The Wachowskis' SPEED RACER (2008, IMAX) and Edgar Wright's HOT FUZZ (2007, REGAL THEATER) were my movie highlights of the week. The latter remains as close to a perfect action/comedy as could ever be made. Characters' names matching their professions, fast-cut editing with purpose, whip-smart dialogue, set-ups leading to payoffs galore, a murderers' row of U.K. thespians (Broadbent, Dalton, Woodward, Coleman, McCann, Freeman, Nighy, etc.) backing up Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright's time-tested energy/chemistry, perfect needle-drop tunes (a Wright specialty), and so on. It's unfair to judge Edgar's newest filmography ("Baby Driver," "Last Night in Soho" and "Running Man '24") against "Hot Fuzz," but them's the breaks. ¯\_(γ)_/¯
One of my biggest movie-going regrets ever was not watching "Speed Racer" on IMAX during its initial (critically/financially disappointing) '08 theatrical run, only finding out later on Blu-ray that this was something special. As multiple sold-out NYC shows during a three-day run at IMAX prove, the film has found its audience. Moments of genuine sincerity and earned pathos between Speed (Emile Hirsch), his parents (John Goodman and Susan Sarandon) and older brother Rex (Scott Porter and Matthew Fox, the latter delivering career-best work IMO) alternate with a young boy (Paul Litt's Spritle) and his chimp stealing candy, impressive-but-dated CG/digital effects of impossible-to-stage racing venues, and corporate intrigue with the racing/industrial complex (personified dead-on by Roger Allam's Royalton) likely to go over the head of most children. The Wachowskis threw the proverbial kitchen sink at this 60's anime live-action adaptation. It might not be perfect (Christina Ricci's Trixie, where are her parents? π₯°), but within its cinematic DNA "Speed Racer" nails what it feels like to be a boy obsessed with something that bonds you with your loved ones forever and shapes the man you eventually become. And on a giant IMAX screen with appreciative fans laughing with it at the appropriate times (even Spritle and Chim Chim get some big laughs!), the remastered version looks/sounds exquisite. "The Matrix"? Keep it, it's yours. I'm a "Speed Racer" man. π«‘π
Rewatched NOBODY (2021, 4K UHD) and it was as entertaining as it could be, given it was the OG "John Wick" writer (Derek Kolstad) check marking his previous film's tropes. Bob Odenkirk plays (and acquits himself fine as) the secret badass whose bus brawl brings the wrath of Russian baddie Aleksey Serebryakov on top of his suburban camouflaged world. Nice to see Christopher Lloyd do fine comedic supporting work, but Connie Nielsen and RZA feel wasted in 'meh' roles. 'It's fine.' Say, do you know any Black Russians? ππ
SALMAKJI: WHISPERING WATER ('26, SOUTH KOREA, THEATER) finds a group of Google Earth-type techies trying to map an area near a lake the locals fear is haunted by ghosts of people who drowned there. Bloodless 'PG-13' supernatural shenanigans ensue. Predictable stuff, but great use of fog and nighttime to create an oppressive mood. π₯Ά
Thanks, will seek this dude out. A "Speed Racer"/"F1" 4K double bill would be killer, except for the gimped Dolby Atmos track on "F1" 4K disc. ππ«€
Woot! Love the review for Speed Racer. Im so stoked that the cinema community is revisiting that movie and in many cases rediscovering that its one of a kind. The original show was my absolute favorite childhood cartoon. I adore that the Wachowskis took a really basic premise that they too loved and expanded it so creatively and artistically and visually and so forth. I, too, cant WAIT for the 4k.
Read or Not 2 - Here I Come (2026): It's fine, kills are cool, I had fun. The casting is great, but how dare they dispatch Kevin Durand that early?
Companion (2025): As advertised by everybody around here, it's very good. Gotta love the "friends in a cabin, and chaos ensues" type of movie. I love douche Jack Quaid. I knew absolutely zero things on the movie, other than "it's good", so yeah... If you've seen it, you know what I mean.
Shadow (2018): If you've seen a Zhang Yimou film, you know what to expect. Beautiful cinematography, slow pace, longing dialogues. Some fight scenes, but not as extravagant as other of his movies. I guess he wanted a break from The Great Wall (which I like, but was panned by everybody).
