Comfortably nestled among my most anticipated films of 2024 is Kevin Costner’s “Horizon: An American Saga”. The 69-year-old Costner directs, co-writes (along with Jon Baird), and stars in this sprawling four-part big screen event. This ambitious cinematic adventure is a true passion project for Costner and seems pulled from the great Western epics of old. We were teased with a first look just a few weeks ago. Now we have the first full trailer and needless to say “Horizon” looks amazing.

Costner brings together a massive cast that includes names like Danny Huston, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Thomas Haden Church, Michael Rooker, Abbey Lee, Will Patton, Luke Wilson, Jeff Fahey, and of course Costner himself. The film spans four years during America’s Civil War and tells the story of a country at war with itself through the eyes and families, friends, indigenous people, and cold-blooded invaders. The size and scale of “Horizon” is truly breathtaking and I can’t wait to be swept away.

Chapter one of “Horizon: An American Saga” opens exclusively in theaters on June 28th. Chapter two opens “August 16th”. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment is bringing one of 2023’s biggest surprises to 4K Ultra HD. The delightful musical fantasy feature “Wonka” from director Paul King tells the origin story of author Roald Dahl’s famed inventor, magician, and chocolatier, Willy Wonka. Timothée Chalamet gives his most endearing performance to date as the dream-driven young Wonka who arrives in Europe to establish his chocolate shop at the renowned Galéries Gourmet. It features a terrific ensemble and rousing musical numbers on top of fabulous costume and production design.

This 4K Ultra HD and Digital Copy edition of “Wonka” will be available to own on February 27th. See below for a full synopsis and release information.

About the Film

Year: 2023

Runtime: 116 Minutes

Director: Paul King

Screenwriter: Simon Farnaby and Paul King

Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Olivia Colman, Hugh Grant, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter

Rating: PG for Some Violence, Mild Language and Thematic Elements

From Paul King, writer/director of the “Paddington” films, David Heyman, producer of “Harry Potter,” “Gravity,” “Barbie” and “Paddington,” and producers Alexandra Derbyshire (the “Paddington” films, “Jurassic World: Dominion”) and Luke Kelly (“Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical”), comes an intoxicating mix of magic and music, mayhem and emotion, all told with fabulous heart and humor. 

Synopsis

Based on the extraordinary, iconic character at the center of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, one of the best-selling children’s books of all time, “Wonka” tells the wondrous story of how a young chocolate-maker, armed with nothing but a hatful of dreams, manages to change the world, one delectable bite at a time.

Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, this irresistibly vivid and inventive big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, as he becomes the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker.

Special Features

“Wonka” 4K UHD and Digital Copy contain the following special features:  

Unwrapping Wonka: Paul King’s Vision

• Revered director Paul King takes you on a deep dive into his experience adapting the beloved story of Wonka.

The Whimsical Music of Wonka​

• Composer Joby Talbot and songwriter Neil Hannon take you into the studio to illuminate the craft behind the wondrous songs of the film.

Welcome to Wonka Land ​

• Production designer Nathan Crowley and the rest of the “Wonka” crew discuss creating the magical sets that transport audiences to the worlds of the film.

Hats Off to Wonka

• Costume designer Lindy Hemming breaks down the inspiration and intention behind each of the character’s wonderful costumes.

Wonka’s Chocolatier ​

• Chocolatier Gabriella Cugno provides an in-depth look at the creatin of the beautiful chocolates seen in “Wonka.”

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment has announced the release of Steven Soderbergh’s acclaimed 2011 medical disaster thriller “Contagion” on 4K Ultra HD for the very first time. This smart and tightly-plotted nail-biter follows the outbreak of a highly contagious and deadly virus, the growing death toll, and the courageous efforts of those desperately working to identify and contain it. It features a star-studded ensemble that includes Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Ehle, Elliott Gould, and John Hawkes.

This 4K Ultra HD and Digital Copy edition of “Contagion” will be available to own on February 27th. See below for a full synopsis and release information.

