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  • Speed Racer

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    REELZ REVIEW
    "The race for worst movie of 2008 starts here. Go Speed Racer GO!..."  [more]
    — Jeff Otto

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    • Jason666

      05/07/08 03:13 PM
      I dont know but i do like the wachowski brothers who made the matrix.So, maybe this would be a good action film
      Review Rating: +1
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    • Jeff Otto

      ReelzChannel.com, May 07, 2008
      The race for worst movie of 2008 starts here. Go Speed Racer GO!


      I was never a huge fan of the '60s Speed Racer cartoon. To tell you the truth, I'm not truly convinced anyone was. Sure, I understand the feelings of nostalgia people have for this little piece of pop culture kitsch, but was anyone truly a Speed Racer fanatic? Hold that thought... Was anyone not consuming mass quantities of hallucinogenic drugs truly a Speed Racer fanatic?


      Speed Racer is the first movie from the Wachowski siblings since 2003's highly disappointing back-to-back Matrix sequels. Emile Hirsch is Speed Racer, Christina Ricci is Trixie, Susan Sarandon is Mom, John Goodman is Pops and Matthew Fox is Racer X.


      Based on the popular '60s cartoon, the update is exceptionally loyal to the psychedelic colors and nonsensical plotlines of the show. Characters speak in clichés, major story points are omitted with careless abandon and colors flash by at an alarming pace that would likely kill the seizure-prone right on the spot.


      As a showcase of visual effects work, Speed Racer succeeds... Or perhaps as background fodder in an opium den. In every other sense, it fails. At two hours and 15 minutes, it's far too long, especially for something aimed at kids. The pacing is extremely uneven, with climax after climax indicating a merciful ending that feels like it's never going to come. Return of the King might have had 15 endings, but at least it was a quality epic. What's your excuse Speed Racer?


      As I mentioned, the visuals are cool, but they're also overdone. The bright, retina-burning world gets tiresome within the first 15 minutes. By the end, you almost forget that there were real people in the movie at all. Perhaps this is my cynicism, but for me this kind of overuse of CG effects work removes the audience from any kind of human connection with the characters involved. I was just picturing the cast sitting in front of green screens holding steering wheels all day.


      Hirsch, Ricci, Sarandon, Goodman and even the chimp give spirited performances and all are extremely committed to delivering the most loyal homage to the cartoon characters imaginable. Paulie Litt is completely annoying as Spritle, but to be fair, I think he's also being very loyal to the completely annoying character from the show.


      It's now been nine years since the Wachoski's did The Matrix and they are starting to look like one-trick ponies. Their other directorial effort, Bound, was decent but certainly nothing to write home about. So that's one home run in five times out which is good for a .200 average and a trip to the minors in baseball.


      Speed Racer feels as though the Wachowski siblings made it solely for themselves. At the screening last night, even kids were falling asleep. The parents in the row in front of me had to take their rugrats home midway through. I'd wager that anyone not still riveted by Baby Einstein is going to have a tough time with this one.


      ReelzChannel Rating:  2

  • 35 photos. Click to enlarge.

    • lanthony

      03/05/08 08:28 PM
      Although the trailer of this Wachowski-Brothers-helmed action movie (based on the popular 60s anime cartoon) left me with questions about some of the action sequences shown in the trailer, the movie itself looks like a fun, fast-paced action film the whole family. It has a great cast and the visual and special effects shown are very stylish and almost realistiic. I really like how the new and improved Mach 5 appears and Emile Hirsch seems comfortable playing the title character in this film. If Speed Racer is marketed the correct way, all I'll have to say is... GO SPEED RACER,GO FOR YOUR BOX OFFICE GOLD AT THE FINISH LINE!!!
      Review Rating: +1
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    • Jason666

      05/07/08 03:13 PM
      I dont know but i do like the wachowski brothers who made the matrix.So, maybe this would be a good action film
      Review Rating: +1
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MOVIE NEWS

Monday, May 12

Friday, May 9

  • Iron Man Set to Crush Speed Racer This Weekend

    Fan interest in Speed Racer seemed high a few months back, but its been dwindling heading up to today's release. Critical reaction has been extremely poor with 129 critics on Rotten Tomatoes scoring the expensive blockbuster a lowly 35 percent.

    This weekend Iron Man looks to be the flick of choice once again. Fans who didn't check it out last week will likely pick it over Speed Racer and some may even choose a second viewing of the Marvel superhero flick over a first viewing of the kiddie racing pic.

    Early box office analysis has Iron Man predicted to bring in just under $50 million this weekend while Racer is looking at a take in the low $30's. We'll have the full report on Monday.


