I just wanted to mention this movie in case anyone hasn't had the opportunity to go see it yet since I've been watching a series based on it (if curious, the series is called "Stand Alone Complex"). The movie is called "Ghost in the Shell", it's an anime (japanese animation for you cartoonily illiterate out there) by Mamoru Oshii based on a manga (think graphic novel) by Masamune Shirow.

The basic underlying story goes like this, in the relatively near future (generally early/mid-21st century, 2025 and such) in which people have begun to augment and replace parts or nearly all of their bodies with cybernetic implants and replacements. Things like memory, thought process, speed and so forth can all be augmented using technology. Another benefit of such implants is the ability to access a sort of cognitive internet, where one can speak to others, save and find information and so forth merely by thinking about it. On top of all these implants and biological parts lies a persons "ghost", or the essence of who they are (one could think of it as the spirit, the self, soul...that sort of thing)

Enter Section 9, an elite group working under the Ministry of Home Affairs in Japan. They specialize in issues specifically regarding said cybernetic implants. Recently there's been an upsurge in what's called "ghost hacking", using the web to hack into and control other people's "ghost". The key player as the antagonist is one such high level hacker who is taking over government official's and other such important member's ghost, known only as "The Puppet Master".

What makes this movie so cool is the underlying philosophy that Oshii tends to use heavily, it's not simply a badass matrix-like fighting film (though that aspect is there, it's got a lot of action), everything in it either sets up or expounds on the ideas Oshii is trying to convey. The key protagonist, a Major named Motoko is particularly verbose in that regard, ideas on the properties of self, what makes humans "human", the existence of the spirit or ghost, and the value/risks of supplanting flesh with technology are all dealt with in depth. One scene pops to mind in which the Major is diving and surfaces onto a boat with her partner, they begin discussing the self as such...

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Batou: A cyborg who goes diving in her spare time. That can't be a good sign. When did you start doing this? Doesn't the ocean scare you? If the floaters stopped working...

Motoko: Then I'd probably die, or would you dive in after me? No one forced you to come out here with me.

Batou: I just... [notices the major changing and looks away uncomfortable]

Batou: So, what's it feel like when you go diving?

Motoko: Didn't you go through underwater training?

Batou: I'm not talking about doing it in a damned pool.

Motoko: I feel fear, anxiety, loneliness, darkness, and perhaps, even...hope

Batou: Hope? In the darkness of the sea?

Motoko: As I float up towards the surface I almost feel as though I could change into something else.

Batou: As though you want to quit section 9?

Motoko: Batou, how much of your original body do you have left?

Batou: Are you drunk?

Motoko: [looks into her beer] Convenient, isn't it? With the merest thought the chemical plants inside our bodies could metabolize all the alcohol in our blood in about ten seconds allowing us to sit here drinking while on stand-by. If a technological feat is possible, man will do it, almost as though it's wired into the core of our being. Metabolic control, enhanced sensory perception, improved muscles and muscle capacity, vastly increased data processing speed and capacity. All improvements thanks to our cyber-brain and cyborg bodies. So what if we can't live without high level maintenance? We have nothing to complain about.

Batou: It doesn't mean we've sold our souls to section 9.

Motoko: We do have the right to resign if we choose, provided we give the government back our cyborg shells and the memories they hold. Just as there are many parts needed to make a human a human, there's a remarkable number of things needed to make an individual what they are. A face to distinguish you from others, a voice you aren't aware of yourself, the hand you see when you awaken, the memories of childhood, the feelings for the future. That's not all, there's the expanse of the data net my cyber-brain can access. All of that goes into making me what I am, giving rise to a consciousness that I call "me" and simultaneously confining "me" within set limits

Batou: Is that why you dive into the sea with a body that only sinks?! What is it you see in the water's darkness?

Disembodied voice both hear: "For now we see though a glass, darkly."

Batou: That was you, wasn't it?
----

Great scene...if you haven't had the pleasure yet (most of you into anime will have seen this, it's up there with Akira in terms of how well known it is), definitely pick this flick up, if you enjoy deep storytelling, well developed characters and things that make you think, you'll love this. I've been hearing rumors there's going to be a live action remake, I'm unsure who's doing it (I think I heard Spielberg's name mentioned?), but I do hope this either doesn't happen or (unlike 99% of remakes) they treat the source material really respectfully...I question whether most mainstream American audiences would be willing to put up with the complex philosophical issues brought up and I fear we'll wind up with a flat out sci-fi action flick which would be a horrific loss.

There's also a sequel called "Innocence" which I picked up a few months back, one of the few times I was as happy with (or more happy with) the sequel than the original...it does have slightly less action and is overall FAR more "strange", dealing with the theme of doll's, procreation, freedom and other themes. There's a lot more dialog in Innocence but still quite a bit of action, and the overall quality of the animation is STUNNINGLY beautiful...you can tell they busted their asses in the animation department on it, using CG and 2d images intermixed it's one of the most visually arresting anime's I've ever seen.

Anyway, check 'em out, and I'll be back in the next day or two to finish off the list of horror flicks...hope you all have a good night...

As a side, here's the link to the imdb page

[link]

enjoy...