Go, Speed Racer, Go! (And Other Various Things Which I Am Currently Enjoying)

The first time I watched Speed Racer (the film) was when it was released in May of last year. I liked it.

The second time I watched Speed Racer was a few nights ago, on dvd. I LOVED it.

I don't know why it was one of the those movies that is better the second time around, but it was. Any time I absent-mindedly pump my fist in the air, cheering on the heroes of the story, I take that as an indicator that I'm watching a pretty good movie. There are many things that I could say about the movie, but I will stick to two things.

First, the casting in that film is close to perfection. Matthew Fox was fantastic as Racer X, and Christina Ricci was, in my opinion, dead on as Trixie. The rest of the cast superbly rounded out the movie, and made it a joy to watch.

Second, I think one of the reasons I like Speed Racer so much is that, because it came out the same year as The Dark Knight, it perfectly demonstrates the range of cinematic experiences. Speed Racer is the complete antithesis of The Dark Knight. It evens out the balance (though yes, I am aware it was released before the Dark Knight). Here you have two fine examples of opposing ends of the spectrum. The Dark Knight is dark and gritty and literary and heavy. Speed Racer is light, has flashy colors, animated characters, and a fairly simple storyline (which does NOT mean that is a simple-minded storyline). But you know what? Both of these films are what they SHOULD have been, and BOTH are fantastic movies (Obviously, if there was a gun to my head, I would choose The Dark Knight as the better movie). But that does not diminish my simple appreciation for Speed Racer. As my friend, Bill Monthie pointed out, not everything has to be dark and gritty to be good.

Now, I tend to gravitate toward the darker and the grittier side of things. But that doesn't hold me back from enjoying and indulging myself in the simple, flashy, light stories such as Speed Racer. I love both. All I ask from a movie like Speed Racer is that it be excellently executed. And it was. And that's why I love it.

Anyway, the other things which I am currently enjoying are:

• Sarah Brightman's new disc, Symphony. Particularly the song "Fleurs de mal". She will always be Christine to me.
• The third season, and third volume, of Heroes. Although I am growing increasingly angry and weary with Peter Petrelli and his ludicrous one-sided mouth.
• Coraline 3D - very cool.
• Coraline - the children's book by one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman. Can't wait for The Graveyard Book movie.
• Odd Thomas - by Dean Koontz. This is the first book by Koontz that I have read, and I must say, I did not expect him to be such an excellent writer. I hated the ending, but that didn't detract from the goodness of the ending, if you know what I mean.
• The Age of Spiritual Machines - Ray Kurzweil. A look at artificial intelligence and where it is going in the next century. Fascinating, and more than a little scary. Ironic that Sir Chris Monthie posted about this subject earlier.
• The new Terminator:Salvation trailer. Holy. Freaking. Crap.

I believe that is all for now. Will post again soon.

Happy racing!

-a.