[EMAIL PROTECTED] I've seen two different trailers for this and its definitely on my must see list. The dazzling colors alone fascinate me! Cheers! Amy
> By Dreddcucumber of CPC Movies > > Born to race cars, Speed Racer is aggressive, instinctive and, most of > all, > fearless. His only real competition is the memory of the brother he > idolized > - the legendary Rex Racer, whose death in a race has left behind a legacy > that Speed is driven to fulfill. Speed is loyal to the family racing > business, led by his father, Pops Racer, the designer of Speed's > thundering > Mach 5. When Speed turns down a lucrative and tempting offer from Royalton > Industries, he not only infuriates the company's maniacal owner but > uncovers > a terrible secret - some of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful > of ruthless moguls who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits. If > Speed > won't drive for Royalton, Royalton will see to it that the Mach 5 never > crosses another finish line. The only way for Speed to save his family's > business and the sport he loves is to beat Royalton at his own game. With > the support of his family and his loyal girlfriend, Trixie, Speed teams > with > his one-time rival - the mysterious Racer X - to win the race that had > taken > his brother's life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The > Crucible. > > Speed Racer is based on the original cartoon 'Mach Go Go Go', so as with a > lot of these type of conversions to screen you don't hold out a lot ofhope > of them actually being any good. But for one minute hold onto that > thought. > This film has been created by The Wachowski Brothers who gave us The > Matrix. > So you know you are not in for just a straight cartoon to big screen > version. Oh no, this time we get their latest bag of tricks called 21/2-D > Technology, which is a style, where the actors work with 360 green screen. > High Def is used to capture the locvales and then it all is all put into > the > wrap around sets. Awesome effect it is too. SO back to the original > point... Is it another dull conversion? > > Well, the answer is sometimes. Visually this movie is an awesome > spectacle. > The races are truly adreneline pumping, it's all so fast you'll get out of > breath watching it. The best way to possibly describe it is MarioKart > blended with Tron. In fact certain sequences looked like they were an > upgraded version of the light cycles! Unfortunatly, the plot and script > are > wafer thin and the script is absolutely dire in places. But this is > lifted > from a cartoon so it can almost be forgiven. The cast do the best they > can > with what they have been given, although when all you really have to do is > pull faces to a green screen, it's not a lot to work with. When your in > danger of being upstaged by a chimp called Chim Chim, you know the effects > are going to have be spectacular. Despite this though both Christinna > Ricci > and Matthew Fox excel. Emile Hirsch as Speed Racer, does what is required > and will not be setting the world alight with this role, does however play > his role well. Susan Saradon and John Goodman however barely get out of > first gear and look like they are as much in awe of the visual effects as > we > are. > > Is it worth seeing then? Well, yes despite its failings in the plot and > scripting dept. It is a kids/family movie and that is squarely where it's > pitched at. Any child with more than a passing facination with Hot Wheels > will lap this up. > > Once again despite it's weaknesses, it's strengths (namely the visuals and > the races) far, far outweigh them. This has to be seen on a big screen to > fully get the feel of the glory of the adreneline -soaked races. If you > can > see it in digital all the more better for you. Speed Racer may not be the > best blockbuster this summer, but it will be one of the guiltiest > pleasures > you will see. Go, Go, Go! > > http://www.cpcmovies.com/?q=node/386 > ============================= > > Dear Harry, > > I'm a long-time reader, but this is only the second review I've written > for > Ain't It Cool. The first was a review for "The Passion of the Christ" a > few > years ago when I saw an advance preview for pastors at Willow Creek > Community Church in Chicago. The other day I got a surprise invitation > from > my brother to see "Speed Racer" here in St. Louis. He's on staff at a > church > in the area, where I also attend, and a gentleman in the church has a > daughter who works for a PR firm that represents Warner Bros. They were > putting on a screening here in St. Louis, and she was allowed to invite a > few people. > > The screening was held at the Des Peres 14 