Ghost in the Shell (1995)

2029. A female government cyber agent and the Internal Bureau of Investigations are hot on the trail of The Puppet Master – a computer virus capable of invading cybernetic brains and altering its victim’s memory. Created by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and codenamed Project 2501, this ‘hacker’ is actually a prototype virtual agent which has now defied its makers by seeking asylum within a new host body outside of the electronic net. Now the two agencies must maneuver against each another in a violent, high-tech race to capture the omnipresent entity. First released in 1995, Ghost in the Shell took the world by storm, exhibiting a new dimension of anime with unprecedented and mesmerizing cinematic extravagance. Seamlessly merging traditional cel animation with the latest computer graphic imagery, this stunning sci-fi spectacle broke through the boundaries of mainstream animation with detailed artistic expression and a uniquely intelligent story line. A milestone of animated cinema, writer/director/producer Mamoru Oshii’s sci-fi masterpiece (based on the 1989 manga of the same name) has gone on to inspire a generation of filmmakers and has become one of the most revered and influential anime features of all time, thanks to its cool and cruel vision of a dystopian future where humanity and technology have become inextricably intertwined.  (Dir. by Mamoru Oshii, 1995, Japan, in Japanese with subtitles, 83 mins., Rated R)