    Posted 05/09/2008 by Jeff

    Speed Racer | Iron Man

  • Speed Racer: Early Fan Reviews

    ReelzChannel's Fan*tastic Summer

    Speed Racer: Early Fan Reviews Critics have been pretty harsh on Speed Racer, but that didn't stop fans from dressing up and coming out for the first showing last night and we were there to get their first reaction to the movie.

    Next week ReelzChannel's Fan*tastic Summer continues when we'll be at the first showing of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.


    Next Showing: Speed Racer in theaters nationwide. Check showtimes.

    Posted 05/09/2008 by Dack

    Speed Racer

Thursday, May 8

  • ReelzChannel.com's Movie Car Buyer's Guide

    How much can you expect to pay for your favorite movie ride and what options might that package include?

    In the market for a Deloreon with a pre-installed Flux Capacitor? Want a car that kills off your enemies? Need oil-slick deployers or bulletproof windshields to thwart a drive-by? Maybe there's a massive staircase that would be the perfect shortcut to work if only your darn car would fit. Or perhaps you're just looking for a ride with a decent stereo to cruise the town while head-banging to some "Bohemian Rhapsody?"

    Any way you look at it, ReelzChannel.com has you covered with our Movie Car Buyer's Guide.


    Posted 05/08/2008 by Jeff

    Back to the Future | Speed Racer: The IMAX Experience | Speed Racer | Ferris Bueller's Day Off | Herbie: Fully Loaded

Wednesday, May 7

  • Speed Racer Review

    Does Speed Racer live up to the hype? Do the Wachowski siblings return to form after the terrible Matrix sequels? Do fans of psycostimulanting material have a new go-to flick?

    All your questions will be answered in our full review of Speed Racer.

    Speed Racer hits screens this Friday, May 9th.


    Posted 05/07/2008 by Jeff

    Speed Racer

Wednesday, April 30

  • Speed Racer pix

    Speed Racer may not come out until next week, but we've got the pictures for your now--and boy are they cool.

    Check out our 35 new stills of the Wachowskis' super-saturated version of the cartoon classic in our Speed Racer photo gallery.


    Next Showing: Speed Racer drives into theaters May 9, 2008.

    Speed Racer trailer

    The Wachowskis Direct - Releasing May 9, 2008

    Posted 04/30/2008 by Heather

    Speed Racer

Thursday, April 24

Wednesday, April 2

Thursday, January 10

Saturday, December 8

  • Go Speed Racer, GO!!!

    We've got the new Speed Racer trailer and I've gotta say, wow. It could either be the coolest thing ever or it could be a total debacle, but make no mistake about it, it's definitely different.

    Fans of the cartoon should be ecstatic. It looks as close as I could have imagined to a perfect realization of that look in live action form.

    Check it out! 


    Posted 12/08/2007 by Jeff

    Speed Racer

Tuesday, September 18

  • Hirsch Talks Speed Racer

    ReelzChannel was on hand today at the junket for Into the Wild in Los Angeles. The film promises to be a break out of sorts, at least critically, for star Emile Hirsch. His commercial breakout, Speed Racer, is finishing production now with a tentpole release slated for next summer.

    The young actor spoke briefly about his role as Speed Racer today: "One of the crazy things about Speed Racer was I went from being outdoors, beautiful nature shots, to not one scene do I shoot outdoors in Speed Racer. Everything is on a green screen stage. It was like being in a sauna and then jumping into an icebath for three and a half months. They both have their advantages. The green screen is certainly a lot safer."

    "I think people should expect something very special out of the Wachowski brothers on Speed Racer. I think that they really reinvented themselves. It's nothing like The Matrix, [it] doesn't look like The Matrix. It is its own new movie, and that was something very important to them, that they bring something new to the character."

    Hirsch himself admits to being a fan of the show as a kid. He firmly believes the new movie will please fans of the show. "I used to watch Speed Racer as a kid. Go Speed Racer! [Fans] will be very, very happy. They'll be more than happy. They'll be ecstatic."

    When asked whether the film will have a camp element to it like the show, Hirsch smirks. "Well, you'll have to see about that."


    Reelz Clip

    Dailies made the trip to Berlin to talk with the cast.

    Posted 09/18/2007 by Jeff

    Andy Wachowski | Larry Wachowski | Emile Hirsch | Speed Racer

Sunday, August 26

  • Susan Sarandon reveals details on the look of Speed Racer

    At yesterday's junket for In the Valley of ElahSusan Sarandon dropped some serious info on the revolutionary techniques the Wachowski brothers are using to film Speed Racer.

