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.

The El Dorado Film Festival treated cinema lovers to an awesome variety of short films from all around the globe. But it also took time to showcase an exciting range of filmmakers with Arkansas connections. The Short Films with Arkansas Ties block featured a diverse group of films which offer just a sample of the immense talent coming out of the Natural State. Here is a rundown with some impressions of the seven films included.

“Pretty Canoe”

Deep in a lush forest, two escaped prison inmates, Terrance (Dustin Prince) and Travis (Trace Collie), are on the run. With the sheriff and his deputies on their heels, the convicts seek shelter in a remote cabin owned by Terrence’s cousin Jo (Janet Travis). Terrance has their escape plan all figured out, but as Jo is quick to inform him, “Lots has changed since you’ve been gone.” The early Coen brothers influences are all over this entertaining and tension-driven southern crime thriller from director Nicholas Holland and writer Justin Collie. (4 STARS)

“Arkansas Maternal Health Community Hackathon”

The lone documentary in the block takes on the critical issue of maternal health in the state of Arkansas. Directed with urgency by Ringo Jones, the short film does a good job clearly defining the problem but is a little murkier when describing the hackathon and the efforts being taken towards prevention. The statistics Jones offers are staggering including Arkansas having the highest maternal mortality rate in the country. And it’s sobering to learn that 91% of case are preventable especially in rural counties. The call to awareness alone makes this a worthwhile watch. (3 STARS)

“Banana Triangle Six”

Based on a Louis Bayard short story, “Banana Triangle Six” is a tender, heart-wrenching, and challenging film that poses some weighty questions while offering no easy answers. Directed with sincerity and empathy by Marc Crandall, the film follows the crusty Hank Crute (Bill Rogers), a resident of the Spring Valley retirement home. There’s a playfulness to the early scenes but things take a more serious and eye-opening turn with the appearance of Dr. Landis (Cassie Self), a cognitive function tester. From there Crandall’s thoughtful direction guides us through some difficult and thought-provoking material, prompting us to wrestle with considerations I never saw coming. (4 STARS)

“Criterion”

Oh those critics. They can be an insufferable sort. Such is the case in “Criterion”, Jeremy Enis’ brutal analysis of the world of art competition and criticism. Enis directs, writes, produces, shoots, and edits this unsettling thriller that follows a timid young artist who enters her work into an intense competition that’s being judged by a revered yet vilely pretentious art critic. The terrified entrants hinge on the critic’s every haughty word and crumble under his pitiless critiques all the way to the twisted finale which almost feels yanked out of an early David Fincher movie. It’s shaky in spots but “Criterion” really leaves an impression. (3.5 STARS)

“Mama Love”

Elegantly shot and emotionally layered, “Mama Love” takes a touching look at mortality, mother-daughter relationships, and the realization that there are things about our loved ones that we’ll never know. Writer-director Mary McDade Casteel guides us through the memories of family matriarch Mama Love (played by Gail Cronauer) as she lies on her death bed. Past moments with her daughter Sybil (Laura Cayouette) reveal a complicated relationship that I wish had been given more time. Instead it’s Mama Love’s friendship with a woman named Nora (a superb Rhonda Johnson Dents) that takes center stage. Evocative visuals and fabulous performances drive the heartbreaking drama. (3.5 STARS)

“The Book Club”

Let me start by saying this is no ordinary book club. Six local women gather together each month to enjoy fellowship, refreshments, and conversations about their latest books of choice. A soft-spoken young housewife named Lucy (Victoria Fox) is attending for the first time and she thoroughly enjoys herself. But when her angry husband shows up unannounced to take her home, the other women sense that something is wrong. I won’t dare spoil where director Johnnie Brannon takes his story, but it’s devilishly unexpected, lightly sinister, and utterly satisfying. (4 STARS)

“How Do I Tell You This”

Ted (Jeff Pearson) is a seemingly content local artist who has never left his hometown. Elizabeth (Misha Molani) is an outgoing philanthropist who travels the world. Ted is surprised when Liz comes to town, leading the longtime long-distance friends to spend an afternoon together. But as they walk and talk in person for the first time, hidden feelings surface and heartfelt questions about their relationship arise. From its opening frame to its final cut, there is a palpable sense of longing that runs throughout the film. It’s conveyed through the two terrific performances and from director Lara Hill whose deep affection for these characters is seen in every smart and savvy choice that’s made. (4 STARS)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced Volume 4 of the Columbia Classic Collection. The studio is once again taking six more films from their Columbia Pictures library and bringing them to 4K Ultra HD for the very first time. Included in this latest box set is “His Girl Friday”, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”, “Kramer vs. Kramer”, “Starman”, “Sleepless in Seattle”, and “Punch-Drunk Love”. This stunning set includes an 80-page hardbound book and over 30 hours of new and archived special features.

The Columbia Classics: 4K Ultra HD Collection Volume 4 is available NOW. See below for a full movie rundown and release information.

From the Studio…

Continuing the fan-favorite and award-winning series, and as part of the upcoming 100th anniversary of Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is proud to debut six more beloved films from its library on 4K Ultra HD disc for the first time ever, exclusively within the COLUMBIA CLASSICS 4K ULTRA HD COLLECTION VOLUME 4, available February 13. This must-own set includes films with which audiences around the world have fallen in love: HIS GIRL FRIDAY, GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER, KRAMER VS. KRAMER, STARMAN, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE and PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE. Each film is presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range, and five of the films have all-new Dolby Atmos mixes.

The six films in the COLUMBIA CLASSICS 4K ULTRA HD COLLECTION VOLUME 4 are only available on 4K Ultra HD disc within this special limited edition collector’s set. Included with the collection is a gorgeous hardbound 80-page book, featuring in-depth sections about the making of each film within the set via six all-new incisive essays from renowned writers and journalists, plus rare photos from deep within the Columbia Pictures archives. The set also includes hours of special features across the films, including both newly created behind-the-scenes featurettes and commentaries and never-before-seen archival materials, plus the entirety of the 1986 “Starman” TV series, exclusively debuting in high definition!

All six films will also be available for purchase at digital retailers in 4K with HDR, and the physical set includes Movies Anywhere redemption codes for each film. With redemption of the Movies Anywhere codes, the movies are available in your digital collection, across your linked and participating digital accounts, to enjoy at home or on the go.

Special Features…

HIS GIRL FRIDAY
Synopsis: A classic screwball comedy in which Rosalind Russell plays reporter Hildy Johnson, who, on the eve of her remarriage, is talked into one more assignment by her editor and ex-husband, played by Cary Grant. While interviewing a condemned man, Hildy realizes that his hanging is planned as a vote-getting measure.

HIS GIRL FRIDAY Special Features…

• 4K Ultra HD Includes:
• Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative
• Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
  Blu-ray Includes:
• Feature presented in high definition, sourced from the 4K master
• Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
• Special Features:
  o Audio Commentary Featuring Film Critic and Author Todd McCarthy
  o NEW: Screwball Style: The Iconic Costumes of Robert Kalloch Featurette
  o NEW: Breaking the Speed Barrier: The Dialogue of His Girl Friday Featurette
  o Lighting Up with Hildy Johnson Featurette
  o Ben Hecht Featurette
  o On Assignment: His Girl Friday Featurette
  o Cary Grant: Making Headlines Featurette
  o Rosalind Russell: The Inside Scoop Featurette
  o Howard Hawks: Reporter’s Notebook Featurette
  o The Funny Pages Featurette
  o Vintage Advertising
  o Theatrical Trailers
  HIS GIRL FRIDAY has a run time of approximately 92 minutes and is not rated.

GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER
Synopsis: Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn (who won the Academy Award® for Best Actress for her
performance) are unforgettable as perplexed parents in this landmark 1967 movie about mixed marriage.
Joanna (Katharine Houghton), the beautiful daughter of crusading publisher Matthew Drayton (Tracy) and
his patrician wife Christina (Hepburn), returns home with her new fiancé John Prentice (Sidney Poitier), a
distinguished Black doctor. Christina accepts her daughter’s decision to marry John, but Matthew is shocked by this interracial union; the doctor’s parents are equally dismayed. Both families must sit down face to face and examine each other’s level of intolerance. In GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER, director Stanley Kramer has created a masterful study of society’s prejudices. Nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER Special Features…

• 4K Ultra HD Includes:
• Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative
• Dolby Atmos English audio
• 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
• Special Features:
  o Audio Commentary Featuring Eddy Friedfeld, Lee Pfeiffer and Paul Scrabo
  o Theatrical Teaser
• Feature Blu-ray Includes:
• Feature presented in high definition
• 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• 3.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
• Special Features:
  o Introductions
  Karen Kramer
  Steven Spielberg
  Tom Brokaw
  Quincy Jones
  o A Love Story for Today Featurette
  o A Special Kind of Love Featurette
  o Stanley Kramer: A Man’s Search for Truth Featurette
  o Stanley Kramer Accepts the Irving Thalberg Award
  o 2007 Producers Guild Stanley Kramer Award Presentation to An Inconvenient Truth
  o Photo Gallery
  o Theatrical Trailer

GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER has a run time of approximately 108 minutes and is not rated.

KRAMER VS. KRAMER
Synopsis: Winner of 5 Academy Awards® including Best Picture, KRAMER VS. KRAMER is a groundbreaking drama about the heartbreak of divorce and the struggle between work and family. Young husband and father Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) loves his family – and his job, which is where he spends most of his time. When he returns home late one evening from work, his wife Joanna (Meryl Streep) confronts him and then leaves him, forcing Ted to become the sole caregiver to their six-year-old son. Now, Ted must learn to be a father while balancing the demands of his high-pressure career. But just as Ted adapts to his new role and begins to feel like a fulfilled parent, Joanna returns. And now she wants her son back. Celebrating its 45th anniversary.

KRAMER VS. KRAMER Special Features…

• 4K Ultra HD Includes:
• Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative
• Dolby Atmos English audio
• 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
• Special Features:
  o NEW: Audio Commentary with Film Professor Jennine Lanouette
  o NEW: 5 Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes
  o 4 Featurettes
  Robert Benton on Directing
  Justin Henry on Acting
  Mothers and Daughters
  Points of Pride
  o Theatrical Trailer
• Blu-ray Includes:
• Feature presented in high definition
• 5.1 Dolby TrueHD
• Special Feature:
  o Finding the Truth – The Making of Kramer vs. Kramer

KRAMER VS. KRAMER has a run time of approximately 105 minutes and is rated PG

STARMAN
Synopsis: Director John Carpenter presents a romantic science fiction odyssey starring Jeff Bridges in his Oscar-nominated role as an innocent alien from a distant planet who learns what it means to be a man in love. When his spacecraft is shot down over Wisconsin, Starman (Bridges) arrives at the remote cabin of a
distraught young widow, Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen), and clones the form of her dead husband. The alien
convinces Jenny to drive him to Arizona, explaining that if he isn’t picked up by his mothership in three
days, he’ll die. Hot on their trail are government agents, intent on capturing the alien, dead or alive. En
route, Starman demonstrates the power of universal love, while Jenny rediscovers her human feelings for
passion. Celebrating its 40th anniversary.

STARMAN Special Features…

• 4K Ultra HD Includes:
• Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative
• Dolby Atmos English audio
• 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• 2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio
• Blu-ray Includes:
• Feature presented in high definition, from the 4K master
• 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• 2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio
• Special Features:
  o Audio Commentary with Director John Carpenter and Actor Jeff Bridges
  o NEW: Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes
  o NEW: Behind-the-Scenes Time Lapses
  o They Came from Hollywood: Revisiting Starman Featurette
  o Making-Of Featurette
  o Music Video
  o Still Gallery
  o Theatrical Trailer

STARMAN has a run time of approximately 115 minutes and is rated PG

SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE
Synopsis: Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan star in Nora Ephron’s wonderfully romantic comedy about two people drawn together by destiny. Hanks stars as Sam Baldwin, a widowed father who, thanks to the wiles of his worried son, becomes a reluctant guest on a radio call-in show. He’s an instant hit with thousands of female listeners who deluge his Seattle home with letters of comfort. Meanwhile, inspired in equal parts by Sam’s story and by classic Hollywood romance, writer Annie Reed (Ryan) becomes convinced that it’s her destiny to meet Sam. There are just two problems: Annie’s engaged to someone else and Sam doesn’t know yet that they’re made for each other. Co-starring Rosie O’Donnell, Rita Wilson and Rob Reiner.

SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE Special Features…

• 4K Ultra HD Includes:
• Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative
• Dolby Atmos English audio
• 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• 2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio
• Feature Blu-ray Includes:
• Feature presented in high definition, sourced from the 4K master
• 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• 2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio
• Special Features:
  o NEW: 30th Anniversary Critic Commentary with Karen Han & David Sims
  o NEW: A Conversation on Sleepless in Seattle with Gary Foster and Meg Ryan
  o Audio Commentary Featuring Nora and Delia Ephron
  o 4 Deleted Scenes
  o Love in the Movies Featurette
  o “When I Fall in Love” Music Video
  o Theatrical Trailer

SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE has a run time of approximately 105 minutes and is rated PG for some language

PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE
Synopsis: Winner of the Best Director Prize at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, this misfit love story of disconnected people trying to find one another in an antagonistic world is a comedy of discomfort and rage that turns unexpectedly sweet and pure. Adam Sandler gives an amazing and unusual performance as Barry Egan, a socially impaired owner of a small novelty business, who is dominated by seven sisters and is unlikely to find love unless it finds him. When a mysterious woman comes into his life, his emotions go haywire, fluctuating between uncontrollable rage, lust and self-doubt. From the writer/director of Boogie Nights and Magnolia, PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE is a dark, lovely and unique film experience.

PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE Special Features…

• 4K Ultra HD Includes:
• Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, approved by director Paul Thomas Anderson
• Dolby Atmos English audio, approved by director Paul Thomas Anderson
• 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• Feature Blu-ray Includes:
• Feature presented in high definition, sourced from the 4K master
• 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• Special Features:
  o 2 Deleted Scenes
  o Mattress Man Commercial
  o Blossoms and Blood
  o 12 Scopitones
  o Jon Brion Featurette
  o Recording Session
  o Theatrical Trailers

PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE has a run time of approximately 95 minutes and is rated R for Strong Language including a scene of sexual dialogue

EXCLUSIVE BONUS DISCS INCLUDE:

• STARMAN – the complete 1986-1987 22-episode follow-up series, based on the feature film—
  exclusively presented in high definition! HD episodes included on 4K UHD discs for maximum space.