Remastered in 4K and released in IMAX for the first time ever, the film is making a triumphant comeback to cinemas in both Japanese with English subtitles and dubbed in English.

From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away, and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki, comes an epic masterpiece that has dazzled audiences worldwide with its breathtaking imagination, exhilarating battles, and deep humanity.

Inflicted with a deadly curse, the young warrior Ashitaka heads west in search of a cure. There, he stumbles into a bitter conflict between Lady Eboshi, the proud people of Iron Town, and the enigmatic Princess Mononoke, a young girl raised by wolves, who will stop at nothing to prevent the humans from destroying her home and the forest spirits and animal gods who live there. Featuring the voice talents of Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Minnie Driver, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Billy Bob Thornton.
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With help from his junior colleague Reno Ichikawa, Kafka hides his identity while striving towards his life-long dream of passing the Defense Force exam and standing at Mina’s side. But when a mysterious intelligent Kaiju attacks a Defense Force base, Kafka faces a crucial decision in a desperate situation…

The omnibus film Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon features an action-packed recap of season one and a new original episode, Hoshina’s Day Off.

(Hoshina’s Day Off) A day off… a rare day of peace for the Defense Force. After spending so long training, Reno has forgotten what he’s supposed to do with free time. He sees that Hoshina is up to something with his own day off, and decides to go on a mission to tail him with Iharu! But then things go in an unexpected direction…
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Over a decade has passed since a pathway called a “gate” which connects this world and another dimension suddenly appeared, and people with superhuman powers called “hunters” have been awakened.

Hunters use their superhuman powers to conquer dungeons inside the gates to make a living, and Sung Jinwoo, a hunter of the lowest rank, is considered the Weakest Hunter of All Mankind. One day, he encounters a double dungeon, a high-level dungeon hidden inside a low-level one.

In front of a severely wounded Jinwoo, a mysterious quest window pops up. On the verge of death, Jinwoo decides to take on the quest, which makes him the only person who can level up.

Solo Leveling -ReAwakening- will be released in Aussie cinemas December 5!
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Once prosperous but now on the brink of ruin, The Sacred Kingdom enjoyed years of peace after construction of an enormous wall protecting them from neighbouring invasions. But, one day this comes to an end when the Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth arrives with an army of villainous demi-humans.

Fearing invasion of their own lands, the neighbouring territory of the Slane Theocracy is forced to beg their enemies at the Sorcerer Kingdom for help. Heeding the call, Momonga, now known as the Sorcerer King Ains Ooal Gown, rallies the Sorcerer Kingdom and its undead army to join the fight alongside the Sacred Kingdom and the Slane Theocracy in hopes to defeat the Demon Emperor.

Starring Satoshi Hino, Yumi Hara, Masayuki Katou, Yoshino Aoyama, Hitomi Nabatame, Saori Hayami, Haruka Tomatsu, Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom will be released in Aussie cinemas November 7!
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The trio of films will be distributed by Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment worldwide, excluding select Asian territories including Japan. No dating has been released. The three-part cinematic movies represents the final arc and culmination of the hugely popular award-winning anime shonen series.

“Demon Slayer has been a phenomenal franchise, and we at Crunchyroll are delighted to have been a part of it from the beginning,” said Rahul Purini, President of Crunchyroll. “Crunchyroll is thrilled to be able to bring this trilogy of films to fans, on the big screen, and it promises to be one of the truly epic and consequential pop cultural events of our time when it hits theaters.”

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is based on the manga series by Koyoharu Gotoge published under SHUEISHA’s JUMP COMICS, which consists of 23 volumes and over 150 million copies in publication. The franchise has won the admiration of millions of fans around the globe since its debut in 2018. The story begins when Tanjiro Kamado, a boy whose family is killed by a demon, joins the Demon Slayer Corps to turn his younger sister Nezuko back into a human after she is transformed into a demon.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba first premiered in April 2019 with the Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc, followed by the feature film Mugen Train in October 2020, and the TV series Mugen Train Arc and Entertainment District Arc from 2021 through 2022. In 2023, the Swordsmith Village Arc debuted on Crunchyroll, shortly after the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Swordsmith Village- theatrical release. In 2024, the Hashira Training Arc debuted, shortly after the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To Hashira Training- theatrical release. The animation production is by ufotable.

The latest films – Mugen Train, -To the Swordsmith Village-, and -To the Hashira Training- – have received both commercial and critical success. Mugen Train currently holds the record as the highest-grossing anime movie of all time and the highest-grossing Japanese film at the global box office, garnering over 500 million USD to date. It currently ranks as the second-highest grossing anime film in U.S. box office history. It also garnered a 98% critic score and 99% audience score (with 10,000+ verified ratings) on Rotten Tomatoes.
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“That’s a hassle.” That was second-year high schooler Nagi Seishiro’s favourite phrase as he lived his dull life. Until Mikage Reo, a classmate who dreamed of winning the World Cup, discovered Nagi’s hidden skill, inspiring him to play soccer and share his outstanding talent.

One day, he receives an invitation to the mysterious BLUE LOCK Project. What awaits him there is an encounter with the finest strikers assembled from across the country. Nagi’s dream of becoming the best, alongside Reo, will take this prodigy to a world he’s never known.

A prodigy can only be shaped when someone discovers him….now, striker Nagi Seishiro’s incredible talent and persona will set the soccer world ablaze.
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RASCAL DOES NOT DREAM – Double Feature concludes the current High School arc storyline with Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out and Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid.

Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out – Sakuta Azusagawa is attending his third and last term as a second-year high school student. Meanwhile, his younger sister Kaede reveals a secret that she wants to go to big brother’s school. This is a story about these two as they take a step into the future.

Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid – March begins, and there is only one month left in the third term.

As he waits for is girlfriend Mai, an elementary school-aged girl who looks like Mai appears in front of him.

Is this a dream or an illusion? As he thinks about this mysterious experience, his father calls him about his mother who he has not seen in a long time. His nervousness about all this causes scars begin to appear on Sakuta’s body.

Presented in Japanese language with English subtitles.

Rascal Does Not Dream Double Feature
Dendy Cinemas Coorparoo
9-13 May 2024
www.coorparoo.dendy.com.au

More a prequel to Oshii’s film than a remake, the story relates the origins of Major Motoko Kusanagi (Scarlett Johansson) and also a little bit of her partner, Batou (Pilou Asbæk). The film riffs heavily off Oshii by lifting sequences directly from his film (hence why, on the surface, this appears to be a remake) and recreates them in the live action format – a relatively easy task with our contemporary special effects technology. It’s interesting to see how Sanders has applied these familiar scenes and remoulded their context to fit the new narrative. The result is very effective and nostalgic at the same time. There’s also a nod to Oshii’s 2001 film, Avalon, and his love of basset hounds (a staple in all his films) that is a nice touch for fans.

The film follows a Frankenstein-style story with the villain, Kuze (Michael Pitt), attacking his creator, the Hanka Robotic Corporation. Kuze is an earlier and unsuccessful version of the Major and he’s none too impressed that Hanka threw him on the scrap heap to die and he retaliates by hacking into heavily augmented humans (ghost hacking) to exact his revenge. As a member of the government anti-terrorist division, Section 9, the Major and her colleagues are tasked with stopping him. Along the way, Kuze educates Kusanagi on some uncomfortable truths about their shared origins.

The production has been the subject of accusations of whitewashing since the casting of Scarlett Johanson in the lead role. There is a general case to be made with the ‘whitewashing’ of characters in Hollywood films but the case for the prosecution is weak here. The question of whether ethnicity even applies to cybernetic bodies was implicitly raised in Oshii’s film and it follows in this one. The film also makes a specific point about Section 9 being a multi-ethnic organisation so a Caucasian Kusanagi is by no means out of place. The film also points out that Kusanagi’s prior living body was Japanese even though her cybernetic body clearly isn’t. Again implicitly questioning whether ethnicity is even a valid concept in this new world order. A greater test of whitewashing will be the forthcoming Akira film that is unmistakably set in Tokyo with Japanese characters. We’ll see how Hollywood handles that.

Ghost In The Shell is experiencing a bumpy ride at the box office but I think history will judge it more kindly than the present. To be sure it lacks the philosophical depth and narrative complexity of Oshii’s prior film but it still has an interesting story that questions the value of human versus synthetic life.

Stuart Jamieson
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Scarlett Johansson inhabits the role of Major with a fitting mechanical nonchalance that gets progressively more human as the story unfolds. Having said that, the depth of almost all the characters in this version are condensed to a fairly basic level. The film feels very Hollywood and the film’s makers could have shown a bit more trust that the modern audience can digest and enjoy more complex narratives.

Touching on universal truths and the themes of what makes an entity human is explored but not in great depth. Themes like the deadening of the human spirit with the encroachment of rampant technology does underline a lot of the film’s action and look but the script has been substantially simplified to keep the forward momentum intact.

This view of the future is a grim one and the level of avarice underlines the dark motives that become exposed in the light as the story proceeds. As a stand alone adventure it works well, connected to the larger world of the source material, it might disappoint the rabid fan.

