Speed Racer with Emily Yoshida and J.D. Amato

[00:00:01] Blank Check with Griffin and David

[00:00:05] Blank Check with Griffin and David

[00:00:09] Don't know what to say or to expect

[00:00:13] All you need to know is that the name of the show is Blank Check

[00:00:31] Hi, I'm... Good job. Was that the one? No. Fascinating.

[00:00:35] Emily was taking bets on which line I was going to destroy for the introduction of the show.

[00:00:41] My name is Griffin Newman. I'm David Sims.

[00:00:45] This is Blank Check with Griffin and David, and this is a mini-series we are doing called The Pachowsky Caster.

[00:00:51] Good, yeah. You still trip over it. I trip over it too.

[00:00:55] Pachowsky Caster. Why not just the Pudkasky?

[00:00:59] This was serious heavy debate. It's actually a heavy subject.

[00:01:05] There was a lot of debate over whether we could be just the Pachowskys, which is now how the Wachowskys brand themselves.

[00:01:11] But casting has always been in our mini-series titles.

[00:01:16] People got to know that we're casting. We're not just potters, we're casters.

[00:01:19] And this was brought up to us by my friend Alex Criss and who you've met, in fact.

[00:01:25] And so we are the Pachowsky casters.

[00:01:28] This is a podcast where we talk about filmmakers. We go over filmographies.

[00:01:32] We do mini-series devoted to directors and go through their career.

[00:01:37] And what we're fascinated is when someone has a massive success early on

[00:01:40] and gets these sort of blank check opportunities to do crazy stuff.

[00:01:43] This is definitely, we've hit the ultimate blank check in their career, I would say.

[00:01:47] Yes. You would say. We're talking about the Wachowskys.

[00:01:51] This is their big blank check and then yet the next one may be even more so.

[00:01:55] So I don't know. And then the next one may be even more so.

[00:01:58] But you'd think this is it. You'd think this is the Apex.

[00:02:01] They make Bound, Solid debut. They make The Matrix. The entire world changes.

[00:02:07] Then they have Total Carp Launch to make two Matrix sequels that people don't like at the time.

[00:02:12] And then they don't make a film for five years.

[00:02:15] And they return with this.

[00:02:17] Although they do make V for Vendetta.

[00:02:20] That's very much, I think of that as being a Wachowskys film.

[00:02:23] Even though they didn't direct. I mean it's just got them all over it.

[00:02:26] They kind of shadow-direct it.

[00:02:28] We have two guests. I shouldn't choose them quickly.

[00:02:30] One of our guests is only here for a limited period of time.

[00:02:33] Both of our guests, like...

[00:02:35] Friends of the show.

[00:02:36] Friends of the show. Past guests. Returning guests.

[00:02:39] Both, you know, deep thinkers on this film.

[00:02:43] Months out tapped this.

[00:02:44] Yeah, we're like, hey, if you're talking about this...

[00:02:47] They did a little tapping.

[00:02:48] They had combos with us when we were still in like George Lucas land.

[00:02:51] Yeah, yeah, they were like, because we were like floating out the idea.

[00:02:55] From The Verge.

[00:02:57] You may know her better from the podcast Awakens.

[00:03:00] Yes.

[00:03:01] The podcast Reawakens.

[00:03:03] That's my most famous podcast I've ever been on.

[00:03:05] Yeah, that's your top credit.

[00:03:08] Emily Ashida.

[00:03:09] Hello, thank you for having me back.

[00:03:11] We're very excited to have you back.

[00:03:13] It's here and...

[00:03:14] It's been around this for people.

[00:03:15] From the Chris Gathert show?

[00:03:17] Yeah.

[00:03:18] Director-show runner.

[00:03:19] You may also know him from Attack of the Podcast.

[00:03:22] Episode...

[00:03:23] Six or something?

[00:03:25] Digital filmmaking?

[00:03:26] Yeah.

[00:03:27] JD Amato is here.

[00:03:28] Hey guys, I'm so glad to be here.

[00:03:29] Thank you for being here, JD.

[00:03:30] A fan favorite episode, that one.

[00:03:32] A couple people have told me.

[00:03:33] Oh, that's great.

[00:03:34] That's because I still own that movie on my iPhone.

[00:03:38] Because of our podcast?

[00:03:40] Yeah, because of your podcast.

[00:03:41] You'll own it forever.

[00:03:42] Because that was the only way to get a copy of it.

[00:03:44] Yeah.

[00:03:45] I had to buy it and now I have it.

[00:03:47] Did you watch it on your phone or did you Apple TV?

[00:03:49] No, I watched it on my...

[00:03:50] But then now it's just being go to my phone.

[00:03:52] So every now and then I'm like, oh, I'm gonna...

[00:03:54] I'll watch a few seconds of it.

[00:03:56] Yeah, exactly.

[00:03:57] I'm gonna watch the Japanese serving spoon scene of the clone people.

[00:04:02] Oh my God.

[00:04:04] Oh, you mean when their chairs are Japanese serving spoons?

[00:04:06] Yeah, exactly.

[00:04:07] Right, of course.

[00:04:09] Yeah, but we're not here to talk about Japanese serving spoons.

[00:04:12] No, we're talking about Speed Mother fucking Racer.

[00:04:15] The fifth film?

[00:04:17] Yeah, yeah.

[00:04:19] The fifth Wachowski's film.

[00:04:20] Directed and written.

[00:04:22] Correct.

[00:04:23] Yeah, they're direct follow-up.

[00:04:24] So yeah, they like...

[00:04:25] And produced.

[00:04:26] Yeah, they sort of oversaw Vifra Vendetta.

[00:04:28] And then they also, I believe when Oliver Hirschberg or whatever his name was,

[00:04:32] was fired off of the invasion.

[00:04:34] Oh, did they do some shadow directing on the invasion?

[00:04:36] They did a lot of shadow directing on that.

[00:04:38] Oh yeah, no, that's true.

[00:04:39] Yeah, I didn't know that.

[00:04:40] That's why some rando tweeted at me about the invasion.

[00:04:43] Yeah, we're not gonna fucking cover that.

[00:04:45] This was all four Wachowski hands on deck in the thick of it making a Wachowski film.

[00:04:51] Yeah, this is the cutie of vision.

[00:04:53] Yes, right.

[00:04:54] They're finally like, yeah, they're blank checking it.

[00:04:58] And this was...

[00:04:59] I think this is the first...

[00:05:00] You mentioned that they had several blank checks in a row, theoretically.

[00:05:04] Yeah.

[00:05:05] This was the first one that quote-unquote bounced, I would say.

[00:05:08] Where they were like, this is where film is going to be, this is what's going to happen.

[00:05:12] Here it is and the world was like, we're not ready for this.

[00:05:15] But it made back quite a bit of its budget, not all of it, but it was a huge budget.

[00:05:20] Huge.

[00:05:21] Yeah.

[00:05:22] It was a big budget.

[00:05:23] And there were big hold...

[00:05:24] It did basically make it back worldwide, which is not great, but you know, yeah.

[00:05:29] But I mean, I think JD is right that no one was quite ready, right?

[00:05:33] To put this in context for a little, going into this movie they made four films.

[00:05:37] Three of those movies were The Matrix, right?

[00:05:40] Yeah, but two of them were Matrix movies that nobody liked.

[00:05:43] It's true.

[00:05:44] Agreed, but you still look at the bigger picture and it's like, okay, so like three out of

[00:05:48] four times at bat, these folks had like a huge cultural impact.

[00:05:52] And this was before I think people got Sequelitis where it was just like if you made three bad

[00:05:57] movies you could be like, oh, these aren't good.

[00:05:59] Or the idea that of Sequel's being these amazing things in their own right wasn't as normal as

[00:06:04] it is now.

[00:06:05] Yes, yeah.

[00:06:06] Whereas now you're like, no, the third, fourth, fifth movie in a series should be amazing.

[00:06:09] And then you're like, ah, it's Sequel's, you know?

[00:06:11] Right, Sequel's a crack game.

[00:06:12] They're gonna get worse, yeah.

[00:06:13] Right.

[00:06:14] In a way I feel like this is the first film though to actually like pick up fans

[00:06:19] who may be dropped off for Reloaded because they were, you know, it's like, okay,

[00:06:25] I liked what they did with Matrix.

[00:06:27] I was into that, wasn't so into the second or third movies, but here they're gonna do

[00:06:31] a whole different thing.

[00:06:32] Right, yeah, but that was all more Matrix.

[00:06:34] So yeah, I want to see them.

[00:06:36] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:06:37] And their MO for almost every Matrix film was we're gonna do something in cinema

[00:06:43] that has not been done before and you guys are gonna rip this off the rest of

[00:06:47] his cinema for the next 10, 15 years.

[00:06:50] But we're gonna do it first.

[00:06:51] We're gonna invent this stuff.

[00:06:52] And so when Speed Race was coming out, I remember thinking what's the new thing?

[00:06:56] Right.

[00:06:57] What are they gonna do?

[00:06:58] What are they doing?

[00:06:59] What do they do?

[00:07:00] Like again as a throwback because I forgot to eat breakfast.

[00:07:03] The other aspect you have to think about here is like...

[00:07:05] Are you eating dry Cheerios?

[00:07:07] Yeah.

[00:07:08] Emily was talking about how this film had like a crazy torture development cycle

[00:07:12] because, you know, Speed Race was big in the 70s that started rearing in the 90s

[00:07:16] and it became the sort of Gen X thing that was like hitting two generations at once

[00:07:21] because 70s kids would grown up with it, we're now watching it again

[00:07:24] and there suddenly was like a lot of merchandising and everything.

[00:07:27] And then also new generation of kids were watching it

[00:07:29] and Warner Brothers was like, oh, we should buy the rights to this thing

[00:07:32] and try to make a movie out of it.

[00:07:33] I wanna bring up one indication.

[00:07:35] I texted this to David this morning.

[00:07:37] There was a 1996 Volkswagen GTI commercial.

[00:07:42] It's weird.

[00:07:43] It's so good.

[00:07:44] That's a live action Speed Race?

[00:07:46] No, it's a Speed Race.

[00:07:47] It's a little short.

[00:07:48] It's a Speed Race or short.

[00:07:49] Oh, I remember this.

[00:07:50] And it's like the Mach 5 gets hijacked or something

[00:07:54] and then, so he drives a GTI instead.

[00:07:57] And I remember that commercial to me now looks like,

[00:08:01] okay, Volkswagen's were cool and hipster as shit

[00:08:04] and also Speed Racer was just hot in like 96.

[00:08:09] Did you guys grow up watching Speed Racer at all?

[00:08:11] It was in the air, yes.

[00:08:12] Yeah, casually.

[00:08:13] I wasn't like a huge fan but I definitely watched it.

[00:08:15] I loved Speed Racer growing up.

[00:08:17] I did not watch Speed Racer.

[00:08:19] I was like, what are you guys watching it on?

[00:08:20] It's like a Saturday morning.

[00:08:21] Yeah, it was like Nickelodeon would play in the sky.

[00:08:23] It kind of just passed me by.

[00:08:24] It was like institution.

[00:08:25] I mean, I knew of it but I remember even at the time

[00:08:27] in like the 2000s when it was always like,

[00:08:29] ooh, Speed Racer movie.

[00:08:31] And I was like, who's into a Speed Racer movie?

[00:08:33] Like why are they putting so much effort

[00:08:35] into making this thing?

[00:08:36] At the time Warner Brothers bought the rights,

[00:08:38] it was definitely like...

[00:08:39] 92 I think is when they rebooted the series

[00:08:43] and then I think that they started showing that one

[00:08:45] because the original 60s or 70s series,

[00:08:49] they had that and then there was like another 90s reboot.

[00:08:52] Right.

[00:08:53] And I think both were playing sort of simultaneously.

[00:08:55] I feel like they had a 90s reboot

[00:08:57] and someone else started airing the originals.

[00:08:59] Well, that's also when Cable became sort of more...

[00:09:02] I got the Cartoon Network.

[00:09:04] Right.

[00:09:05] And so there was a lot of kids channels

[00:09:06] that needed programming

[00:09:07] so that's why a lot of 70s shows got re-licensed

[00:09:09] because they're cheap

[00:09:10] and it was like, oh, we need to fill time for the first time.

[00:09:12] I feel like sea level kids shows from like the 70s,

[00:09:15] like Richie Rich,

[00:09:16] like I remember watching that for some reason.

[00:09:18] I would watch Johnny Quest and all these like Centurions,

[00:09:22] all these totally random right,

[00:09:24] like this garbage that they kind of collected.

[00:09:26] Actual Space Ghost, not the comedy version.

[00:09:28] Actual Space Ghost and actual Birdman

[00:09:30] and all the old stuff like that.

[00:09:32] I do think that's a weird thing where...

[00:09:35] I mean even with Netflix

[00:09:37] and like a greater sort of accessibility

[00:09:39] to all these old cartoons,

[00:09:41] I do feel like...

[00:09:43] And maybe I'm wrong about this,

[00:09:45] but I feel like kids today

[00:09:46] don't have the same sense of older cartoons.

[00:09:48] Like my sister's like nine years younger than me, right?

[00:09:51] And when the Yogi Bear movie came out

[00:09:53] she was like, what the fuck is Yogi Bear?

[00:09:55] And I was like, he's like a bear

[00:09:57] and he steals picnic baskets

[00:09:59] and she's like, that's the entire premise of the show?

[00:10:02] And I was like, you know, when we were like,

[00:10:04] you know, children

[00:10:06] and like the Flintstones movie came out,

[00:10:07] we were fully versed in Flintstones.

[00:10:09] We were watching the Flintstones all the time

[00:10:10] and that show was 40 years old at that point.

[00:10:12] Well, you get so much more stuff by Osmosis

[00:10:14] instead of like specifically seeking it out on demand.

[00:10:17] It's like I don't want to watch Speed Racer or Flintstones.

[00:10:20] It was on. It was on.

[00:10:22] And I feel like this, you know,

[00:10:24] all the nostalgia things that are being made right now

[00:10:26] are like mid-90s at the earliest

[00:10:28] because before that, if it's like a children's type property

[00:10:31] it doesn't really have any value.

[00:10:34] Other than Alvin and Chipmunks

[00:10:35] because apparently healing voices will always be funny.

[00:10:39] Is that, is the entire Chipmunks legacy

[00:10:42] like not the films but like what people know

[00:10:44] of the original cartoon.

[00:10:45] Is it just the Christmas time is here song?

[00:10:47] I feel like that's the only thing that still...

[00:10:49] Chipmunk punk is their best album, I would say.

[00:10:53] Cool.

[00:10:54] I still have memorised in my head.

[00:10:56] Do you remember how they had,

[00:10:57] they'd have the commercials for the like albums?

[00:10:59] Yeah.

[00:11:00] And like, I don't know their full songs

[00:11:03] but I remember it was like there was a moment

[00:11:05] where it's like another song such as

[00:11:07] Town Girl, do you, does she love me?

[00:11:11] Does she...

[00:11:12] And like that switch from Uptown Girl to

[00:11:14] Do you love me?

[00:11:15] Do you love that?

[00:11:16] That's like ingrained in your brain.

[00:11:17] It's like stuck in my head.

[00:11:18] When we were kids we would watch old animated shows

[00:11:20] and we would watch countless ads

[00:11:22] for compilation albums.

[00:11:23] So many commercials.

[00:11:24] Yes.

[00:11:25] Where like...

[00:11:26] Cool rock.

[00:11:27] Where the titles are all scrolling by

[00:11:28] and then the one in yellow is the one that's playing.

[00:11:30] I mean how many of those did I watch?

[00:11:32] Now that's what I call music.

[00:11:33] Blue, ba ba, be da ba da.

[00:11:35] And then that like blue screen with all the credit card

[00:11:37] information that to me was just like,

[00:11:39] I was like oh this is a grown up thing.

[00:11:41] Now it's your grown up.

[00:11:42] This is where you get your parents into the room.

[00:11:45] You will tell me what this means one day.

[00:11:47] Yeah, like you freeze in the headlights

[00:11:49] of adulthood of like I can't do anything

[00:11:51] if I touch a phone or something could go wrong.

[00:11:53] I remember doing fake radio shows

[00:11:55] when I was a kid and doing ads like that

[00:11:57] and always like stop making sure

[00:11:59] to specify no CODs which I didn't

[00:12:01] even know what that was but...

[00:12:03] Right exactly.

[00:12:04] There's a weird phenomenon that you're getting at though JD

[00:12:06] where it's like there are certain songs

[00:12:08] that I still think of as being

[00:12:10] combined with other songs.

[00:12:12] Like there was like a pure love songs compilation

[00:12:15] that the ad used to always play

[00:12:17] and they'd go like why do birds

[00:12:19] suddenly appear

[00:12:21] every time you are near

[00:12:23] loving you

[00:12:24] and like for me that's one song

[00:12:26] that's like continuous, you know?

[00:12:28] Much like for me now the Speed Racer theme

[00:12:31] is forever a dual Spanish, English,

[00:12:34] hip hop, techno fueled

[00:12:37] romp and no longer can the original

[00:12:40] theme song ever play in my head without hearing them go

[00:12:42] go Speed Racer go

[00:12:44] and then they go into Spanish which I won't do

[00:12:46] because I don't know the actual words

[00:12:47] but just the syllables that they're saying.

[00:12:49] They also don't they have like a lot of little

[00:12:51] samples from the English language

[00:12:53] on running throughout which is like a very 90s

[00:12:55] techno thing.

[00:12:56] Yeah.

[00:12:57] Like I feel like original Speed Racer

[00:12:59] hub would have been sampled in like

[00:13:01] I don't know what

[00:13:03] an uncle track or something like that.

[00:13:05] It reminds me of like when they

[00:13:07] first made Mortal Kombat movie and it was

[00:13:09] like the theme song had the like

[00:13:11] just your might, just your might

[00:13:13] and this is like go Speed Racer

[00:13:15] go like.

[00:13:16] Okay so that's one of the really weird

[00:13:18] phenomenons to this movie that like

[00:13:20] Speed Racer what it originally

[00:13:22] started airing in the 70s was one of

[00:13:24] the first Japanese cartoons

[00:13:26] to air in America.

[00:13:28] It was kind of badly dubbed sort of like

[00:13:30] a Jaffy version.

[00:13:31] It was Jank as shit.