Point Blank (1967: Just out on glorious 4k from Criterion. Steven Soderberg is a big fan of this movie, and you can see that love in the movie The Limey, plus he recorded a commentary with John Boorman. My favorite trivia for this movie is this: Lee Marvin called a meeting at the studio with the bigwigs to confirm that he had final approval over the script, casting, and more. They said yes, and he replied, "I defer those approvals to John", and then he walked out of the meeting.
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985): I don't know if it's a hot take, but I prefer MM3 over MM1. It's silly and weird, and it's 2 movies, but that's why I like it. It starts as a Mad Max movie, then turn into Hook somehow. I guess George Miller missed his kids. We still can't skip the crazy-over-the-top chase sequence to close the movie. Always the best part.
Evil Dead (2013): You see, it's a metaphor for trauma. Once you get past the intro, they discover the thing, and get into the k1ll1ings, the real fun starts. Jane Levy is awesome too. Not my first watch, but last time was a long time ago. And yes, I got the Shout 4k set (Steelbook not less), because my OCD dumbass had to have everything with the title Evil Dead on 4k. The lack of new extras from the old blu-ray is disappointing though.
Evil Dead Rise (2023): Why the heck not. I've never seen it and it was right next to the other one on Amazon. And I splurged for the new Arrow edition, because that's how I roll, go big and go broke. Another usual slow opening, introduce everybody and their trauma, then it gets good. They even manage a r@pe tree equivalent (without the r@pe), even if they're in a building. I like the 'stuck in a building' subgenre of movie, whether it's horror, or action.
The newest "Evil Dead" entries are a mystery to me. I know I saw the '13 "ED" remake, but l don't remember any of it. π³π² Waiting for a good 4K sale to snatch both "ED '13" (Shout!) and "ED Rise" (Arrow) together. π
I have "Point Blank" on Warner BD, don't feel the need to upgrade to 4K. Lee Marvin, the oldest-looking 43-year old hitman in 1967 movies (he looks 60+). π±
"Read or Not 2 - Here I Come (2026)" Never seen that one, hate reading! π Only seen the more fun "READY or Not..." bloody flicks. ππ₯°
The Thing (2011 Blu). Hrmm. I loathed this initially as i felt it an unnecessary cgi fest and hold the original so dearly. Watched it again and warmed up a little (pun intended). And this 3rd watch? I kinda liked it? (SLIGHT SPOILER AHEAD) Originally i think they intentionally didnt market it as a prequel which i respect. However that fact becomes evident relatively quickly. And watching so close to the original i do appreciate the few threads they worked hard to tie together. The characters are all borning and dispensable and the original's sense of dread/mystery/tone is missing but its still an entertaining monster movie with lots of goopy action.
Ohio! π€
ReplyDeleteThe Wachowskis' SPEED RACER (2008, IMAX) and Edgar Wright's HOT FUZZ (2007, REGAL THEATER) were my movie highlights of the week. The latter remains as close to a perfect action/comedy as could ever be made. Characters' names matching their professions, fast-cut editing with purpose, whip-smart dialogue, set-ups leading to payoffs galore, a murderers' row of U.K. thespians (Broadbent, Dalton, Woodward, Coleman, McCann, Freeman, Nighy, etc.) backing up Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright's time-tested energy/chemistry, perfect needle-drop tunes (a Wright specialty), and so on. It's unfair to judge Edgar's newest filmography ("Baby Driver," "Last Night in Soho" and "Running Man '24") against "Hot Fuzz," but them's the breaks. ¯\_(γ)_/¯
