The Hot Blog

i was a big fan of the cartoon growing up. and yet, i have zero desire to see this movie. the trailers don't capture any of what you've said. i'm not entirely sure what ninjas have to do with big multi-national corporate bad guys, but not curious enough to find out by seeing it.

"The Wachowskis did what all smart filmmakers who are looking for a way to bring familiar music alive and renewed do. They hired Michael Giacchino"

Ha! Well said.

One thing, and I swear I'm just asking, what does it mean, "...image creation ideas" re: Matrix Reloaded?

It is my shorthand way of speaking to the idea of coming up with image ideas that must be created through new technology and that haven't really been seen elsewhere... pretty much.

Dave you fell for it.

You were supposed to push sleeping Joseph Cotten out of his seat (or whoever the bad cop is there) and write a long passionate pan of this film. Not because you disliked it at all. But because you loved it!

And because you know that credibility is the only thing a critic has these days. And with these artists yours is in doubt.

But no. Dave sincerely loved another Wachowski flick. And thinks that by telling us why, it builds a case for his integrity.

Oh Dave...

As much as I'm looking forward to some other movies this summer, this easily takes the cake. The visuals in the trailers alone are worth the price of admission. Glad to know there's some substance as well. IMAX, here I come!

Idiotic, Crow.

You know, it's not a game.

If you want to be taken seriously, say something of weight instead of taking lame shots like a petulant teen.

Methinks Crow was being ironic. That's the problem with irony, you can never tell if you're supposed to eat the Irish babies or not.

RICCI.

The. Hotness. Reading the phone book still gets my ten bucks, especially after BSM. I think Nicol was right when he opined that she may actually be the biggest fanboy draw (or close to it) on this picture.

And, yeah, I (too?) thought Crow was being ironic/pro-Poland/anti-haters with his post.

Me too. Especially since I imagined "sleeping Joseph Cotten" as He-Who-Is-Not-To-Be-Named. Because that person and Cotten kind of look alike, by which I mean, if you pulled Cotten out of the ground today.

Wells giving D-Po some dap for his SR stance!

"But to be unable to see the complexity of the imagery is to fail to appreciate the depth of what The Wachowskis are doing here."

Loosely translated: "You bitter moviegoers, clinging to your demands for coherent images and non-epilepsy-inducing visuals..."

Heat is now back to being HEAT. Good review Heat. I do enjoy it more when you take the hammer to others and not to me. So it's a good time all-around.

Oh yeah... running this shit... HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Not sure if Rex Reed liked it or not...

"Not sure if Rex Reed liked it or not..."

LOL.

That CD shoplifter, tax evader hated it. It must be good.

Why is he so determined to miss out on Iron Man?

If I get around to seeing this in the theaters it will have to be on a DLP projector at minimum.

thank god for wilmington......

3 stars... same as Iron Man.

Drew McWeeney gave it a rave over at AICN.

Say what you want about their journalistic integrity, but I like Drew's writings when he's critiquing and definitely respect his analysis and taste.

The original Matrix was a quiet surprise and I believe this one will be too.

And I say this as an anime fan, but not a fan of Speed Racer (or Hentai - It's all about Cowboy Bebop and Trigun)

Like when Drew sits in the editing room of a POTC movie and then writes a rave review of said movie a short while later? There are few reviewers I trust less than Drew. The same goes for almost everyone writing reviews at AICN. I hardly even bother to read them anymore. There's little point.

"But to be unable to see the complexity of the imagery is to fail to appreciate the depth of what The Wachowskis are doing here."

Sounds a lot like The Matrix Reloaded defense-- if you don't like it, you don't "get" it. Am I reading this wrong?

^^^ yes, you shouldn't read into what he's saying at all, and it makes perfect sense.

Ahh, I did not know this about McWeeny. Interesting. I'll keep that in mind from now on...

I trust Drew's reviews, but you can see his view coming a mile away when he comments on stories on a movie beforehand.

This movie was a treat. Dave hit it on the head. I'm simply amazed at the negative reviews.

No, Mystery, that is not it.

Liking something and understanding something are two different things.

As a film critic, part of my job is to understand even what I don't like. Like I understand why people like Iron Man... it's a flashy movie with a flashy improv-y performance with a really cool suit... just don't think about it too much or it falls apart, like most improv does. I get it. I just disagree with the sentiment of many.

Speed Racer can certainly induce headaches for many. I get that. But reading a lot of the negative criticism makes it very clear that these guys were gone and lost interest early in the first act. That's fine for someone paying for a ticket. But it's critic malpractice. This doesn't mean that a critic can't - and should, when they feel that way - thoughtfully despise this movie or any other. Or to love one I don't like.

I know you like to reduce me to a single sentence or idea... but this is not that kind of issue. At least, not for me.

As for Drew... I haven't spoken to him about the film, but I was guessing he was loving the film when I saw him at the IMAX for yet another viewing of the film... and then heard him laughing out loud at times.

Personally, I don't think ANYONE has any business reviewing films when there is a relationship that might skew perspective. It's not an accusation about the critic or Drew in particular. We are all susceptible to circumstance.

You will see, for instance, a Lunch With… with Joel Silver soon. I requested the sitdown after I saw the film the first time. But had I been given the interview opportunity without having seen the film, the potential of me skewing my view because of that access and perhaps, not wanting to lose it by signaling dislike of the film, would have been something I would have to consider seriously.

But I think Drew is generally a honest, straight-forward guy. I do think he is a little too inside for his readers’ good sometimes. And I believe he should not be reviewing at all, given that he is working for studios as a writer. He is completely vulnerable to accusation because of that… and it’s not unfair to wonder, even if he is playing it 100% from the heart.

Still… observing his behavior on this film, a little, suggests to me that he had real pleasure.

It's another adventure in absurdism care of the Wachowskis, but I found it very enjoyable. It has the usual narrative flaws, but I wasn't bothered. I actually thought the first half hour is the best, especially when we see how crazy this kid is for cars, cars, cars. I was entertained. My biggest disappointment is that I didn't get to see it in IMAX or digital projection. This is way more digital worthy than Iron Man.

"You will know whether this is a movie that will stay in your heart early on, when young Speed imagines himself racing."

Exactly. I was with the movie instantly bcause of that one scene.

Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

URL:
Remember me? YesNo

Comments: