Warner Brothers Discovery Home Entertainment is releasing the science-fiction thriller “Companion” on and 4K Ultra high definition. “Companion” is written and directed by Drew Hancock who has a field day mixing romance and horror into a twisted tale with equal measures of satire and gore. The film is anchored by its star, Sophie Thatcher playing a young woman who discovers that neither she or her reality is quite what she thought it was. Though light on extras, this is an edition that’s well worth having if you’re a fan of the film. Read my review of “Companion” HERE.

This new 4K Ultra HD edition of “Companion” comes with a digital copy and will be available to purchase on April 1st. See below for a full synopsis of the film as well as release info including a list of special features.

About the Film:

Year: 2025

Runtime: 97 Minutes

Director: Drew Hancock

Screenwriter: Drew Hancock

Cast: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillen, Rupert Friend, Jaboukie Young-White, Matthew J. McCarthy, Marc Menchaca

Rating: R for strong violence, sexual content, and language throughout

New Line Cinema—the studio that brought you “The Notebook”—and the unhinged creators of “Barbarian” cordially invite you to experience a new kind of love story.

Written and directed by Drew Hancock (“My Dead Ex,” “Suburgatory”), “Companion” stars Sophie Thatcher (“Yellowjackets,” “The Boogeyman”), Jack Quaid (“The Boys,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”), Lukas Gage (“Smile 2,” “Dead Boy Detectives”), Megan Suri (“Never Have I Ever,” “It Lives Inside”), Harvey Guillén (“What We Do in the Shadows,” “Blue Beetle”) and Rupert Friend (“High Desert,” “Asteroid City”).

Special Features:

“Companion” Digital, 4K UHD and Blu-ray contain the following special features:  

• I Feel, Therefore I Am –
  • Could a robot have more humanity than a human? Delve into the complex relationships at the heart of “Companion”with Jack Quaid and Sophie Thatcher.
• Love, Eli –
  • Harvey Guillén and Lukas Gage explore the fun, lighthearted relationship of Patrick and Eli. Explore their supposed first encounter at a costume party and how that develops into a unique love.
• AI Horror –
  • Director Drew Hancock breaks down the fusion of slasher and sci-fi elements in “Companion” and how this is the perfect recipe for the wild and unexpected horrors humans can inflict upon AI.

Paul Thomas Anderson is a highly regarded filmmaker who earns attention with every new movie he releases. For me personally, I find his films to be pretty hit-or-miss. But when PTA does hit, he hits BIG. That’s the main reason I’m excited for his latest, “One Battle After Another”. Today the first full trailer dropped and let’s just say my excitement got a boost.

“One Battle After Another” is a black comedy said to be inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s classic 1997 novel “Vineland.” It stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a manic hippie turned anti-government activist who calls on a motley band of revolutionaries to help him take on some white supremacist organization. The film is highlighted by a fun supporting cast that includes Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Alana Haim, and Sean Penn. With a budget somewhere in the $100 – $145 million range, it looks like PTA is pouring a lot into this one.

“One Battle After Another” hits theaters September 26th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass. 

Ryan Coogler reteams with Michael B. Jordan in “Sinners”, a period horror film set in the 1930s Jim Crow-era South. Jordan gets double duty playing twin brothers who attempt to leave their troubled lives behind by returning to their small hometown. But instead of a warm welcome, they’re faced with a brutal supernatural evil that has them fighting for their lives. The trailers for “Sinners” have done a great job setting the table. Now Warner Bros. has released a killer new poster for a movie that looks to be a blood-soaked and action-packed good time.

DIRECTOR – Ryan Coogler

WRITER – Ryan Coogler

STARRING – Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell, Miles Caton, Delroy Lindo, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller, Li Jun Li, Lola Kirke, Yao, Peter Dreimanis

RELEASE – April 18, 2025

Check out the new poster below and let me know what you think.

Celine Song gave us one of the best directorial debuts in recent history with 2023’s “Past Lives”, an aching drama that earned Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. As a result, many of us have been anxiously anticipating what she was going to do next. Now we get a taste following the release of the first trailer for “Materialists”, a romantic drama with three pretty big names leading the way.

Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans star in a film that looks as if it’s leaning into a more traditional romantic story. Johnson plays Lucy, a successful matchmaker who suddenly finds herself torn between two men, a dashing millionaire named Randy (Pascal) and a re-emerging old friend named John (Evans) who she has a lot of history with. Again, the story doesn’t sound like anything new. But Song has such a compelling cinematic voice and I’m excited to see what she has to say. Meanwhile Johnson and Pascal are intriguing pieces. Evans – we’ll see.

“Materialists” opens in theaters June 13th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Only three years removed from making the $1.5 billion mega-hit “Top Gun: Maverick”, director Joseph Kosinski is back in a cockpit of a different kind. This time he’s entering the fuel-injected world of Formula One racing with the aptly titled “F1”. Joined by an all-star cast of actors and real-life drivers, Kosinski and company have made a movie with a broad appeal. Whether you’re a racing fan or not, “F1” looks terrific. Just check out the killer new trailer for proof.

Brad Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a former F1 driver who retired following a devastating crash. He’s persuaded by his old friend and Formula One team owner Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) to come out of retirement and help mentor a young hotshot prodigy (Damson Idris). While the chance to race again is too good to pass up, the kid’s cockiness proves to be more than Sonny bargained for. The great Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, and Shea Whigham also star in what looks to be an exhilarating experience.

“F1” races into theaters on June 27th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

The El Dorado Film Festival saved one of its best short film blocks for last. As its name reveals, the Southern Made selections highlights a wonderfully curated assortment of short films that have a distinct Southern flavor to them. Together they make for a diverse and entertaining collection that once again promotes a wide arrange of styles and visions.

Here are a few impressions out of the nine films included in the block...

“Love is Neat.” takes the simplest of titles and the oldest of stories and turns it into a bittersweet tale of self-discovery. Director, writer, producer, and editor Taylor Deville attempts to add her own unique spin to the storybook romantic comedy. She starts by introducing us to James (Caleb Lemon) who genuinely hates his job as a barista at a small coffee shop. But he sticks with it because of Jessica (Anne Nichols Brown), a regular customer who won’t give him the time of day. He obliviously believes she is his dream girl, but over time reality sets in with the help of a straight-shooting bartender named Kate (Ivy McGrew). Deville’s romcom inspiration is hard to miss. But her film has a lot of charm and a good central message that comes together nicely by the end.

VERDICT – 3.5/5

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Of the many films at the 2025 El Dorado Film Festival, there was nothing quite like “Fast”. This entertaining psychological horror and black comedy genre blend came from the mind of writer-director Clayton Henderson who puts a gonzo spin on his own personal experience with fasting. Desperate to lose weight, Jake (Samuel Bosh) is put on an extended fast by his maniacal personal trainer (Donnovan Roe). It’s an intense regiment consisting of seven days with no food. During that time, all he is allowed to drink is bone broth. He’s doing it for his girlfriend Sydney (Sara Patterson), but over time he begins to mentally unravel, culminating in a suitably bonkers finish that’s sure to get a reaction. Henderson has a blast dabbling in horror while making his audience laugh. At the same time, his themes of self-confidence and fulfillment really strike a chord.

VERDICT – 4/5

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David Michael Long grabs your attention with his work in front of and behind the camera in “The Artiste”. Long directs, writes, and stars in this dark dramedy of sorts that follows his character Terrence, a frustrated and temperamental street mime who encounters a man named Ben (Paul Petersen) who starts as a nuisance and turns into an admirer before becoming a rival. “The Artiste” is equal parts funny and sobering with much of its energy coming from Long and Petersen’s well-tuned chemistry. But most of all it’s the themes at its core that gives the film its identity. Holding onto your legacy, art versus entertainment, fleeting fame in the viral era – just some of things on Long’s mind in this well-conceived and well-made short.

VERDICT – 4/5

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Shirley Ford (Gail Cronauer) is an 83-year-old widow from East Texas who gains an unhealthy infatuation with a fellow she sees as the spitting image of the Marlboro Man in director Diffan Sina Norman’s shrewd and unpredictable film “Pasture Prime”. Shirley first lays eyes on Marvin Clope (Patrick Kirton) when he pays a visit to her church. The two have a friendly greeting which (for Shirley) turns into a wild obsession. Her son Dean (Chris Alan Evans) and daughter-in-law Debbie (Susan Kirton) plead for her to leave Marvin alone, but for Shirley that’s easier said than done. Norman and screenwriter Carolyn Purnell approach the story with an almost Hitchcockian verve. But sprinkled in with the eerie music and earnest narration are moments of well-timed humor which help give the film its form.

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A seasoned but disillusioned magician prepares for his final performance in director and screenwriter Jeremy Enis’ “The Stage”. A terrific Lance E. Nichols plays Arthur, a classic magician who has owned and performed in his own theater for years. But just as he’s about to go onstage, he surprises his faithful and longtime assistant, Evelyn (Sherri Eakin) with the news that this will be his last performance. Even more, he’s determined that he doesn’t need her for his final show which he will end with a brand new trick. But as the two cut through their frustrations and begin pouring their hearts out, the film reveals a real beauty in tragedy. Enis puts a lot of heart into this well-written two-hander that is ultimately a showcase for Nichols and Eakin. The two beautifully convey the emotional stakes through an onscreen exchange so rooted in truth that you nearly forget you’re watching a screen.

VERDICT – 4/5

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