Next Club Meeting:October 17, 2026,at the Fountaindale Public Library in Bolingbrook from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
The Animatrix Network is an anime & manga fan club located in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. We usually meet on the third Saturday of each month (except when holidays or conventions coincide). The meetings are free and open to the public. Join us for a day filled with anime.
This site provides news, reviews, commentaries, and previews of the world of anime and everything it inspires in today's pop culture, such as live-action films, comics, music, art, and other weird things to enjoy and contemplate.
This summer, the epic studio disaster movie returns with an adrenaline-pumping, seat-gripping, big-screen thrill ride that puts you in direct contact with one of nature’s most wondrous—and destructive—forces.
From the producers of the Jurassic, Bourne and Indiana Jones series comes Twisters, a current-day chapter of the 1996 blockbuster, Twister. Directed by Lee Isaac Chung, the Oscar® nominated writer-director of Minari, Twisters stars Golden Globe nominee Daisy Edgar-Jones (Where the Crawdads Sing, Normal People) and Glen Powell (Anyone But You, Top Gun: Maverick) as opposing forces who come together to try to predict, and possibly tame, the immense power of tornadoes.
Edgar-Jones stars as Kate Cooper, a former storm chaser haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado during her college years who now studies storm patterns on screens safely in New York City. She is lured back to the open plains by her friend, Javi (Golden Globe nominee Anthony Ramos, In the Heights) to test a groundbreaking new tracking system. There, she crosses paths with Tyler Owens (Powell), the charming and reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures with his raucous crew, the more dangerous the better.
As storm season intensifies, terrifying phenomena never seen before are unleashed, and Kate, Tyler and their competing teams find themselves squarely in the paths of multiple storm systems converging over central Oklahoma in the fight of their lives.
Twisters features an exciting new cast, including Nope’s Brandon Perea, Sasha Lane (American Honey), Daryl McCormack (Peaky Blinders), Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Nik Dodani (Atypical) and Golden Globe winner Maura Tierney (Beautiful Boy).
From Amblin Entertainment, Twisters is directed by Lee Isaac Chung and is produced by Oscar® nominee Frank Marshall (Jurassic and Indiana Jones franchises) and by Patrick Crowley (Jurassic and Bourne franchises). The screenplay is by Mark L. Smith, writer of the Best Picture nominee The Revenant. Twisters will be distributed by Universal Pictures domestically and by Warner Bros. Pictures internationally.
Marvel Animation’s X-Men '97, an all-new series, arrives March 20 on Disney+.
This show marks Cal Dodd and Lenore Zann's first time voicing Wolverine and Rogue in 24 years and George Buza, Alison Sealy-Smith and Adrian Hough's first time voicing Beast, Storm and Nightcrawler in 23 years, since Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000) for Cal Dodd and Lenore Zann and X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001) for George Buza, Alison Sealy-Smith and Adrian Hough.
A dutiful damsel agrees to marry a handsome prince, only to find the royal family has recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt. Thrown into a cave with a fire-breathing dragon, she must rely on her wits and will to survive. Millie Bobby Brown stars in Damsel.
Deadpool & Wolverine is the next installment in the MCU featuring our favorite blood-soaked hero Deadpool as he gets sucked into the MCU with the help of the TVA.
Deadpool & Wolverine releases in theaters on July 26
A N I M A T R I X N E T W O R K Saturday, February 17, 2024
Fountaindale Public Library
VIEWING SCHEDULE
11:15 - 12:05 The Apothecary Diaries 7-8
12:05 - 12:55 Metallic Rouge 1-2
12:55 - 1:30 Club Meeting
1:30 - 2:20 Solo Leveling 3-4
2:20 - 2:45 Frieren 3
2:45 - 4:45 Psycho-Pass: Providence [Movie]
"We promise there will be minimal property damage... this time."
Fountaindale Public Library 300 W. Briarcliff Road
Bolingbrook, IL 60440
Peggy J. Danhof Board Room
(Second Floor)
From 11:15 AM to 5:00 PM
All anime presented are fan-subtitled unless otherwise noted.
Don't miss these exciting anime series: Solo Leveling and Frieren
* ANIME DESCRIPTIONS ARE BELOW *
11:15 - 12:05 The Apothecary Diaries 7-8
The Apothecary Diaries
Plot Summary: The series is set in a fictional country modelled after Ming-era China. Maomao, a young girl who works as an apothecary in the red-light district,
is kidnapped and sold to the Imperial Palace as a servant. However, she
still retains her curious and eccentric personality and plans to work
there until her years of servitude are over, without drawing the
attention of anyone. One day, after hearing the rumors that the
emperor's children are critically ill, she begins to investigate the
cause, using her experience as a pharmacist, and successfully solves the
mystery of their illness. Even though she intends to remain anonymous,
her actions eventually catch the attention of an influential eunuch, and soon finds herself solving various mysteries in the royal court.