[00:13:33] So that was like the dual aspects to

[00:13:35] sort of

[00:13:36] why it stuck in the craw

[00:13:38] culturally is one it was

[00:13:40] like this new introduction to this

[00:13:42] sort of different type of storytelling style, this different animation

[00:13:44] style that was very different than what we were

[00:13:46] used to you know in western animation especially

[00:13:48] if you compare it to like Hanna-Barbera

[00:13:50] I mean it's very dense plotting the way

[00:13:52] the action sequences were designed and movements all that

[00:13:54] sort of stuff and then the shitty translations

[00:13:56] on top of it.

[00:13:57] So much like you know

[00:13:59] shitty kung fu movie translations became

[00:14:01] a thing for kids growing up it was like

[00:14:03] why are the voices weird on Speed Racer

[00:14:05] why don't they now sync up?

[00:14:07] Why isn't there more than two frames of animation

[00:14:09] to be like a fade from speed in the

[00:14:11] car to speed in the air?

[00:14:13] And when pops would get mad he would just sort of like

[00:14:15] shift grumpy positions without like

[00:14:17] in-betweening you know.

[00:14:18] It was kind of like early video games

[00:14:20] to us too we were growing up on these like pixelated

[00:14:22] video games.

[00:14:23] But we should, we'll get to this

[00:14:25] but the pan is like the ultimate

[00:14:27] tool of low budget animation.

[00:14:29] The pan is what makes you feel like

[00:14:31] you're watching something active and

[00:14:33] that the pan is like a constant

[00:14:35] throughout this movie which I think is

[00:14:37] brilliant I love it so much.

[00:14:39] And what that, just to expound upon that.

[00:14:41] I really love this movie.

[00:14:43] This could be a very academic episode because we all love

[00:14:45] this movie and are trying to break down why other people don't like it.

[00:14:47] Instead of animation.

[00:14:48] Because those people are dumb.

[00:14:49] What Emily's scribe is instead of

[00:14:51] animating any of the

[00:14:53] any of these things they would just draw

[00:14:55] what would be like, imagine like a three

[00:14:57] foot wide painting of a scene.

[00:14:59] It's like a comics panel.

[00:15:00] Exactly.

[00:15:01] Like a long comics panel.

[00:15:02] And then they would animate the camera movements you could

[00:15:04] automate across and then they'd maybe switch out

[00:15:06] one or two things in it and that meant they could get

[00:15:08] 30 seconds of animation out of one drawing.

[00:15:10] Yeah like just the mouth would move

[00:15:12] but it would feel cinematic.

[00:15:14] And I will say.

[00:15:15] It's kind of like a Garfield cartoon.

[00:15:17] Or it's just...

[00:15:18] Yes.

[00:15:19] I believe that you can

[00:15:21] lay out all of Speed Rates of the movie

[00:15:23] into one singular image.

[00:15:25] I bet you could do it.

[00:15:26] I think you could do it.

[00:15:27] You mean like this...

[00:15:29] Like every frame?

[00:15:31] Like I think it...

[00:15:33] The end composition, like the digital comp

[00:15:35] that you're looking at,

[00:15:37] arguably, I mean they didn't do it this way

[00:15:39] but like you could combine them all to be

[00:15:41] like one camera that just moves

[00:15:43] from connected video to connected video.

[00:15:45] Yeah it's like a collage.

[00:15:48] So yeah.

[00:15:49] It announces itself with that opening

[00:15:51] like 20-minute sequence or whatever.

[00:15:53] Like this is what this movie is going to be

[00:15:55] like where it's like he's racing

[00:15:57] but here's his backstory

[00:15:59] and here's what's going on with his family

[00:16:01] and here's what's going on like in his childhood.

[00:16:03] We have to get in depth with that opening

[00:16:05] because it's brilliant.

[00:16:06] I just want to say just to sort of set this stage quickly.

[00:16:08] So they like...

[00:16:10] In the 90s it's where it comes back,

[00:16:11] it's re-erring, kids are getting into it

[00:16:13] and I think it was sort of this like common touchstone

[00:16:15] for kids who'd grown up with it

[00:16:16] where like remember how weird Speed Racer was?

[00:16:18] The plotting was strange, the animation was so bizarre,

[00:16:20] the voices were over the top,

[00:16:21] it's being repurposed into like commercials and stuff.

[00:16:23] Warner Brothers buys the rights

[00:16:25] and for like 15 years is aggressively trying

[00:16:27] to make a movie and can never figure it out.

[00:16:29] Johnny Depp and Julian Temple almost do it

[00:16:31] then like Alfonso Cuarón and Michelle Gondry

[00:16:33] both I think almost made their

[00:16:35] like big American debuts on it.

[00:16:37] There were ideas to make it a more serious

[00:16:39] gritty film, there were ideas to make it

[00:16:41] like a Brady Bunch style parody

[00:16:43] then Vince Vaughn bought the rights in the early 2000s.

[00:16:46] Vince Vaughn?

[00:16:47] Yes, that's right.

[00:16:48] And he wanted to play Racer X

[00:16:49] and he was like he wanted to make it

[00:16:50] like very character based.

[00:16:51] Wait, was it?

[00:16:52] But serious?

[00:16:53] Wait, like...

[00:16:55] Henry Rollins was off for the role.

[00:16:56] Helly Henry Rollins was supposed to be

[00:16:58] Speed Racer at one point.

[00:16:59] No, no, it was supposed to be Racer X.

[00:17:00] Oh, Racer X?

[00:17:01] I thought it was supposed to be Speed Racer.

[00:17:02] I think in the Julian Temple version

[00:17:03] it was going to be Johnny Depp

[00:17:04] and Henry Rollins were going to be the two leads.

[00:17:07] And then like you know post-matrix

[00:17:09] even though the movies weren't very well liked

[00:17:11] they did make money for Warner Brothers,

[00:17:13] at least reloaded it.

[00:17:14] Oh sure, yeah.

[00:17:15] And they sort of had Cache do whatever they wanted

[00:17:16] because everyone's like what's the next

[00:17:17] Wachowski thing going to be?

[00:17:18] Right.

[00:17:19] And they team up with Joel Silver

[00:17:20] and they were like we grew up on Speed Racer,

[00:17:22] we loved it, we'd like to make something

[00:17:24] that had broader appeal, you know?

[00:17:27] That isn't R-rated.

[00:17:28] Right.

[00:17:29] So if they go to Warner Brothers,

[00:17:30] they go we want to make something

[00:17:31] that's more accessible than the Matrix.

[00:17:32] Warner Brothers was going to be like

[00:17:33] yeah, you want to make something

[00:17:34] that's more successful than the Matrix?

[00:17:36] Do that.

[00:17:37] And they sort of left into their own devices

[00:17:39] and they made the weirdest creative choice

[00:17:41] they could have made which was

[00:17:42] directly adapting the American translation

[00:17:45] of Speed Racer.

[00:17:46] It is not an adaptation of the Japanese version

[00:17:49] at all.

[00:17:50] It is not Mak-Go-Go-Go the movie.

[00:17:52] Right.

[00:17:53] That's something I don't understand.

[00:17:54] Someone should probably just explain that to me.

[00:17:56] So there's their, what's the difference?

[00:17:58] I mean like apart from the language obviously.

[00:18:00] Well, I know, I mean just like the names

[00:18:02] and stuff and like Mak-Go-Go-Go

[00:18:06] is the Japanese word for five.

[00:18:08] So it's Mak-Five but it is a pun

[00:18:10] because it's like go, go, go.

[00:18:11] Okay.

[00:18:12] And his name is Go Mifune.

[00:18:14] Which means just like...

[00:18:16] Just like we love Shiro Mifune

[00:18:18] and we're going to name every single character after him.

[00:18:20] And I forget, yeah they all have different names.

[00:18:24] Like I don't think it's Pop's Racer.

[00:18:26] But I'm just right.

[00:18:27] I think you're right.

[00:18:28] I think I looked that up and it's not.

[00:18:29] Yeah.

[00:18:30] I think the energy of this show very much,

[00:18:32] the weird specific energy that the American version

[00:18:35] has comes out of how like large and stilted

[00:18:38] and out of sync the vocal performances are.

[00:18:41] Which I think the film very much replicates that energy.

[00:18:43] You know, it's this weird tonal thing.

[00:18:46] It's very loud.

[00:18:48] JD has a limited amount of time

[00:18:49] so I want to sort of like throw the soapbox over to you.

[00:18:52] Yeah, you got 10 minutes JD.

[00:18:54] So here's, I want to set the stage for things.

[00:18:56] Yeah.

[00:18:57] And because why I'm here is because I think

[00:18:59] whenever Speed Racer comes up with a conversation

[00:19:01] I say a pretty outrageous statement

[00:19:04] and then I have to describe my experience

[00:19:06] of watching Speed Racer.

[00:19:07] So I believe that Speed Racer is the most underrated,

[00:19:11] under respected for its additions to cinema film

[00:19:15] in the past I want to say 20 years.

[00:19:18] I don't know, that's a rant.

[00:19:19] I'm trying to think why I say 20 years

[00:19:20] because I would assume that 20 years ago

[00:19:22] there was some movie that was.

[00:19:23] 1996 baby, English Patient.

[00:19:25] Yeah, something wasn't.

[00:19:27] English Patient changed the game.

[00:19:28] Change the game.

[00:19:29] Speed Racer changed it again.

[00:19:30] Maybe it's more than that.

[00:19:31] Maybe it's more than that.

[00:19:33] My focus fades out 20 years before and I go,

[00:19:36] okay, there's probably something.

[00:19:37] Right.

[00:19:38] So Speed Racer to me is a unique film.

[00:19:41] If you watch it today, I think you might watch it

[00:19:43] and not be as impressed or as overwhelmed

[00:19:47] as I think people were when it first came out

[00:19:49] now because I believe that Speed Racer

[00:19:51] set the tone of the hyper-pop over-stimulation

[00:19:56] like hyper-pop culture aesthetic

[00:19:59] that we now live in and that mainstream has adapted.

[00:20:02] And I think it's become softened

[00:20:04] but I think Speed Racer was like this explosion up top

[00:20:07] that then created all of these films

[00:20:09] including films like Draft Day.

[00:20:11] Yeah, that's your big point is that Draft Day

[00:20:13] has the exact same editing style as Speed Racer.

[00:20:15] Yeah, all those weird pans and it's true

[00:20:17] and like the crazy, crazy, crazy

[00:20:19] like triple double like screens.

[00:20:21] And Costner walks through frames and transitions

[00:20:23] but also that movie's made for dads.

[00:20:25] Like that movie's made for dads.

[00:20:27] Like that movie's made for an audience

[00:20:29] that doesn't want to be challenged.

[00:20:31] And anime fans.

[00:20:32] Yes, well it's based off of course

[00:20:34] the classic anime called Draft Go Go.

[00:20:36] Right, exactly.

[00:20:38] Yeah, your character name was not originally

[00:20:42] J.C. The Intern.

[00:20:44] Go Go Football.

[00:20:45] Go Go Go Intern.

[00:20:46] Go Go Coffee.

[00:20:47] Exactly.

[00:20:48] Intern Mifune.

[00:20:49] Intern Mifune.

[00:20:50] But like I think you can look at like movies

[00:20:52] like Scott Pilgrim which then people are like

[00:20:54] oh wow this is such a new thing

[00:20:55] and it's like no, no, no, no.

[00:20:56] Scott Pilgrim all these films were in the wake of Speed Racer.

[00:20:58] Right.

[00:20:59] Which came...

[00:21:00] But Scott Pilgrim also didn't do that well

[00:21:01] like people didn't quite get that one either.

[00:21:03] Absolutely.

[00:21:04] But I think people are like

[00:21:05] look at this movie doing new stuff

[00:21:07] and it's like...

[00:21:08] Finding this tech.

[00:21:09] Exactly.

[00:21:10] And to me it was like no, no, no, no.

[00:21:11] Speed Racer got there first.

[00:21:12] JD pops up and he's like

[00:21:13] no, no, no, no, no.

[00:21:14] Finger rag.

[00:21:15] So let me describe my experience

[00:21:17] of watching Speed Racer.

[00:21:18] I was a Speed Racer fan.

[00:21:19] Growing up watching the cartoon series

[00:21:21] got super excited when this...

[00:21:23] One of my dream things was like

[00:21:25] I'd love to make a Speed Racer movie

[00:21:26] and then when it was like

[00:21:27] what Chelsea's doing, I was like

[00:21:28] alright they're gonna go for it.

[00:21:29] I respect this.

[00:21:30] Let's see it.

[00:21:31] All the advertising was all over the place.

[00:21:33] This was a crazily heavily advertised movie.

[00:21:36] They also clearly had no idea how to sell the movie.

[00:21:38] They didn't know how to sell it

[00:21:39] because there were trailers that were like

[00:21:40] four kids and it was like funny, goofy, family fun.

[00:21:43] There's a monkey, go Speed Racer.

[00:21:45] Like the music was really common.

[00:21:46] Exactly.

[00:21:47] And then there were trailers

[00:21:48] that were like super intense.

[00:21:49] This is dark, drawn

[00:21:50] and it was like all over the...

[00:21:51] The film theme, how speed underneath it?

[00:21:52] Exactly.

[00:21:53] But it was like dark drama with still the same imagery

[00:21:55] which made you watch the trailer and go

[00:21:56] what the fuck is this movie?

[00:21:58] Well, I would focus a lot on the action.

[00:22:00] There's a lot of cars flipping over each other.

[00:22:02] And they use like Racer X dialogue

[00:22:03] like no he's gonna be the best.

[00:22:05] Like the lines that out of context

[00:22:07] put into that sort of trailer made it look like

[00:22:09] does this movie think that it's The Matrix?

[00:22:11] Or does it think that it's like Rocky or something?

[00:22:13] Or a superhero movie.

[00:22:14] Yeah, another superhero movie.

[00:22:16] So then I go to see it.

[00:22:17] I go to see it at Lincoln Center

[00:22:19] which has the IMAX screens.

[00:22:21] Like the for real IMAX.

[00:22:23] The real IMAX.

[00:22:24] 2D, big point.

[00:22:25] 2D, this is before 3D was like a ubiquitous thing.

[00:22:28] It's the year before Avatar.

[00:22:30] That's my favorite way to see a movie by the way.

[00:22:32] IMAX 2D.

[00:22:33] Absolutely.

[00:22:34] It's so hard to do these things.

[00:22:35] It's really hard.

[00:22:36] It's very annoying.

[00:22:37] And real IMAX too.

[00:22:38] Of course, not LIMAX.

[00:22:40] So I'm in there in an audience.

[00:22:41] The theater is packed.

[00:22:43] I'm sitting right in the middle

[00:22:44] with a bunch of other film school people.

[00:22:45] We're all watching this film unfold.

[00:22:47] And as it goes,

[00:22:48] something starts happening that I

[00:22:50] have only seen at that time in a movie

[00:22:51] and I have not seen since.

[00:22:53] As visuals unfold,

[00:22:55] the audience begins

[00:22:56] cheering and clapping

[00:22:57] and screaming as things happen.

[00:22:59] Not because of their story or plot elements

[00:23:01] but because of the visual exposure is crazy.

[00:23:04] And then there is a moment

[00:23:06] at the end of the film.

[00:23:07] So the film goes

[00:23:08] like people are wrapped up in it

[00:23:09] and the entire time everyone's looking around

[00:23:10] like this is crazy.

[00:23:11] What are we watching?

[00:23:12] I heard JD tell the story like five times

[00:23:14] and I still get chills every time he tells it.

[00:23:16] And it's growing

[00:23:17] and the whole audience feels like

[00:23:19] what are we watching?

[00:23:20] What is this thing?

[00:23:21] Because it doesn't stop.

[00:23:22] There's no edit, there's no breath

[00:23:23] and when there is a breath

[00:23:24] it's like you've been tricked into taking a breath.

[00:23:25] And suddenly you're like,

[00:23:26] oh wait, it's slow now

[00:23:27] but it's not.

[00:23:28] And then something happens

[00:23:29] and then the climax of the film happens.

[00:23:31] The final race.

[00:23:32] Which is very emotional.

[00:23:33] It's amazing.

[00:23:34] I can't even.

[00:23:35] And it's the editing

[00:23:36] and all the stuff

[00:23:37] and it's all this imagery

[00:23:38] and they've built this foundation

[00:23:39] of things coming in

[00:23:40] and you being used to the fact that

[00:23:42] someone's going to be talking

[00:23:43] and a scene is going to be happening

[00:23:44] while action is taking place.

[00:23:45] And it's like all these layers

[00:23:46] on top of each other.

[00:23:47] And in the final moment

[00:23:49] Speed's card jumps over

[00:23:50] the finish line

[00:23:52] and the finish line

[00:23:54] wraps around the screen

[00:23:56] and forms.

[00:23:57] Like a checkerboard, light a scope.

[00:23:58] It turns into like a tunnel.

[00:23:59] Yes.

[00:24:00] And it's in super HD

[00:24:01] so you can see every checker

[00:24:02] and everything

[00:24:03] and it's spinning.

[00:24:04] The car is spinning one way

[00:24:05] and the checkerboard's spinning another way

[00:24:06] and I've never seen this happen

[00:24:08] in a theater before

[00:24:10] since like before then

[00:24:11] and never again have I seen this happen.

[00:24:13] A 2D movie.

[00:24:14] This is not a 3D movie.

[00:24:15] The entire audience in unison

[00:24:17] screamed in terror

[00:24:19] into light

[00:24:20] and put their hands in front of their face

[00:24:23] to block their eyes

[00:24:24] from what was images

[00:24:26] and colors

[00:24:27] and lights

[00:24:28] and sounds that were so overwhelming

[00:24:30] and so just like

[00:24:31] it was like seeing a new color

[00:24:32] that everyone screamed

[00:24:34] and it happened

[00:24:35] and then everyone laughed

[00:24:36] and giggled

[00:24:37] and like clapped with each other

[00:24:38] of just like

[00:24:39] what just happened

[00:24:40] to our eyes and ears.

[00:24:42] It was amazing.

[00:24:43] They're also all crying

[00:24:44] because Speed Racer wins the race.

[00:24:46] Spoiler alert.

[00:24:47] It's the most cathartic.

[00:24:48] It is like

[00:24:49] I don't, I think it's hacky

[00:24:50] to talk about climaxes this way

[00:24:52] but it is orgasm on top of orgasm

[00:24:54] the end of this movie.

