Ghost in the Shell is one of those seminal anime films that appeals to people that don’t really like anime. The 1995 cyberpunk film dealt with an advanced technological world where people were able to connect into robotic bodies (known as shells) with superhero-like powers on a network similar to the internet. A police assault squad is dispatched to investigate a hacker that has been essentially hacking people’s shells.

Ghost in the Shell: Arise is the first part of a four part prequel film series that dives into the history of New Port City. The DVD/Blu-Ray is set to release on July 26th worldwide. You can watch the first trailer for Arise below, as well as read an official synopsis for the story.

[via Comic Book Movie]

In 2027, one year after the end of the Fourth Non-Nuclear War, the guttural town of New Port City is plagued with one mass tragedy after another. Enter Public Security Section’s Daisuke Aramaki to lead an investigation along with Batou better known to the criminal scourge as “the man with the eye that does not sleep.” Running parallel to this investigation is the military’s clandestine 501st Secret Unit, which happens to count Motoko Kusanagi, the cyborg, wizard-level hacker amongst its many members. Also investigating these events is the Niihama Prefectural Police detective Togusa. When all three investigations cross paths, secrets will be revealed and terrible truths unearthed.

Alfonso Cuaron is one of those directors who, I feel, hasn’t really received the proper dues he should from audiences. Sure, Y Tu Mama Tambien won a handful of awards and nominated for an Oscar, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban pushed the Harry Potter film franchise towards a more mature vision (let alone a decidedly creative turn that sometimes clashed with the previous two films in the series), and Children of Men is arguably one of the most underrated sci-fi films to come out of the past decade. Still, Cuaron isn’t as well-known as some of his contemporaries for reasons unexplained.

Hopefully, that will change this October when his next film, Gravity, hits theaters. In the first trailer, which you can watch below, two astronauts played by film favorites George Clooney and Sandra Bullock embark on a mission to space. Ironically, what is Dr. Ryan Stone’s (Sandra Bullock) first shuttle mission is intended to be Matt Kowalsky’s (George Clooney) last. During a routine spacewalk, their shuttle inexplicably explodes, stranding the two out in space with no means of communication.

Frankly, I’m extremely excited for Gravity. It’s shaping out to be a cerebral thriller that is more focused on human survival instincts rather than some supernatural entity, let alone a distinct antagonist/enemy. It’ll be interesting to see how general audiences react to the film, especially considering the combination of two Hollywood-friendly faces with Clooney and Bullock with Cuaron’s vision. Let the speculation begin!

[via Flixist]

2013 is shaping up to be a big year for science-fiction films. The latest to find itself added to this list is the film adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s sci-fi novel, Ender’s Game. Directed and written by Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Ender’s Game involves humanity searching for a new military leader amongst its children following an alien attack. When Ender Wiggin easily passes all of the challenges at the Battle School, he finds himself promoted to the Command School, as well as named to be humanity’s new hope against the alien Formics.

The ensemble cast stars Asa Butterfield (Hugo), Harrison Ford (Star Wars), Abigail Breslin (Zombieland), Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), and Ben Kingsley (Iron Man 3). You can watch the special effects-heavy trailer below. Ender’s Game is scheduled to hit theaters on November 1st.

[via Flixist]