12:05 - 12:55 Metallic Rouge 1-2
M E T A L L I CR O U G E
Plot Summary: In
a world where humans coexist with androids called Neans, a group known
as the Immortal Nine rises up against society. Tasked with disposing of
the revolters, a Nean named Rouge Redstar (aka Metal Rouge) and
investigator Naomi Orthmann head to Mars to track them down… but first,
Rouge wants some chocolate.
12:55 - 1:30Club Announcements
"On your mark. Get set. Go!"
Gina Carano
Dismal Disney
PIXAR
STAR WARS Future
Doctor Who
Video Games
1:30 - 2:20 Solo Leveling 1-2
SOLO LEVELING
Plot Summary: In a world where hunters — human warriors who possess supernatural
abilities — must battle deadly monsters to protect mankind from certain
annihilation, a notoriously weak hunter named Sung Jinwoo finds himself
in a seemingly endless struggle for survival. One day, after narrowly
surviving an overwhelmingly powerful double dungeon that nearly wipes
out his entire party, a mysterious program called the System chooses him
as its sole player and in turn, gives him the extremely rare ability to
level up in strength and turn anyone he kills into a loyal minion
called a shadow. Jinwoo then sets out on a journey as he fights against
all kinds of enemies, both man and monster, to discover the secrets of
the dungeons and the true source of his powers.
2:20 - 2:45 Frieren 3
FRIEREN
Plot Summary: The story follows elven mage Frieren,
a former member of the party of adventurers who defeated the Demon King
and restored harmony to the world after a ten-year quest. In the past,
the heroic group included Frieren, human hero Himmel, dwarven warrior Eisen and human priest Heiter. Before they part, they observe the Era Meteors together, a meteor shower
that occurs once in fifty years. Frieren agrees to see them again and
offers them a better view the next time the celestial event occurs.
Frieren then departs and travels the world in pursuit of magical
knowledge. Frieren returns to the capital fifty years later; however,
humanity has changed, and her former companions have distinctly aged.
After one last adventure to see the meteor shower, Himmel dies of old
age. During the funeral, Frieren expressed guilt for not attempting to
learn more about him. Frieren then pays a visit to her other former
comrades. She accepts an offer to teach and care for Fern, an orphaned
child adopted by Heiter. She also receives an invitation to travel far
north, to the resting place of souls, and see Himmel again to bid the
hero a fitting farewell and express her feelings. To fulfill those
requests, Frieren embarks on a journey together with Fern while still
pursuing her passion for learning magic. Frieren's elven nature grants her an extremely long lifespan,
causing her to view periods of years or decades as ephemeral (this
perception of time makes her consider the ten-year adventure with
Himmel's party a fleeting experience). The story thus takes place across
a long time, with periodic flashbacks accompanied by the physical and mental development of characters apart from Frieren herself.
2:45- 4:45Psycho-Pass: Providence
PSYCHO-PASS: PROVIDENCE
Plot Summary: In January 2118, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs vessel guarding
Professor Milicia Stronskaya is attacked by a paramilitary group called
the Peacebreakers. One of the leading operatives, Kai, murders
Stronskaya while searching for her research - the Stronskaya papers -
before being intercepted by Shinya Kogami, now working as a special
investigator for Foreign Affairs's Suppressing Action Department.
However, Kogami fails to stop the Peacebreakers after being attacked by a
seemingly brainwashed SAD agent.
Back in Tokyo, Inspector Akane Tsunemori contests the existence
of Japan's Ministry of Justice and the application of international law,
as part of the Sibyl System's growing expansion abroad, during a
meeting with the government's top officials, along with Atsushi Shindo,
who heads the nation's Immigration Bureau. Both of them receive word
about the Peacebreaker incident and travel to the discovered wreckage of
Stronskaya's vessel, where MWPSB Chief Josui Kasei orders Tsunemori to
leave the investigation at the hands of the SAD, led by agent Frederica
Hanashiro and SAD Director Yabuki. However, a preliminary investigation
by enforcer Nobuchika Ginoza reveals how the vessel was under SAD
protection, while enforcer Sho Hinakawa determines that Professor
Stronskaya sent a last-minute message to PSB analyst and Tsunemori's
mentor, Joji Saiga.
