'Speed Racer' Sputters, Raising Promotional Issues

Will Warner Bros. Find a Way to Appease Marketers Who Partnered With the Blockbuster Gone Bust?

Speed Racer" was meant to be one of the summer's brightest vehicles, a resplendent return to form for the billion-dollar "Matrix" visionaries Larry and Andy Wachowski. It was also intended to recast the infamous blood-and-bullets Joel Silver, of the wildly profitable "Die Hard" and "Lethal Weapon" film franchises, as a kid-friendly producer. And, finally, "Speed Racer" was to have been another perfect summer thoroughbred for consumer brands -- including McDonald's, Target, General Mills, Lego, Yokohama tires, Esurance and Puma -- to climb onto.

In the end, it would do none of those things.

Review: 'SPEED RACER' Original Soundtrack

(via iFMagazine.com) With his comic book heroics for THE INCREDIBLES, the energetic espionage of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3, a “Roar”-ing Godzilla salute in CLOVERFIELD and the Parisian rodent swing of RATATOUILLE, Michael Giacchino is rapidly proving himself as the composer for Hollywood’s pop throwbacks, showing a real intelligence and creative drive as he soups up old musical jalopies into retro score wonders.

Now Giacchino’s been given animation’s most iconic cartoon car, a Mach 5 made as “real” as the Wachowski Brothers will allow in their visually overwhelming take on SPEED RACER. Going on their psychedelic ride will be a love / hate joyride for many viewers over the age of eight, as they see a favorite childhood show done with equal amounts of flashy coolness and mind-bending idiocy.

But that’s not even talking about the film’s roaring sound effects, which often make hearing Giacchino’s nearly non-stop score as challenging as trying to listen to a string quartet at the Indy 500. While Giacchino’s music definitely does the laps for the film itself (when he isn’t encouraging the worst excesses of Chim-Chim and Spritle), SPEED RACER’s score proves to be a far more enjoyable, and audible experience on its own CD. It’s as energizing a ride as any musically re-tooled cartoon standard can hope for, and that’s no doubt due to Giacchino’s stated love for Nobuyoshi Koshibe’s original scoring on TV’s SPEED RACER.

Koshibie’s great theme song was a memorable combo of go-go 60’s pop and jazz-inflected Spanish rhythms, an anime take on Herb Alpert if you will. And where most composers wouldn’t want to tread in somebody else’s main title (especially one that’s as memorable to cartoon geeks as “My Way” is to Sinatra fans), Giacchino dives into Koshibe’s SPEED sound with a wonderful enthusiasm, and infinite variety. “I Am Speed” turns its opening phrase into magical, symphonically whirling anticipation. “Go Speed, Go!” spins it as a breakneck military march that erupts into cliffhanging hijinks. Techno-orchestral suspense builds with playful Asian percussion as the theme bubbles through the Mach-building montage of “32 Hours.”

And you’d think you were hearing Handel’s “Messiah” as the theme bursts into the heavens with a twinkling orchestra and the choral hosannas of “Let Us Drink Milk.” And to cap off the Koshibie fest, Giacchino’s ends the album with a “Speed Racer” rendition that samples the original song, and then overdubs it with a hot brass rhythm section, singers belting out lyrics in the original Japanese, and the sprinting Mach 5 sound FX. A composer’s fanboy love doesn’t get more obvious, or cooler than this. (+continue)

The Speed Racer Situation

Go Speed Racer!

Moriarty at AICN is in the same boat as I am. We both really liked Speed Racer and believe it's a fun movie that must be seen on the big screen. So, why is it doing bad at the box office?

There seems to be a lot of finger pointing and second guessing. Moriarty sat down with Speed Racer producer Joel Silver to go over some of those details. Going through the reviews and user comments there seems to be a few issues that stand out the most.

1. Target Audience. People were mixed about the adult nature of the Wachowski Bros. (Matrix, Bound) directing a "family" film. People seem readily confused as to whether Speed Racer was going to be a kids movie or more adult oriented. This is the biggest concern that I have seen.
   
