter confirms that he has a story idea for the sequel, but adds that he won’t direct or produce. More on this below.

Ex Machina
Director: Alex Garland
Screenwriter: Alex Garland
Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac
Universal Pictures
Rated R | 108 Minutes
Release Date: April 24, 2015

“Holding for memories, shifting for thoughts…”

Alex Garland, the writer of 28 Days Later and Sunshine, makes his directorial debut with Ex Machina, a stylish and cerebral sci-fi thriller. Domhnall Gleeson (Frank, About Time) stars as Caleb Smith, a computer programmer who spends a week at the secluded mountain estate of Internet billionaire and reclusive genius Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac).

Upon his arrival, Caleb learns that Nathan has selected him to be the human component in a Turing Test on a humanoid artificial intelligence named ‘Ava’ (Alicia Vikander). Caleb must evaluate the android’s capabilities and determine if Ava possesses real emotional intelligence or if its consciousness is just a clever deception.

The full official trailer for Ex Machina has been released online by A24. A teaser trailer for the movie was released back in October and can be viewed right here, though it plays much more like a full trailer than a teaser. This new trailer is only 30 or so seconds longer, but shows plenty of new footage we didn’t see in the teaser.

The movie comes from writer and director Alex Garland, who is making his feature directorial debut. Garland is a writer of many things, such as the movies Sunshine and 28 Days Later for Danny Boyle, Dredd, and Never Let Me Go; video game Enslaved: Odyssey to the West (starring Andy Serkis); and the novel The Beach, which was later adapted into a movie by Boyle. It stars Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens co-stars Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson, and also Alicia Vikander.

You can read a full synopsis and check out the new trailer for Ex Machina below.

The South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) is just weeks away, and this will be my first year in attendance. I’ve heard the stories. It takes careful, strategic planning, patience, and above all fastidious punctuality to make it into the screenings you want to see. So, after pouring over the SXSW 2015 film lineup, I’ve zeroed in on 5 films I will see, coming hell or hipster stampede.

Here are my 5 Anticipated Movies of SXSW Film Festival 2015.

A trailer has been released for the excellent looking Ex Machina, which is directed by Alex Garland in his feature debut. Garland has worked on the scripts for Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later and Sunshine, as well as Dredd, Never Let Me Go, and the phenomenal video game Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.

The movie tells the story of a computer coder who wins the opportunity to spend a week at the CEO of the company he works for’s house in the mountains, but quickly finds himself part of an experiment evaluating the human qualities of a brand new artificial intelligence.

You can check out the trailer below.

Dredd star Karl Urban took a moment while at Emerald City Comic Con to urge fans to sign a petition and like the “Make a Dredd Sequel” Facebook page. Urban has not been ashamed to admit his love for the severely overlooked 2012 film in which he starred as the titular character. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics.

You can read more about the push for a sequel, find out where you can help, and watch the video of Urban urging fans below.

Released at the tail end of a summer packed with blockbuster comic book movies with massive budgets and expectations, and coming several months after the debut of a much-praised Indonesian action film it was subsequently accused of ripping off, Dredd did not have a chance in hell of making anything other than a faint peep in theaters, even though it was filmed in the ever-popular 3D.

Despite mixed reactions to early stills from the film and tales of post-production battles over the final cut between director Pete Travis and writer Alex Garland Dredd premiered to a rapturous reception at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con and the positive buzz began building. That buzz ultimately failed to translate to ticket sales as the film grossed $6.3 million on its opening weekend to finish in sixth place. The R rating, over-the-top violence, and the toxicity left over from the 1995 attempt at making a Judge Dredd movie with a mostly unmasked Sylvester Stallone in the lead and excruciating comic relief from the never welcome Rob Schneider killed any chance for Dredd to spawn a new franchise fronted by the iconic unsmiling dispenser of ruthless justice.

That is a damn shame because Dredd turned out to be one of the few genuine cinematic surprises of last year, and today it makes its home video debut on 3D Blu-ray and DVD. To mark this momentous occasion we have the amazing 3D Blu-ray cover art as well as four brief but cool clips from the film for your viewing pleasure.

You can check out the cover art and videos here below.