Watched Speed Racer on DVR.
Obviously this one has been out for a while if it's already on the movie channels, but I never saw it. I think someone back then told me it wasn't any good. Well, they were wrong, I actually liked it a lot! I liked the stylized way they made it kind of look like a cartoon while still using real-life actors (and a lot of CGI, I know, but it was good CGI). I like Emil Hirsch, he's a good actor, and even Christina Ricci is good in this. Plus John Goodman is usually good, but he wasn't funny in this one.
The story follows young Speed Racer as he becomes a professional race car driver in the shadow of his dead brother, who was also a race car driver. He is beguiled by the rich and powerful team owner, but rejects his lucrative offer and spends the rest of the show avoiding the attmepts on his life as he races his car.
I'm not a Speed Racer afficionado, but I always thought Racer X was the bad guy who was trying to ruin Speed and his racing career, but in this he's a good guy. Matthew Fox plays Racer X, Jack for those of you who are LOST fans. He was good as well in the movie. Susan Sarandon plays Speed's mom and even she's tolerable, though usually I'm not a fan (not since Bull Durham anyway).
So, I'd go with a 4 out of 5. The story is a bit long, but actually I didn't mind as much as I thought I might when I saw it was 2 hours and 15 minutes long. For a movie based on a comic/cartoon, it was actually very well done and not cheesy at all. If you have the movie channels, it was on Cinemax I believe. If not, see if you can find it on Redbox, or I saved it on DVR if you want to come over, I'll definitely watch it again.
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