2. The Trailer. Even with all the blitz in advertising I still see a lot of people comment that they just didn't get excited with the trailer.
   
3. Star Power. Simply put, Emile Hirsch is a great actor but he doesn't have the strength to carry a movie. Personally, I liked him as Speed and it's hard to immagine someone else taking on that role better than he did. Plus, is interaction with Pops (John Goodman) was great.
4. People forgot about Speed Racer. Sounds silly but as I was talking with some people we noticed there really wasn't a push to bring back the Speed Racer cartoons we all grew up with. After the movie we saw some ads for a tacky, new Speed Racer cartoon but if you're going to adapt a movie you'd think one of the networks would jump on airing the old cartoons to wet our appetite. In high school I remember it playing regularly nightly on either MTV or Nick at Night. Where was that push?
   
5. Read the comments on this MTV movie blog to see some more. They posted the question on "why didn't you go?" and it really helped shed some light on the subject.
   

DJ Heinlein at Matte Havoc believes it is the studio system to blame for the bad opening of Speed Racer. He talks about the bad decision of opening after a potential block-buster in Iron Man (officially a block-buster now!) and the bad TV spots/trailers. Be sure to check out his blog on the subject at: Matte Havoc: Speed Racer, the Cinematic Victim

Of personal note, I would have loved to see more focus put on the technology to make the film rather than the cheesy promotions on cereal boxes and juice bottles. I know, I know. The producers were going after a family audience but the film making of Speed Racer will go unnoticed by so many people. The full-focus camera work and CG-style of Speed Racer is fantastic and I can't imagine anyone getting a lift out of it on a small TV screen. If you get a chance be sure to take a trip to the theater to check out the Speed Racer movie. It is truly live-action anime.

Dazzling Imax Imagery with Speed Racer

Speed Racer is out in theaters this past weekend but don't forget that you can catch the flick in the beauty of IMax. After watching Speed Racer this weekend I must say that I thouroughly enjoyed the movie and it is what the producers promised it to be: a live action cartoon.

I wished I could have seen Speed Racer in IMax because the film is so colorful and bright that so much detailed flew by. The cartoon characters translate directly into the film with such comic goodness it reminded me of the Dick Tracy movie awhile back.

Speed Racer is brightly played by Emile Hirsch who has won me over in the last few years with roles in Alpha Dog and Into the Wild. Everyone fills into the world of Speed Racer nicely but I have to give kudos to John Goodman for his stern performance as Pops Racer.

Throw in some ninjas, a chimp, and Dr. Jack Shepherd and you have yourself an entertaining 2 hour ride. I was going to write up a nice review like I did in the past for Cloverfield but I found that Ken from FirstShowning.net seemed to take the words out of my mouth.

Watch Speed Racer Online

Speed Racer: The Great Plan Part I

With the live-action Speed Racer rolling into theaters this weekend there's no better time to get caught up with the animated show that started it all. Watch the original Speed Racer cartoon with episode 1, "The Great Plan."


Speed Racer: The Great Plan Part II

The Need For Speed! Watch First 7 Minutes of Speed Racer Movie Online

Watch the Speed Racer movie online

Yahoo! movies is helping promote the Speed Racer movie by giving us the first 7 minutes of the film to watch online. Here we see the world of Speed Racer when he was a child and wanting and dreaming of being a race car driver.

"Speed Racer" - The CBR Review

Speed Racer opens in only a few days and the reviews are starting to roll in. This first one is from Comic Book Resources who give us a breakdown on the movie.

Get ready for color! “Speed Racer,” the new film from the Wachowski Brothers (“The Matrix,” “V for Vendetta”), hits you with bright colors from the first second--not of the film, but during the studio cards. The Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures logos are animated in front of a kaleidoscope of bright, sharp colors. From there, it never lets up.

