KingChrono

SPEED RACER



I never had the good fortune of watching Speed Racer. This was my brother's era, not mine. Though I wanted to check it out anyway because of its visible beauty. Ever since "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow", I have been waiting for another movie that would use an entire CGI environment and this looked simply amazing.

As I suspected, the film was pure eye candy. An acid trip of ultra-bright colors swirling around the silver screen. This was not always a good thing though. Sometimes the cartoon world didn't mesh that well with the real life personas, the effects were overdone and even a few scenes rival that of "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl". Even so, a perfect medium always formed whenever a fight and race took place.

The action really blew me away. Besides being visually stunning, it provided heart-pounding excitement with every turn of the wheel. Fast cars, explosions galore, gangs, ninjas and weapons! Oh, the weapons! Buzz saws, oil slicks, flamethrowers and much much more... I couldn't get enough of it! I doubt this will disappoint you.

The music was exceptional. No Matrix techno beats like in the trailer. Michael Giacchino composed an excellent score that I believe captured themes from the cartoon.

The plot was actually a bit more complex then I thought it was going to be. In fact, kids will be wondering whats going on in certain areas. In a nutshell, Speed Racer must restore the reputation of racing from a corporate scandal all the while uncovering the mysterious circumstances of his brother's death. The story mostly focuses on family and there were a lot of touching moments. Casting was great and I thought all of the actors did an excellent job of portraying their roles. I found Spritle & Chim-Chim to be especially funny!

I am reading that a lot of critics are panning the movie. It received 35% so far on Rotten Tomatoes and the consensus was "The Wachowski Brothers have overloaded Speed Racer with headache-inducing special effects, and neglected to develop a coherent storyline." First, I never got a headache while watching the movie. Second, yes the characters are one-dimensional, yes the plot isn't mind-blowing, yes the world looks silly and the races are insane, but last I remember ...IT'S BASED ON A CARTOON! It's suppose to be frivolous! As long as it made you feel like you were watching the cartoon in live-action, then the film was a success. If the critics can't see that, then I guess there missing the point.   

Depending on your tastes, you could either love or hate the film. It is certainly not for everyone. Though if your a kid at heart, this movie is for you!


GOOD

When I was driving out of the theater, another car smashed into my rear bumper. Coquencidence?

EDIT: A friend has pointed out to me that while the critic reviews are  negative (35%), the audience rating is rather high (79%).

Also, here is an excellent blog that tries to answer why the critics are dismissing Speed Racer.

sergioleoneifr.blogspot.com/20…

IRON MAN



Just saw it an hour ago.

I believe superhero movies all have to do with expectations. In your mind, you have a perceived notion of how these comic-book heroes look, act and sound. This also applies to the world in which they live, the characters with which they interact and the the villains in which they conflict. If these expectations are ever lowered,  the movie is a failure for that individual.  Well I am happy to report that, at least for me, "Iron Man" was excellent!

In my opinion, "Iron Man" has great casting, tasteful humor, smart dialogue and superb visual effects. Robert Downey Jr was remarkable in his role as Tony Stark. Though the plot was typical of the genre, the way it was presented provided a few twists. Complaints could be one-dimensional supporting characters and not enough action, but I think this does not take away from the film.  At any rate, "Iron Man" promises greater action and developing characters in its sequels to come. If your looking for an exceptional superhero flick, make sure to catch "Iron Man"!


GREAT

Also remember to STAY AFTER THE CREDITS! There is a scene after the movie that is a must see! If they do that....I already said too much! You have to see it for yourself!

WELCOME

If you could, please give a warm welcome to pa2jim.



He started a page here a month ago and has shared some of his artworks for our supergroup, the Legion of Valor.



Artists I'm Commissioning Now

paneseeker.deviantart.com/jour…

taclobanon.deviantart.com/jour…

Do check out my journal for those offering commissions:

kingchrono.deviantart.com/jour…

Idea from the intimidating Thor's Assassin.

thorsassassin.deviantart.com/j…

Check out my journal and look at the shoutboard. I have listed several artists that are doing commissions. If you are open for commissions now or know someone doing them, leave a comment here. Thanks!!!

Important Mentions:



Paneseeker is still doing $25 dollar commissions till the end may.

Hurry!



Evan Shaner is only able to do commissions for 1 and a 1/2 weeks.

HURRY!!!



Jaclyn West needs commissions... please help in her time of need!

NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:thumb82973103: :thumb83064890:

2 of 4 artz by



Proceeds from Paneseeker's art goes to the education of children who can't afford it. Please support his cause and and throw some commissions his way (send a note)! Any contributions would be greatly appreciated!

Other examples of his work:

:thumb82703297::thumb82896495: :thumb82508841: :thumb82876340:

Check it out!





For those that downloaded the first one yesterday, I didn't realize that saving it as a JPEG file would fill in anything transparent on the stamp. I just  fixed it this morning if you want to refresh it.

Already have some awesome new stamps below from:



If you have a friend or fan stamp that I can add, plz send a comment!!

Other then that, I added a new website section and updated a few things. Also, the rectangle box to your left contains the icons of my supergroup friend's dev pages.