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.

It’s a sad thing to say, but it will be Christmas before you know it, and if you’re looking to get a jump on your gift buying for that comic book fan in your life, or if you just want to buy something for yourself, Khepri Comics is running a sale you will want to check out.

Go to Khepri Comics to their “Thanksgiving Appetizers” section between now and November 24th, and you can get a 40% discount on a number of trades and single issues.

Standouts of the sale are both volumes of Greg Rucka‘s Whiteout for $8.37 each; Brian K. Vaughn‘s Ex Machina hardcover and softcover editions; and Andy Diggle and Jock‘s The Losers Book 1 for $11.99 and Book 2 for $14.99.