Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is bringing “Meg 2: The Trench” to home video with a brand new 4K Ultra HD edition that includes a digital copy. This gonzo deap-sea sequel to the 2018 blockbuster “The Meg” sees Jason Statham returning to lead an ensemble cast against more prehistoric man-eating megalodons. This second installment goes bigger and crazier which should excite fans of the first. Read my full review of the film HERE.

This 4K Ultra HD and Digital Copy of “Meg 2: The Trench” releases October 24th. See below for a full synopsis and release information.

About the Film:

Year: 2023

Runtime: 116 Minutes

Director: Ben Wheatley

Screenwriter: Jon Hoeber, Erich, Hoeber, Dean Georgaris

Cast: Jason Statham, Wu Jing, Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Skyler Samuels, Cliff Curtis, Melissanthi Mahut, Whoopie Van Raam, Kieran Sonia Sawar, Felix Mayr, Sienna Guillory

Rating: PG-13 for action/violence, some bloody images, language and brief suggestive material

From the Studio:

Back for seconds! “Meg 2: The Trench” is the summer’s highly anticipated next chapter of the global blockbuster that returns to the big screen with Jason Statham once again headlining and now partnered with Wu Jing, star of five of the ten highest- grossing films in China. Our unstoppable heroes battle a frenzy of ferocious Megs, led by the biggest Meg ever, along with new, never- before-seen creatures in a monstrously-sized action thriller. Featuring jaw-dropping effects, edge-of-your-seat thrills and high-octane battles, “Meg 2: The Trench” is a summer joyride at its combustible best!

The film is directed by Ben Wheatley (“In the Earth,” “Free Fire”) and stars Jason Statham (“The Meg,” “Furious 7”, “The Fate of the Furious,” The “Transporter” films) and global action icon Wu Jing (“Tai Chi Master,” “Invisible Target,” “Legendary Assassin”).

Along with Statham and Jing, “Meg 2: The Trench” cast also includes Sophia Cai (“The Meg”), Page Kennedy (“The Meg”), Sergio Peris-Mencheta (“Rambo: Last Blood”), Skyler Samuels (“The Gifted”), and Cliff Curtis (“Avatar” franchise).

Bonus Features

• The Making of “Meg 2: The Trench” – Cast and crew revisit the making of the film and working with new and returning cast members, then highlight the beauty and challenges of working with a Meg they can’t see!​
• Up From the Depths: Even More Beasts – Director Ben Wheatley, cast and producers guide fans through the creation and design of the new creatures seen in “Meg 2: The Trench”

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment is bringing the highest grossing film of 2023 to home video. “Barbie” from writer-director Greta Gerwig raked in over $1.4 billion at the worldwide box office and is available to own today. This combo pack comes with six featurettes and is presented in stellar 4K UHD quality which should satisfy the film’s legions of fans. Read my full review of the movie HERE.

This 4K Ultra HD and Digital Copy of “Barbie” releases TODAY (October 17th). See below for a full synopsis and release information.

Official Synopsis

Year: 2023

Runtime: 114 Minutes

Director: Greta Gerwig

Screenwriter: Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach

Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferreira, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Rhea Pearlman, Will Ferrell, Alexandra Shipp, Simu Lie, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Emma Mackey, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, Helen Mirren, Emerald Fennell, Hari Nef, Sharon Rooney

From the Studio:

“Barbie,” the box office smash hit and global phenomenon, arrives for purchase on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on October 17.From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig (“Little Women,” “Lady Bird”), “Barbie,” stars Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie (“Bombshell,” “I, Tonya”) and Ryan Gosling (“La La Land,” “Half Nelson”) as Barbie and Ken. Gerwig directed “Barbie” from a screenplay by Gerwig & Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach (“Marriage Story,” “The Squid and the Whale”), based on Barbie by Mattel.

