Speed Racer
May 13, 2008
--
Emile Hirsch ("Into the Wild") stars as Speed Racer, driver of the Mach 5 racecar. From the time that Speed is a little boy, it's clear that racing's in his blood. Based on the classic Japanese cartoon, Speed sets out to avenge the tarnished legacy of his brother and clean up the racing business while not selling out to the sinister racing conglomerate Royalton Industries.
The Wachowskis, creators of the Matrix films, set the bar mixing computer special effects with live action to create a world that resembles a box of crayons on LSD, but is a visual fun ride. After failing to make Speed part of his corporate machine, Royalton vows to destroy his family by any means necessary. Speed joins with Inspector Detector, the mysterious Racer X (played with a relaxed coolness by Matthew Fox) and Taejo (Korean heartthrob Rain) to bring Royalton down, but just as with racing, Speed finds out that not all is what it seems.
The story is far more fleshed out than the cartoon thanks to a strong performance by John Goodman as Pops Racer. Susan Sarandon is serviceable as Speed's mom, but you can tell she's had no connection to the character and seems to be phoning it in. Christina Ricci as Trixie reminds guys of when we thought girls were cute instead of 'hot'. Paulie Litt is Speed Racer's younger brother Spritle and steals a scene or two as only a spunky kid (with his pet monkey Chim Chim) can do.
At 136 minutes, the movie runs a little long, but is fast paced enough to keep you and the 8 year old next to you thoroughly entertained. Go, Speed Racer, go!
Speed Racer is rated PG for action, some violence, language and brief smoking.
Billy Tatum gives "Speed Racer" --- 5 Scoops.
May 12, 2008
Naturally, Iron Man took the top spot with 50 million but Speed Racer and What Happens in Vegas which opened this weekend didn't fall too far behind. Here's the box office recap:
1- Iron Man--$50,500,000
2-Speed Racer--$20,210,000
3-What Happens in Vegas--$20,000,000
4-Made of Honor--$7,600,000
5-Baby Mama--$5,766,000
6-Forgetting Sarah Marshall--$3,778,000
7-Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay-- $3,155,000
8-The Forbidden Kingdom--$1,900,000
9-Nim's Island--$1,325,000
10-Redbelt--$1,140,000
11-Prom Night--$1,050,000
12-21--$835,000
May 9, 2008
Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz mistakenly get hitched after a night Vegas debauchery, only to win a Vegas jackpot together.
Speed Racer:
The classic cartoon series comes to life, with fearless driver Speed and his Mach 5 battling villains and racing for the finish line.
April 21, 2008
Image by PR Photos
If you haven’t heard of Speed Racer, here's the scoop. It's a live action film adaptation of the 1960's Japanese animated series Speed Racer. 'Into The Wild' star Emile Hirsch takes on the role as Speed, the hero of the animated series, and Christina Ricci portrays Speed's girlfriend, Trixie.
SR was produced in Germany at Babelsberg Studios, where filming took place entirely against a green screen. The movie was also filmed in high-definition, using a layering method to put both the foreground and the background of scenes in focus to have a real-life anime appearance.
Speed Racer will race into theatres on May 9, 2008. To check out the colorful movie trailer check out the video below.
January 4, 2008
From writer/directors Larry and Andy Wachowski, the creators of the "The Matrix" trilogy, and producer Joel Silver comes "Speed Racer." The film stars Emile Hirsch as Speed, Christina Ricci as Trixie, Matthew Fox as Racer X, and Susan Sarandon and John Goodman as Mom and Pops Racer.
Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is a natural behind the wheel. Born to race cars, Speed 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 (John Goodman), 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 (Roger Allam) 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 (Christina Ricci), Speed teams with his one-time rival—the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox)—to win the race that had taken his brother's life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible. Based on the classic series created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida, the live-action "Speed Racer" will showcase the kind of revolutionary visual effects and cutting-edge storytelling that have become the benchmarks of the Wachowski brothers' films.
Slated for release on May 9, 2008.
Read more Speed Racer News