[00:24:55] It just keeps coming and coming

[00:24:57] and coming.

[00:24:58] Oh my God.

[00:24:59] And it was, it was,

[00:25:00] to me I saw that

[00:25:01] and I said

[00:25:02] the Wachowskis

[00:25:03] are the most talented

[00:25:04] ahead of the curve.

[00:25:05] Their only fault is that they're

[00:25:07] ahead of where people are.

[00:25:08] Right.

[00:25:09] They're always five years ahead

[00:25:10] or whatever.

[00:25:11] Exactly.

[00:25:12] And all there are,

[00:25:13] I think there's so many flaws

[00:25:14] you can talk about at Speed Racer

[00:25:15] and so many places where

[00:25:16] the film is not strong

[00:25:18] or where like elements

[00:25:19] of the filmmaking process

[00:25:20] were not fully realized.

[00:25:22] But as a whole,

[00:25:23] it is a film that is like

[00:25:25] like it's like Hodorovsk.

[00:25:26] It's like, it's like ahead

[00:25:27] of its time from another planet.

[00:25:28] It's films from another planet

[00:25:29] and this is one of them.

[00:25:31] And I think people thought

[00:25:32] that it was just like

[00:25:33] a like gone in 60 seconds

[00:25:36] some just like action movie

[00:25:37] with cars

[00:25:38] and stuff like this

[00:25:39] or that it was like Alvin

[00:25:40] and the chipmunks.

[00:25:41] Some silly kids.

[00:25:42] And it's like, sure.

[00:25:43] Yeah.

[00:25:44] No, this was the full force

[00:25:45] of Wachowski's

[00:25:46] these people who were pushing

[00:25:48] filmmaking forward

[00:25:49] and they just happened to take

[00:25:50] this property at a time

[00:25:52] when also it wasn't

[00:25:54] totally as hip

[00:25:55] and understood that.

[00:25:56] Maybe it's its lowest point

[00:25:57] of relevance.

[00:25:58] It was like 15 years

[00:25:59] out of date at this point.

[00:26:00] Yeah, exactly.

[00:26:01] From the revival.

[00:26:02] Like 15 years from the second

[00:26:04] wind.

[00:26:05] But even now

[00:26:06] I think rebooting properties

[00:26:08] that aren't as popular

[00:26:09] is something people are like,

[00:26:10] Oh, cool. That's fine.

[00:26:11] Let's see what it is.

[00:26:12] And this is the point where

[00:26:13] that was not in vogue

[00:26:14] and people are like,

[00:26:15] why the fuck?

[00:26:16] Why are you doing speed racer?

[00:26:17] And the question is still

[00:26:18] why speed racer,

[00:26:19] but what they did with it

[00:26:20] and the technology they put

[00:26:21] behind it and the imagery

[00:26:22] and all the stuff was so ahead

[00:26:23] of its time.

[00:26:24] And I do think completely

[00:26:25] impacted the superhero

[00:26:26] genre we see today

[00:26:27] of this like pop infused

[00:26:28] super like sort of

[00:26:30] like the kind of living

[00:26:31] saturated image

[00:26:32] sort of mixed with reality.

[00:26:33] Cinematic excess.

[00:26:34] Yeah, exactly.

[00:26:35] And like having this

[00:26:36] like super cartoony fun

[00:26:37] crazy all the stuff happening

[00:26:38] mixing it with like

[00:26:39] super melodrama at the same time

[00:26:41] that really hadn't been done

[00:26:43] in that way.

[00:26:44] And then movies like Guardians

[00:26:45] all these things that come out now

[00:26:46] that like probably have found

[00:26:47] the middle ground a little bit more

[00:26:48] than that.

[00:26:50] But I think speed racers

[00:26:51] set the stage and I think people

[00:26:52] need to respect that

[00:26:53] and go back and watch Speed Racer

[00:26:54] and see what it did

[00:26:55] and just like turn off

[00:26:56] the part of your brain

[00:26:57] that thinks that you knew

[00:26:58] what it was

[00:26:59] and just watch it

[00:27:00] and let it wash over you.

[00:27:01] Well, I want to see an IMAX 2D

[00:27:02] now.

[00:27:03] Yeah, yeah.

[00:27:04] Yeah, let's a little round of applause.

[00:27:05] JD, well done.

[00:27:06] It is noon so you might

[00:27:07] have to mic drop there.

[00:27:08] I mean, you did it.

[00:27:09] I would say.

[00:27:10] I might be able to buy myself

[00:27:11] some more minutes,

[00:27:12] but I have to step outside

[00:27:13] for a minute.

[00:27:14] These are a couple of things

[00:27:15] I'm going to say in response

[00:27:16] to what you just said.

[00:27:17] One, when you tell that story

[00:27:18] and you talk about the reaction

[00:27:19] the thing it reminds me of

[00:27:20] is when you hear about people

[00:27:21] seeing the Lumiere Brothers

[00:27:22] film of the train entering

[00:27:23] the station and they were

[00:27:24] like, I don't understand

[00:27:26] is a train about to hit me?

[00:27:27] Yes.

[00:27:28] And I do think

[00:27:29] I mean there were very few

[00:27:30] critics who stood up for

[00:27:31] this movie when it came out

[00:27:32] and I don't remember who it

[00:27:33] was, but whoever was

[00:27:34] writing for Time Out

[00:27:35] New York at the time

[00:27:36] made this plea that it was

[00:27:37] like, all these other critics

[00:27:38] are looking at and thinking

[00:27:39] the story's melodramatic

[00:27:41] or that the physics of the

[00:27:42] movie don't make sense

[00:27:43] or this or that and they were

[00:27:44] like, the Wachowskis are

[00:27:45] working on such a pure level

[00:27:47] actually redefining what

[00:27:48] cinema is that this is

[00:27:49] getting back to the essence

[00:27:50] of like things moving

[00:27:52] like the early camera test

[00:27:53] where it's about watching

[00:27:54] a horse run.

[00:27:55] You know?

[00:27:56] Well, the end of that movie

[00:27:57] is also like 2001.

[00:27:58] I mean, it just becomes

[00:27:59] completely abstract color

[00:28:01] and emotion and like

[00:28:02] somebody just doing something

[00:28:04] that nobody else has ever

[00:28:05] done before and everybody

[00:28:06] is just like freaking out.

[00:28:07] It keeps usually in that kind of

[00:28:09] thing it would be distracting

[00:28:10] if you keep cutting back to

[00:28:11] like Susan Serrinen

[00:28:12] and Christina Ricci clapping

[00:28:13] but you're like, ah, no,

[00:28:14] it's me, it's me.

[00:28:15] Narratively, it's super

[00:28:18] abstract because it's like

[00:28:19] every scene is also about

[00:28:20] everything that's happening

[00:28:21] after and before that.

[00:28:22] Yeah.

[00:28:23] Yeah.

[00:28:24] And there's also the other

[00:28:26] thing I was going to say,

[00:28:27] JD is like, you know,

[00:28:29] a lot of the idea of this

[00:28:31] series that we do David.

[00:28:33] I need a cigarette right now.

[00:28:34] It's just like, whoo.

[00:28:36] It's very warm in here.

[00:28:37] It's very warm in here.

[00:28:38] I got worked up

[00:28:39] and I was running.

[00:28:40] Yeah, I know.

[00:28:41] Holding onto the walls.

[00:28:42] Oh my God.

[00:28:43] The speakers are the greatest

[00:28:44] film ever made.

[00:28:45] Do you know what?

[00:28:46] I mean, watching it this time,

[00:28:47] I can think of a few things

[00:28:48] that make it not the greatest

[00:28:49] film.

[00:28:50] Yes, absolutely.

[00:28:51] There are flaws.

[00:28:52] Like we can backfire a little bit.

[00:28:53] Well, I think flaws are also

[00:28:54] kind of what make it incredible.

[00:28:55] Well, that's kind of

[00:28:56] the Wichowsky experience.

[00:28:57] Yeah.

[00:28:58] It's like you do have to

[00:28:59] kind of buy in no matter what.

[00:29:00] That's fucking filmmaking.

[00:29:01] That's cinema.

[00:29:02] The whole idea is that

[00:29:03] there's a whole series of

[00:29:04] things, these series of images.

[00:29:05] These 24 images a second

[00:29:08] screaming by your face

[00:29:10] and in doing so you can combine

[00:29:11] enough of them with enough

[00:29:12] things going on that at the end,

[00:29:14] the audience watching it has

[00:29:15] this visceral reaction,

[00:29:16] this feeling that they've never

[00:29:17] felt before.

[00:29:18] They can't really pin down

[00:29:19] and their only reaction

[00:29:21] that they can think to have

[00:29:22] is just to like scream

[00:29:24] and laugh and clap.

[00:29:26] And that's what filmmaking

[00:29:27] should be, is just like

[00:29:28] we're gonna throw these

[00:29:29] things together and see

[00:29:30] what it can make you feel.

[00:29:31] And Speed Racer did that

[00:29:32] and I think people do not

[00:29:33] respect that and do not realize

[00:29:34] that it did that because they

[00:29:35] wrote it off, never watched it.

[00:29:37] Maybe they watched the first

[00:29:38] five minutes on fucking

[00:29:39] YouTube or something.

[00:29:40] I had a listener of this

[00:29:41] podcast who I respect a lot.

[00:29:43] I won't call him out because

[00:29:44] I think he's gonna re-watch

[00:29:45] the movie.

[00:29:46] But he was telling me that

[00:29:47] he tried to watch it knowing

[00:29:48] that we were gonna do it

[00:29:49] and was like, I watched

[00:29:50] the first five minutes,

[00:29:51] I just couldn't handle it.

[00:29:52] And I was like, you need

[00:29:53] to understand that like

[00:29:54] the first five minutes are

[00:29:55] so overwhelming, the first

[00:29:56] 10 minutes of that film

[00:29:57] are so overwhelming because

[00:29:58] you've never seen a movie

[00:29:59] structured like this before.

[00:30:00] Where you're like watching one

[00:30:02] race but also processing every

[00:30:04] moment of this kid's life

[00:30:05] simultaneous with the race.

[00:30:06] And I was like, it's

[00:30:07] overwhelming but then it

[00:30:08] settles into itself and also

[00:30:09] the language they established

[00:30:10] in that opening scene

[00:30:11] sets up the final race

[00:30:12] that is so cathartic and

[00:30:13] is such a path they can only

[00:30:14] get to if you like understand

[00:30:15] this sort of vernacular

[00:30:16] they've set up.

[00:30:17] But the thing I was gonna

[00:30:18] say is I think our sort of

[00:30:19] like our mission statement

[00:30:20] to this podcast is we're

[00:30:21] interested when someone has

[00:30:22] massive success.

[00:30:23] And I think that's

[00:30:24] something that

[00:30:25] people are interested in

[00:30:26] and I think that's

[00:30:27] something that

[00:30:28] people are interested in

[00:30:29] and they're interested in

[00:30:30] massive success and then

[00:30:31] they sort of lose it, right?

[00:30:32] They can't figure out how

[00:30:33] to get back into the thing

[00:30:34] and someone like Shyamalan

[00:30:35] or Lucas.

[00:30:36] They like never,

[00:30:37] they're struggling.

[00:30:38] Shyamalan is always scrambling

[00:30:39] to like get the

[00:30:40] lightning back in the bottle

[00:30:41] or whatever.

[00:30:42] Right.

[00:30:43] And you and I like

[00:30:44] all the Wachowski films.

[00:30:45] Yeah.

[00:30:46] Like and I think

[00:30:47] what we were interested

[00:30:48] what interested us

[00:30:49] in covering them was

[00:30:50] that it was a different

[00:30:51] angle of not like why

[00:30:52] did they lose it

[00:30:53] but why did the public

[00:30:54] stop following them?

[00:30:55] Right.

[00:30:56] Because the Matrix

[00:30:57] everyone loved and then

[00:30:58] we think these films are

[00:30:59] brilliant but they didn't

[00:31:00] really connect.

[00:31:01] And I think they're two

[00:31:02] factors.

[00:31:03] One of them, you know

[00:31:04] two major factors in this

[00:31:05] disconnect with Wachowski's

[00:31:06] since, you know, Matrix

[00:31:08] the first Matrix really.

[00:31:09] One is that they kept on

[00:31:11] looking six steps ahead

[00:31:12] of everyone else.

[00:31:13] So there's a speed you

[00:31:14] can move at because you

[00:31:15] even look at something like

[00:31:16] Avatar where people are

[00:31:17] like this was a break

[00:31:18] there's never done before.

[00:31:19] 3D had been back for

[00:31:20] like four or five years

[00:31:21] but hadn't really worked yet.

[00:31:22] So Mechus had been doing

[00:31:23] his shitty motion captured

[00:31:24] movies.

[00:31:25] That's true.

[00:31:26] Like people had a sense

[00:31:27] of what the movie was like.

[00:31:28] And then he was like,

[00:31:29] here's the good version

[00:31:30] of what Cameron was trying to

[00:31:31] do and then he was like,

[00:31:32] here's the good version.

[00:31:33] The Polar Express is the

[00:31:34] most underrated.

[00:31:35] Wouldn't that kill

[00:31:36] everything if that was

[00:31:37] like I was like, I'm going

[00:31:38] to go to bat heart

[00:31:39] Polar Express

[00:31:40] from Mars Needs Mom's.

[00:31:41] Yeah.

[00:31:42] A film that lives in the

[00:31:43] Uncanny Valley.

[00:31:44] It's made a home there.

[00:31:45] I don't step out real

[00:31:46] quick.

[00:31:47] I'll try to come back

[00:31:48] in like 15 minutes or

[00:31:49] so.

[00:31:50] Okay.

[00:31:51] I remember I tried to

[00:31:52] make the term Polar

[00:31:53] Expressive a thing for

[00:31:54] like weird Uncanny Valley

[00:31:55] expressionless

[00:31:56] monster people.

[00:31:57] Yeah.

[00:31:58] I think there's a two prong

[00:31:59] thing.

[00:32:00] One of them is that like,

[00:32:01] you know, the Wachowskis

[00:32:03] were looking four steps ahead

[00:32:05] when the audience is maybe

[00:32:06] only ready to see one step

[00:32:07] ahead.

[00:32:08] Right?

[00:32:09] Yeah.

[00:32:10] And I remember I saw this

[00:32:11] movie with my sister Romley.

[00:32:12] So she must have been,

[00:32:13] she was like 10 at the time.

[00:32:15] She was not a Speed Racer

[00:32:16] fan.

[00:32:17] She had no context for

[00:32:18] what was happening.

[00:32:19] The movie flopped

[00:32:20] really hard, was very

[00:32:21] quickly out of theaters

[00:32:22] domestically at least.

[00:32:24] And we went to what was

[00:32:25] literally the last showing in

[00:32:26] New York City.

[00:32:29] It was like, you know,

[00:32:31] the Union Square Theater on

[00:32:32] like a Thursday at 5 o'clock

[00:32:34] and it was the last theater

[00:32:35] playing it.

[00:32:36] And afterwards she said,

[00:32:37] what did you think?

[00:32:38] And I was like,

[00:32:39] I think I liked it,

[00:32:40] but I also think we don't

[00:32:41] necessarily have the frame

[00:32:42] of reference to judge this

[00:32:43] movie because it's so many

[00:32:44] steps ahead of what other

[00:32:45] movies are doing right now

[00:32:46] that we might live in a

[00:32:47] world 10 years from now

[00:32:48] where all movies look like

[00:32:49] this to a degree.

[00:32:50] But I think that

[00:32:51] the other element to why

[00:32:52] people have had a hard time

[00:32:53] connecting with their work,

[00:32:54] and this is where everything

[00:32:55] shifted with Speed Racer,

[00:32:57] is this movie is

[00:32:58] achingly sincere.

[00:33:00] Yeah.

[00:33:01] Absolutely.

[00:33:02] It's 100, there's no irony

[00:33:03] whatsoever.

[00:33:04] It's 100% about how

[00:33:05] capitalism is bad

[00:33:06] and how artists should be

[00:33:07] independent.

[00:33:08] Yeah.

[00:33:09] Emily is good.

[00:33:10] Emily has a great read

[00:33:11] on this movie as a reaction

[00:33:12] to the witch house

[00:33:13] making the Matrix.

[00:33:14] I want to get to that.

[00:33:15] I have a similar.

[00:33:16] But I want to go back

[00:33:17] to two things.

[00:33:18] OK.

[00:33:19] Yes.

[00:33:20] Basically, we have to

[00:33:21] acknowledge the sincerity early

[00:33:22] on because it's a present.

[00:33:23] Right, right, right.

[00:33:24] We have to talk about everything.

[00:33:25] But what?

[00:33:26] The thing about your sister

[00:33:27] growing up without any context.

[00:33:28] You don't need context for it.

[00:33:29] It's fucking Speed Racer.

[00:33:30] It's a dumb cartoon.

[00:33:31] I mean, it's silly.

[00:33:32] His literal last name

[00:33:33] is Racer.

[00:33:34] Yes.

[00:33:35] And it's supposed to say

[00:33:36] Speed.

[00:33:37] Speed.

[00:33:38] His dad's name is Pops.

[00:33:39] Yeah.

[00:33:40] Like he was a baby.

[00:33:41] Yes.

[00:33:42] His parents named him Pops.

[00:33:44] Yeah.

[00:33:45] That's because he did come out

[00:33:46] a mini John Goodman

[00:33:47] with a mustache.

[00:33:48] Yeah.

[00:33:49] His name is so crazy.

[00:33:50] So insane.

[00:33:51] That's like if in the real world

[00:33:53] there was an actor

[00:33:54] who starred in car movies

[00:33:55] whose name was Vin Diesel.

[00:33:56] Right, right.

[00:33:57] Could you imagine how insane that would be?

[00:33:59] So the one thing is like,

[00:34:00] and that's I think to

[00:34:01] the film's credit,

[00:34:02] it realizes that like we do not

[00:34:04] need to treat Speed Racer

[00:34:05] as the sacred text.

[00:34:07] We can take the themes

[00:34:08] that the Speed Racer

[00:34:09] was constantly dealing with

[00:34:10] which is like,

[00:34:11] oh, is he going to sign

[00:34:12] with the big capitalist bad guys

[00:34:13] or is he going to stay loyal

[00:34:14] to his family?

[00:34:15] That is all that Speed Racer

[00:34:16] is about.

