Tag Archives: Anime

Movie News & Opinions

Ghost in the Shell: Scarlett Johansson Set for Lead Role

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When it comes to which female action star is prospering at the moment, we have to lend a round of applause to Scarlett Johansson. She’s been on fire lately thanks to her role as the acrobatic femme fatale Black Widow in several of Marvel Studios’ blockbuster films, and her surprise hit Lucy didn’t her either. However, it’s her latest reveal that we have high hopes for. Scarlett Johansson is set to star in the Ghost in the Shell big screen adaptation, which is big news for fans of the sci-fi themed anime.

English film director Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) has been tapped to handle the development of this film adaptation of Masamune Shirow’s beloved manga. Back in October of 2014, it was reported that Johansson was initially offered $10 million to take the role due to the exit of Margot Robbie (she reportedly ditched this to go film Suicide Squad instead). Once 2015 rolled around, it was revealed that Johansson finally decided to lend her action movie prowess to Ghost in the Shell.

Scarlett Johansson

This manga to film adaptation has been in the works for some time now. Once Sanders threw his directing credits behind the project last year, the film’s production finally began heading in the right direction. Two more Hollywood mainstays (Steven Paul and Avi Arad) are set to produce the movie, and Paramount Studios is said to be looking to throw their financial support behind the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsiepGvjjTM

So for all the uninformed Ghost in the Shell newcomers out there, here’s the basic rundown – the world of this manga is set primarily in the future. The use of technology allows the human race to swap out their body parts for cybernetic gear. Some humans have even gone so far as to replace their entire body with cybernetic parts, retaining their original being through the use of a “cyberbrain.” These brains are prone to hacking, which occurs when a criminal named the Puppet Master starts implanting false memories into people’s minds.

Ghost in the Shell

Johansson will take on the lead female heroine’s role and fight as a member of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission. She’ll have to use all of her covert-ops skills to hunt down and take down the dreaded Puppet Master. We’re hoping this Ghost in the Shell movie turns out be just as incredible as the original anime.

 Images: Marvel Studios, Universal Pictures, Shochiku

POP CULTURE

CCI 2012: Cosplay! Part 2 – Over 70 Photos!

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Welcome back to the second part of our look at the best Cosplay from Comic-Con International. You can check out the first here. I waited a bit before posting this as Cosplay pics have the tendency to trickle out the week after Comic-Con International and I wanted this to be a large collection. Now I regret that idea because we have such a large freaking collection! So why am I wasting time still yammering here? Let’s take a look at some of the best Cosplay from the CCI!

Continue reading CCI 2012: Cosplay! Part 2 – Over 70 Photos! →

TV

The Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 11- “Judge, Jury, Executioner”

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First and foremost, I must say this: DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THIS EPISODE. You WILL hate yourself if I am the one to ruin it for you. This episode began with a huge debate over whether Randall (Captain Leg Wound) would live or die. The argument is that Randall could possibly lead the group of 30+ strangers to Hershel’s farm if he is let go. If they kill him that threat is potentially squashed, Dale is arguing however, that if they execute a fellow human being for a crime he hasn’t even attempted to commit, they lose their humanity.

Throughout the episode, Dale attempts to convince everyone in the group to find another way to deal with Randall, one by one we see how these people have changed since the Zombie threat has arrived. All the while, Carl is becoming more and more desensitized because of the world around him. He is beginning to act out. He yelled at Carol (who cares?), but he also taunted a walker in the woods after stealing (and losing) Daryl’s gun! Continue reading The Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 11- “Judge, Jury, Executioner” →

Movie News & Opinions

‘Akira’ Remake Put on Hold

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The fall of our economy has been hard on everyone, including Hollywood, California, that magical place where even the litter is diamond-encrusted. It’s hard to believe, but big-budget studios have taken a pretty noticeable hit in recent years, and revenue continues to fall each year. It always helps to look for the good in bad situations and that’s just what this story is all about.

It looks like Warner Bros. has hit the brakes on Jaume Collet-Serra‘s upcoming adaptation of Akira while they make one last negotiation to work out the on-going budgetary and casting issues that have been plaguing production from the start. The Hollywood Reporter says that a call has been made requesting that the entire crew and production crew drop everything they’re working on until further notice. As one insider put it, “everyone has been sent home.”


This would be great news for Akira fans like myself. I’ve made it pretty clear that I’m not a fan of the way the remake was going. Besides some questionable casting decisions and storyline changes, Akira just doesn’t seem like it’s doable in live-action; anime, as you probably know, can go to some pretty wild places from time to time and Akira‘s subject matter requires an extensively realized cyber-punk world. I imagine lowering the budget would make this challenge even more difficult.

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