    "They’re using some high-def thing that comes with guards," she said. "They’re layering film so that the front and the back are in focus like a cartoon and they’re also doing two-dimensional and three-dimensional stuff and mixing. And everything is very, very saturated with some new kind of film, so they actually have to treat the actors in some way so we can hold our own with the background. So it’s every color that wasn’t in The Matrix is seriously in this film."

    Sarandon also added that part of the reason she decided to take her role in Speed Racer is because she had no idea what the Wachowski brothers were doing with it and she was game to find out. Said Sarandon: "I just thought, 'When am I ever going to get a chance to be up to my neck in something I understand so little about?'"


    Exclusive Speed Racer preview

    Dailies made the trip to Berlin to talk with the cast.

    Posted 08/26/2007 by Heather

    Speed Racer

Friday, July 27

  • LIVE FROM COMIC-CON: WARNER BROS. PRESENTATION

    Jeff Otto here at Hall H at Comic-Con with live updates from the Warner Bros. presentation.

    Things just got rolling here and we were shown about 5 minutes from Get Smart. The footage looks great. Tons of laughs, lots of action. It ended with a scene in which Carell, as Maxwell smart, vomits in an airplane he is piloting. The vomit bag comes open and vomit goes everywhere. Big Applause.

    Now director Pete Segal, The Rock, Steve Carell, Ken Davidian (Azamat from Borat) and a few other cast members have come out.

    Carell, joking, says that Pete Segal never wore pants or underwear on set. "I found that funny," says Carell.

    "Especially because he wanted us to call him Big Pete," says the Rock. Big laughs.

    A nervous fan is taking forever to ask a question.

    Carell interupts, yelling "ASK THE QUESTION! ASK THE QUESTION! WE DON'T HAVE ALL DAY HERE!"

    Greeting from Nicole Kidman has been taped and is airing for Invasion.

    "It's an interesting twist on the original," Kidman says of Invasion.

    Clip from Invasion now. Footage looks all right, but nothing major. Very quick.

    Now we are seeing footage from an upcoming horror movie called One Missed Call. It's met with rather lukewarm applause.

    Now the stars Shannyn Sossman and Ed Burns have joined for a Q & A.

    Burns is asked about a sequel to Confidence.

    "Like most of the films I'm in, it came out and died at the box office, so that pretty much killed any sequel." Lots of laughs.

    Now we are getting the world premiere of Roland Emmerich's 10,000 B.C. It looks like Apocalypto meets Jurassic Park. Very tepid reaction from the crowd.

    Footage from Whiteout... Again kind of mixed reactions.

    Joel Silver is out for a Q & A now.

    Silver on Speed Racer: "The races are just unbelievable."

    Kate Beckinsale is supposed to be here, but isn't showing up. They show the Whiteout footage again. People still seem unimpressed.

    Finally, Silver disappears and returns with Beckinsale. Almost looks to be pushing her out.

    Kate is asked about playing Catwoman, which she says she'd consider. She's not sure about more black latex.

    The panel seems to go on forever and people are getting restless. We want The Dark Knight!

    Now footage from Trick 'R Treat. Actually looks pretty cool.

    It's time for Watchmen! And here's Zack Snyder!

    Snyder is saying that Watchmen will reflect the time in which it was made rather than directly referencing the current political climate.

    He verifies it's an R-rated superhero movie. "Are there other R-rated superhero movies?" Snyder says. "It's an adult movie, whatever that means. If you call me an adult, which is a mistake... I'm not going to make it accessable to teenyboppers."

    "We have a lot of sets that we are building in Vancouver. We have a New York City backdrop... We are not going to Mars, which I know if going to disappoint some people... I promise you, if we could, we would. They will not spend the money to send the crew to Mars on an R-rated movie." (Laughs)

    He says he cast actors in the middle of the age range of the characters so that he could age them up and down.

    "Manhattan needed to be more than a man... When he grows to 200 feet and he's tromping through the jungles of Vietnam, you've got to buy that and believe it."

    Some of the cast is coming out. Malin Ackerman (Entourage), who plays Laurie, and Jackie Earle Hayley, who plays Rorschach, join the panel.

    Questions about Alan Moore's participation. He is not involved and his name is not on the project. Snyder hopes he will check it out at some point and he hopes he's happy with it, but he understands why Moore has said "F**k Hollywood" up to this point.

    Snyder has one last surprise. It's the poster and they are giving it out. It's a drawing from the comic. It has the date: 03.06.09 - DC will have it here at the Con.

    And that's it from the Warner's panel. More to come in a bit.


    Posted 07/27/2007 by Jeff

    Steve Carell | The Rock | Peter Segal | Dwayne ``The Rock'' Johnson | Get Smart | The Invasion | Speed Racer | The Dark Knight | I Am Legend | Watchmen

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