Garlands for Speed Racer

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There is nothing wrong or suspect about liking a film that almost everyone else hates. On the contrary, it is the mark of a critic who's probably worth reading ...as long as he/she doesn't go all Armond White on disliked or discredited films too often. That said, it's a bit of an eye-opener (or is it a dark omen?) that MCN's David Poland has given a fairly hearty thumbs-up to Speed Racer (Warner Bros., 5.9)

With tracking looking dicey at best and a Rotten Tomatoes positive rating of 37% (as of Wednesday afternoon), this animated Wachowski brothers action film needs all the friends it can get. I do know that Poland has been totally in the Wachowski tank from the beginning, and that his enthusiastic and persistent praise for both The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions were divorced from the reality of those films that I came to know. (Yes, I was warm on Reloaded at first, but it faded upon reflection and then the curtains parted when I saw it a second time.)

For all I know Poland is on the money, and again, he has my respect for going against the grain. That said, I had a much better time (as I frequently do) reading Anthony Lane's New Yorker review, particularly this opening paragraph:

"Gluttons for Duck Soup will remember the scene in which Groucho is faced with an official document. 'Why, a four-year-old child could understand this report,' he says. 'Run out and find me a four-year-old child.' My sentiments exactly, as I sat in a cathedral-size auditorium, wreathed in the ineffable mysteries of Speed Racer. This is the latest offering from Andy and Larry Wachowski, bringers of The Matrix, and, if it is about anything, it is about the quest to overwhelm a particular stratum of the masses. A four-year-old will be reduced to a gibbering but highly gratified wreck; an eight-year-old will wander around wearing a look that was last seen on the face of Dante after he met Beatrice. But what about the rest of us? True, our eyeballs will slowly, though never completely, recover, but what of our souls?

"I reckon the M.P.A.A. should use the advent of Speed Racer to revive an old ratings symbol: a big Roman X, meaning 'of no conceivable interest to anyone over the age of ten.'"

comment #1

iamwhoiam says ...

I doubt i could care less about Speed Racer. I'm sure i saw this story in 1000 sports movies. I'll be doing a happy dance if Iron Man beat it in it second weekend.

comment #2

BurmaShave says ...

It's not like he's been talking it up for months or anything. Loves SPEED RACER and hates IRON MAN. Against the grain, that's for sure.

comment #3

Rich S. says ...

Lane's assessment of Speed Racer is probably pretty accurate, but, really, should we be going to the New Yorker for a critical assessment of this type of thing? "New Yorker pans Speed Racer. In related news, sun rises in east."

comment #4

RMBurnett says ...

Folks,

Dave Poland is absolutely dead on.

See for yourselves...

comment #5

gradystiles says ...

iamwhoiam: It's not a question of "if" Iron Man beats Speed Racer this weekend--it's a question of "by how much?" I don't even think it'll be close.

comment #6

Geoff says ...

Saw IRON MAN. Nothing special. One huge set up for a sequel if you ask me.

I'm suspect of anyone who absolutely loved it and needs to see it again.

comment #7

Richardson says ...

"iamwhoiam: It's not a question of "if" Iron Man beats Speed Racer this weekend--it's a question of "by how much?" I don't even think it'll be close."

I don't buy it. You figure 'Iron Man' has to drop at least 40%, more likely 50%, and I can't imagine 'Speed Racer' will gross less than $50 mil in its opening weekend. 'Iron Man' may win, but it will be a "photo finish". (And Marvel or somebody will release slightly inflated estimates for 'Iron Man' to boost it closer, which will be adjusted slightly downward on Monday.)

comment #8

berg says ...

I was surprised at how much I liked the chimp ... please, Wachowski Bros. make a feature version of Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp

comment #9

PastePotPete says ...

Poland loving this movie was as preordained as him loving whatever Oscar bait broadway musical adaptation comes out next.

He's entirely predictable in his interests. Every summer and every Oscar season there's always a movie he belittles and one he champions, both with inexplicable reasoning.

I'm pretty much done reading his stuff, and I've been reading his column since Roughcut. He's increasingly obstinate about his own biases, to the point where he seems to believe he has none.

I'll be seeing Speed Racer at a midnight show tomorrow, not because I think it will be good, but because the Wachowskis know how to stage good action scenes. I rewatched the Matrix films recently and man, I was shocked I liked them at the time. Even the first has not aged particularly well, with the exception of the action scenes. Which is fine, but does everything in-between have to be *so* bad?

comment #10

Karsten says ...

Moriarty over at AICN has put some effort into his thorough review - and he also likes "Speed Racer"!

comment #11

D.Z. says ...

Looks like Hancock might get an R. http://www.darkhorizons.com/news08/080507m.php

comment #12

actionman says ...

There's no way that Speed Racer is gonna do $50 million opening weekend....it'll be a miracle if it does anything over $35 million this weekend.

Iron Man will probably fall somewhere between 45-55%; word of mouth is strong. I liked the film a lot but won't be making a second trip to the theater to see it.

