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Speed Racer (2008, Wachowskis) - GO WATCH THIS NOW

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I

iirate

Member
jett said:
The only thing I would take out from Speed Racer would be the cooties crap at the end.
Click to expand...

*thumbs up*

I can look past it, but man, I cringe every single fucking time during that scene. I'd definitely agree that Spritle and Chim-Chim are the weakest part of the movie, but I can tolerate them in every other damn scene, just not there.

Also, I haven't met many people that have seen this movie, but out of those that have, I've only met one person that didn't love it (my ex-roommate hated it). I remember looking at rottentomatoes before going to see it for the first time (still happy that I caught it twice in theaters), and seeing 17% rotten, then actually reading the reviews, and thinking "Yeah, I know that everything that they are complaining about is part of the movie just from the trailers". Pretty much every negative review that I read completely missed the point. There ARE legitimate things to dislike in this movie, but I feel that most critics were just blindsided by this film, and didn't know how to respond.
 
M

MontTrain

Banned
I just can't stand cheesy dialog and acting. I prefer more Wire / Breaking Bad style things. Maybe I'm just getting too old to turn my brain off
 
J

jett

D-Member
Only thing I like about Pilgrim is the final battle. Everything else is meh for me, I'd rather re-read the books which I really enjoy. It didn't work in live action, or at least Wright didn't find a way to make it work. Didn't work for me, anyway.

MontTrain said:
I just can't stand cheesy dialog and acting. I prefer more Wire / Breaking Bad style things. Maybe I'm just getting too old to turn my brain off
Click to expand...

Speed Racer isn't about turning your brain off. Seems like you're just too cynical and can't stop being all SRS BZNZ.
 
way more

way more

Member
MontTrain said:
I just can't stand cheesy dialog and acting. I prefer more Wire / Breaking Bad style things. Maybe I'm just getting too old to turn my brain off
Click to expand...


True. I'll take a boring, serious movie any day as long as there is dialogue that doesn't sound like it was translated from Japanese, or "Acting!!" God, I hate "Acting!"


Speed Racer and Scott Pilgrim just remind me of pantomime.

I guess anyone who doesn't like that clip is just a stick in the mud.
 
I

iirate

Member
jett said:
Only thing I like about Pilgrim is the final battle. Everything else is meh for me, I'd rather re-read the books which I really enjoy. It didn't work in live action, or at least Wright didn't find a way to make it work. Didn't work for me, anyway.



Speed Racer isn't about turning your brain off. Seems like you're just too cynical and can't stop being all SRS BZNZ.
Click to expand...

Seriously; I'm terrible at "turning off my brain" in order to enjoy media and I fucking love this movie. Speed Racer may not be cerebral, but that doesn't make it 'stupid' by any stretch of the imagination. It is a highly stylized, well-made and honest family film, with a crazy, anime-inspired aesthetic. And within that context, it just fucking works.
 
D

Dead

well not really...yet
The editing was pretty cash in Pilgrim (best thing about it), but it was out of this world in Racer.
 
D

Discotheque

Banned
That joke sucks more than Michael Cera's acting. And Eisenberg was aiight in Social Network but it was more of a showcase for Andrew Garfield to show off his naivete and beaker-like awkwardness.
 
S

Snowman Prophet of Doom

Member
In retrospect and sans hype, Michael Cera WAS kinda wrong for the Scott of the comics, but I do think that he did alright for the movie's interpretation of the character. But yeah, Scott and Ramona are shitty-ass characters.
 
I

Ignatz Mouse

Banned
Fixed? Can't see a change.

Scott is meant to be a self-absorbed asshole, and was OK. Ramona in the movie is too much a cypher-- movie suffers from condensing too much, hard to avoid. Also, the end of the comic was a fairly surreal novel-esque ending not really fitting for a movie, but without it, the movie doesn't really have any point, like the book did.
 
S

Snowman Prophet of Doom

Member
Ignatz Mouse said:
Fixed? Can't see a change.

Scott is meant to be a self-absorbed asshole, and was OK. Ramona in the movie is too much a cypher-- movie suffers from condensing too much, hard to avoid. Also, the end of the comic was a fairly surreal novel-esque ending not really fitting for a movie, but without it, the movie doesn't really have any point, like the book did.
Click to expand...

Shifted hyphen, meant to convey that they are also bad people in addition to being shitty. At least, that's my interpretation.
 
V

VICTORsaurio

Member
I absolutely loved this when I watched it at the cinema... I think I watched it 2 or 3 times, which I rarely do...

On the other hand, Tintin was just meh to me, it was really pretty but that's it
 
Y

Yuripaw

Banned
Korey said:
By the end of it, you'll be like omg this is amazing. And you'll recommend it to everyone you know, like I'm doing now to you.
Click to expand...

Funny that you should say that. I still remember when I went to go see this movie in 2008, I was just bored and decided out to a movie. Had no expectations, and I left the theater and just loved the movie. I remember recommending it to everyone I knew also. I saw it at least 2 more times in the theater because I went to see it with my brother, and then my dad. I pretty much had to drag both of them to go, but they both loved it after seeing it too.