[00:34:17] They just take that

[00:34:18] husky's narrative of that

[00:34:19] which like makes a lot of sense.

[00:34:20] So that's great.

[00:34:21] They don't try to overly mythologize it

[00:34:23] the way that we're really used to now

[00:34:25] as superhero movies.

[00:34:26] You just have to take it as it is.

[00:34:27] Yeah.

[00:34:28] But the other,

[00:34:29] the thing about the visuals

[00:34:30] and the thing about them being ahead

[00:34:31] of the time that I think is like

[00:34:32] weirdly tragic because I watched this.

[00:34:35] I watched this on my Roku

[00:34:38] streamed from Amazon

[00:34:40] and you know,

[00:34:42] Internet speeds dairy

[00:34:44] and this does not stand up well

[00:34:46] to on-demand streaming.

[00:34:47] No.

[00:34:48] You would need to watch this

[00:34:49] on a Blu-ray or on like

[00:34:50] an actual production of it.

[00:34:51] On an upstairs screen, yeah.

[00:34:52] You cannot have buffering

[00:34:53] going on with this.

[00:34:54] Or even just that thing

[00:34:55] where it kind of will pixelate

[00:34:57] or...

[00:34:58] Yeah.

[00:34:59] Because all of those backgrounds

[00:35:00] that are all completely digital

[00:35:01] and like fabulous and detailed

[00:35:03] but you will lose all of that

[00:35:04] and it'll just look like

[00:35:06] a weird neon cloud.

[00:35:07] Yeah.

[00:35:08] Like Clarity is sort of the big

[00:35:09] visual idea that one of

[00:35:10] the big visual ideas they had

[00:35:11] in this movie.

[00:35:12] And you know,

[00:35:13] they talked a lot about

[00:35:15] even the scenes that are shot

[00:35:16] on sets where there's very little

[00:35:18] sort of obvious digital effects

[00:35:20] like the stuff in the house.

[00:35:21] In the house, yeah.

[00:35:22] The big idea they had was

[00:35:23] A, shooting all on digital cameras

[00:35:24] which was still pretty fresh

[00:35:25] at that time

[00:35:26] and B, making this

[00:35:28] insane depth of field

[00:35:29] so that all the images were

[00:35:30] very flat.

[00:35:31] Yeah.

[00:35:32] And a lot of the other shots

[00:35:33] they do composite shots

[00:35:34] so they'd like film the background

[00:35:35] and focus.

[00:35:36] They film the actors and focus

[00:35:37] and they composite them together

[00:35:38] so it looked like a cartoon

[00:35:39] where it's just an image

[00:35:40] on top of an image.

[00:35:41] Right.

[00:35:42] Which is like another

[00:35:43] very, very literal translation

[00:35:45] of an anime aesthetic.

[00:35:46] Yeah.

[00:35:47] Like a super flat.

[00:35:48] Like it's just that's the way

[00:35:49] that like they made that work

[00:35:51] on film in a way that

[00:35:53] nobody has ever done before

[00:35:54] pulled off.

[00:35:55] I would also argue

[00:35:56] and we were talking about this

[00:35:57] earlier, I don't think anybody

[00:35:58] else should ever attempt.

[00:35:59] Yeah.

[00:36:00] I don't trust anyone else.

[00:36:01] No, I don't.

[00:36:02] I think it's

[00:36:03] I think it works both

[00:36:05] to the film's detriment

[00:36:06] and to its like success.

[00:36:07] I mean it looks

[00:36:09] unlike anything else

[00:36:10] which is why I think it's

[00:36:11] special.

[00:36:12] Yeah.

[00:36:13] And I think, I mean

[00:36:14] I honestly think that look

[00:36:15] which was so bizarre

[00:36:17] against the landscape

[00:36:18] of other movies

[00:36:19] especially in this sort of space

[00:36:20] of like big summer blockbusters

[00:36:22] which are mostly very concerned

[00:36:23] with trying to seem cool.

[00:36:25] And The Matrix

[00:36:26] you know was sort of

[00:36:27] misinterpreted as

[00:36:28] a very cool movie

[00:36:29] because it is a cool movie.

[00:36:30] Yes.

[00:36:31] But it's not a posturing movie.

[00:36:32] No, but it did set

[00:36:33] like cool aesthetics

[00:36:34] like for the next few years.

[00:36:35] Yes.

[00:36:36] I just watched all three

[00:36:37] of those movies

[00:36:38] this weekend.

[00:36:39] Yeah.

[00:36:40] And it

[00:36:41] you guys like

[00:36:43] the sunglasses

[00:36:44] I mean it just reminds me

[00:36:45] of every single stoner guy

[00:36:46] I knew in my freshman

[00:36:47] and sophomore year

[00:36:48] of high school.

[00:36:49] Right.

[00:36:50] But this

[00:36:51] well that's the thing is

[00:36:52] it did have a coolness

[00:36:53] posturing to it I think

[00:36:54] I think it's like very

[00:36:55] specific to them

[00:36:56] and I think in hindsight

[00:36:57] we can recognize

[00:36:58] that as being like

[00:36:59] actually kind of geeky

[00:37:00] version of coolness.

[00:37:01] Exactly.

[00:37:02] That's the sort of point

[00:37:03] I was going to make

[00:37:04] is that like at the time

[00:37:05] it was looked at

[00:37:06] this very cool movie

[00:37:07] but it's actually like

[00:37:08] a nerd's idea

[00:37:09] and by dumb luck

[00:37:10] it's like a LARPers idea.

[00:37:11] Yeah.

[00:37:12] Right.

[00:37:13] And by dumb luck

[00:37:14] that conception

[00:37:15] linked up at the moment

[00:37:16] culturally

[00:37:17] with some idea of

[00:37:18] what cool actually was

[00:37:19] and it was like

[00:37:20] oh these guys are hip

[00:37:21] they're edgy

[00:37:22] like right

[00:37:24] but then you look back

[00:37:25] and it's like no

[00:37:26] they're just very

[00:37:27] sincere nerds

[00:37:28] and somehow their thing

[00:37:29] hit a nerve.

[00:37:30] You know,

[00:37:31] like this was just

[00:37:32] a pure expression

[00:37:33] of what they were

[00:37:34] interested in

[00:37:35] aesthetically,

[00:37:36] emotionally, psychologically,

[00:37:37] philosophically

[00:37:38] and the same thing

[00:37:39] but the culture was like

[00:37:40] pass.

[00:37:41] You know?

[00:37:42] And you look at

[00:37:43] like when the trailers

[00:37:44] were happening

[00:37:45] the aesthetics made

[00:37:46] no fucking sense

[00:37:47] if you were imagining

[00:37:48] seeing that

[00:37:49] in between trailers

[00:37:50] for like

[00:37:51] the incredible Hulk

[00:37:52] and fucking

[00:37:53] wanted or whatever.

[00:37:54] Wanted!

[00:37:55] I'm trying to think

[00:37:56] of 08 movies.

[00:37:57] Wasn't Indiana Jones

[00:37:58] Crystal Skull

[00:37:59] was that year?

[00:38:00] Iron Man,

[00:38:01] Kung Fu Panda

[00:38:02] Iron Man

[00:38:03] ruined this movie

[00:38:04] because this movie

[00:38:05] came out a week after

[00:38:06] Iron Man

[00:38:07] was released.

[00:38:08] But I think

[00:38:09] like if you watch

[00:38:10] the film

[00:38:11] there's sort of an

[00:38:12] immersion therapy

[00:38:13] thing where the movie

[00:38:14] teaches you how to

[00:38:15] watch it

[00:38:16] and sort of those

[00:38:17] visuals make sense to you

[00:38:18] but if you're just

[00:38:19] seeing a trailer

[00:38:20] you're like

[00:38:21] is this movie

[00:38:22] supposed to look shitty?

[00:38:23] Like a lot of people

[00:38:24] were like

[00:38:25] why are the effects so bad?

[00:38:26] So in that way

[00:38:27] I would say

[00:38:28] that's the way

[00:38:29] that you would need

[00:38:30] to be primed

[00:38:31] like not in the

[00:38:32] mythology of

[00:38:33] speed racer

[00:38:34] necessarily.

[00:38:35] Which is not really

[00:38:36] what I'm saying

[00:38:37] but you will get

[00:38:38] so much more satisfaction

[00:38:39] out of this film

[00:38:40] seeing those really

[00:38:41] subtle translations

[00:38:42] from animation to live action.

[00:38:43] Even using

[00:38:44] the source material

[00:38:45] of a pretty

[00:38:46] crappily animated show

[00:38:47] just seeing how they

[00:38:48] interpret that

[00:38:49] in like a

[00:38:50] very, very

[00:38:51] much higher budget

[00:38:52] production

[00:38:53] is really interesting

[00:38:54] and like

[00:38:55] even when

[00:38:56] the film is kind of lagging

[00:38:57] that is

[00:38:58] something to chew on.

[00:38:59] I mean there was

[00:39:00] just such a

[00:39:01] especially post

[00:39:02] like Star Wars prequels

[00:39:03] and stuff

[00:39:04] there was such

[00:39:05] a rejection of like

[00:39:06] green screen.

[00:39:07] I don't like it when things

[00:39:08] look like they're on a green screen.

[00:39:09] Like I don't like it

[00:39:10] when I can tell

[00:39:11] that there's a seam

[00:39:12] or anything like that

[00:39:13] and like that

[00:39:14] speed racer was

[00:39:15] doubling down on that.

[00:39:16] It's a deliberately artificial

[00:39:17] movie in the same way

[00:39:18] that like the MGM musicals

[00:39:19] embraced the fact

[00:39:20] that they were shot

[00:39:21] on sets.

[00:39:22] Like rather than trying

[00:39:23] to make it look

[00:39:24] like a real apartment

[00:39:25] you did the end of

[00:39:26] an American in Paris

[00:39:27] where it's like this

[00:39:28] super heightened

[00:39:29] artificial fantasy

[00:39:30] dream sequence

[00:39:31] and this movie is

[00:39:32] like that.

[00:39:33] Like it's using

[00:39:34] technology.

[00:39:35] I mean there's even something

[00:39:36] very simple and

[00:39:37] you look at their

[00:39:38] complete disregard of like

[00:39:40] real world physics

[00:39:41] in the racing sequences.

[00:39:42] Yes.

[00:39:43] The way the car spin

[00:39:44] and the way they jump up.

[00:39:45] There's no effort to

[00:39:47] explain like how these

[00:39:48] things can happen.

[00:39:49] Right.

[00:39:50] And aside from the fact

[00:39:51] that like, okay

[00:39:52] the technology is impossible

[00:39:53] you can't have

[00:39:54] like a car on like spring

[00:39:55] stilts that can

[00:39:56] like spin over like

[00:39:57] that and land perfectly

[00:39:58] right.

[00:39:59] But even beyond

[00:40:00] that the way

[00:40:01] they animate those

[00:40:02] movements that would

[00:40:03] be dictated by any sort of

[00:40:04] well if this could

[00:40:05] then it would go like this.

[00:40:06] The cars move

[00:40:07] like kids playing

[00:40:08] on a fucking hot wheels track.

[00:40:09] Right.

[00:40:10] It's like you lift the car

[00:40:11] up on your hand

[00:40:12] and you spin it around

[00:40:13] six times.

[00:40:14] Because that'd be cool

[00:40:15] and then you drop it

[00:40:16] straight down.

[00:40:17] Or they'll like crash

[00:40:18] into each other

[00:40:19] and like yeah.

[00:40:20] You know but it's just

[00:40:21] like it's going to spin

[00:40:22] an extra time

[00:40:23] because that's awesome.

[00:40:24] Yeah.

[00:40:25] A lot of people die

[00:40:26] in this film.

[00:40:27] Yeah.

[00:40:28] It's interesting

[00:40:29] because you do once

[00:40:30] in a while see that

[00:40:31] shot of somebody

[00:40:32] in their car

[00:40:33] like there's some sort of

[00:40:34] safety feature

[00:40:35] but you only see it

[00:40:36] once or twice.

[00:40:37] A lot of times

[00:40:38] people just blow up.

[00:40:39] Yeah.

[00:40:40] No any time you see a car

[00:40:41] explode we are meant to

[00:40:42] understand that that person

[00:40:43] died in the car.

[00:40:44] Right.

[00:40:45] This is a blood sport.

[00:40:46] Yes.

[00:40:47] And like the world

[00:40:48] of this

[00:40:49] I mean the world makes

[00:40:50] it seems to be

[00:40:51] only racing

[00:40:52] right.

[00:40:53] Like everyone loves racing.

[00:40:54] Everyone loves racing.

[00:40:55] Like America's favorite art

[00:40:56] form.

[00:40:57] Which is why

[00:40:58] like why is this teacher

[00:40:59] so down on him then

[00:41:00] like of course

[00:41:01] I should I share my theory

[00:41:02] about this film.

[00:41:03] It's not a fear.

[00:41:04] It's just like

[00:41:05] dumb armchair psychology

[00:41:06] but we specialize

[00:41:07] in dumb armchair psychology.

[00:41:09] Yeah.

[00:41:10] Should we go through the plot

[00:41:11] a little bit just because

[00:41:12] yeah yeah yeah yeah.

[00:41:13] The point you want to get to

[00:41:14] is set up in the first

[00:41:15] like 30 minutes.

[00:41:16] Right.

[00:41:17] Absolutely.

[00:41:18] So the opening 10 minutes

[00:41:19] of this movie are

[00:41:20] fucking masterpiece.

[00:41:21] They're amazing.

[00:41:22] Yeah.

[00:41:23] So fun.

[00:41:24] It's basically speed

[00:41:25] on the racetrack.

[00:41:26] The opening shot is speed

[00:41:27] in a

[00:41:28] in like a locker room.

[00:41:29] Oh yeah.

[00:41:30] Even before that

[00:41:31] the fucking studio logos on this

[00:41:32] film.

[00:41:33] Michael G. Oshino did the score

[00:41:34] which is amazing.

[00:41:35] Mm-hmm.

[00:41:36] And you just have like

[00:41:37] these very like sort of

[00:41:38] poetic quiet subdued

[00:41:40] notes of the theme starting

[00:41:41] to creep in in a very

[00:41:42] sort of like subtle way

[00:41:44] and the logos

[00:41:45] the Silver Studios logo

[00:41:46] Village Roach

[00:41:47] Warner Brothers are done

[00:41:48] with this kaleidoscopic

[00:41:49] I mean sort of what JD

[00:41:50] was talking about at the end

[00:41:51] of the film but

[00:41:52] priming you for the color

[00:41:53] palette of the film

[00:41:54] the movement of the film

[00:41:55] and then hard cut to

[00:41:56] Amiel Hirsch

[00:41:57] in a real physical

[00:41:59] location right?

[00:42:00] Yeah.

[00:42:01] Like a set tapping his leg

[00:42:02] nervous before the race

[00:42:03] you don't see his face

[00:42:04] and then boom

[00:42:05] the movie goes straight

[00:42:06] into like 70 things at once.

[00:42:08] Right.

[00:42:09] His childhood, his

[00:42:10] adolescence, his family,

[00:42:11] the race itself.

[00:42:12] His girlfriend.

[00:42:13] His girlfriend.

[00:42:14] Oh.

[00:42:15] You set up every character

[00:42:16] you set up the entire

[00:42:17] history and this is all

[00:42:18] intercut with

[00:42:19] a race that we're seeing.

[00:42:20] A race we're seeing

[00:42:21] where we

[00:42:22] where we eventually

[00:42:23] understand that he is

[00:42:24] racing against the ghost

[00:42:25] of his older brother

[00:42:27] who died

[00:42:28] in a fiery car accident

[00:42:30] and he's racing him like

[00:42:31] he's fucking

[00:42:32] doing a Mario Kart time trial

[00:42:33] where we see like

[00:42:34] That's actually the second race.

[00:42:36] No, no, this is the first

[00:42:37] race.

[00:42:38] The first race?

[00:42:39] Yeah, the first one is the

[00:42:40] ghost.

[00:42:41] Oh, no, the second one

[00:42:42] is one his brother died on.

[00:42:43] That's right.

[00:42:44] Exactly.

[00:42:45] The rally.

[00:42:46] But we see like

[00:42:47] this sort of spectral image

[00:42:48] of his brother's car

[00:42:49] like doing the opposite

[00:42:50] moves of his car

[00:42:51] and like the people

[00:42:52] are like, is he going to

[00:42:53] break a record

[00:42:54] and then at the end

[00:42:55] he doesn't.

[00:42:56] So he like slides

[00:42:57] and then he could have just

[00:42:58] been a Mario Kart movie.

[00:42:59] Oh, very Mario Kart movie.

[00:43:00] Oh, that would be great.

[00:43:01] Make a Mario Kart movie with

[00:43:02] Wachowskis.

[00:43:03] They already did.

[00:43:04] It's like everything

[00:43:05] is rainbow road in this.

[00:43:06] It's amazing.

[00:43:07] But it's a good call.

[00:43:08] It's also this is how

[00:43:10] a lot of speed racer

[00:43:11] this is how a lot

[00:43:12] of filmmakers would have

[00:43:13] ended their speed

[00:43:14] racer movie.

[00:43:15] Yeah, sure.

[00:43:16] With him making this

[00:43:17] emotional decision to

[00:43:18] let his brother

[00:43:19] you know, like

[00:43:20] have his legacy or

[00:43:21] whatever.

[00:43:22] Yeah, and the stuff

[00:43:23] they're intercutting with

[00:43:24] the race would be like

[00:43:25] the first hour of

[00:43:26] the race and then they'd play

[00:43:27] all that stuff out chronologically

[00:43:28] in real time.

[00:43:29] I mean, you see

[00:43:30] speed racer is a little boy.

[00:43:31] You see his relationship

[00:43:32] with Rex.

[00:43:33] You see after Rex dies.

[00:43:34] You see him meeting Trixie

[00:43:35] his girlfriend that

[00:43:36] relationship developing.

[00:43:37] You see all of this stuff

[00:43:38] and like most films would be

[00:43:39] like, OK, that's Act 1.

[00:43:41] You know, yeah.

[00:43:42] And then Act 2 is

[00:43:43] him getting ready for this

[00:43:44] race and Act 3 is the race.

[00:43:45] Yeah.

[00:43:46] And this film just gives

[00:43:47] you all this in the first

[00:43:48] 10 minutes and it gets at

[00:43:49] this idea.

