12 Monday, May 12, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com SPEED RACER From page 11 On a standard-size movie screen the rush of an intense 600 mph race down a roller coaster track is quite literally enough to take your breath away. I imag- ine that you might actually die attempting to watch this in an IMAX theater. The Wachowskis have laid claim to the title of visual effects pioneers since showing a man dodging bullets nine years ago in "The Matrix." With "Speed Racer" they've created some- thing so new and revolutionary that experiencing it can be lik- ened to audiences must have felt seeing Dorothy stepping into the Technicolor world of Oz. Every element of the film jumps off the screen, even though the film isn't shot in 3-D. You'll see colors you never even knew existed. Among other dazzling techniques, they've shot the film so that the background and the foreground are both in focus at the same time, creating a car- toon like effect that gives the film the "pop" factor you'll notice throughout. The storytelling is where "Speed Racer" starts to sputter. The plot is unnecessarily com- plex for a "children's" movie. No six-year-old I know can tell me much about inflating stock pric- es or multinational corporate takeovers, but that doesn't stop the Wachowskis from including them. And yes, much like "The Matrix" and "V for Vendetta," "Speed Racer" is a not-so-subtle allegory about fighting the cor- porate machine. Speed (Emile Hirsch, "Into the Wild") is an up-and-coming race car driver from a long line of car fanatics. After his brother Rex Racer dies in an infamous crash and falls into disrepute, it's up to Speed to restore his family's tarnished legacy. With his father (John Goodman, "The Flintstones"), his mother (SusanSarandon,"Enchanted") and his quasi-girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci, "Penelope") backing him up, Speed turns down a sponsorship contract with evil tycoon Royalton (a ham-tastic Roger Allam, "The Queen") and soon finds himself with a bounty on his head. He's aided in his fight by the myste- rious Racer X (a wooden Mat- thew Fox, "Lost"), a man with a deep, dark secret you might figure out by saying his name out loud a few times. One character has been left out of this laundry list: Speed's younger brother Spritle (Pau- lie Litt, "Jersey Girl"), who very well may be the most annoying and one-dimensional sidekick since Jar Jar Binks. Paired with a monkey named Chim-chim (because monkeys are always hilarious) he gives the kiddies something to laugh at, but also makes for some of the worst moments of the film - mainly because he consistently talks like he's quoting catchphrases from a '50s cereal commercial ("Holey moley!") and oftentimes your instinct is to want to punch him rather than chuckle. The film's dialogue is down- right laughable at times. Lines like "It's the only thing I know how to do and I gotta do some- thing!" and "It's not about how you change racing, it's about how racing changes you!" pepper the lulls in between auto-carnage and fight scenes and cause more eye rolls than inspiration. They also stretch the film about half an hour too long. Clocking in at two hours and fifteen minutes, the pulse-pounding synthetic colors and sounds make "Speed Racer" the most physically exhausting movie since "Grindhouse." So can awe-inducing visuals overpower a lacking storyline? In this case, yes - they're sim- ply that spectacular. The "Mario Kart"-on-acid races involving dueling, weaponized cars on spiraling tracks through moun- tains, deserts and metropolises are truly thrilling to watch, and that's something that's hard to say these days as zombie flicks and superhero movies roll off the assembly line like there's some sort of quota to be met. It definitely won't be for everyone, but for those who can stomach it, "Speed Racer" is a hell of a ride. REDBELT From page 9 It's ironic, then, that the main problem with the film lies in the otherwise impeccable script. Mamet, of course, is first and fore- most a writer, and he relies heavily on what is perhaps the most com- mon of all literary indulgences: excessive symbolism. Even the supporting characters are outright symbols, like the jittery attorney (Emily Mortimer, "Match Point") who's given a chance to redeem Film Performances lift otherwise mundane comedy "What Happens in Vegas" 20th Century Fox For most films, "it's not that bad" can't really beconsidered a posi- tive review. But for "What Hap- pens in Vegas" - the ostensibly doomed Cameron Diaz/Ashton Kutcher rom-coin - it's actually an accomplishment. Despite its - insipid premise and often-lazy execution, the film certainly has its moments and, thanks in no small part to several memorable comedic performances, man- NN * a,:.,' Proton 'Y Gamma Ray | Nouton Yv ainn herself by standing up to the bad guys. ;i Worst of all is the character of Mike Terry. Though convincingly portrayed by Ejiofor, you get the sense that he could've been played by anyone and it wouldn't have made a difference. Terry is simply too good, too righteous and one- dimensional, to really earn our sympathy. He's the ultimate hero: an intelligent, kind-hearted hus- band who goes out on a limb to help friends and strangers alike, and refuses to use his incredible fight- ing skills unless he's left with no choice. Men like this don't exist, and it lessens the overall power of the film. Any seasoned movie- watcher will know nothing bad will happen to Terry, that no mat- ter how many awful things Mamet throws his way he'll always come out on top. To leave Terry defeated would completely unravel the cen- tral thread of the film. For this reason alone, "Redbelt" fails to resonate after the end cred- its have rolled. It's a powerful view- ingexperience,but, aswitheventhe bestofgourmetdishes, it'sforgotten almost as soon as it's finished. a ARTS IN BRIEF ages to rise beyond understandably low expectations. The stale plotline - two very different people at rough patches in their lives meet while blowing off steam in Las Vegas, party hard, get married and win a jackpot that they must remain married to claim - reeks of a bad movie Hollywood learned to stop making around 1995. But there are some diamonds in the rough. Diaz and Kutcher, even while playing the two most abhorrent people you'll ever see, are oddly likable and understand- able. Rob Corddry (TV's "The Daily Show") steals many scenes as the paranoid best friend/lawyer of Kutcher's character, as does his foil Lake Bell (TV's "Boston Legal"), who plays the amazingly sarcastic best friend of Diaz's character. With jokes that work surprising- ly well and a fitting, if entirely pre- dictable, third act, "Vegas" floats for the most part - and that's quite an accomplishment considering all the things pulling it down. IMRANSYED MORE ONLINE at michigandaily.com a Winner will receive two free burritos from Rio Wraps. 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