Saiga speaks to Tsunemori in private about his working
relationship with Stronskaya, whose research details the effects of the
Sibyl System on foreign countries, while also stating that Stronskaya's
message leads him to a PO box in Dejima - a sector in Japan designed to
house immigrants waiting to be naturalized into the country. With the
new lead, Chief Kasei creates a joint task force with the PSB and SAD to
retrieve the Stronskaya papers before the Peacekeepers. Hanashiro
briefs Tsunemori's team about the organization, once a black-ops unit by
Foreign Affairs before going rogue, and its cult-like fanatical leader
Tonami, who is leading the organization under their "god" - The General.
Meanwhile, Kogami reunites with Tsunemori and Ginoza, despite heated
tensions. While creating a psychological profile of Tonami, Saiga
encourages Kogami to apologize to Tsunemori for his actions leading to
his exile from Japan, while warning him not to give into his violent
nature once more. Kogami makes a half-hearted apology, while Tsunemori
warns him that she'll be forced to take him down if he breaks the law
again.
At Dejima, the task force arrives at the PO box, but it is
revealed to contain a decoy package to hide the papers' whereabouts.
Tsunemori and Kogami surmise that the operation is a ploy to lure the
Peacebreakers out of hiding. Peacebreakers Bokamoso Murrary and Kai lead
operatives in an assault against the task force, where it is revealed
that the Peacebreakers have low Crime Coefficients, superhuman
endurance, and the ability to brainwash SAD agents. During the battle,
Director Yabuki is captured, and Saiga is mortally wounded and left
hanging off a ledge; he reassures Tsunemori about being open-minded
about truth and justice before falling to his death. While Ginoza
dispatches Murray, Kai overcomes Kogami after a lengthy skirmish, but
immediately departs and leaves subtle clues leading to the
Peacebreakers' headquarters.
Tracking down Kai at the Peacebreakers base, Kogami and Ginoza
rescue Yabuki and confront Kai, who reveals his true identity as
undercover SAD agent Akira Vasily Ignatov. Back in Tokyo, Akira debriefs
Kogami about the existence of the Divider, a software that hacks into
cybernetic implants within the Peacebreakers to disassociate feelings of
guilt, thus granting their combat and brainwashing abilities. In
addition, Akira states that he has the Papers, with Professor Stronskaya
organizing her death to maintain Akira's cover. The Papers are revealed
to be the model for a Conflict Coefficient - essentially allowing Sibyl
to control warfare and foreign relations. Immediately after the
debriefing, Tonami takes control of Yabuki and Akira and attempts to
escape with the research. But Akira manages to fight off Tonami's
control, thus allowing Shindo to fatally wound him. Before dying, he
asks Shindo to look over his brother Kei.
With the papers at hand, Shindo exchanges the research to the
Sibyl System in return for keeping his criminally asymptomatic son,
Arata, from being integrated into the system, while betting on Sibyl's
belief in human potential. However, this results in Shindo being
disavowed by Bifrost. On the day of Kei's wedding to his wife Maiko,
Shindo reassures the couple and his son to use the truth to determine
the right path for justice before leaving the reception to commit
suicide as part of keeping his silence on his deal with Sibyl. During
the inquest, Arata confronts Tsunemori about his father's actions, to
which she encourages him to search for the truth himself.
Ginoza alerts Tsunemori that Kasei has shut down the
investigation. Once confronted by Tsunemori, Kasei states that Sibyl has
agreed to give the Peacebreakers the Papers and their own sovereign
state in northern Japan, in return for supporting Sibyl's global
expansion. Unwilling to let Tonami and his organization escape justice,
Tsunemori teams up with Kogami and Hanashiro on an official raid on the
Peacebreakers. The assault team, consisting of Tsunemori, Kogami,
Ginoza, and Hanashiro, arrives on the island, while Shimotsuki leads the
support team in hacking a highly guarded satellite to disable the
Divider and get the team's Dominators online. Hinakawa and enforcer
Teppei Sugo narrowly manage to control the satellite, allowing the
assault team to fight off the Peacekeepers.
Meanwhile, Tsunemori faces Tonami and the General...