As for Speed Racer, don't have much interest; I'll check it out on DVD when I'm able to fast forward all of the dialogue sequences, 'cause judging from the trailers, everything else besides the racing action looks horrendous.

comment #13

Terry McCarty says ...

PastePotPete wrote:
I'll be seeing Speed Racer at a midnight show tomorrow, not because I think it will be good, but because the Wachowskis know how to stage good action scenes.

With the exception of the reshoots Joel Silver ordered for THE INVASION.

comment #14

mattn says ...

A four-year-old will be reduced to a gibbering but highly gratified wreck; an eight-year-old will wander around wearing a look that was last seen on the face of Dante after he met Beatrice.

Excellent. I have a four-year-old and an eight-year-old, and I grew up watching the Kimba/Speed Racer combo every afternoon on channel 52.

I'm there!

comment #15

MASON says ...

I don't have much interest but I'll check it out because I've heard some good things from folks I trust.

Poland predicted that Iron Man would underperform. He called it a "niche" film. Made the same mistake with Transformers and then, like now, simply refuses to admit he was wrong. It's pretty funny -- he's like a stubborn little kid.

He also predicted Speed Racer would be huge but is now backpedaling faster than Don Murphy has disappeared from the web.

And he also predicted Obama is a lock for the presidency.

Considering his track record... well, let's just say John McCain has never been happier.

comment #16

cjKennedy says ...

"I'll be doing a happy dance if Iron Man beat it in it second weekend." Why? Are you a Paramount stockholder? Otherwise, what possible difference does it make?

comment #17

giantman says ...

I saw Speed Racer last weekend at a FREE screening, actually my 14 year old and me saw it together. We both thought it was heart-felt zany crazy ass fun. In context that is. neither of us are SR fans or anything and we went cause it was FREE, but we both had a blast.

It is twenty minutes long though, at over two hours I can't imagine a lot of families sitting through it all.

Gosh, y'know, I just had a bad case of CommentVue - I swear I've said this before!!

comment #18

K. Bowen says ...

I knew this would happen! I really liked Speed Racer. I"m OK with Iron Man, for the record.

Somehow I knew people would take a visual extravaganza and complain about the showiness and wonder how long until the next Apatow movie.

Man, I have been disagreeing with everybody lately.

comment #19

romeoisbleeding says ...

Poland is getting way too predictable. It really does not matter whether Speed Racer or Iron Man are on top this week. Iron Man is a hgue success and I am happy for all involved. Poland hates to be wrong. Tuff.

comment #20

btwnproductions says ...

It's pretty much a crashing bore, with a lot of teeth-gnashing over the evils of corporate capitalism. Karl Marx's kids would love it. Beyond that, when you've seen one candy-colored car crash into another candy-colored car, you've seen them all. Racing movies don't get my motor revving but this one really idles at 135 minutes. Kudos, though, to the nice new Time Warner screening room in the Time Warner Center in NYC.

comment #21

Gaydos says ...

To drag out a quote from an interview I did with Jeff Lipsky a million years ago: "Unless you have stock in the company that owns the studio that released the film, who gives a shit how much money it makes?"

I loved "Speed Racer."

And Anthony Lane is full of shit on this one; there's lots to ponder for adults.

It's so easy to say that "maverick vs the corrupt system" has been done a million times. Excuse me, but wasn't that the gimmick of "There Will Be Blood?"

Anyway, I won't argue it's a great film, but it's a fascinating and fresh way of telling a story by utilizing new cinematic tools, lots of passionate, personal filmmaking and lots of knowing humor, not the least of which is Ricci's smart performance. Best line of the year (so far), courtesy of La Ricci:

"IS THAT A NINJA????!!!!"

And a free box of Raisinets to the first person to list all of the visual and thematic references to Nic Roeg's "Performance" in "Speed Racer."

comment #22

romeoisbleeding says ...

Speed Racer.. 30% Rotten Tomatoes.. Iron Man..93%.posiitive.

comment #23

fielding says ...

Just saw Iron Man here in Australia. Wow. What a dull, dull film. How has it made so much money? Are moviegoers so undiscerning? Are they so vulnerable to hype?

Favreau confirmed everything I suspected about him by failing to deliver even one image that was truly exhilarating or awe-inspiring. Downey was expressionless and mumbled three quarters of his lines. The plot was ridiculous (Obadiah Stane leaving that video message from the terrorists there for Pepper to find instead of deleting it - cretinous). There was very little action, apart from the end when it suddenly morphed into Robocop 4.

Again, I can't believe this has been so successful. I just hope there's a huge drop-off in the box-office this coming week-end.

comment #24

K. Bowen says ...

"Favreau confirmed everything I suspected about him by failing to deliver even one image that was truly exhilarating or awe-inspiring. "

No wow factor. Exactly.

comment #25

LexG says ...

RICCI OWNS YOUR ASS.

She could read the phone book on film, and I'd be there getting OWNED.