[00:43:50] I think they're two big

[00:43:52] sort of ideas to this

[00:43:53] film.

[00:43:54] I mean, it's all

[00:43:55] sort of battle.

[00:43:56] I mean, I think this is what

[00:43:57] you're getting at, but it's

[00:43:58] like this battle of

[00:43:59] commerce versus art.

[00:44:01] Right.

[00:44:02] And I think there's this

[00:44:03] one of the central ideas

[00:44:04] they're getting at is that

[00:44:06] any great art is the product

[00:44:07] of every single life

[00:44:08] experience you've had up

[00:44:09] until that point.

[00:44:10] Mm hmm.

[00:44:11] You know, like it's not

[00:44:12] just about being talented.

[00:44:13] It's not just about being

[00:44:14] hardworking.

[00:44:15] Mm hmm.

[00:44:16] If you're making great,

[00:44:17] true, genuine art,

[00:44:18] it's everything has

[00:44:19] taken you to this one

[00:44:20] moment.

[00:44:21] Right.

[00:44:22] And that's the thing

[00:44:23] they keep on getting as

[00:44:24] well.

[00:44:25] They're going back to

[00:44:26] everything that's happened

[00:44:27] in Speed Race's life,

[00:44:28] relevant or irrelevant,

[00:44:29] you know, the big moments

[00:44:30] and the little moments.

[00:44:31] And he's all,

[00:44:32] he's entirely a product of

[00:44:33] his entire experience.

[00:44:34] Well, the races are

[00:44:35] interesting the way that

[00:44:36] there's no, especially the

[00:44:37] last one because

[00:44:38] while there is like some

[00:44:39] conflict with the other

[00:44:40] racers and there's some,

[00:44:41] you know, dirty tricks

[00:44:42] and stuff in one of them,

[00:44:43] it really, they are

[00:44:45] personal experiences.

[00:44:47] They are cathartic

[00:44:49] like modes of expression.

[00:44:51] Mm hmm.

[00:44:52] More so than battles

[00:44:54] or conflicts.

[00:44:55] Right.

[00:44:56] Like that is happening

[00:44:57] on the surface,

[00:44:58] but the real thing of that

[00:44:59] scene is about is like,

[00:45:00] what's he going through?

[00:45:01] Yeah, one thing I like

[00:45:02] about this movie is that

[00:45:03] there is no rival on

[00:45:04] the track per se.

[00:45:06] This isn't a movie about

[00:45:07] Speed Racer versus

[00:45:08] Racer X or anyone else.

[00:45:09] Like there are lots

[00:45:10] of rivals who are like

[00:45:11] just kind of bad guys

[00:45:12] or whatever,

[00:45:13] but there's never any

[00:45:14] kind of dynamic playing

[00:45:15] out between,

[00:45:16] like the drama is,

[00:45:17] as you say,

[00:45:18] is much more in his head

[00:45:19] and in like the film's

[00:45:20] story at large

[00:45:21] than it is about like,

[00:45:22] oh he has to, you know,

[00:45:23] finish ahead of,

[00:45:24] you know,

[00:45:25] Bloddy Bough.

[00:45:26] Like the guy with the mustache.

[00:45:28] So here's my read on this film.

[00:45:31] So it starts out with him

[00:45:32] doing this race

[00:45:33] and doing very, very well at it,

[00:45:34] you know, beating everybody.

[00:45:36] Sure.

[00:45:37] It's sort of his breakout

[00:45:38] star moment

[00:45:39] where people take notice.

[00:45:40] It's his breakout star moment

[00:45:41] and yeah,

[00:45:42] and the big time

[00:45:43] comes the calling

[00:45:44] and there are

[00:45:45] Royalton.

[00:45:46] There are so,

[00:45:47] yeah, Royalton.

[00:45:48] Oh, so good,

[00:45:49] so good.

[00:45:50] Roger Allam.

[00:45:51] Roger Allam

[00:45:52] is also in

[00:45:53] Vypher Vendetta.

[00:45:54] Villain and Vypher Vendetta

[00:45:55] and he's a great British theater actor.

[00:45:58] He,

[00:46:00] yeah, so,

[00:46:01] so,

[00:46:02] he kind of gets introduced

[00:46:03] or whisked away into this world

[00:46:04] of like,

[00:46:05] oh we could take really good care

[00:46:06] of you,

[00:46:07] like we live,

[00:46:08] you know,

[00:46:09] this is what the big time looks

[00:46:10] like, you know,

[00:46:11] very, very,

[00:46:12] like we see this kind of thing

[00:46:13] in all sorts of movies.

[00:46:15] But done in the craziest way

[00:46:16] possible where like,

[00:46:17] I mean not just the-

[00:46:18] There's a private jet with candy.

[00:46:19] Yeah, the language of the film.

[00:46:20] Right.

[00:46:21] Right.

[00:46:22] Not just the language of the film

[00:46:23] where it's like,

[00:46:24] no hard cuts

[00:46:25] and it's all these weird like,

[00:46:26] I mean the images change

[00:46:27] behind the characters' heads

[00:46:28] and we're moving forward in time.

[00:46:30] But also like,

[00:46:31] as they're giving the tour

[00:46:32] it's not just like,

[00:46:33] oh here's a massage room,

[00:46:34] here's a candy room.

[00:46:35] It's like,

[00:46:36] here's a ninja training facility.

[00:46:37] And the ninjas are being held up

[00:46:38] by robot arms.

[00:46:39] Like it's like,

[00:46:40] such an expansive imagination.

[00:46:42] And also tonally already

[00:46:43] this film is getting to this thing

[00:46:44] where like the candy thing,

[00:46:45] don't they play Hallelujah?

[00:46:46] And then the-

[00:46:47] I think they play

[00:46:48] and then it becomes like-

[00:46:49] Oh, when they open-

[00:46:50] Yeah, the spider goes in

[00:46:51] and like sneaks into the plane

[00:46:52] and eats so much candy

[00:46:53] that he passes out.

[00:46:55] And I have to say,

[00:46:56] that is hilarious to me.

[00:46:58] That is so funny.

[00:46:59] I love when people eat

[00:47:00] too much of something

[00:47:01] and get sick

[00:47:02] and regret it.

[00:47:03] That's a really funny thing.

[00:47:04] They essentially,

[00:47:05] they tweak out on candy at one point

[00:47:07] and like have like a speed ramp

[00:47:09] like chase through

[00:47:11] Whirlton's office

[00:47:12] to Freeburg.

[00:47:13] We should say that

[00:47:14] like the sea-

[00:47:15] Oh my God.

[00:47:16] The sea plot of this film

[00:47:17] is that Speeds' youngest brother,

[00:47:19] Spridle, and his chimpanzee friend-

[00:47:22] ChimChim.

[00:47:23] ChimChim want to eat candy.

[00:47:25] It's like A-plot speed racer

[00:47:28] dealing with his legacy in his future.

[00:47:30] Like B-plot like, you know,

[00:47:32] the capitalism and like

[00:47:34] the world of race.

[00:47:35] Sea-plot candy.

[00:47:37] Does he get candy at the end?

[00:47:39] I feel like they try-

[00:47:41] maybe they don't resolve it well enough.

[00:47:42] I mean he gets candy in the middle

[00:47:44] when they sneak onto the plane.

[00:47:45] He gets plenty of candy then.

[00:47:47] I love a goal that is candy oriented.

[00:47:49] It's very real to me.

[00:47:51] Yeah, so basically-

[00:47:53] Whirlton gives him this big spiel.

[00:47:55] Yes.

[00:47:56] Well first he gives him the soft cell

[00:47:57] which is like, oh it's great.

[00:47:59] You know you'll be served in this wonderful way.

[00:48:02] Here's a suit, oh you look great in it speed.

[00:48:04] The hard cell is don't you know

[00:48:06] this entire game is rigged and garbage

[00:48:09] and the thing that you have projected

[00:48:11] all of your dreams are on romanticize

[00:48:13] it's your favorite thing.

[00:48:14] It is dirty and corrupt.

[00:48:17] It's all business.

[00:48:18] Yeah, there's no actual-

[00:48:19] like nobody is actually realizing their dreams

[00:48:21] through this mode of expression.

[00:48:23] Because speed gives this speech about

[00:48:25] like I remember when I was a kid

[00:48:26] watching this famous race with my dad

[00:48:28] and we were cheering this guy

[00:48:29] and he like pulled it off

[00:48:30] and it was such a-

[00:48:31] and he's like, we rigged that race

[00:48:33] so that like X chrome stock would go up

[00:48:35] and X engine stock would go down

[00:48:37] like you don't know what you're talking about.

[00:48:39] And as you're saying, right

[00:48:41] this is a capitalist world.

[00:48:43] There is no pleasure to be found here.

[00:48:45] It's the equivalent of a kid

[00:48:47] going into like a film school interview

[00:48:49] and be like I remember seeing Star Wars

[00:48:50] with my dad and my world changing

[00:48:52] and then being like Star Wars was made by a bunch of cokeheads.

[00:48:54] Yeah, right.

[00:48:55] Like it was a fucking tax shelter.

[00:48:57] They made sequels to that because

[00:48:59] yeah, a profit margin.

[00:49:00] And yeah, like that was an economic decision

[00:49:02] made by CEOs.

[00:49:04] Like each of those characters

[00:49:05] was Margaret research to you.

[00:49:07] Right, yeah.

[00:49:08] And it's only more and more true.

[00:49:10] Yeah, yeah.

[00:49:11] And basically it works up

[00:49:14] towards this big final race

[00:49:16] that I would argue is-

[00:49:18] represents a chapter of the Wachaskis career

[00:49:20] that has not yet been realized

[00:49:22] where they are able to overcome

[00:49:24] all of these outsider

[00:49:26] these corrupt outsider influences

[00:49:28] realize their dream and everybody loves it.

[00:49:31] Yeah, I agree.

[00:49:32] I mean, I think the ending of this film

[00:49:34] is really fascinating because it's sort of them calling

[00:49:36] their own shot that didn't come true.

[00:49:38] Yeah.

[00:49:39] I think they hoped that people would react

[00:49:41] to Speed Racer in a way

[00:49:43] that would prove their ending

[00:49:45] correct, you know?

[00:49:46] Yeah, because it feels like the whole middle part

[00:49:48] where it's like getting exposed

[00:49:50] to just how corrupt

[00:49:52] that the business is feels like

[00:49:54] the experience of working on something

[00:49:56] like V for Vendetta or working on something

[00:49:58] where they didn't have total control

[00:50:00] but are like being-

[00:50:01] like their talents have been recognized

[00:50:02] and they've been brought into work on something

[00:50:04] and it's like, oh, like

[00:50:06] we got to make this first thing

[00:50:09] that was major success and was totally our vision

[00:50:12] and like that's what filmmaking is, right?

[00:50:14] And then it's not at all.

[00:50:17] Sorry guys.

[00:50:18] Yeah, not except

[00:50:19] until you get your Netflix show.

[00:50:21] This is-

[00:50:22] But this is-

[00:50:23] That's why this is the ultimate blank check movie

[00:50:25] because it is them being like

[00:50:26] we have a blank check, right?

[00:50:28] And they're being told like, no, there's like

[00:50:29] all this fine put on the other side

[00:50:31] of the blank check that you forgot to read.

[00:50:33] This movie's about the very notion of blank checks.

[00:50:35] But then of course they did make it.

[00:50:36] Right.

[00:50:37] So I mean, they are kind of-

[00:50:38] Yeah.

[00:50:39] But their thesis sort of became like

[00:50:40] where everything has to be a blank check.

[00:50:41] Like we can't worry about that other stuff.

[00:50:43] I mean, I do think, you know

[00:50:45] they were these outsiders.

[00:50:46] They were these Chicago boys.

[00:50:48] They wrote some spec scripts.

[00:50:49] They made deals quickly.

[00:50:50] They made bounds.

[00:50:51] They wrote a spec script that got-

[00:50:52] they thought got messed up

[00:50:53] and screwed over by Hollywood assassins.

[00:50:55] You know, like they had had like

[00:50:57] the kind of bad Hollywood experience in the 90s.

[00:50:59] But they weren't-

[00:51:00] Even like when they went into the matrix

[00:51:01] they were very much outsiders.

[00:51:02] Yeah.

[00:51:03] Joel Silver was their big sort of protector.

[00:51:04] He was their pops racer, if you will.

[00:51:06] He was this big gruff guy who sort of fought for them.

[00:51:08] He really is a bit of a pops racer.

[00:51:09] He's totally a pops racer.

[00:51:10] Yeah.

[00:51:11] And we should- I mean like, you know,

[00:51:12] you read these- I read these stories at least about

[00:51:13] like, you know, the bounds script

[00:51:14] when the bounds script had the sex scene

[00:51:17] in the first 30 minutes

[00:51:18] like apparently in block text it said

[00:51:19] like, you're going to ask us to cut this scene out

[00:51:21] and we will not be cutting this scene out

[00:51:23] no matter what you say.

[00:51:24] And like the matrix was the same way

[00:51:25] where it's like everything-

[00:51:26] the script would say like

[00:51:27] everything needs to be exactly as we're describing it.

[00:51:29] You can't fuck with this.

[00:51:30] Right.

[00:51:31] They very-

[00:51:32] They are like, you know, we prickly, you know,

[00:51:33] like we are artists and like this is what we want to do.

[00:51:36] They also, you know, are notoriously very, very press shy.

[00:51:40] I mean they've done more interviews

[00:51:42] since both of them have come out

[00:51:44] than they did before

[00:51:45] and they were always sort of like a mystery.

[00:51:47] I never saw an interview with them

[00:51:49] except for like on like extras DVDs

[00:51:51] once you know there would be like one interview with them

[00:51:53] like where there were these like weird reclusive

[00:51:55] sort of guys who were just like

[00:51:57] yeah we like like animation

[00:51:58] and we like kung fu and you're like

[00:52:00] wow these two are a bunch of-

[00:52:02] But I think Joel Silver was like

[00:52:04] they're like barrel-chested like Greco-Roman wrestling

[00:52:07] like you know protective.

[00:52:08] Like read the Hollywood system for them

[00:52:10] and like interface for them.

[00:52:12] Yeah, and they sort of were like guarded from all that.

[00:52:14] Like fully budget basically out of a bigger studio for them.

[00:52:16] I do think you're

[00:52:18] on to something Emily which is that

[00:52:20] like the first race which would be

[00:52:22] the victory, the final act of most other films

[00:52:25] is them making the matrix.

[00:52:26] Yeah, and just having this amazing success right at the gate.

[00:52:28] Right, and it's like you've done it.

[00:52:29] You've accomplished the thing and they're like

[00:52:31] no you have no idea.

[00:52:32] So you've hit it once

[00:52:34] and you did it on your own terms.

[00:52:36] That means we own you now.

[00:52:37] Yeah, like we're not going to let you make a mistake

[00:52:39] good or bad on your own terms again.

[00:52:41] If you succeed it's because of us

[00:52:43] and if you failed it's because of us

[00:52:44] we want our claws in you.

[00:52:45] And the movie is them trying to figure out what to do.

[00:52:47] I think the second act is the matrix sequels

[00:52:49] which is them being like really overloaded

[00:52:51] by everything.

[00:52:52] You know all this ambition

[00:52:54] team up with people not

[00:52:55] being sure of exactly what to do

[00:52:56] and the third act is what they hoped

[00:52:57] Speed Racer would do for their careers.

[00:52:59] Right, I think that's another reason why

[00:53:01] the climax makes you want to cry

[00:53:03] because it's not

[00:53:05] that movie was not that

[00:53:06] and you're watching it at the same time

[00:53:08] that you're realizing that it's not that.

[00:53:10] Like oh god.

[00:53:11] This is great stuff guys.

[00:53:12] We really dig it in.

[00:53:13] Yeah, I mean there's no time

[00:53:15] for bits on this episode just because

[00:53:17] there's so much to break apart in this movie.

[00:53:18] I mean I would, go ahead.

[00:53:19] Oh no, no, go ahead.

[00:53:21] Well I would say if the movie,

[00:53:23] where the movie sags the most

[00:53:25] is that second act.

[00:53:26] Yeah.

[00:53:27] Where it's throwing a lot of stuff

[00:53:28] at the audience.

[00:53:29] It's ostensibly a kid movie.

[00:53:30] I believe this movie was rated PG.

[00:53:31] You know, it's like

[00:53:32] Correct.

[00:53:33] Which when you make a movie that's rated PG

[00:53:35] you better want kids to see it

[00:53:36] because that's how the Hollywood

[00:53:37] economy works.

[00:53:38] Like you know this is going to have

[00:53:39] to be a movie that appeals to it.

[00:53:41] And you know the second act basically

[00:53:43] begins with a CEO explaining the stock

[00:53:45] market and like you know and how

[00:53:47] like those machinations influence

[00:53:49] the sports industry.

[00:53:50] And then you go all onto this

[00:53:52] sort of B plot about rain.

[00:53:54] Rain, shout out to rain.

[00:53:56] Is that, is he a character at all?

[00:53:58] Is that based on a character from the anime

[00:54:00] at all?

[00:54:01] Yeah I don't know.

[00:54:02] But then there's.

[00:54:03] Yeah I think, well it's a very

[00:54:04] international cast as was the matrix.

[00:54:06] Yes of course.

[00:54:07] I have a few thoughts on Rain in this

[00:54:09] but you know I do think

[00:54:10] at least there's a move in the right

[00:54:12] direction to have somebody actually

[00:54:13] Asian in the film.

[00:54:14] Yeah he's like a Korean

[00:54:16] like K-pop star.

[00:54:17] He acts as well.

[00:54:19] He was the star of Ninja Assassin.

[00:54:21] Yeah he was the

[00:54:23] hottest thing in like 2007.

[00:54:25] Right.

[00:54:26] And to the point where like you know

[00:54:28] you would read a New York Times article

[00:54:29] about him maybe.

[00:54:30] Right.

[00:54:31] But like not that he would be mainstream

[00:54:32] or anything.

[00:54:33] Colbert would always have him on the

[00:54:34] show as like a joke.

[00:54:35] Colbert used to put Rain on the,

[00:54:37] well I mean he, I think he used to

[00:54:38] reference him a lot and then

[00:54:39] eventually Rain started making

[00:54:40] appearances but it was the idea of

[00:54:41] this guy who's like super famous

[00:54:43] in another part of the world who we

[00:54:44] have no awareness of.

[00:54:45] Yeah yeah.

[00:54:46] Watching those sort of phenomena

[00:54:48] from the outside is always

[00:54:49] fascinating so it was like the idea

[00:54:51] that like girls will scream and

[00:54:53] faint when he walks by.

[00:54:54] If you're in America he's anonymous.

[00:54:55] Right right right.

[00:54:56] So there's the Rain thing but

[00:54:57] there's also, there's the

[00:54:58] inspector guy.

[00:54:59] Inspector Detector.

[00:55:00] Inspector Detector.

[00:55:01] He must be in the anime.

[00:55:02] Oh yeah.

[00:55:03] Yeah okay.

[00:55:04] I have never seen it.

[00:55:05] And then there's Hiroyuki

[00:55:07] Sonata who's a great actor who

[00:55:08] had just been in like the

[00:55:09] Twilight Samurai as like the

[00:55:11] CEO of a rival company who's

[00:55:13] doing some sort of like you know

[00:55:15] economic battle with Royalton

[00:55:17] and you don't really get what

[00:55:18] the implications are of that.

[00:55:20] He's rain sky.

[00:55:22] Right right.

[00:55:23] He's also.

[00:55:24] What's been character thing to

[00:55:25] Teh-ho, there it is.

[00:55:27] Oh Taijo.

[00:55:28] Taijo.

[00:55:29] Taijo right.

[00:55:30] Togo Khan.

[00:55:31] Yeah the Togo Kans who have

[00:55:32] like the Ferrari logo is there.

[00:55:36] Sonata's also weirdly like

[00:55:37] seventh build in this film.

[00:55:39] He's got maybe two scenes.

[00:55:40] Well he's another huge star.

[00:55:41] I know he's a huge star.

[00:55:42] Yeah the billing on this

[00:55:43] film is really weird.

[00:55:44] Like Shaft shows up for two

[00:55:45] scenes and Richard Roundtree

[00:55:46] shows up.

[00:55:47] Who's also fucking billed

[00:55:48] above Roger Allam.

[00:55:49] Roger Allam is disrespect

[00:55:50] in the credits for this movie.

[00:55:51] It would be my biggest

[00:55:52] criticism of the film.

[00:55:53] Agreed.

[00:55:54] Roger Allam's billing very low.

[00:55:56] Yeah.

[00:55:57] It's quite annoying but whatever.

[00:55:58] He gives a great performance

[00:55:59] anyway.

[00:56:00] Good job Roger.

[00:56:01] But Richard Roundtree plays

[00:56:02] one of the guys in the fixed

[00:56:03] race.

[00:56:04] Yes.

[00:56:05] He plays Burns and at the

[00:56:06] end he's a commentator on

[00:56:07] the final race.

[00:56:08] And it's like he's seeing

[00:56:09] even though the movie only

[00:56:10] kind of implies that that's

[00:56:11] why he's so delighted by

[00:56:12] speed like sort of beating

[00:56:13] the system at the end of

[00:56:14] the at the end of the movie.

[00:56:15] Yeah.

[00:56:16] But it's right like that's

[00:56:17] sort of the implications.

[00:56:18] But like he's sort of speed has

[00:56:19] done what he couldn't do which

[00:56:21] is like like transcending all

[00:56:23] this you know match fixing and

[00:56:24] like industry meddling.

[00:56:25] Yeah.

[00:56:26] There's a scene.

[00:56:27] Yeah.

[00:56:28] This movie's a guy's I'm

[00:56:29] gesturing.

[00:56:30] Yeah.

[00:56:31] This movie's incredible.

[00:56:32] The there's a scene with

[00:56:34] speed and trick see this

[00:56:35] movie so fucking sincere.

[00:56:36] But I do every sincere

[00:56:38] Christina Ricci plays tricks

[00:56:39] we haven't mentioned her.

[00:56:40] Yeah.

[00:56:41] I mean an aerial winter of

[00:56:42] modern family plays a young

[00:56:43] trick see in a couple of

[00:56:44] scenes there.

[00:56:46] I think Christina Ricci is

[00:56:48] excellent.

[00:56:49] I asked great.

[00:56:50] Actually all the cast.

[00:56:51] Her look is great.

[00:56:52] Her look is great.

[00:56:53] I mean actually I mean

[00:56:54] Emile Hirsch is great in this

[00:56:55] like he really is such a good

[00:56:57] actor and it is such a bummer

[00:56:58] that he is apparently a jerk

[00:57:00] and like doesn't make movies

[00:57:02] lady strangler.

[00:57:03] Yeah.

[00:57:04] I mean yeah look at

[00:57:05] look at this.

[00:57:06] Yeah.

[00:57:07] No look at how they lighten

[00:57:08] both their hair for the

[00:57:09] premiere.

[00:57:10] Yeah I know they try back

[00:57:11] on the movies premiered at

[00:57:13] Tribeca in yeah so Tribeca

[00:57:16] of the way.

[00:57:17] Yeah Tribeca away.

[00:57:18] Yeah.

[00:57:19] I love the fact that and

[00:57:21] looks just like him.

[00:57:22] I know it's weird.

[00:57:23] It's weird how much he looks

[00:57:24] like the cartoon.

[00:57:25] Yeah.

[00:57:26] Especially with the eyebrows

[00:57:27] yeah he's got a good brow

[00:57:28] which I think is necessary

[00:57:29] for a role like this.

[00:57:31] Well like 50% of his

[00:57:32] performance in this movie

[00:57:34] is being determined behind

[00:57:36] the wheel of a car sort of

[00:57:37] gritting his teeth in your

[00:57:38] right and looking over it

[00:57:39] and every once in a while

[00:57:40] have a line where he's

[00:57:41] like actually has a say

[00:57:42] something instead of just

[00:57:43] looking and that's when it

[00:57:44] kind of falls apart.

[00:57:45] Sure.

[00:57:46] Because he's just like oh no.

[00:57:47] What was the script of this

[00:57:49] film look like?

[00:57:50] I can't imagine.

[00:57:51] I mean the craziest thing is

[00:57:53] like everyone who made this

[00:57:54] movie was like so locked in

[00:57:56] you read about like Emile

[00:57:57] Hirsch and Susan Sarandon

[00:57:58] and they and John Goodman

[00:57:59] were all just like that

[00:58:00] Sarandon sorry I do that

[00:58:01] all the time.

[00:58:02] Yeah.

[00:58:03] And Christina Ricci.

[00:58:04] No I think it's just a

[00:58:05] mispronouncement.

[00:58:06] I do it all the time.

[00:58:07] We're just like let's

[00:58:08] make a sequel now.

[00:58:09] Like they gave all these

[00:58:10] interviews we're like we

[00:58:11] want to make so many of these

[00:58:12] movies.

[00:58:13] So it must have been fun to

[00:58:14] make.

[00:58:15] And then we just had them

[00:58:16] plowed it out.

[00:58:17] I've also I've heard from

[00:58:18] anonymous sources who worked

[00:58:19] on the film that John

[00:58:20] Goodman was struggling with

[00:58:22] alcoholism during the

[00:58:23] making of this film and was

[00:58:24] like really fighting for

[00:58:25] sobriety.

[00:58:26] He's so good in this movie.

[00:58:27] Me and Emile had a long

[00:58:28] conversation about him.

[00:58:29] Yeah.

[00:58:30] He really should constantly

[00:58:31] be in the conversation of

[00:58:32] the best living actors.

[00:58:33] We talk about guys we

[00:58:34] undervalue.

[00:58:35] Talk about an underrated

[00:58:36] guy.

[00:58:37] Yeah.

[00:58:38] And everyone loves John

[00:58:39] Goodman but we don't

[00:58:40] really know.

[00:58:41] He's a character actor.

[00:58:42] He's one of these like he's

[00:58:43] always going to play that guy

[00:58:44] in the movie but he also

[00:58:45] define roles and make them

[00:58:46] like transcend his heart.

[00:58:48] He's a type onto himself

[00:58:49] and absolutely.

[00:58:50] Yeah.

[00:58:51] He can literally do anything.

[00:58:52] He fits into any genre

[00:58:53] any size of project any

[00:58:54] size of role and he

[00:58:55] never has a false moment.

[00:58:56] Yeah.

[00:58:57] And one of the things that

[00:58:58] he does so well I mean

[00:58:59] and look I mean something

[00:59:00] like 10 chlorophyll Lane

[00:59:01] uses this to fight the

[00:59:02] audience's expectations is

[00:59:03] he is able to project

[00:59:04] just as much as he

[00:59:05] does.

[00:59:06] And then we have

[00:59:07] a lot of people who

[00:59:08] are like is he is able to

[00:59:09] project just really really

[00:59:11] innate sense of decency.

[00:59:13] Sure.

[00:59:14] And this movie is all about

[00:59:15] sort of integrity you know

[00:59:17] like moral certainty and

[00:59:18] decency about like

[00:59:20] knowing what you stand for

[00:59:21] and fighting for that and

[00:59:23] not at the expense of

[00:59:24] anyone else.

[00:59:25] I mean this is what we're

[00:59:26] talking about this film has

[00:59:27] no irony like that's

[00:59:28] that's the know about Goodman

[00:59:29] performance like it's like

[00:59:30] this isn't like some weird

[00:59:31] pastiche.

[00:59:32] That's and I think that's

[00:59:33] one of the things that

[00:59:34] makes I mean there were a

[00:59:35] lot of adaptations like

[00:59:37] over a span of like 20 years

[00:59:38] or something there have been

[00:59:39] adaptations of cartoons of

[00:59:41] this level of depth you know

[00:59:43] like like like the Scooby-Doo

[00:59:45] movies or something and

[00:59:47] those are all completely

[00:59:49] ironic productions because

[00:59:50] it's like why would we make

[00:59:51] this like like you know the

[00:59:53] 60s were weird and cheesy and

[00:59:55] corny and like whatever.

[00:59:56] Making jokes about the fact

[00:59:57] that Shaggy is clearly a

[00:59:58] stoner.

[00:59:59] It seems like a lesbian like

[01:00:00] you're calling out all the

[01:00:01] adult readings of the

[01:00:02] cartoon yeah.

[01:00:03] I mean and it's not that

[01:00:05] like it's not that the

[01:00:06] speed racer cartoon itself is

[01:00:08] like very very modeling or

[01:00:10] anything it's just straightforward

[01:00:11] that's it like that's

[01:00:13] it's not jokey.

[01:00:14] But so many other versions

[01:00:15] of this movie would have a

[01:00:16] character go like oh no speed

[01:00:17] racer he's gonna win the race

[01:00:18] and someone else going like

[01:00:19] why are you talking like that

[01:00:21] yeah like they'd make those

[01:00:22] jokes I mean I don't think

[01:00:24] there's a better example than

[01:00:25] the fact that like this

[01:00:26] film the cuts to the

[01:00:28] Sprite on the monkey and

[01:00:29] the chimpanzee like those

[01:00:30] that's not for a cutaway

[01:00:32] gag like they have a

[01:00:34] they have their own plot in the

[01:00:35] movie.

[01:00:36] They are being used as they are

[01:00:37] used in the cartoon which is

[01:00:38] for comic relief but straight

[01:00:40] comic relief not arch comic

[01:00:42] relief.

[01:00:43] Like the idea of I mean it's

[01:00:44] sort of like what Bollywood

[01:00:45] does where it's like why not

[01:00:46] put every genre in there.

[01:00:48] Just because we're taking the

[01:00:49] races seriously doesn't mean

[01:00:50] we can't have a kid and a

[01:00:51] monkey trying to be candy.

[01:00:53] If you like both of these

[01:00:54] things individually and

[01:00:55] we're charging you the same

[01:00:56] amount for a ticket then watch

[01:00:58] both of them.

[01:00:59] Oh yeah boy.

[01:01:00] You know like let's have

[01:01:01] cool races let's have like

[01:01:02] serious family dress

[01:01:03] serious family drama and

[01:01:04] let's just have like I mean this

[01:01:05] fucking scene where they're

[01:01:07] riding around in like a go

[01:01:09] cart inside of a fucking like

[01:01:11] massive like company

[01:01:13] factory and it's like in

[01:01:15] fast motion like sped up playing

[01:01:17] air guitar while free bird plays

[01:01:19] they were like why wouldn't we do

[01:01:20] this.

[01:01:22] Like you need something to break

[01:01:23] it up you've just had like your

[01:01:24] dream shattered by by Royalton

[01:01:26] right now it's mid speech

[01:01:28] they're cutting in the middle

[01:01:29] of him getting the speech on

[01:01:30] like.

[01:01:31] And then we went up 72

[01:01:33] points in the stock market and

[01:01:34] then they cut back to like

[01:01:35] no no no no.

[01:01:37] I think chim chim eating a

[01:01:38] fucking Hershey's kiss.

[01:01:39] I guess that's when I was

[01:01:40] saying like the PG thing I

[01:01:41] mean like it's kind of the

[01:01:42] R. Mellon you know this is a

[01:01:43] family movie in that there's

[01:01:44] stuff for everybody.

[01:01:46] Yeah rather than like this

[01:01:47] is pitched at a 10 year old

[01:01:48] like there is stuff for

[01:01:49] everyone in the film to

[01:01:50] enjoy maybe the kid zones out

[01:01:52] during the Roger Allen speech

[01:01:53] but he's got he's got

[01:01:54] candy antics to worry about.

[01:01:56] Yeah ironically and aiming

[01:01:57] to do that most of America

[01:01:58] was like who's this movie for

[01:02:00] like nobody absolutely.

[01:02:02] Americans are.

[01:02:03] You know something that I kind

[01:02:05] of this this movie kind of

[01:02:06] reminds me of yeah.

[01:02:08] Yeah like totally this movie

[01:02:10] and not no not totally I

[01:02:12] don't know what the word it

[01:02:13] just like spiritually it

[01:02:14] reminds me of Snowpiercer a

[01:02:15] lot.

[01:02:16] Oh yeah and that there's

[01:02:18] just there's so many things

[01:02:19] going on it's like pretty

[01:02:21] straightforward and earnest.

[01:02:22] There's a serious singularity

[01:02:24] of vision and like not that

[01:02:25] it is taking itself

[01:02:26] seriously this is not like a

[01:02:27] weird arch thing.

[01:02:28] Yeah and it's like this sort

[01:02:30] of not not American

[01:02:32] not Asian not not any

[01:02:34] one nationality production

[01:02:36] the sensibility reflects that

[01:02:37] like it's not that does not

[01:02:39] feel like a American

[01:02:41] Hollywood action film.

[01:02:43] It like has the budget of

[01:02:44] one and it has the stars

[01:02:46] of one but it does not feel

[01:02:48] Emile Hirsch he's a young

[01:02:50] star at that time we thought

[01:02:52] he was going to really tell

[01:02:53] I didn't mean to step on you

[01:02:54] only like eight years later

[01:02:55] it's pretty crazy to think

[01:02:56] there was like a hundred and

[01:02:58] fifty million dollar temple

[01:02:59] where the two leads were Emile

[01:03:00] Hirsch and Christina Rishi.

[01:03:02] But but I mean you know

[01:03:04] Susan Saran and absolutely

[01:03:06] yes we are there

[01:03:08] we want to do this and we're

[01:03:09] going to do this with utmost

[01:03:10] sincerity.

[01:03:11] I mean that that feels

[01:03:13] for lack of a better word it

[01:03:15] feels foreign like it feels

[01:03:16] like something that would

[01:03:17] never happen through any kind

[01:03:19] of traditional we have this

[01:03:21] property we better do something

[01:03:22] with it means.

[01:03:23] I don't know.

[01:03:25] I don't know.

[01:03:26] There's there's the

[01:03:27] inclusiveness I think to all

[01:03:28] their films and I think

[01:03:30] there's even just a fact that

[01:03:32] they don't call out the

[01:03:33] differences between people.

[01:03:34] I mean a lot of this cast is

[01:03:36] Australian and I assumed it

[01:03:37] was because they filmed this

[01:03:38] movie in Australia they

[01:03:39] didn't they filmed it in

[01:03:40] Germany.

[01:03:41] Yeah they had was a

[01:03:42] production yeah right and

[01:03:43] they brought the people over

[01:03:44] and there's no one going

[01:03:45] like hey wait why is like

[01:03:47] most other movies like this

[01:03:48] would have a scene explaining

[01:03:50] how what's his name.

[01:03:52] Sparky Sparky.

[01:03:53] Like he's joined up with the

[01:03:54] family why is this Australian

[01:03:55] guy with us and the film is

[01:03:57] just this melting pot where it's

[01:03:58] like yeah you know think about

[01:04:00] the amount of movies you've

[01:04:01] seen.

[01:04:02] I kick Gary who do I know him

[01:04:03] from familiar oh he's in edge

[01:04:05] of tomorrow plays one of the

[01:04:07] ensemble and I'll tell you

[01:04:09] which member the ensemble

[01:04:10] makes the joke at the beginning

[01:04:11] of every right well go ahead

[01:04:13] his name is great.

[01:04:14] Oh his name is Griff that's

[01:04:15] why I remember you know the

[01:04:17] name of the original creator

[01:04:19] of speed racer shoot.

[01:04:23] Yeah she does.

[01:04:24] Ah.

[01:04:25] Is there anything for me.

[01:04:27] I think there's a David in

[01:04:28] there so probably David

[01:04:30] is common name.

[01:04:31] Yeah.

[01:04:32] Um cinematography David Tatters

[01:04:34] all oh yeah Tatters all yeah

[01:04:36] um yeah but that wasn't how

[01:04:38] I thought it was the guy who

[01:04:39] shot all the Star Wars

[01:04:40] prequel.

[01:04:41] Oh okay very interesting.

[01:04:43] I thought that it was a

[01:04:44] bill it's not a bill Pope

[01:04:46] joint he was busy on other

[01:04:48] he was making Spider-Man 3

[01:04:49] probably you know bill Pope

[01:04:51] had been snapped up by Rami

[01:04:53] again.

[01:04:54] Sidebar Ryan Reynolds

[01:04:56] character in the movie criminal

[01:04:57] the Kevin Costner movie is

[01:04:59] named Bill Pope and it's very

[01:05:00] distracting because the whole

[01:05:02] idea is that Bill Pope is dead

[01:05:03] and they're trying to inject

[01:05:04] his memories into Kevin

[01:05:05] Costner's brain so they keep

[01:05:06] on going like you are bill

[01:05:08] Pope who is bill Pope.