About the Film

Year: 2011

Runtime: 106 Minutes

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Screenwriter: Scott Z. Burns

Cast: Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Ehle, Elliott Gould, Sanaa Lathan, John Hawkes, Chin Han

Rating: PG-13 for Disturbing Content and Some Language

Directed by Academy Award winner Steven Soderbergh (“Traffic”), “Contagion” features an all-star ensemble cast including Academy Award winner Marion Cottilard (“La Vie en Rose”), Academy Award winner Matt Damon (“Good Will Hunting”), Academy Award nominee Laurence Fishburne (“What’s Love Got to Do with it”), Academy Award nominee Jude Law (“The Talented Mr. Ripley”, “Cold Mountain”), Academy Award winner Gwyneth Paltrow (“Shakespeare in Love”), Academy Award winner Kate Winslet (“The Reader”), Academy Award nominee and Emmy winner Bryan Cranston (“Trumbo”, TV’s “Breaking Bad”), Tony Award winner Jennifer Ehle (Broadway’s “The Real Thing,” “The Coast of Utopia”), and Tony Award nominee Sanaa Lathan (“A Raisin in the Sun”).

Synopsis

An international traveler reaches into the snack bowl at an airport bar before passing her credit card to a waiter. A business meeting begins with a round of handshakes. A man coughs on a crowded bus… One contact. One instant. And a lethal virus is transmitted.

When Beth Emhoff (Paltrow) returns to Minneapolis from business in Hong Kong, what she thought was jet lag takes a virulent turn. Two days later, she’s dead in the ER and the doctors tell her shocked and grieving husband (Damon) they have no idea why. Soon, others exhibit the same mysterious symptoms: hacking coughs and fever, followed by seizure, brain hemorrhage… and ultimately, death. The numbers quickly multiply as the contagion sweeps across all borders, fueled by the countless human interactions that make up the course of an average day. A global pandemic explodes.

As the death toll escalates and people struggle to protect themselves and their loved ones in a society breaking down, one activist blogger (Law) claims the public isn’t getting the truth about what’s really going on and sets off an epidemic of paranoia and fear as infectious as the virus itself.

Special Features

“Contagion” Ultra HD Blu-ray disc and Digital contains the following previously released special features:

• The Reality of Contagion – Featurette
• The Contagion Detectives – Featurette
• Contagion – How a Virus Changes the World –Featurette

Yesterday Lionsgate released the first trailer for their upcoming sci-fi action comedy “Borderlands”. Based on the popular video game series from Gearbox Software, “Borderlands” follows a ragtag group of misfits as they take on the countless dangers of planet Pandora in an effort to save the daughter of a powerful crime lord. Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Edgar Ramirez, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, and others make up its wacky ensemble.

To help get us ready for the film’s near future release, Lionsgate has also released a series of killer character posters for “Borderlands”. Take a look….

Video games have a history of not translating well to the big screen. But that hasn’t stopped gaming studios from taking their cinematic swings. The latest to try is the popular action looter-shooter “Borderlands” from Gearbox Software. This wacky looking adaptation is directed and co-written by Eli Roth and features a truly bonkers ensemble. There’s certainly lots of potential. But much like the video game series, there’s also a lot of question marks.

Set within a space-Western sci-fi fantasy world, “Borderlands” follows a ragtag team of misfits that includes Cate Blanchett as a bounty hunter named Lilith, Kevin Hart as a mercenary named Roland, Jack Black as wisecracking robot named Claptrap, Jamie Lee Curtis as a mad scientist named Tannis, Ariana Greenblatt as an explosives guru named Tiny Tina, and Florian Munteanu as Tina’s musclebound protector Krieg. They set out to rescue the daughter of a gangster (Edgar Ramirez) on the most dangerous planet in the galaxy. Again, lots of potential, but just as many ways for it to go off the rails.

“Borderlands” is coming soon to theaters. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

What can I say, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the MonsterVerse movies. Part of it is the kid in me who is still naturally drawn to these spectacles. And I can’t shake how much fun I have watching them with my family. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” is the fifth film in the MonsterVerse and a sequel to 2021’s “Godzilla vs Kong”. Alex Wingard returns to direct while Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry are back, reprising their roles from the previous film.

This latest entry sees Godzilla and Kong forced together in order to fight a terrifying new threat from within our world. In addition to the wild epic-scaled monster action, it looks like we will be learning more about the histories and origins of the Titans. The trailer gives us a nice sample size of both. I’m not sure “The New Empire” will do much to win over those uninterested in the MonsterVerse. But for fans like me, this looks like a mega-ton of fun.

“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” smashes into theaters on March 29th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.