One of my biggest movie-going regrets ever was not watching "Speed Racer" on IMAX during its initial (critically/financially disappointing) '08 theatrical run, only finding out later on Blu-ray that this was something special. As multiple sold-out NYC shows during a three-day run at IMAX prove, the film has found its audience. Moments of genuine sincerity and earned pathos between Speed (Emile Hirsch), his parents (John Goodman and Susan Sarandon) and older brother Rex (Scott Porter and Matthew Fox, the latter delivering career-best work IMO) alternate with a young boy (Paul Litt's Spritle) and his chimp stealing candy, impressive-but-dated CG/digital effects of impossible-to-stage racing venues, and corporate intrigue with the racing/industrial complex (personified dead-on by Roger Allam's Royalton) likely to go over the head of most children. The Wachowskis threw the proverbial kitchen sink at this 60's anime live-action adaptation. It might not be perfect (Christina Ricci's Trixie, where are her parents? π₯°), but within its cinematic DNA "Speed Racer" nails what it feels like to be a boy obsessed with something that bonds you with your loved ones forever and shapes the man you eventually become. And on a giant IMAX screen with appreciative fans laughing with it at the appropriate times (even Spritle and Chim Chim get some big laughs!), the remastered version looks/sounds exquisite. "The Matrix"? Keep it, it's yours. I'm a "Speed Racer" man. π«‘π
Rewatched NOBODY (2021, 4K UHD) and it was as entertaining as it could be, given it was the OG "John Wick" writer (Derek Kolstad) check marking his previous film's tropes. Bob Odenkirk plays (and acquits himself fine as) the secret badass whose bus brawl brings the wrath of Russian baddie Aleksey Serebryakov on top of his suburban camouflaged world. Nice to see Christopher Lloyd do fine comedic supporting work, but Connie Nielsen and RZA feel wasted in 'meh' roles. 'It's fine.' Say, do you know any Black Russians? ππ
Among its credits, BEAST ('26, THEATER) includes 'Russell Crowe's Entourage' for a bunch of folks. π³ That's on top of Crowe's 'AND' acting credit, his co-screenplay writing credit, his producer credit (one of 35! π§) and too-many-to-count make-up, security, driver, etc. assistants. All that for, frankly, a phoned-in performance as the 'Mickey' trainer to Daniel McPherson's MMA-fighting 'Rocky.' A USA/Australia co-production filmed in Bangkok, "Beast" leaves no clichΓ©/trope unused as it leads to an all-or-nothing MMA bout between reluctant family man (bearded dad-bod Daniel) and raging a-hole champ (Bren Foster, who also threw in decent fight choreography for free). Pass. π
SALMAKJI: WHISPERING WATER ('26, SOUTH KOREA, THEATER) finds a group of Google Earth-type techies trying to map an area near a lake the locals fear is haunted by ghosts of people who drowned there. Bloodless 'PG-13' supernatural shenanigans ensue. Predictable stuff, but great use of fog and nighttime to create an oppressive mood. π₯Ά
FACES OF DEATH ('26, THEATER) is neither terrible nor a hidden gem. It's far beneath the quality l've come to expect from Shudder originals. Dacre Montgomery's online serial killer looks/sounds clichΓ©, but Barbie Ferreira is an atypical (broken?) final girl. It's OK but feels hollow.π€¨
Youtuber Patrick Willem made a whole video about Speed Racer and how awesome it is. The 4k is coming out later this year, can't wait
DeleteThanks, will seek this dude out. A "Speed Racer"/"F1" 4K double bill would be killer, except for the gimped Dolby Atmos track on "F1" 4K disc. ππ«€
DeleteWoot! Love the review for Speed Racer. Im so stoked that the cinema community is revisiting that movie and in many cases rediscovering that its one of a kind. The original show was my absolute favorite childhood cartoon. I adore that the Wachowskis took a really basic premise that they too loved and expanded it so creatively and artistically and visually and so forth. I, too, cant WAIT for the 4k.
DeleteWhy didn't you guys see "Speed Racer" on IMAX? Was it not playing on IMAX Mon.-Wed. this past week? π€π
DeleteIf it was playing, i was not aware of it. I don't check theaters listing very often, only when i want to see a particular movie
DeleteKUNIDER!!! π«£π↔️
DeleteI'm a physical media guy, what can i say π
DeleteIt doesn't get more physical than moving your butt to a movie theater and parking it in front of a big screen! ππ
DeleteRead or Not 2 - Here I Come (2026): It's fine, kills are cool, I had fun. The casting is great, but how dare they dispatch Kevin Durand that early?