“Barbie” has taken the box office by storm, earning more than $1.43 billion worldwide to become the highest grossing film in Warner Bros.’ 100-year history; the highest grossing film ever from a female filmmaker at the domestic box office; and is the largest worldwide film release of 2023.

Synopsis: To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken.

Bonus Features

“Barbie” 4K UHD and Blu-ray contain the following special features:  

• Welcome to Barbie Land – featurette
• Becoming Barbie – featurette
• Playing Dress-Up – featurette
• Musical Make-Believe – featurette
• All-Star Barbie Party – featurette
• It’s A Weird World – featurette

Take my word for it – you don’t need to be a professional wrestling fan to be drawn to the devastating true story of the Von Erich family. A24’s new film “The Iron Claw” seeks to tell the story of Kevin, Kerry, David, and Mike Von Erich, four brothers whose famed wrestling careers were eventually overshadowed by lives of trouble and tragedy. The sobering first trailer dropped today and it gives us a good taste of the meteoric highs and disastrous lows that this complicated family faced.

The film is directed by Sean Durkin (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”, “The Nest”) and stars Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, and Stanley Simons as the Von Erich brothers. It also stars Holt McCallany as their father and wrestling promoter Fritz Von Erich. This first look shows Durkin giving equal time to both the professional and personal side of their lives. I can’t imagine it will be an easy watch, but it looks to be a thoroughly compelling one.

“The Iron Claw” opens in theaters on December 22nd. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Lionsgate has dropped a killer new trailer and poster for “Silent Night”, a violent revenge thriller from legendary action director John Woo. This holiday themed shoot’em up doesn’t look to be holding back on the blood or bullets which should leave action fans salivating. The cool new trailer and poster gives us a good taste of what Woo has in store for us on December 1. Check them both out below….

From the Studio:

From legendary director John Woo and the producer of John Wick comes this gritty revenge tale of a tormented father (Joel Kinnaman) who witnesses his young son die when caught in a gang’s crossfire on Christmas Eve. While recovering from a wound that costs him his voice, he makes vengeance his life’s mission and embarks on a punishing training regimen in order to avenge his son’s death. Full of Woo’s signature style, Silent Night redefines the action genre with visceral, thrill-a-minute storytelling.

It’s hard to believe but October has arrived. Spooky season is here and awards season is right around the corner. That means horror fans will be eating well this month and studios will begin rolling out some of their biggest movies it hopes of garnering attention from awards voters. This month sees one of the mostly anticipated movies of the year, a wide range of chillers, some solid streaming fare, and a particularly intriguing biopic.

Here are 5 October movies to watch for…

“Killers of the Flower Moon” (October 20th)

Without question the most exciting movies coming out in October is Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon”. It’s a big deal any time we get a new Scorsese film. This one, based on David Grann’s 2017 book of the same name, looks to be one of the 80-year-old legend’s most ambitious films yet. It’s a 3-hour and 26-minute period epic that features a sterling cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Brendan Fraser, and John Lithgow. In theaters October 20th.

“Priscilla” (October 6th)

In just a few days writer-director Sofia Coppola is back with “Priscilla”, a biographical drama based on Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir “Elvis and Me”. The film sees Cailee Spaeny playing the wife of the King of Rock and Roll. The story follows twelve years of Priscilla’s life and takes a considerably more understated approach than Baz Luhrmann’s Oscar nominated “Elvis”. It also stars Jacob Elordi, Dagmara Domińczyk, Raine Monroe Boland, Emily Mitchell, and Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll. In theaters October 6th.

“Five Nights at Freddy’s” (October 27th)

Horror fans will have plenty of movies to choose from over the next few weeks. Perhaps one of the wackiest is director Emma Tammi’s “Five Nights at Freddy’s”. Based on the popular video game series, the story takes place in a fictional family pizza restaurant called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. The restaurant’s mascot, an animatronic bear named Freddy, and his robotic cohorts turn into killers after the strike of midnight. Sound ridiculous? I certainly hope that it is. The film stars Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Matthew Lillard, Kat Conner Sterling, and Mary Stuart Masterson. In theaters October 27th.