[01:05:09] Kevin Costner want to be a

[01:05:11] brilliant cinematographer or

[01:05:12] something maybe yeah I don't

[01:05:14] know a criminal an odd movie

[01:05:16] just so this isn't a hanging

[01:05:17] thread before I forget the

[01:05:19] thing I was getting up with

[01:05:21] John Goodman's alcoholism not

[01:05:22] just to like throw under a

[01:05:23] boss and be like oh he was a

[01:05:24] drunkard what I have heard is

[01:05:26] that like the family the

[01:05:27] racer family in the film the

[01:05:29] actors playing them like really

[01:05:31] sort of became a family unit

[01:05:33] bonded around John Goodman to

[01:05:34] like help him through this

[01:05:35] time.

[01:05:36] That is fucking beautiful.

[01:05:37] And apparently the word is

[01:05:38] beautiful.

[01:05:39] Yeah see I knew I had to

[01:05:40] finish that one they like

[01:05:41] all apparently kept in touch

[01:05:42] and like checked in with

[01:05:43] him and we're like we're

[01:05:44] gonna get you through this

[01:05:45] like this film meant a lot

[01:05:46] to everyone emotionally working on

[01:05:48] this is like the major case

[01:05:49] for like okay maybe the problem

[01:05:51] with movies that are 100% CGI

[01:05:53] where everything shot on a

[01:05:54] green screen isn't necessarily

[01:05:56] the technique maybe it's the

[01:05:57] fact that they're made like

[01:05:59] things on a conveyor belt like

[01:06:01] it's not like if the cast

[01:06:03] you can tell when the cast

[01:06:05] is invested when the people who

[01:06:07] are making the film and

[01:06:08] shooting the film and making

[01:06:09] the props and everything are

[01:06:10] invested.

[01:06:11] Connected is also a good

[01:06:12] word because they have

[01:06:13] something to tether on like

[01:06:14] another actor or whatever

[01:06:16] their reference points they

[01:06:17] are that they're being given.

[01:06:18] And the fact they all wanted to

[01:06:19] make another one like I think

[01:06:20] that there were there could have

[01:06:21] been a lot of versions of this

[01:06:22] movie where everybody just

[01:06:23] like piece it out afterwards and

[01:06:24] never see each other again

[01:06:25] because they're like well we got

[01:06:26] that that one in the can like

[01:06:28] most like perspective

[01:06:29] franchise starters when you

[01:06:30] see the actors making the

[01:06:31] press rounds and they're like

[01:06:32] so are you signed up for

[01:06:33] more sequels there's always

[01:06:34] a sort of tone of like

[01:06:36] right yeah if my agent says

[01:06:38] I am contractually obliged

[01:06:40] so we'll see what happens

[01:06:42] right you know but this

[01:06:43] one they were like oh god

[01:06:44] we want to do it so badly

[01:06:45] we want to get back to Germany.

[01:06:46] Oh so yeah it's really really

[01:06:49] amazing how much this syncs up

[01:06:51] with the actual text of the film

[01:06:52] like it's crazy.

[01:06:54] I also think again I need

[01:06:56] another cigarette I really just

[01:06:57] we're having a great time.

[01:06:58] There's another point to that

[01:07:00] I want to build up to but I

[01:07:01] think talk about a meal

[01:07:03] her's performance and how

[01:07:04] good he is behind the wheel

[01:07:05] of the car and the lines

[01:07:06] the times where you have to

[01:07:07] throw out lines in the car

[01:07:08] don't work that well but

[01:07:09] it's also that's a weird

[01:07:10] thing I think all the

[01:07:11] emotional scenes where he's

[01:07:12] grounded with another actor

[01:07:13] in conversation that's a really

[01:07:15] tough thing to play is just

[01:07:16] like a dude who's just so

[01:07:18] optimistic.

[01:07:19] Total sincerity.

[01:07:20] It's very hard to play

[01:07:21] uncomplicated people because

[01:07:22] like playing a bad guy

[01:07:23] there's like a lot of ticks

[01:07:24] he can jump on to and you

[01:07:25] like you know you express

[01:07:26] your sort of like inner evil

[01:07:28] or whatever it is but to

[01:07:29] just play a guy who's just

[01:07:30] like race is all I know

[01:07:32] so I gotta do something

[01:07:33] is like it's tough to do

[01:07:34] that and not seem corny

[01:07:36] and he has no there seems

[01:07:38] to be no internal checker

[01:07:40] of him in him of like is

[01:07:41] this gonna sound stupid?

[01:07:42] Yeah.

[01:07:43] Like he's just so there's so

[01:07:44] much conviction behind

[01:07:45] everything he's saying

[01:07:46] he sells all those speeches

[01:07:47] the other guy in the film who

[01:07:49] I think does that super super

[01:07:50] well is Matthew Fox.

[01:07:51] I was waiting for us to get

[01:07:52] to Matthew Fox.

[01:07:53] Foxy.

[01:07:54] Maybe my favorite performance

[01:07:55] in the film.

[01:07:56] Another notorious jerk we

[01:07:57] should say.

[01:07:58] Yeah.

[01:07:59] A difficult guy.

[01:08:00] A reprehensible human being

[01:08:01] who beats women.

[01:08:02] Is that true?

[01:08:03] Oh fuck.

[01:08:04] This is what?

[01:08:05] Didn't he like beat up

[01:08:06] some ladies?

[01:08:07] I didn't know that that

[01:08:08] sucks.

[01:08:09] I fucking hate that.

[01:08:10] All those lost people are

[01:08:11] like this is the this is the

[01:08:12] line I thought you were going

[01:08:13] to open with.

[01:08:14] He's going to be good.

[01:08:15] No he's not going to

[01:08:16] he's no he's going to be the

[01:08:17] best if they don't destroy him

[01:08:19] first.

[01:08:20] I couldn't figure out how to

[01:08:21] put podcast.

[01:08:22] Yeah.

[01:08:23] If they don't podcast.

[01:08:24] Just so we don't get

[01:08:25] just so we don't get sued

[01:08:26] because I am making

[01:08:27] scurrilous accusations

[01:08:28] against Matthew Fox.

[01:08:29] Who is a big fan of the show?

[01:08:30] Huge fan of the show.

[01:08:31] He was reported to have

[01:08:32] punched a female bus driver

[01:08:33] in the chest in Pelvic

[01:08:34] area after attempting to

[01:08:35] board a party bus reserved

[01:08:36] for a private bachelor party.

[01:08:37] Yes.

[01:08:38] Oh I remember the party bus

[01:08:39] now this I don't think this

[01:08:40] was ever resolved.

[01:08:41] He said he didn't do it and

[01:08:42] like you know it's one of those

[01:08:43] things where it's all like

[01:08:44] allegedly allegedly but I do

[01:08:45] remember Dominic Monahan

[01:08:46] years later giving some

[01:08:47] interview where he was asked

[01:08:48] like how do you stay in touch

[01:08:49] with Matthew Fox and

[01:08:50] Dominic Monahan was like

[01:08:51] that guy beats up women.

[01:08:52] Fuck him like you know

[01:08:53] I don't I don't hang out

[01:08:54] with that guy.

[01:08:55] Which is interesting about

[01:08:56] the lost guys because I

[01:08:57] think they almost never

[01:08:58] hung out because lost was

[01:08:59] this weird like tapestry

[01:09:00] of stories you know.

[01:09:01] Where people were something

[01:09:02] would rarely cross over like

[01:09:03] on stage.

[01:09:04] And I think that's

[01:09:05] the most interesting part

[01:09:06] of the show is that

[01:09:07] people are like

[01:09:08] cross over like on set.

[01:09:09] But anyway so Matthew Fox

[01:09:11] weird reputation so good

[01:09:12] in the movie watching this

[01:09:13] movie big Matthew Fox acting

[01:09:15] here I mean it definitely

[01:09:17] felt like when lost was at

[01:09:18] peak like this guy's going to

[01:09:19] have a big movie career

[01:09:20] when this happens.

[01:09:21] Sure.

[01:09:22] And this was one of maybe

[01:09:23] two or three projects that

[01:09:24] didn't connect and then he

[01:09:25] like wiped out which maybe

[01:09:26] it's because of being

[01:09:27] difficult to work with.

[01:09:28] I think he's somewhat of

[01:09:29] a challenge but he what

[01:09:30] do you think of Matthew

[01:09:31] Fox.

[01:09:32] I don't have it.

[01:09:33] I was never a lost fan

[01:09:34] so I don't have a

[01:09:35] connection to him.

[01:09:36] Huge loss.

[01:09:37] I mean I'm actually if we're

[01:09:38] going to talk about

[01:09:39] the racer X slash or X

[01:09:41] I'm more interested in

[01:09:43] Scott Porter.

[01:09:44] Interest.

[01:09:45] Oh yeah.

[01:09:46] Street.

[01:09:47] Friday night.

[01:09:48] I mean this is.

[01:09:49] This is also when like

[01:09:50] peak Friday night.

[01:09:51] Friday night is probably

[01:09:52] in its second season.

[01:09:53] In its second season but

[01:09:54] this he probably was cast

[01:09:55] off of the first.

[01:09:56] Off of the pilot basically

[01:09:57] and for being another pure

[01:09:58] completely unassailable

[01:10:00] positive beam of sunshine.

[01:10:01] Exactly.

[01:10:02] Is that who you never

[01:10:03] seen an episode of Friday

[01:10:04] night.

[01:10:05] That's my lost.

[01:10:06] Friday night is one of the

[01:10:07] greatest TV shows of this

[01:10:09] sort of Golden Age TV or

[01:10:10] whatever but he

[01:10:12] is so like the Golden Boy in

[01:10:14] Friday night and he is so

[01:10:16] perfect for the Golden Boy

[01:10:17] here right.

[01:10:18] Yeah I mean that's completely

[01:10:19] why it was kind of you didn't

[01:10:20] have to do that much.

[01:10:21] I just like the idea of

[01:10:22] Scott Porter getting plastic

[01:10:24] surgery.

[01:10:25] Turning into Matthew Fox.

[01:10:26] Give me some Matthew Fox

[01:10:27] up.

[01:10:28] I need to turn dark.

[01:10:29] I want a famous face.

[01:10:30] I want like a B-list

[01:10:31] famous face though.

[01:10:32] Also he is a great casting

[01:10:33] for a lot of

[01:10:34] Emile Hirsch's brother.

[01:10:35] Those two have a very similar

[01:10:36] look.

[01:10:37] I did I remember finding the

[01:10:38] plastic surgery plot funny

[01:10:39] because they're both sort of

[01:10:40] like they don't look the same

[01:10:42] but they're also both sort of

[01:10:43] like very generically handsome

[01:10:44] like that.

[01:10:45] They're both strong jawed

[01:10:46] men.

[01:10:47] Give me strong John B instead

[01:10:48] of strong John C.

[01:10:49] Right.

[01:10:50] Yeah they don't have like

[01:10:51] they went into the video game

[01:10:52] and they sort of just swapped

[01:10:53] out a few features.

[01:10:54] Swapped the me feature.

[01:10:55] The biggest difference

[01:10:56] between the two of them is

[01:10:57] that Matthew Fox's face is

[01:10:58] longer which you wouldn't be

[01:10:59] able to achieve with plastic

[01:11:00] surgery.

[01:11:01] I mean it's like

[01:11:02] I'm not complaining about this.

[01:11:03] Cars exploded to pink fairy dust

[01:11:04] in this movie.

[01:11:05] I'm not complaining about this.

[01:11:06] I'm saying I like this.

[01:11:07] It's all part of the film that's

[01:11:08] so fantastical and so unconcerned

[01:11:09] with reality but it's not

[01:11:10] like one of them has a very

[01:11:11] specific nose and it's like

[01:11:12] give me that nose.

[01:11:13] Right.

[01:11:14] No, no, no, absolutely.

[01:11:15] Like one candle to another.

[01:11:16] Yeah, yeah.

[01:11:17] But I think Matthew Fox

[01:11:18] from me threads this needle

[01:11:19] where the scenes where he

[01:11:20] like has to be proud of

[01:11:21] speed.

[01:11:22] I think emotionally he's

[01:11:23] like very there but also

[01:11:24] I think he's just like

[01:11:25] he's just like

[01:11:26] he's just like

[01:11:27] he's just like

[01:11:28] he's just like

[01:11:29] he's just like

[01:11:30] he's just like

[01:11:31] I think he's doing a perfect

[01:11:32] impression of the acting style

[01:11:34] of the actors,

[01:11:35] the American actors who

[01:11:36] dub speed racer.

[01:11:37] Oh yeah.

[01:11:38] Like even the staccato rhythms

[01:11:39] of the dialogue.

[01:11:40] He's going to be very good.

[01:11:41] Yeah.

[01:11:42] I love this movie.

[01:11:44] I forgot I tweeted out

[01:11:45] this screenshot which is

[01:11:46] one of my favorites.

[01:11:47] Oh yeah.

[01:11:48] Which is when

[01:11:49] I think it's during the

[01:11:50] It's an amazing montage.

[01:11:51] The montage is incredible.

[01:11:52] During the

[01:11:53] For the

[01:11:54] what's the

[01:11:55] classic crystal?

[01:11:56] Yeah, like it's sort of

[01:11:57] like an off-road like kind

[01:11:58] of like

[01:11:59] subterranean race, right?

[01:12:00] And it's like speed is doing

[01:12:01] this to qualify for the

[01:12:02] Grand Prix.

[01:12:03] Yeah.

[01:12:04] There's also a lot of other

[01:12:05] stuff going on.

[01:12:06] It's like an notorious

[01:12:07] That's the one that

[01:12:08] the Rex died on.

[01:12:09] Right.

[01:12:10] It's the one that Rex

[01:12:11] died on where you go

[01:12:12] through like the ice.

[01:12:13] But anyway and speed is

[01:12:14] being attacked by all these

[01:12:15] people and every time

[01:12:16] he gets attacked by a new

[01:12:17] person we get a flashback

[01:12:18] to like them being bought

[01:12:19] off.

[01:12:20] Yeah.

[01:12:21] And there's these like

[01:12:22] I don't know army

[01:12:23] people like I mean

[01:12:24] it's all it's very wacky

[01:12:25] racers where everyone

[01:12:26] has a gimmick.

[01:12:27] It's totally wacky

[01:12:28] racers.

[01:12:29] Everyone's car is a gimmick.

[01:12:30] It's like we're the western

[01:12:31] car.

[01:12:32] Or it's like warriors

[01:12:33] or something.

[01:12:34] Yeah, like warriors.

[01:12:35] Yeah, no, it's like

[01:12:36] it's like there's there's

[01:12:37] a crew of like girl racers

[01:12:38] who get bought off with

[01:12:39] diamonds.

[01:12:40] They throw diamonds at

[01:12:41] people and then there's

[01:12:42] like Viking racers that

[01:12:43] like have like huge legs

[01:12:45] of like mutton being

[01:12:46] brought out to them

[01:12:47] to like bribe is so

[01:12:48] bananas.

[01:12:49] And there's the

[01:12:50] so weird.

[01:12:51] These army guys who

[01:12:52] are shown like a brief

[01:12:53] case full of money

[01:12:54] whatever and we see

[01:12:55] the dollar signs in their

[01:12:56] eyes as they're

[01:12:57] looking and then they

[01:12:58] become the horizon of the

[01:12:59] race as the cars are

[01:13:00] like racing around

[01:13:01] just because you didn't

[01:13:02] get that this movie is

[01:13:03] like a treatise on

[01:13:04] capitalism.

[01:13:05] It's the best.

[01:13:06] Can we talk about

[01:13:07] that like intercut with

[01:13:08] Royalton's speech about

[01:13:09] how everything works?

[01:13:10] Sure.

[01:13:11] Which is already

[01:13:12] intercut with

[01:13:13] Spritle and ChimChim

[01:13:14] looking for candy, right?

[01:13:15] And fucking

[01:13:16] tweaking out.

[01:13:17] Yeah.

[01:13:18] They're also showing

[01:13:19] you the race that

[01:13:20] hasn't happened yet.

[01:13:21] Yes.

[01:13:22] With Royalton calling

[01:13:23] what's going to happen

[01:13:24] and then

[01:13:25] with Royalton calling

[01:13:26] what's going to happen.

[01:13:27] He's like, OK,

[01:13:28] you want to play by your

[01:13:29] own rules?

[01:13:30] Here's how the next race

[01:13:31] is going to go.

[01:13:32] And they like show

[01:13:33] you Royalton's projection

[01:13:34] of that race.

[01:13:35] And then when the film

[01:13:36] narratively gets to

[01:13:37] that race in real time

[01:13:38] like 10, 15 minutes later

[01:13:39] they don't really

[01:13:40] show it to us.

[01:13:41] They show us the beginning

[01:13:42] and the end and it's

[01:13:43] like, yep, what he called

[01:13:44] like just happened.

[01:13:45] No.

[01:13:46] And that whole

[01:13:47] when he projects it

[01:13:48] it's like in depth

[01:13:49] enough and long enough

[01:13:50] that you actually think

[01:13:51] we've just transitioned

[01:13:52] to watching the race.

[01:13:53] Yeah.

[01:13:54] But then it's I mean

[01:13:55] it's clear enough by the end

[01:13:56] of it.

[01:13:57] But it's just like

[01:13:58] it's another one of the ways

[01:13:59] that this film just plays

[01:14:00] with time in a way that's

[01:14:01] unconventional but you can

[01:14:02] actually totally follow

[01:14:03] along with it's not

[01:14:04] confusing.

[01:14:05] Every moment in your life

[01:14:06] is like directly connected

[01:14:08] to the moments that have

[01:14:09] happened and the moments

[01:14:10] that are yet to happen.

[01:14:11] It's all sort of this

[01:14:12] time's a flat circle.

[01:14:13] Fuck me, bullshit stupid.

[01:14:14] Griffin negative

[01:14:15] five comedy points.

[01:14:16] Negative 500.

[01:14:17] Yeah.

[01:14:18] But it is.

[01:14:19] Protective season three.

[01:14:20] No, go ahead.

[01:14:21] It is that kind of

[01:14:22] think the balance

[01:14:23] between art and commerce

[01:14:24] because they're not just saying

[01:14:25] like it's bad.