ReplyDeleteCompanion (2025): As advertised by everybody around here, it's very good. Gotta love the "friends in a cabin, and chaos ensues" type of movie. I love douche Jack Quaid. I knew absolutely zero things on the movie, other than "it's good", so yeah... If you've seen it, you know what I mean.
Shadow (2018): If you've seen a Zhang Yimou film, you know what to expect. Beautiful cinematography, slow pace, longing dialogues. Some fight scenes, but not as extravagant as other of his movies. I guess he wanted a break from The Great Wall (which I like, but was panned by everybody).
Point Blank (1967: Just out on glorious 4k from Criterion. Steven Soderberg is a big fan of this movie, and you can see that love in the movie The Limey, plus he recorded a commentary with John Boorman. My favorite trivia for this movie is this: Lee Marvin called a meeting at the studio with the bigwigs to confirm that he had final approval over the script, casting, and more. They said yes, and he replied, "I defer those approvals to John", and then he walked out of the meeting.
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985): I don't know if it's a hot take, but I prefer MM3 over MM1. It's silly and weird, and it's 2 movies, but that's why I like it. It starts as a Mad Max movie, then turn into Hook somehow. I guess George Miller missed his kids. We still can't skip the crazy-over-the-top chase sequence to close the movie. Always the best part.
Evil Dead (2013): You see, it's a metaphor for trauma. Once you get past the intro, they discover the thing, and get into the k1ll1ings, the real fun starts. Jane Levy is awesome too. Not my first watch, but last time was a long time ago. And yes, I got the Shout 4k set (Steelbook not less), because my OCD dumbass had to have everything with the title Evil Dead on 4k. The lack of new extras from the old blu-ray is disappointing though.
Evil Dead Rise (2023): Why the heck not. I've never seen it and it was right next to the other one on Amazon. And I splurged for the new Arrow edition, because that's how I roll, go big and go broke. Another usual slow opening, introduce everybody and their trauma, then it gets good. They even manage a r@pe tree equivalent (without the r@pe), even if they're in a building. I like the 'stuck in a building' subgenre of movie, whether it's horror, or action.
The newest "Evil Dead" entries are a mystery to me. I know I saw the '13 "ED" remake, but l don't remember any of it. π³π² Waiting for a good 4K sale to snatch both "ED '13" (Shout!) and "ED Rise" (Arrow) together. π
DeleteI have "Point Blank" on Warner BD, don't feel the need to upgrade to 4K. Lee Marvin, the oldest-looking 43-year old hitman in 1967 movies (he looks 60+). π±
"Read or Not 2 - Here I Come (2026)" Never seen that one, hate reading! π Only seen the more fun "READY or Not..." bloody flicks. ππ₯°
Shame on me. I shall sacrifice a 100 goats and a 100 bulls to appease the Gods
DeleteED13 is worth the price of admission just for the blood rain sequence at the end. The rest of the movie is cool too
DeleteOMG.....i LOVE that Point Blank story about final approval! Brilliant!!
Delete"Ill bet you're a big Lee Marvin fan." -Mr Blonde
Lee Marvin's the man! ✊️π
DeleteHowdy Team F This!
ReplyDeleteThe Thing (1982 4k). Perfect movie. That is all.
The Thing (2011 Blu). Hrmm. I loathed this initially as i felt it an unnecessary cgi fest and hold the original so dearly. Watched it again and warmed up a little (pun intended). And this 3rd watch? I kinda liked it? (SLIGHT SPOILER AHEAD) Originally i think they intentionally didnt market it as a prequel which i respect. However that fact becomes evident relatively quickly. And watching so close to the original i do appreciate the few threads they worked hard to tie together. The characters are all borning and dispensable and the original's sense of dread/mystery/tone is missing but its still an entertaining monster movie with lots of goopy action.
I always liked 2011, while also recognizing the flaws.
Delete1982, I really hope Shout or Arrow do a proper 4k at some point. The one that exist is fine, but there's toom for improvement.
totally agree with you! Shout/Arrow rule these days with 4k releases! (mmmmmmm Hard Boiled)
DeleteMary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Edgerton make 2011 "Thing" tolerable. π€¨π
DeleteThey do help a lot
Delete