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is an all-new action-adventure spectacle distributed by 20th Century Studios. Set several generations in the future following Caesar’s reign, in which apes are the dominant species living harmoniously and humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike. "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is directed by Wes Ball and stars Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, and William H. Macy. The screenplay is by Josh Friedman and Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver and Patrick Aison based on characters created by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver, and the producers are Wes Ball, Joe Hartwick, Jr., p.g.a., Rick Jaffa, p.g.a., Amanda Silver, p.g.a., Jason Reed, p.g.a., with Peter Cherninand Jenno Topping serving as executive producers.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes opens in theaters on May 10
Kinda weird that Wish should’ve been the perfect film to celebrate Disney’s 100th anniversary… but no. Disney really thinks that not granting every wish makes you a villain.
Gina Carano says she never said anything with 'ill intent' on 'Jesse Watters Primetime.' Gina Carano is driving the Hollywood elites insane with her latest lawsuit. We'll tell you why and show you how Disney is facing an opponent they've never witnessed before.
Check out the tense trailer for A Quiet Place: Day One, an upcoming movie starring Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff and Djimon Hounsou.
Allyson Seeger and Vicki Dee Rock serve as executive producers on A Quiet Place: Day One. It is produced by Michael Bay, Andrew Form, p.g.a., Brad Fuller, and John Krasinski. Based on characters created by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck. The story is by John Krasinski and Michael Sarnoski. The screenplay is by Michael Sarnoski.
Set decades from now in a reconstructed Tokyo, you play as Hiromi Shoda in Last Sentinel, a narrative-focused, open-world action game from Lightspeed Studios.
Lightspeed LA, a subsidiary of Tencent's LightSpeed Studios, is developing Last Sentinel, a cyberpunk-themed open-world game.
The game features a dystopian future version of Tokyo, where robots attempt to invade an orphanage, but are fought off by the protagonist Hiromi Shoda.
Last Sentinel is expected to offer a unique cast, environment, story, and gameplay experience.
Luz, a self-assured teenage human girl, accidentally stumbles upon a portal to a magical new world where she befriends a rebellious witch, Eda, and an adorably tiny warrior, King. Despite not having magical abilities, Luz pursues her dream of becoming a witch by serving as Eda's apprentice at the Owl House and ultimately finds a new family in an unlikely setting.
As revealed during The Game Awards 2023, The First Descendant gets a release window and a new cinematic trailer. This new trailer for the third-person co-op action RPG looter shooter features Descendants Valby and her team in battle as they face off against two massive Colossi enemies, the importance of cooperative gameplay, and more. The First Descendant will be available on PC (Steam), PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One in summer 2024. In The First Descendant, players become a Descendant whose mission is to combat against alien invaders – The Vulgus who crossed dimensions over 100 years ago and brought with them the devastating Colossi and destruction– for the survival of humanity and to protect Albion and the continent of Ingris.
The Secret Woman Behind Disney Animation's COLLAPSE:
It's MORE than Just a String of Failures!
Starring Alan Ng of @FilmThreat
It could be that Disney can't recover from this without tremendous upheaval. And it could be that executives know it to be true. Today, we're talking about the D-Files released by Film Threat as they tell the tale of one woman's efforts that destroyed decades of Disney animation dominance.
CARL WEATHERS (January 14, 1948 – February 1, 2024)
Carl Weathers was an American actor, director, and football linebacker. His roles included boxer Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films (1976–1985), and he had a recurring role as Greef Karga in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian (2019–2023), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
Weathers began working as an extra while still playing football. He had his first significant roles in two blaxploitation films directed by his longtime friend Arthur Marks: Bucktown (1975) and Friday Foster (1975). Weathers also appeared in an early 1975 episode of the sitcom Good Times titled "The Nude", portraying an angry husband who suspected his wife of cheating on him with J.J. He also guest-starred in a 1975 episode of Kung Fu titled "The Brothers Caine", and in an episode of Cannon titled "The Hero". In 1976, he appeared as a loan shark in an episode of the crime-drama Starsky & Hutch, and in the Barnaby Jones episode "The Bounty Hunter" as escaped convict Jack Hopper.
While auditioning for the role of Apollo Creed alongside Sylvester Stallone in Rocky, Weathers criticized Stallone's acting, which led to him getting the role. He reprised the role of Apollo Creed in the next three Rocky films: Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), and Rocky IV (1985).
Weathers briefly appears as an Army MP in one of the three released versions of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (originally released in 1977). In 1978, Weathers portrayed Vince Sullivan in a TV movie, Not This Time. In the late 1970s and 1980s, Weathers starred in a number of action films for the small and big screen, including Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Predator (1987), Action Jackson (1988), and Hurricane Smith (1992). As a member of the cast of Predator, Weathers worked with future California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and future Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura. Many years later he appeared in a spoof segment on Saturday Night Live,
announcing that he was running for political office and urging viewers
to vote for him on the basis that "he was the black guy in Predator".
