I've been looking forward to Speed Racer, and I'm happy to report that it delivered exactly what I was looking for. It was fun, amazing to look at, and featured a good set of likable characters. The story wasn't terribly deep, but it was told well enough and the Wachowski's proved that they still have a knack for blow-you-away action.
Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, Kick Gurry, Paulie Litt, Susan Sarandon, and John Goodman all did great as the (extended) Racer family, Roger Allam made the villain Royalton, and Matthew Fox was absolutely perfect as Racer X. For car buffs, the racing sequences were also done flawlessly: you could really believe these machines were dealing out (and taking) the punishment shown throughout the film. Some of the individual stunts were truly amazing.
There might be one or two scenes that aren't suitable for the youngest movie-goers, but overall it seemed like a good movie that the whole family could enjoy.
Wizard has posted their top 25 list of the coolest cars from TV & movie history. Along with the main list, they also have honorable mentions, a list of the coolest vans, and even a dishonorable mention.
I caught a Sunday show of Iron Man, and have to say I was very impressed. I've been hearing about how great it was from several people all last week, which was setting the bar pretty high. Even so, I have to agree that this is definitely among the best comic book movies ever created.
Robert Downey, Jr., Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Terrence Howard were all perfect in their roles, the story was top-notch, the effects were incredible, and the soundtrack was great. It managed to balance an origin story, action, and character development without skimping or dragging, a rare feat for any movie - doubly rare for a superhero movie. Tony also had a pretty impressive car collection, including a Deuce rod, an Audi R8, a Shelby Cobra, and a Saleen S7 (one or two of these will definitely be showing up on the site in the future).
In short, this was the perfect kick-off to the summer movie season. Next week: Speed Racer!
PvP turns 10 today. In addition to the achievement of ten years online, PvP holds a special place for me as the strip that got me into webcomics (a list that currently includes Ctrl-Alt-Del, Diesel Sweeties, JLCM, Misfile, Sinfest, Sheldon, Shortpacked, Theaterhopper, Ugly Hill, and VG Cats). I first stumbled across it in February 2002, and spent the next few days going through the archives. I've checked in daily ever since, and continue to enjoy it.
A few months after I started reading, there was a storyline that became my first comic-themed model. So not only did it prompt me to check out other comics, it has lead to a series of themedmodels.
So congratulations on ten years, and I look forward to reading more!
Thanks to Otto for sending in some pics of his projects, including another DeLorean, a deuce and a half, and a "dirty" Herbie. You can check them out in the model gallery.
Jada has now launched the "Snap & Build" section of their web site, featuring their most recent snap-together model kits from Speed Racer and The Dark Knight (though still no signs of a Tumbler yet). You can see what kits they have available here.