Cinema on the west side of St. > Louis. This particular theatre is also the headquarters for the Wehrenberg > theatre chain that has many locations in the area. We arrived a little > before 10 a.m., met the gentleman's daughter who had invited us, and were > escorted through a series of halls featuring all kinds of memorabilia. We > didn't have time to look at it very long, but I remember seeing posters > and > other items related to "Star Wars," "Gone with the Wind," and "Psycho." > There was also a life-sized stuffed lion. I'm pretty sure that wasn't > connected to "Star Wars." > > We reached the theatre and went inside. It was a small room with about 30 > comfortable seats and a small conference table down front. There were a > grand total of seven of us in the room. The projectionist came in and > asked > if we were ready, and the movie began. I'll give my thoughts on several > aspects of the film: > > STORY - If you're reading this review, you probably already know the > story. > For those who don't, I'll summarize: As his name suggests, Speech Racer > (Emile Hirsch) thinks about one thing: racing. He comes by it naturally, > since it's a family affair. His Dad (John Goodman) runs an independent > racing team. His Mom (Susan Sarandon), younger brother Spritle (along with > his pet monkey Chim-Chim) and girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci) all > contribute in their own ways. Speed's older brother Rex was presumably > killed in a racing accident years earlier. When the head of the giant > Royalton corporation tries to persuade Speed Racer to sell out and join > his > team, the answer is a clear "no," which doesn't go down well. Speed Racer > sneaks off to participate in a race, and Royalton and his racing thugs try > to take him down. The rest of the story consists of Speed Racer and his > family taking on Royalton to expose his corruption and win the ultimate > victory in the Grand Prix race. Along the way Speed is assisted by the > mysteries Racer X (Matthew Fox). > > ACTING - I don't know what I was expecting, but I was surprised at the > level > of acting. The original material isn't exactly Shakespeare. But I was > taken > aback and how well the family drama played, especially the tension between > Pops (the Dad) and his sons Speed and Rex (via flashback). Perhaps because > I > have a 4-year old son myself, I thought this was actually one of the most > effective elements in the movie. Susan Sarandon and Christina Ricci do > well > in their roles, although they aren't really the focus. The movie is > obviously geared toward the 12-year old crowd, since Spritle and his money > are featured generously throughout. Emile Hirsch also gives a surprisingly > emotional performance in what could easily be a cartoon caricature. > > VISUALS - What would a Wachowski Bros. movie be without cool special > effects? The most noticeable thing that sets the visuals apart is the > bright > color palette. This is a direct contrast to all of the deep, dark > depressing > movies these days. It is a visual opposite to "The Dark Knight." The > colors > are bright and in your face. I give the directors props for doing > something > different here. But could they do something different with racing scenes? > In > a word-yes! The racing is very creative, and even though it's not > realistic > in any sense (and it doesn't need to be), they somehow managed to put > things > on screen we've never seen before. The cars, particularly the Mach 5 and > Mach 6, are extremely cool. I felt like a little kid again seeing them on > screen. > > RATING - I mention the rating not because it's a particular concern to > anyone reading this site, but because I was surprised at the language in > the > film. There are a few mild expletives, and Spritle gives a bad guy the > "finger" in one scene. I was under the impression the movie was going to > be > rated G, and this will surely be a PG. > > Overall, I give the movie and thumbs up for providing a fun film that is > mostly family-friendly. Don't expect anything vastly deep or meaningful > from > the movie-it's just Speed Racer. But it's sure a lot of fun. By the way, > the > gentleman's daughter (who was the PR rep) mentioned something about > setting > up screenings for "The Dark Knight" in IMAX. If I'm lucky enough to see > that > one, I'll be sure and send a review. > > If you use this, call me "Music Prof." > > http://www.aintitcool.com/node/36544 > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > ------------------------------------ > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG. > Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.5/1401 - Release Date: 4/28/2008 > 7:18 AM > >