“Fair Play” (October 13th)

Chloe Domont writes and directs “Fair Play”, a semi-erotic workplace thriller which marks Domont’s feature film debut. The movie grabbed a lot of attention after premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. It received a very limited big screen release but will be premiering on Netflix within the coming days. Engaged couple Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ahrenreich work at a cutthroat hedge fund firm where office romances are forbidden. After she gets a promotion that he coveted, their relationship begins to unravel. The film also stars Eddie Marsan, Rich Sommer, and Sebastian de Souza. Streaming on Netflix October 13th.

“Foe” (October 6th)

The always compelling Saoirse Ronan and the internet’s current ‘it guy’ Paul Mescal star in “Foe”, a science-fiction thriller from director Garth Davis who’s perhaps best known for his 2016 film “Lion”. In what plays as much as a psychological thriller as it does sci-fi, “Foe” sees its two stars playing a married couple who have their lives turned upside down after he’s chosen for an experiment on a large space station. While he’s gone she’s left behind with his AI replica. Aaron Pierce also stars. In theaters October 6th.

The Arkansas Cinema Society has announced more exciting events for Filmland 2023 highlighted by a special screening featuring Michael Shannon. The two-time Oscar-nominated actor is bringing his directorial debut film “Eric LaRue” starring Judy Greer, Alexander Skarsgård, and Paul Sparks to Filmland on Saturday, October 14th. A screening of the film will be followed by a Q&A hosted by filmmaker Jeff Nichols. Doors open at 6:30 PM and the film starts at 7:00 PM. Tickets are on sale NOW at Filmland.org.

Here’s more from the Arkansas Cinema Society’s official press release…

Old friends will reunite during Filmland 2023 as Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon brings his directorial debut, “Eric LaRue“, to Little Rock for a special screening with long-time collaborator Jeff Nichols on Saturday, October 14th at CALS Ron Robinson Theater, located at 100 River Market Avenue. The filmmakers will have a Q+A following the screening. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7:00 p.m. Admission is $40 and tickets can be purchased at Filmland.org. Come connect and network at the happy hour before the screening at Flora Jean’s and after the screening + Q&A at Cache!

“Michael Shannon and Jeff Nichols have a powerful creative partnership that spans almost two decades, having collaborated on eight films to date. We are beyond excited to see them talk from this new perspective, peer to peer as directors, with Michael Shannon’s directorial debut. We are so thankful to Filmland for this special opportunity,” said producers Sarah Green, Karl Hartman and Jina Panebianco.

In the aftermath of a shocking crime at the hands of their son, two parents seek solace in rival religious congregations in Michael Shannon’s emotional directorial debut, Eric LaRue. This special screening takes place during the second weekend of Filmland 2023, running from Oct. 13-17th. All other events will take place at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, located at 501 E. Ninth St., including the Filmland: Arkansas weekend of homegrown films on Oct. 6-7th.

The Arkansas Cinema Society has also announced two intriguing workshops, both set for the afternoon of Saturday, October 14th.

The first is THE ART OF DIRECTING featuring writer/director Jeff Nichols. From ACS: “Take a deep dive into the creative process with master storyteller Jeff Nichols as he discusses his process for taking a story from the page to the screen.” The workshop begins at 1:30 PM and tickets can be purchased HERE.

The second is THE ART OF BEING A FILM CRITIC featuring Variety‘s chief film critic, Peter Debruge and writer/director Jeff Nichols. From ACS: “Writing a movie is one thing; writing about a movie is a whole different set of skills. Join Variety’s chief critic, Peter Debruge, in a conversation with Jeff Nichols about Peter’s experience being a film critic.” The workshop begins at 4:00 PM and tickets can be purchased HERE.

More Filmland 2023 announcements are on the way so stay tuned…