RICCI = THE HOTNESS.

comment #26

BurmaShave says ...

fielding I dont believe that you saw IRON MAN. It's not a great film, but I just dont believe that you actually saw it. I'm going to need to see a ticket stub.

comment #27

fielding says ...

Sure I saw it, Burma. Greater Union on George Street, Sydney, Cinema 2, Seat M10. 3:50 PM session on Tuesday, 6 May.

It's not a terrible film, but it's not good either. Just bland and boring (and sometimes downright stupid). And it should have been funnier. I think the only time I was amused was when Stark came crashing through the ceiling of his lab onto his cars and his robot doused him with fire extinguisher. Of course, I might have found the dialogue witty if Downey had been comprehensible.

comment #28

storymark says ...

fielding, you might want to get your ears checked, then.

comment #29

Jay T. says ...

Once a critic says the film Finding Forrester is practically a life altering exprience, it's hard to take him seriously after that.

comment #30

romeoisbleeding says ...

Movies are like anything else.. everyone has their own opinion, I have to say I have talked to a lot of people who saw Iron Man and everyone I talked to loved it and were going to see it again. But sure.. there are people who did not like it. But like I said.. this does not take away from its success. And no matter how negative Poland is about it.. he cannot take away its success. Sorry Dave. And his review is not going to make Speed Racer a success either. The movie will have to perform on its own merit.
I just found this on Market Watch. I knew darn well I am not the only one who enjoyd this movie, I thought I had read that it had very good ratings from those exiting the movie and this backs that up....

"These are fun Mondays," said Jim Tharp Paramount distribution chief. He said "Iron Man" should play well into the summer since the film got an "A" rating from an independent researcher. Paramount's own internal research shows that more than 90% of audiences rated the film "excellent" or "very good" in exit polls.
"It's a great way to start the summer," Tharp said"

comment #31

fielding says ...

Nah, storymark, I think Downey might want to see a dialogue coach, instead. If such people are still employed in Hollywood.

comment #32

MAGGA says ...

"Just saw Iron Man here in Australia. Wow. What a dull, dull film. How has it made so much money? Are moviegoers so undiscerning? Are they so vulnerable to hype?"

You just went and saw it yourself! No high road to take here. I'll probably see it too at some point.

comment #33

storymark says ...

fielding - Well, then, I guess I (and a few million other people) have super-human hearing.

comment #34

actionman says ...

I just did a little reading of Armond White's work. What an ass-clown. This fuckin' guy praises Torque and War and then pisses on Ridley Scott, Sidney Lumet, and a solid popcorn flick like Iron Man? He's compulsively readable but a moron nonetheless.

However, he did have a few nice things to say about Michael Bay which made me smile.

I'm thinking Iron Man is going to get close to $300 million domestic; not sure if it'll actually get there but it's gotta be a lock to gross over $250 million at this rate, right?

comment #35

scooterzz says ...

action-- quit dicking around on-line and watch that 'recount' screener.... you will be so glad you did...

comment #36

TerryKeefe says ...

I just got back from Speed Racer in Imax at the Bridge. To my surprise, I enjoyed it immensely. Sensory overload, but in a good way, for the most part. The freeway chase in Matrix 2 gave me a headache, and Speed Racer does fall prey to a few moments of a similar "let's just throw everything it," particularly with the climax. But in most of the other racing scenes, the action is easy to follow with clear beats.

The script has lots of silly scenes and incredible leaps of logic in the smaller details, but also stays on track with its bigger character arc of Speed wanting to maintain his integrity and save the sport of racing vs. fighting the overwhelming corruption of the racing world which he believes killed his brother. That keeps it focused.

The film is about 20 minutes too long. It runs over 2 hours and I'd have been happy at 100 minutes.

I suspect it will lose something considerable when I see it again in a regular theater though. If ever a film was made for Imax, this was it.

A rap version of the Speed Racer theme over the end credits was god-awful.

I'm not very familiar with the cartoons, which may have helped me enjoy the film more. My friend who is a Speed Racer fan was less enthusiastic, as the film apparently is not very faithful to the original material.

comment #37

michael_9911 says ...

Who cares? Big deal? Amazing... I found brintey spears had a personal account on

RICHLOVING.COM. It is a site for celebrities and millionaires to mingle. It's said Charlie

Sheen has found his love there last May.

comment #38

ferrylee says ...

I lov Speed Racer ,the fiml is excellent, I just saw some people talk about it on ~~~millionaireloves. c om~~~, he posted some fiml pics there.

comment #39

EDouglas says ...

Believe me, Jeffrey... you were much better off at Speed Racer than the rest of us were at Postal. I'm convinced that Uwe Boll has lost what little bit of sanity he may have ever had

comment #40

OtownRog says ...

As Lane seems to suggest, it's a movie kids will dig (they did at the preview I caught). As Poland's praise might suggest, it's not worth working up a good hate over. It'll bomb, sure. Since when do BO prospects define quality? Yes, BO comeuppance for Wachowski and Warner brother alike. But what's on the screen is arresting, occasionally fun if way-HEY too long for the ADD crowd it reaches for.

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