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Authoritarian control through the digital landscape, exploitation of mass surveillance, and loss of autonomy are recurrent themes in cyberpunk narratives, and in that sense, exploring these ideas in a futuristic post-privacy Tokyo, as seen in Netflix’s latest anime, Tokyo Override, created by Yusuke Fukada and Veerapatra Jinanavin, initially seems like a pretty conventional affair. That is until the series counters the established order by presenting motorcycle riding as a symbol of freedom, rebellion against the system, and brotherhood, which makes the narrative an adrenaline-fueled exhilarating ride that ends in a flash with six short episodes in the first season, leaving you craving for more. You don’t need to be a motorhead to enjoy the thrill of revved-up motorcylces zooming across neon-lit freeways, but if you are one, the mean beasts designed by Yamaha and Honda Motocorp are surely going to make you excited. The homage to Japan’s...

The stupidest and most soulless people out there are excited about the idea that human civilization will benefit from the increase in the usage of artificial intelligence and surveillance. If you ask them how technology can be developed to solve stuff like poverty, hunger, climate change, civil wars, international conflicts, gender inequality, racism, casteism, and the dwindling state of human rights, you will get radio silence. But if you ask them how they can infiltrate somebody’s private space in the name of national security or render some artist jobless so that your computer can spit out the most horrifying image known to mankind, you’ll see their eyes light up like it’s the fourth of July. And it’s pretty depressing to see industry juggernauts, both in the world of entertainment and technology, promote such unethical ideologies because that’s what’s in vogue right now. Thankfully, we...

With its stories of battles against demons, scary sacrifices, kidnap, rescue, and endless cunning plans, the Ramayana is a good deal more exciting to the youthful imagination than the average religious text. Nevertheless, there are those who resist its lessons. but get this: what if, instead of Ancient India, you set it in space; and what if, instead of traditional armour, you had its legendary warrior wear giant battle mechs?

This is the premise of Veerapatra Jinanavin and Manassavin Malevong’s Mantra Warrior: The Legend Of The Eight Moons, which screened as part of the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival. It throws in lasers, explosions and super cute little spirit creatures which bear a distinct resemblance to pokémon for good measure. Also, the female characters all have skimpy outfits and massively oversized breasts, but hey, they’re not afforded personalities, so they have to get your attention somehow. All of this is.

In a post via Tudum, Netflix has detailed its upcoming roster of anime and other animated features that will hit the platform in the coming months. Among the comprehensive list is a new anime series set in a motorbiking cyberpunk world, which looks to be shaping up as a petrolhead Akira by way of Ghost in the Shell.

The streaming service describes Tokyo Override as such: "In AI-optimized Tokyo 100 years in the future, an orphan teenage hacker blends in until a favor for her only friend inadvertently draws her into a benevolent gang of outcast motorcyclists, uncovering the seemingly utopian citys sinister underbelly through a murder investigation linked to a drug syndicate."

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Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival has unveiled its second wave of titles, which includes the world premiere of Ant Timpson’s “Bookworm” as the opening night film. This year’s edition, the 28th for the festival, will run from July 18 to August 4. More titles will be announced July 3.

Other world premieres included in the line-up are “The Beast Within” starring Kit Harington (“Game of Thrones”), which follows a young girl as she starts to question her atypical life in her family’s compound in England, and makes a shocking discovering about her dad; and “Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain,” with director Kenji Nakamura reviving the thrills of the original anime.

“Bookworm” stars Elijah Wood (“Yellowjackets”) and Nell Fisher (“Evil Dead Rise”). The official logline reads, “Mildred (Fisher), a precocious eleven-year-old bookworm, escapes her humdrum existence by immersing herself in novels where literary adventures abound, with a...