The seven short films making up GENIUS PARTY couldn’t be more diverse, linked only by a high standard of quality and inspiration. Atsuko Fukushima’s intro piece is a fantastic abstraction to soak up with the eyes. Masaaki Yuasa, of MIND GAME and CAT SOUP fame, brings his distinctive and deceptively simple graphic style and dream-state logic to the table with “Happy Machine,” his spin on a child’s earliest year. Shinji Kimura’s spookier “Deathtic 4,” meanwhile, seems to tap into the creepier corners of a child’s imagination and open up a toybox full of dark delights. Hideki Futamura’s “Limit Cycle” conjures up a vision of virtual reality, while Yuji Fukuyama’s “Doorbell” and “Baby Blue” by Shinichiro Watanabe use understated realism for very surreal purposes. And Shoji Kawamori, with “Shanghai Dragon,” takes the tropes and conventions of traditional anime out for very fun joyride.
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In an alternate world history shaped by superheroes, once-celebrated “costumed adventurers” have been banned by a society disenchanted with vigilantism. Now, in 1985, the murder of The Comedian, a hero-turned-government operative, draws the attention of Rorschach, the last of the outlawed vigilantes. Rorschach’s investigation embroils his retired colleagues, Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, Dr. Manhattan and Ozymandias, in conflict with their pasts, with each other and in a mystery that threatens their lives and a world on the brink of war.
After selling his soul to a sorceress Robin is killed in battle. Distraught over these horrific turn of events Marian and Little John attempt to resuscitate Robin and his Merry Men. In doing so they inadvertently have turned the one-time heroes into the living dead and worse, the ghostly reincarnations are now hunting down Marian and Little John. So the pair attempt to seek out a new potion that will free these tormented souls from their demonic possession.
After a young Triad member takes an upper-class girl hostage during his escape from a jewelry heist, the two find themselves falling in love, in spite of the repercussions caused by their forbidden relationship.
Newly transferred to the bustling port city of Marseille to assist with a crackdown on organized crime, energetic young magistrate Pierre Michel is given a rapid-fire tutorial on the ins and outs of an out-of-control drug trade. Pierre’s wildly ambitious mission is to take on the French Connection, a highly organized operation that controls the city’s underground heroin economy and is overseen by the notorious —and reputedly untouchable— Gaetan Zampa. Fearless, determined and willing to go the distance, Pierre plunges into an underworld world of insane danger and ruthless criminals.
Aura is gifted with magical abilities; she and her friends have many exciting adventures at the academy, but soon Aura learns that the school hatches many dark secrets that she must uncover. Will she be able to unveil the truth?
Miguel is a federal agent, highly trained and skilled in weapons. After experiencing trauma in his personal life, he sets out on a journey of revenge, assuming the identity of a masked vigilante. The Awakener decides to do justice with his own hands by exterminating corrupt politicians.
In the year 2005, the prison system has been completely privatized and cyber prisons have become the new means for housing the guilty. The bodies of inmates are kept in suspended animation while their minds are kept in a virtual reality prison. Business tycoon R.D. Crowley has found a way to capitalize on these virtual prisons by allowing rich men to pay in order to engage in a form of virtual reality hunting that has real-life consequences for the inmates. Will, a guard at one of these prisons, soon finds himself coerced into one of these virtual cat and mouse games. Armed with his knowledge of history, along with his expert skills in VR combat, Will must work with the inmates in order to save their lives and escape from the prison before it’s too late.
After Thomas and Percy get spooked by a suspicious rumbling, the engines set off to figure out the secrets of the old mine inside Lookout Mountain.
Something has awoken, and a group of strangers must work together before prehistoric monsters and other deadly creatures take back the planet.
The Organization, a shadowy non-governmental organization lead by the even more shadowy “Mr Smith”, fights against enemies of the United States, both foreign and domestic despite the wishes of the Federal Government and it’s agencies who are doing their best to track them and shut them down.