He also appeared in Michael Jackson's "Liberian Girl" music video and co-starred in the 1996 Adam Sandler comedy Happy Gilmore, as Chubbs, a golf legend teaching Happy how to play golf. He reprised the role nearly four years later in the Sandler comedy Little Nicky. Filming a fall stunt in Happy Gilmore,
Weathers fractured two vertebrae and his osteophytes grew out and
connected and self-fused badly. He says he was in excruciating pain for
three to four years.
Another notable television role was Sgt. Adam Beaudreaux on the cop show Street Justice. Afterwards, during the final two seasons of In the Heat of the Night (1992–1994), his character, Hampton Forbes, replaced Bill Gillespie as the chief of police. He also played MACV-SOG Colonel Brewster in the CBS series Tour of Duty.
In 2004, Weathers received a career revival as a comedic actor beginning with appearances in three episodes of the comedy series Arrested Development as a cheapskate caricature of himself, who serves as Tobias Fünke's acting coach. He was then cast in the comedies The Sasquatch Gang and The Comebacks. Weathers had a guest role in two episodes of The Shield as the former training officer of main character Vic Mackey.
Weathers provided the voice for Colonel Samuel Garrett in the Pandemic Studios video game Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction. In 2005, he was a narrator on Conquest! The Price of Victory — Witness the Journey of the Trojans!, an 18-part television show about USC
athletics. Weathers is a principal of Red Tight Media, a film and video
production company that specializes in tactical training films made for
the United States armed forces. He also appeared in one episode of ER as the father of an injured boxer during their 2008 finale season.
For the sixth film in the Rocky series, Rocky Balboa (2006), Stallone asked Weathers, Mr. T, and Dolph Lundgren for permission to use footage from their appearances in the earlier Rocky films. Mr. T and Lundgren agreed, but Weathers wanted an actual part in the movie, even though his character had died in Rocky IV.
Stallone refused, and Weathers decided not to allow Stallone to use his
image for flashbacks from the previous films. They instead used footage
of a fighter who looks similar to Weathers.
Weathers and Stallone patched up their differences and Weathers agreed
to allow footage of him from previous films to be used throughout Creed (2015).
Weathers portrayed the father of Michael Strahan and Daryl "Chill" Mitchell's characters on the short-lived 2009 Fox sitcom Brothers. Weathers acted as Brian "Gebo" Fitzgerald in advertising for Old Spice's sponsorship of NASCAR driver Tony Stewart.
He also appeared in an ongoing series of web-only advertisements for
Credit Union of Washington, dispensing flowers and the advice that
"change is beautiful" to puzzled-looking bystanders. He also starred in a
series of commercials for Bud Light,
in which he introduced plays from the "Bud Light Playbook." At the
conclusion of each commercial, Weathers could be seen bursting through
the Bud Light Playbook and shouting "Here we go!"
In 2019, Weathers appeared as Greef Karga in several episodes of the first season of the Star Wars series, The Mandalorian. He returned for the second season and also directed the episode "Chapter 12: The Siege". He returned for season 3 and directed the episode "Chapter 20: The Foundling". His performance earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor.
Based upon recently declassified files of the British War Department and inspired by true events, THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE is an action-comedy that tells the story of the first-ever special forces organization formed during WWII by UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a small group of military officials including author Ian Fleming. The top-secret combat unit, composed of a motley crew of rogues and mavericks, goes on a daring mission against the Nazis using entirely unconventional and utterly “ungentlemanly” fighting techniques. Ultimately their audacious approach changed the course of the war and laid the foundation for the British SAS and modern Black Ops warfare.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare – In theaters April 19
Starring Henry Cavill, Eiza González, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Babs Olusanmokun, Henrique Zaga, Til Schweiger, with Henry Golding, and Cary Elwes.
In a world where the Demon King has died, a host of demigods capable of felling him have inherited the world. A master fencer who can figure out how to take out their opponents with a single glance; a lancer so swift they can break the sound barrier; a wyvern rogue who fights with three legendary weapons at once; an all-powerful wizard who can speak thoughts into being; an angelic assassin who deals instant death. Eager to attain the title of "True Hero," these champions each pursue challenges against formidable foes and spark conflicts among themselves. The battle to determine the mightiest of the mighty begins.
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