You gotta add my name to that list of people who recommend this movie, because I've always been behind it since I saw it. It's one of the few blu-rays I own cuz it looks great in HD.
 
K

Krev

Unconfirmed Member
jett said:
The only thing I would take out from Speed Racer would be the cooties crap at the end.
Click to expand...

iirate said:
*thumbs up*

I can look past it, but man, I cringe every single fucking time during that scene. I'd definitely agree that Spritle and Chim-Chim are the weakest part of the movie, but I can tolerate them in every other damn scene, just not there.
Click to expand...
Agreed. It's a shame, because it's such a wonderful scene and you get swept up in it and then, bam, it's like a sudden mallet to the face.
Snowman Prophet of Doom said:
This is better than Tintin because there's more of a human component to ground the more cartoony sections.
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Yeah, exactly.
Haddock's story about settling the score with Red Rackham's descendant just isn't emotionally involving.

And regarding Scott Pilgrim...Speed Racer did the live-action cartoon thing much better. I love the first twenty minutes, but it's just so wearying with the endless loud action. And Michael Cera sucks as Scott. It's funny, when the casting was announced everyone was freaking out and you had Bryan Lee O'Malley saying, 'trust my judgment, trust Edgar's judgment, it's fine, you'll see a whole new side to him!'
Eighteen months later: Surprise! It's George Michael Bluth doing kung-fu!
 
S

SCULLIBUNDO

Banned
I agree Tintin isn't very emotionally involving. But it is fun, hilarious and thrilling. I also liked the one moment
between Tintin and Haddock where Haddock explains to Tintin why you can't give up and be a quitter. Not so much for the writing, but because of how well Serkis delivered it.
 
staticneuron

staticneuron

Member
I liked the movie as well but personally felt it was a bit long. If it had been just a bit more hard hitting I think that many people would have complained about the movie.

Krev said:
And regarding Scott Pilgrim...Speed Racer did the live-action cartoon thing much better. I love the first twenty minutes, but it's just so wearying with the endless loud action. And Michael Cera sucks as Scott. It's funny, when the casting was announced everyone was freaking out and you had Bryan Lee O'Malley saying, 'trust my judgment, trust Edgar's judgment, it's fine, you'll see a whole new side to him!'
Eighteen months later: Surprise! It's George Michael Bluth doing kung-fu!
Click to expand...

Two different looks. Speed Racer was a great job of transitioning "anime" elements to live action. Scott Pilgrim did a great job of bringing comic book and video game elements into live action film.
 
J

jett

D-Member
staticneuron said:
I liked the movie as well but personally felt it was a bit long. If it had been just a bit more hard hitting I think that many people would have complained about the movie.



Two different looks. Speed Racer was a great job of transitioning "anime" elements to live action. Scott Pilgrim did a great job of bringing comic book and video game elements into live action film.
Click to expand...

No it didn't, if that was what it was going for it failed miserably. Look at Sin City on how to do that shit properly. Or hell even Ang Lee's HULK. From a visual standpoint I really didn't like SP anyway, I don't understand the choice of bleak photography and the use of muted colors. Everything looks trashy, grungy, ugly, dirty, cheap, indie.

Speed Racer and Scott Pilgrim are nothing alike.
 
Boss Doggie

Boss Doggie

all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Don't worry OP, I also agree. It's one of the most delicious movies I've ever seen for my eyes. What made me also feel good is that it's an anime movie done right because it followed the anime straight to the point by not taking itself too seriously.

staticneuron said:
Two different looks. Speed Racer was a great job of transitioning "anime" elements to live action. Scott Pilgrim did a great job of bringing comic book and video game elements into live action film.
Click to expand...

The last part turned me off of SP.
 
R

Red_Man

I Was There! Official L Receiver 2/12/2016
Easily the most overrated thing on Gaf, I'm sorry Solo this is where we part ways, but this move is mediocre at best, not really sure where Gaf gets its boner for this movie.
 
Lord British

Lord British

Member
Speed Racer is brilliant for many reasons, but primarily for its use of CGI to create a completely unbelievable and fantastic world, rather than try to integrate fantastic creatures or structures into an otherwise "believable" universe. It goes all-out with the absurdity, which is absolutely a laudable thing.

Watched it again last night thanks to this thread, and the Blu-Ray is on the way.
 
S

SunhiLegend

Member
Fucking awesome movie. Never understood why people hated it, or why more people didn't see this on the big screen.

i8MlDoRw2h3iN.gif
 
J

jett

D-Member
Everyone's always about the races, the fight scene in the mountains doesn't get enough love. Such a visually dazzling and creative scene, it's a wonder to watch. I can't believe there's not a single decent video of it anywhere online.
 
R

Resilient

Member
jett said:
Everyone's always about the races, the fight scene in the mountains doesn't get enough love. Such a visually dazzling and creative scene, it's a wonder to watch. I can't believe there's not a single decent video of it anywhere online.
Click to expand...

I always laugh during this scene, it really is awesome. Like watching a cartoon!
 
A

AgentOtaku

Member
Not enough love for the costume designs

I LOVE the look of the henchmen. Even the little details like them using revolvers n' greaseguns.
 
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