Forum - View topicNEWS: Speed Racer Ends U.S. Opening Weekend with US$18.6M
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DrSlump
Posts: 17 |
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http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080507/REVIEWS/115192456/1023 Ebert rates it 1.5 stars. I wouldn't consider that raving, at least in the good sense. |
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GATSU
Posts: 15298 |
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That's not Ebert.
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kgw
 Posts: 1057 Location: Spain, EU |
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About overseas: here Speed Racer was called "Meteoro" (take last "o" and you'll understand the title) when it was broadcasted a looong, long time ago. Basically, nobody remembers it, because it didn't leave any impression.
You guys, in the U.S. have had a ton of Speed Racer reruns, but it means nothing else in other countries (our anime "chidhood myth" is Mazinger Z) So, we just got a hiper-speeded movie with gaudy cars & fancy moves by the "Matrix" brothers. So it's natural it has no hype here. At least we know who Iron Man is. |
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Mohawk52
 Posts: 8202 Location: England, UK |
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Here's what one UK critic said at inthenews.co.uk
He also said
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jdnation
Posts: 1995 |
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I managed to see this in IMAX.
Don't believe the critics, this movie is a LOT better than they make it seem. In fact I absolutely loved it! If audiences just tried it I bet a lot of them would be pleased. Speed Racer is definately a heck of a lot better and has more story and characterization than other comparable films like Sin City and 300. The only difference is the cheesy comedy for a kids film which isn't that bad, in fact a lot is pretty funny! At worst it drags a bit in the middle, but once you get past that and the big races start up the movie is INSANE right to the end!!! The experience may be too overwhelming for many people due to the visuals. So if you feel you're one of those people then it's best to skip IMAx and sit in teh back row of a smaller theatre or definately pick it up on DVD, though I'd highly suggest a blu-ray copy and an HDTV with surround sound! The 7 min clip that WB released that you can watch on the internet in 1080p quicktime HD played amazingly well, but those same 7 mins in IMAX were pretty overwhelming even for me at times! 
Definately not for the faint of heart! So choose the best experience for you for this sort of movie IMAX, regular theatre or HDTV... depending on how comfortable you are with it, but whatever the case I highly encourage everyone to give this movie a shot! |
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Goodpenguin
Posts: 457 Location: Hunt Valley, MD |
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The issue there is if a director/fan is left in the position of saying "Let me explain to you why you should like this movie", that usually speaks to something lacking in the finished product. Even if a person is unfamiliar with manga (and I thought 'Speed Racer' was copying an anime aesthetic? There seems to be a bit of 'goalpost-shifting' in regards to this movie's aims somewhat), if the general 'manga form' is innately a visual success then people watching the movie should appreciate the style even if they are unfamiliar with the origins. There are occasionally very good movies whose artistic design run ahead of their time in regards to public perceptions, like a 'Night of the Hunter', but I don't think that condition really applies to 'Speed Racer'. 'Speed Racer' isn't an avant-garde showpiece, it's a well-meaning pop experiment that unfortunately runs too long, and leaves it's visuals dialed to 'Spinal Tap 11' too much (and continues the directors streak of perhaps being a little too pleased with themselves). Very much worth a watch though, especially if one is a fan of visually driven movies. Beyond all the 'inside baseball' fan-related reasons, I simply wonder if this project badly over-projected public interest in the 'Speed Racer' brand. I may be wrong on this, but I thought this project had been kicking around since the mid-90's, with various starts and stops. The mid-late 90's saw a pretty big 'pop nostalgia' current that would explain the films genesis, but a decade later that nostalgia's not the same, and I've never had the sense 'Speed Racer' had the cultural penetration it was being purported to have. |
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GATSU
Posts: 15298 |
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AICN talks to Hirsch.
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Moomintroll
 Posts: 1600 Location: Nottingham (UK) |
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The company that essentially created the UK anime market back in the 1980s and 90s was Manga. Consequently, it's not unusual for British people of a certain age who aren't specifically anime fans but recall Manga releases like Akira and Ghost in the Shell (film reviewers, for instance) to confuse the terms "anime" and "manga". Doesn't happen nearly as often as it used to but it does still occur and I'm guessing it's what happened in the review Mohawk52 quoted. Alternatively, he may just have been using "manga" as shorthand for "Japanese pop culture aesthetic". Either way, I wouldn't read too much into it if I were you. |
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Hexon.Arq
 Posts: 79 |
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Why the hell are Jim Emerson reviews being posted on Roger Ebert's homepage? I understand the substitution in the paper (or at least I thought I did :S), but I do not visit Ebert on the internet to read what Jimmy-Jam thinks of X or Y.
slickwataris, link pl0x, my friend. Or pasta, I don't care. Also, SR was sincerely the most fun I've had at the movies since my grandpa took me to see the first Matrix movie. Hell, it's probably the most fun I've had at the movies since my mom and aunt took me to see Who Framed Roger Rabbit at the drive-in and I played with the pizza box and a Boba Fett. |
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GATSU
Posts: 15298 |
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Hexon: Ebert's recovering from throat cancer surgery.
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Hexon.Arq
Posts: 79 |
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I know that. But he finds the time to review other films, and if his condition leaves him overextended then I strongly feel that empty space would be preferable. I've read many reviews by Jim Emerson via my newspaper, and frankly, I think the guy's a big bag of shit-scented wind; not only do I often disagree with him, but on some occasions his opinions have been miles from those of Roger Ebert. I just think that a website devoted to Roger Ebert should host only reviews given by the man himself, or nothing at all regarding a film he hasn't gotten to. I understand why his spot has been filled by Emerson in print, what with deadlines and all, but to me a website sort of implies a different expectation of authenticity, with no pressing need for assisted representation. Even if Emerson lauded Speed Racer and gave it a million stars, his presence on the website as anything but editor almost feels like a stain. |
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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I don't really follow you on how those are comparable. Sure they're all very stylized but in rather different ways and outside of that they're practically day and night. |
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jdnation
Posts: 1995 |
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Those bits about story and characters are important. Many criticized Speed Racer for those very things but at the same time hypocritically lauded movies like Sin City and 300 despite that they have less of that content than Speed Racer. |
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Hexon.Arq
Posts: 79 |
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The bottom like may end up being that it was all just sour grapes resulting from a bunch of old farts getting migraines. Either that or the cult of originality suddenly stepped up its benefits package. I generally don't make a stink when a movie I like gets bad reviews because I can usually admit when it's bad. But other than the one legitimate and one facetious reason above, I just can't process why some reactions to this one were quite as negative as they were. Nasty, even. In any event, it's probably going to kill on Blu-Ray. |
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ikillchicken
Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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What content specifically do you mean though? If you're just talking about it in general then it isn't really accurate. It's not just about the pure volume of story and characterization. It's whether the story and characters are any good or not. |
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