Based on the classic animated series of the same name, the film details the rise of Speed Racer from his first amateur win to his first Grand Prix, but he learns a great deal about his family and corporate culture along the way. The entire gang appears; Speed, Mom, Pops, Sparky, Trixie, Racer X, and Inspector Detector. Oh yeah, Spritle and Chim-Chim are in the trunk. All the characters resemble their cartoon counterparts, and that replication is no accident as the Wachowskis made an effort to transpose the cast of actors, which features Emile Hirsch as Speed and Matthew Fox as Racer X, into the day-glo animated reality of the 1960s cartoon source. What changes you do find to the television series only aid the melding of technologies, sensibilities, and years. ( +continue )

Speed Racer Dirty Language Raise Eyebrows

Speed Racer was originally stated to be released with a family-friendly "G-rating." That rating has been bumped up a PG and review Lou Harry believes the producers added unnecessary language to the movie.

Now, I’m not a prude when it comes to language. I’ll happily quote along with “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “Raging Bull.” What bugs me is the unnecessary nature of the usage here - and the fact that it is embedded in a PG movie that has no greater ambition than to gosh-wow its audience.

It’s also got three or four uses of the a-word, one s-word and a kid flipping the bird to a bad guy.

A futuristic, midcentury movie set for 'Speed Racer

IN THE Wachowski brothers' new movie, "Speed Racer," the eponymous main character (Emile Hirsch) and his family seem to live in a modern ranch house in midcentury suburbia. The hallmarks of the era are there: graphic wallpaper, bold colors, bamboo accents and streamlined furniture upholstered in nubby fabric. But there's also a futuristic television and a spotless workshop where Speed's dad, Pops (John Goodman), makes battery-operated race cars that can defy gravity.

"We were trying to make the film quite timeless, retro and midcentury, but set sometime in the future," says Owen Paterson, the production designer, who had worked with Andy and Larry Wachowski on their groundbreaking "Matrix" trilogy. Adds set decorator Peter Walpole: "You never quite know where you are or what time you're in." (+ continue)

A Chat with John Goodman of 'Speed Racer'

John Goodman is an in-demand veteran actor that brings his likable charm to all his roles. He's played a wide range of characters from Fred Flinstone, Babe Ruth, Roseanne's husband, a Blues Brother, Walter Sobchack from the Big Lebowski, supplied the voice to countless animated characters, dropped in frequently at Saturday Night Live, and has worked with the last two years Oscar winning Best Directors. (Coen Brothers and Martin Scorsese)

This summer, all the kiddies and parents will come to know him as Pops Racer, the patriarch of the Racer family. We caught up with the larger than life actor for a quick chat on the red carpet at the Premiere of Speed Racer, the closing showcase of the Tribeca Film Festival. (read interview)

'Speed Racer': preview

Ben Walters marvels at the visual magic of ‘Speed Racer’, the kinetic new film from ‘The Matrix’ directors. Nestled among the bright colours and fast manoeuvres of the upcoming ‘Speed Racer’ are some photos of a zebra, glimpsed in the background of a virtual racetrack at which souped-up cars do eye-popping battle.

Easily missed, these images of the black-and-whitest of animals are described by the directors, Andy and Larry Wachowski, as a tribute to Eadweard Muybridge, the nineteenth-century photographer known for his split-second sequences showing how animals’ bodies move. What would the makers of the ‘Matrix’ films and this supercharged anime adaptation have to thank a figure like Muybridge for? The answer harks back to the birth of cinema and might hold the key to its future: simple fascination with objects in motion.

‘Speed Racer’ is a big-screen version of a 1960s Japanese animated series. Like the cartoon, the movie features the Racer family – and a story involving family pride and competitive achievement. There is a plot of sorts, but if the filmmakers expect us to keep up with the minutiae of its corporate skulduggery, or to put much emotional stock in the characters, they’re kidding themselves. They probably don’t. (...continue)