Release Date: 23rd January The Talent: Alex Garland (Director); Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander The Story: A young programmer is selected to participate in a breakthrough experiment in Artificial Intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a breathtaking female A.I. Why You Should Be Excited: Put simply, you should be excited because Ex Machina is the directing debut of Alex Garland, the visionary writer who provided scintillating scripts for the like of 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Never Let Me Go and Dredd. With pedigree like that, it is a compelling proposition to see what he is capable of delivering when given full creative control over a film. Hopefully Garland will have picked up a tip or two from working so closely with Danny Boyle on a number of his films. Garland also has two male leads in this film who are primed to experience breakout years in 2015; both Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac star ahead of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, with Isaac also winning rave reviews for A Most Violent Year.