Rob Hudson
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Adult fans should not miss this rare opportunity to see three classic Ghibli titles in glorious original 35mm print, in Japanese with English subtitles. For younger fans, we’re also screening English language versions. Whether you’re a Ghibli fanatic, love the art of anime or are new to the genre, Essential Anime has something for everyone.

Boruto: Naruto the Movie M
Following on from Naruto: The Last, Boruto continues the enormously popular series with the adventures of Naruto’s son. With Naruto as the Seventh Hokage, Hidden Leaf Village is planning to host the Chunin Exams to train new shinobi from the village and its surrounds. Among the entrants are Sasuke’s daughter, Sarada, who adores Naruto, Mitsuki, an exceptionally talented yet mysterious shinobi… And Boruto, Naruto’s son who shows great potential, but despises his father.
Hiroyuki Yamashita, 2015, 100 mins, Japan, DCP. Courtesy Madman Entertainment
Dates: 14 Dec – 19 Dec

Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo M
After the ‘Third Impact’, Shinji awakens to find Earth in ruins. Those he once fought valiantly to protect have turned against him, and with Rei Ayanami nowhere to be seen, could his efforts to save her have been in vain – and what friendships can he now rely on? Trapped in a harrowing cycle of death and rebirth, Shinji continues to courageously battle the Angels – even as the world edges towards apocalypse.
Hideaki Anno, 2013, 96 mins, Japan, DCP. Courtesy Madman Entertainment
Dates: 15 Dec – 19 Dec

Laputa: Castle in the Sky G
Two orphans go on an amazing journey in one of Hayo Miyazaki’s beloved, early films. After an air pirate attack on the flying ship she’s kept prisoner, Sheeta escapes captivity and floats to safety using the power of a mysterious glowing pendant. On the ground she meets Pazu, an engineer’s apprentice, and the pair soon discovers that they’re both searching for the legendary floating castle, Laputa. Vowing to unravel the mystery of the luminous crystal around Sheeta’s neck, they set off on a perilous quest full of secret agents, robots and pirates trying to keep them from the truth – and each other.
Hayao Miyazaki, 1986, 124 mins, Japan, 35mm. Courtesy Madman Entertainment
Dates: 17 Dec – 19 Dec

Princess Mononoke M
A beautifully realised tale of civilization versus nature, Princess Mononoke is a true epic by Japan’s master animator Hayao Miyazaki. While protecting his village from a rampaging boar-god, the young warrior Ashitaka becomes afflicted with a deadly curse. To find the cure that will save his life, he journeys deep into sacred depths of the Great Forest Spirit’s realm where he meets San (Princess Mononoke), a girl raised by wolves. It’s not long before Ashitaka is caught in the middle of a battle between iron-ore prospecting humans and the forest dwellers. He must summon the spirit-powers and all his courage to stop man and nature from destroying each other.
Hayao Miyazaki, 1997, 134 mins, Japan, 35mm. Courtesy Madman Entertainment
Dates: 17 Dec – 20 Dec

My Neighbor Totoro G
In Studio Ghibli’s classic My Neighbor Totoro, two young girls, Satsuki and Mei, move into a new home in the country with their father, while their mother recovers from illness in a nearby hospital. To their surprise, the pair soon discover that they share this home with some rather unusual creatures and even stranger neighbours – forest guardians that the girls dub Totoro. When trouble occurs, their new friends will help them rediscover hope.
Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibil), 1988, 86 mins, Japan, 35mm. Courtesy Madman Entertainment
Dates: 18 Dec – 20 Dec

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection “F” PG
Following the fight with Beers the Destroyer, Goku and Vegeta are in training on Beers’ world, under the guidance of his attendant, Whis. Meanwhile, with the earth at peace once again, Sorbet and Tagoma, two of the surviving members of the Freeza force, discover some of the Dragon Balls, which they use to revive the vanquished Freeza. Once the galactic tyrant is resurrected, he begins plotting his revenge against Goku and the Saiyans. The newly reborn Freeza force advances on Earth, forcing Gohan, Piccolo, Kuririn and company to take on 1000 of their deadly soldiers. Goku and Vegeta challenge Freeza to their destined showdown, but Freeza has powered-up and now the battle of a lifetime is about to begin.
Tadayoshi Yamamuro, 2015, 93 mins, Japan, DCP. Courtesy Madman Entertainment
Dates: 18 Dec – 20 Dec

Essential Anime 2015
ACMI – Melbourne
Monday 14 – Sunday 20 December 2015
acmi.net.au/essential-anime