ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

____


One of my favorite movies.

The music is great, and the stylized photography, set designs, and special effects are gorgeous. The story is surprisingly good, considering the fact that it's based on a Japanese cartoon show.

The whole movie is one long cinematic work of art, with amazing process shots that dazzle the eye. By all that's logical, such rapidly changing images in certain scenes (like the races) should have been annoying and headache inducing, but somehow the movie avoids overloading our senses.

The humor is a huge plus, and the villain is a brilliant blend of charm and smarm. Christina Ricci is luscious as always, and Emile Hirsch is the right blend of brave hero and boyish enthusiasm.

John Goodman and Susan Sarandon portray Mom and Pop Racer with no trace of camp or ham. They take the roles seriously -- which means we can do the same for the characters.

This was the first movie I ever saw in the digital format, and I had no idea why the theater's screen image was so shockingly clear.

I wish the film had done well and allowed The Wachowski Brothers to make a sequel. Or three.
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Krel]

A movie based on a Japanese cartoon about a teenage, psychopathic,* race car driver. How could it go wrong?

David.

*(Seriously, have you ever watched the cartoon? He kills by the dozens, with absolutely no remorse!)

[Bud Brewster]

Nope, never watched the cartoon version. I heard the characters were completely two-dimensional.

(Wait, I may have misunderstood that remark. )
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[ralfy]

Reminds me of this parody:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgwcI0FOpvY

[Bud Brewster]

________________________________

Best moment in this movie: The climactic race at the end is terrific. All the characters play major roles in the drama, and the magnificent music pumps up the coolness to a 10!

_______________ The Final Race - Speed Racer


__________
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

________________________________

One of my favorite movies, ever!
________________________________


___________ Speed Racer (2008) Official Trailer


__________
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

________________________________

IMDB has 61 trivia items for this movie. Here’s a few of the ones I found the most interesting, in the blue text.
________________________________

~ This is the first time the Wachowskis have filmed a movie in high-definition (HD) film. With this format, they could utilize a layering approach that gave equal clarity to the foreground and background of each scene in the film, creating the appearance of real-life anime.

Note from me: My daughter (All Sci-Fi member Ticket2theMoon, and I watched this when it was first released — along with my very young grandson, who is ASF member Tantus Starbucker.

I was amazed at the clarity of the picture. It was the first digitally projected movie I'd seen, and it was gorgeous!

~ Emile Hirsch was a big fan of the Speed Racer (1967) show, and used to watch it on Cartoon Network.

Note from me: What a thrill that must have been for this talented young actor. And he got to kiss Christina Ricci!

Emile: Hey, can we do that kissing scene again please? I think I should put more feeling into it.

Christina: Hey, wait a minute, you put lots of "feeling" into it, buddy! I'll probably have bruises tomorrow!

~ A working Mach 5 was built for the film, along with several other full size cars, including Racer X's Shooting Star. All driving scenes were filmed with the actors sitting in a gimbal, a race car cockpit with a computer-programmed hydraulic system.

Note from me: I wonder where those magnificent cars are today. They're fantastic.

~ To prepare for his role, Emile Hirsch watched every episode of Speed Racer (1967), and paid a visit to Lowe's Motor Speedway, where he met and got advice from racecar driver Jimmie Johnson.

Note from me: Wow! He watched 'em as a kid and dreamed of being Speed Racer, and then his wish came true . . . so he watched 'em all again!

Emile's mom: Young man, turned off those cartoons and go do your homework! Cartoons will not get you ready for life in the real world.

~ In one scene, "Spritle" wears monkey faced pajamas, while "Chim Chim" wears little boy faced pajamas.

Note from me: Call me crazy, but I really liked all the scenes with Spritle and Chim-Chim! Good stuff.

~ Mr Royalton says his drivers need to be able to cope with speeds up to 4G. Theoretically a Merry-go-round can generate that.

Note from me: Hmmm . . . if one ever did, the kids would be over in the bushes nearby!
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Gord Green]

[Bud Brewster]

________________________________

Absolutely. It rocks. I have the CD, as well as the DVD and the Blu-ray. The music alone thrills me to the core.

Give it a listen. Crank the volume WAY up!

__________________________ I Am Speed


__________


_________ ___Speed Racer - Michael Giacchino



__________


______________________ Let Us Drink Milk


__________
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)