[01:14:26] I mean there is this thing

[01:14:27] where it's like

[01:14:28] there's this line I just

[01:14:29] want to pull up where it's

[01:14:30] the scene with a trick scene

[01:14:31] speed in the car when they

[01:14:32] sort of like drive to

[01:14:33] like lovers or whatever it is.

[01:14:35] And then of course

[01:14:36] they find out the

[01:14:37] Sprite on Chim Chim are

[01:14:38] in the back seat because

[01:14:39] they knew that they were

[01:14:40] going to go get ice cream

[01:14:41] and they want ice cream

[01:14:42] to exchange priorities.

[01:14:43] There's an implication

[01:14:44] that like they were in

[01:14:45] the trunk for like

[01:14:46] a whole race or something

[01:14:47] they should be dead.

[01:14:48] Yeah, they should be

[01:14:49] like there's a whole race

[01:14:50] just like when

[01:14:51] they went out.

[01:14:52] I guess just when even then

[01:14:53] you know, they should be dead.

[01:14:55] The reason they find out

[01:14:56] they're in the trunk is

[01:14:57] because when speed and

[01:14:58] tricks are about to kiss

[01:14:59] they go like gross.

[01:15:00] Yeah, they hear the sound

[01:15:01] of kissing and they get

[01:15:02] so disgusting.

[01:15:03] And they interrupt

[01:15:04] a kiss scene at the end

[01:15:06] very, very end saying

[01:15:07] like we need cootie shots

[01:15:08] to watch the scene or

[01:15:09] whatever.

[01:15:10] Like if you're cootie

[01:15:11] sensitive, I forget

[01:15:12] exactly.

[01:15:13] Let's make this clear

[01:15:14] at this moment in the film

[01:15:15] speed racer is like

[01:15:16] if I win the race

[01:15:17] in front of all the

[01:15:18] flash bulbs,

[01:15:19] I'm going to dip you

[01:15:20] and kiss you which is

[01:15:21] the most romantic thing

[01:15:22] in the world, right?

[01:15:23] Spritolin shrimp tremor

[01:15:24] like fucking gross.

[01:15:26] At the end of the film

[01:15:27] this cathartic moment

[01:15:28] like orgasm upon orgasm

[01:15:30] like everything's happened

[01:15:31] and you're like oh shit

[01:15:32] he's going to do it now

[01:15:33] like you see the shot

[01:15:34] of the flash bulbs

[01:15:35] from his perspective

[01:15:36] you see Trixie there

[01:15:37] he's holding up the trophy

[01:15:38] he turns to Trixie

[01:15:39] he grabs her

[01:15:40] he dips her

[01:15:41] and you're like oh my god

[01:15:42] oh my god

[01:15:43] the film stops

[01:15:44] Spritolin shrimp tremor

[01:15:45] literally freezes

[01:15:46] are super imposed

[01:15:47] over the images

[01:15:48] wearing doctors coats

[01:15:50] and they go warning

[01:15:52] they cut the head fan thing

[01:15:54] like it's not like they interrupt the scene

[01:15:56] why do doctors have that

[01:15:57] silver thing on their head?

[01:15:58] is that for listening to

[01:16:00] no, that's the stuff this book

[01:16:02] but like you know what

[01:16:03] whatever it's like

[01:16:04] so you can see yourself

[01:16:05] and make sure you don't have

[01:16:06] anything in your teeth

[01:16:07] when the doctor's operating on you

[01:16:08] it's a satellite dish

[01:16:09] but it's not like oh

[01:16:10] Spritolin shrimp shrimp

[01:16:11] interrupt the scene

[01:16:12] dramatically

[01:16:13] Spritolin shrimp

[01:16:14] suddenly become the authors

[01:16:15] of the film

[01:16:16] they're like telling you

[01:16:17] how to watch the movie

[01:16:18] yeah

[01:16:19] but in that scene before

[01:16:20] Spritolin shrimp shrimp

[01:16:21] so brutally interrupt them

[01:16:22] there's this dialogue exchange

[01:16:24] I think is really great

[01:16:25] where like speed's talking about

[01:16:27] like I just want to win this race

[01:16:28] this and that

[01:16:29] and this is before the royalty

[01:16:30] scene so he's just like

[01:16:31] excited about

[01:16:32] the fact that he's now

[01:16:33] qualified for the next race

[01:16:34] and Trixie says

[01:16:35] since when did winning

[01:16:36] become so important

[01:16:37] and speed says

[01:16:38] it is important

[01:16:39] you got to win if you

[01:16:40] want to keep driving

[01:16:41] and that's what I want to do

[01:16:42] it's the only thing

[01:16:43] I really know how to do

[01:16:44] and I think that line

[01:16:45] you got to win

[01:16:46] if you want to keep driving

[01:16:47] is like

[01:16:48] such a concise explanation

[01:16:50] of the way the film industry

[01:16:51] works

[01:16:52] because it is such a high

[01:16:53] stakes money driven business

[01:16:55] that like

[01:16:56] it's not that they care about

[01:16:58] success

[01:16:59] in and of itself

[01:17:00] but they want to keep on

[01:17:02] operating on this level

[01:17:04] they're race car drivers

[01:17:05] they need a track

[01:17:06] they need a car

[01:17:07] which houses aren't going to go

[01:17:08] make another bound

[01:17:09] they're not going to like

[01:17:10] slink back into the

[01:17:11] indie film world or whatever

[01:17:12] right and there are two

[01:17:13] of the filmmakers

[01:17:14] who have consistently made

[01:17:15] an argument that they

[01:17:16] are working on this skill

[01:17:17] because they know how to use it

[01:17:18] and they have big ideas

[01:17:19] and they want to cross genres

[01:17:20] and they need

[01:17:21] they need that many different

[01:17:22] colors on their palette

[01:17:24] and so the balance of this film

[01:17:25] is like

[01:17:26] speed wants to stick to his guns

[01:17:28] he doesn't want to get

[01:17:29] you know bought out

[01:17:30] but he also wants to win the race

[01:17:32] he wants to beat everyone

[01:17:33] he wants to do the grand screen

[01:17:34] he wants to do the biggest race

[01:17:36] right he wants the same amount

[01:17:37] of opportunities that they're getting

[01:17:38] he just doesn't want to

[01:17:39] have to sacrifice anything for it

[01:17:42] and it's this whole battle of like

[01:17:44] can I do everything I want to do

[01:17:46] exactly my way

[01:17:48] is it possible

[01:17:49] and it's not just because like

[01:17:51] it's because I think the

[01:17:52] Bacchowskis are saying

[01:17:54] if they won

[01:17:56] playing someone else's game

[01:17:57] it wouldn't really feel like

[01:17:58] a victory to them

[01:17:59] that would be hollow

[01:18:01] they need to try to like

[01:18:02] pull off

[01:18:03] the grand

[01:18:04] like you know

[01:18:05] scheme of like

[01:18:06] winning on our terms

[01:18:08] they've also been cursed

[01:18:09] with the knowledge that this is

[01:18:10] possible

[01:18:11] yeah but like

[01:18:12] sure right

[01:18:13] they're not going to win a million

[01:18:14] shot

[01:18:15] which is the first race

[01:18:16] yeah the first race he wins

[01:18:17] and no one interferes at all

[01:18:18] yeah

[01:18:19] and that's the matrix

[01:18:20] yep

[01:18:21] now

[01:18:22] merchandise spotlight

[01:18:23] this film had one of

[01:18:25] the most extreme

[01:18:26] merchandising advertising

[01:18:27] complaints

[01:18:28] in history

[01:18:29] for like the first film

[01:18:30] of a franchise

[01:18:31] for a franchise starter

[01:18:32] true

[01:18:33] let me find

[01:18:34] this article here

[01:18:36] they talked about

[01:18:37] so this article was from

[01:18:38] like six months right

[01:18:40] before the film came out

[01:18:41] yep

[01:18:42] stupid internet

[01:18:44] they

[01:18:46] had like

[01:18:47] one of the largest collections

[01:18:48] of like

[01:18:49] licensing partners

[01:18:50] products

[01:18:51] tie-ins

[01:18:53] just give us the bridge version

[01:18:55] yeah

[01:18:57] so the studio has enlisted

[01:18:58] a lengthy lineup

[01:18:59] of promotional partners

[01:19:00] will point up at least

[01:19:01] $80 million in additional

[01:19:02] marketing support around the

[01:19:03] film

[01:19:04] General Mills, McDonald's

[01:19:05] Target, Mattel, Lego, Tops

[01:19:07] Escherance

[01:19:08] like they were going from

[01:19:09] like all aspects

[01:19:10] making speed racer products

[01:19:11] Escherance going to adults

[01:19:13] McDonald's going to Happy Meals

[01:19:14] they even did the thing

[01:19:15] were like

[01:19:16] Escherance is the stupidest

[01:19:17] ever

[01:19:18] but they were like

[01:19:19] covering all bases

[01:19:20] yeah

[01:19:21] and you know the way that like

[01:19:22] you know

[01:19:23] very much a gender binary

[01:19:25] McDonald's would do

[01:19:26] like the Happy Meals where it's

[01:19:27] like oh do you want the girls

[01:19:28] toy or the boys toy

[01:19:29] and it would often be like

[01:19:30] do you want hot wheels

[01:19:31] or do you want Barbie

[01:19:32] right

[01:19:33] the speed racer campaign was

[01:19:34] do you want speed racer

[01:19:35] or do you want Trixie

[01:19:36] mm-hmm

[01:19:37] like they had like

[01:19:38] two parallel lines

[01:19:39] and the girls toys

[01:19:40] quote-unquote that month

[01:19:41] were just like Trixie stuff

[01:19:42] mm-hmm

[01:19:43] and the boys toys or speed racer

[01:19:44] like they were like

[01:19:45] Trixie does get a fun action

[01:19:46] she gets to be in the car

[01:19:47] she gets to race which is

[01:19:48] it's a little

[01:19:49] it's

[01:19:50] it's a little cheesy

[01:19:51] it's a little shoe horned

[01:19:52] where they're like

[01:19:53] look Trixie gets to be in the

[01:19:54] car

[01:19:55] for like a mile of track

[01:19:56] right

[01:19:57] and she's like okay

[01:19:58] back to you

[01:19:59] I have my fun

[01:20:00] but she doesn't have a

[01:20:01] helicopter so that's

[01:20:02] I do like her cool visor

[01:20:03] yeah

[01:20:04] I like her look

[01:20:05] I like Christine Ritchie's

[01:20:06] looking this movie from

[01:20:07] start to finish

[01:20:08] I was going back and

[01:20:09] I think Annalyn Newitz on

[01:20:11] I09 made the case that this is

[01:20:12] like a massively underrated

[01:20:14] film

[01:20:16] and just pointed out the fact

[01:20:18] that

[01:20:19] that

[01:20:20] Christina Ritchie

[01:20:21] as Trixie is like

[01:20:22] super super girly

[01:20:24] but also

[01:20:25] like

[01:20:26] is a gear head

[01:20:27] and that's

[01:20:28] that actually feels more

[01:20:29] interesting to me than if

[01:20:30] she would have just been

[01:20:31] like a cool tomboy

[01:20:32] or whatever

[01:20:33] yeah yeah

[01:20:34] or like doing the whole

[01:20:35] yeah like

[01:20:36] be a fellow racer

[01:20:37] or something

[01:20:38] this film also gets at this

[01:20:39] very optimistic idea

[01:20:40] that you can like

[01:20:41] meet your best gal

[01:20:42] when you're like six

[01:20:43] oh yeah

[01:20:44] and you're just like

[01:20:45] best friends and lovers forever

[01:20:46] I also like the idea that

[01:20:48] she is not like

[01:20:50] scared for a speed racer

[01:20:51] or like

[01:20:52] afraid of racing

[01:20:53] or anything like that

[01:20:54] it's not like she's on the

[01:20:55] sidelines going like

[01:20:56] oh no

[01:20:57] like yeah

[01:20:58] no she's like jazz

[01:20:59] she's always like grinning

[01:21:00] ear to ear watching

[01:21:01] smash those people

[01:21:02] and that she's part of the

[01:21:03] family like she's

[01:21:04] accepted by all of them

[01:21:05] can we also call out

[01:21:06] I don't think this had to be

[01:21:07] conscious

[01:21:08] I don't know if it was just

[01:21:09] them commenting on sort of

[01:21:10] like the animation style

[01:21:11] and sort of like

[01:21:12] similar face types

[01:21:13] but Christina Ricci

[01:21:14] and Susan Sarandon look

[01:21:15] identical in this film

[01:21:16] really?

[01:21:17] I think they look so

[01:21:18] similar in this movie

[01:21:19] huh

[01:21:20] and I don't think

[01:21:21] they usually do

[01:21:22] I think something about

[01:21:23] her their style

[01:21:24] the film

[01:21:25] they

[01:21:26] I think they have very

[01:21:27] similar looks

[01:21:28] she looks a lot like

[01:21:29] Susan right there

[01:21:30] I'll say that

[01:21:31] in that picture from

[01:21:32] the Tribeca

[01:21:33] I think they have similar

[01:21:34] they put all this money into

[01:21:36] it they had all these partners

[01:21:37] and then the film

[01:21:38] bombed like really really hard

[01:21:40] we'll talk about that in a second

[01:21:41] yeah

[01:21:42] and they

[01:21:43] you know

[01:21:45] I have this variety article

[01:21:47] here that was published

[01:21:48] the week after the film

[01:21:49] came out where Warner Brothers

[01:21:50] was trying to do all this

[01:21:51] spin being like

[01:21:52] I still think we're going to be

[01:21:53] the most successful marketing

[01:21:54] campaign of the

[01:21:55] merchandising campaign

[01:21:56] of the summer

[01:21:57] like we're going to be

[01:21:58] one of the big sellers

[01:21:59] because it was just like

[01:22:00] cars and shit

[01:22:01] but they just made like

[01:22:02] fucking

[01:22:03] a flavor of every food

[01:22:04] okay

[01:22:05] every car and every version

[01:22:06] every racer

[01:22:07] all this stuff

[01:22:08] and then it like

[01:22:09] didn't really connect at all

[01:22:11] there's one item

[01:22:12] if I can spotlight

[01:22:13] which I'm now trying to find

[01:22:14] for a reasonable price on eBay

[01:22:15] which I think is so beautiful

[01:22:16] they made like

[01:22:17] not like a high-end replica

[01:22:19] version but like a kids

[01:22:20] Toys R Us version

[01:22:21] of the speed racer helmet

[01:22:23] that had all the sounds

[01:22:25] in the helmet

[01:22:26] so like

[01:22:27] you could wear the helmet

[01:22:28] and like be a kid on

[01:22:29] playground pretend to be

[01:22:30] speed racer

[01:22:31] and if you turned it

[01:22:32] and like you were like

[01:22:33] turning which I think

[01:22:34] the whole idea of this movie

[01:22:35] is that like

[01:22:36] speed racer races

[01:22:37] the way little boys

[01:22:38] like little girls

[01:22:39] imagine being behind

[01:22:40] the wheel of a car

[01:22:41] and just going

[01:22:42] like

[01:22:43] jump jump jump

[01:22:44] well there's that amazing scene

[01:22:45] at the beginning

[01:22:46] where he's like

[01:22:47] drawing pictures of race cars

[01:22:48] and they start to imagine

[01:22:49] himself in his drawing

[01:22:50] oh yeah

[01:22:51] and the animation

[01:22:52] like starts moving

[01:22:53] and it's also like

[01:22:54] really really low frame rate

[01:22:56] animation

[01:22:57] which I totally connected

[01:22:58] to the original

[01:22:59] even though it's like

[01:23:00] kids style drawing

[01:23:01] you can fill in the blanks

[01:23:02] of like this being

[01:23:03] thrilling and exciting

[01:23:04] even though it's not

[01:23:05] like super high res

[01:23:06] the way this film is

[01:23:07] like it doesn't really matter

[01:23:08] like if it's exciting to you

[01:23:09] it will be exciting

[01:23:10] so this is this idea

[01:23:11] I want to get at

[01:23:15] despite the fact that

[01:23:16] they were given

[01:23:17] I think

[01:23:18] full creative freedom

[01:23:19] to make this movie

[01:23:20] exactly how they want

[01:23:21] because it's a phone

[01:23:22] that smells like

[01:23:23] zero studio interference

[01:23:24] because it's very risky

[01:23:25] in number of ways

[01:23:26] and no one would approve it

[01:23:27] other than if they

[01:23:28] like part of the deal was

[01:23:29] we get to do exactly

[01:23:30] what you guys have to fucking bone out

[01:23:33] and they had sort of

[01:23:35] Joel Silver as their protector

[01:23:36] yeah and Viva Vendetta

[01:23:37] had been a surprise hit

[01:23:39] for an R rated like

[01:23:40] wacky dystopian movie

[01:23:41] so that

[01:23:42] even though the Matrix movies

[01:23:43] may be it bombed a little bit

[01:23:44] but they still made money

[01:23:45] you know

[01:23:46] that was

[01:23:47] you know

[01:23:48] that helped them get along

[01:23:49] I think to this

[01:23:50] Disney Pixar's Cars

[01:23:51] came out two years before this

[01:23:52] sure

[01:23:53] and was one of the most

[01:23:54] smash it

[01:23:55] remains to this day

[01:23:56] one of the most successful

[01:23:57] merchandising films in history

[01:23:59] like within a year this release

[01:24:01] but what is your point

[01:24:02] so they were like

[01:24:03] that's our end

[01:24:04] we got fucking cars and stuff

[01:24:05] Warner Brothers still was

[01:24:07] their Royal Tim

[01:24:08] Warner Brothers was

[01:24:09] signing the checks

[01:24:10] made all the Matrix movies

[01:24:11] and what Warner Brothers

[01:24:12] tried to do with this film

[01:24:13] is Royal Tim

[01:24:14] the audiences into liking it

[01:24:16] right you know

[01:24:17] in the same way that

[01:24:18] Royal Tim like fixes the races

[01:24:19] they were like

[01:24:20] if we promote it this way

[01:24:21] this aggressively

[01:24:22] if we have the

[01:24:23] merchandising everywhere

[01:24:24] I think they were freaked out

[01:24:25] by this film

[01:24:26] but they were like

[01:24:27] we didn't get the Matrix

[01:24:28] it worked with people

[01:24:29] so if we merchandise it

[01:24:31] and present it

[01:24:32] like it's any franchise

[01:24:33] that kids already like

[01:24:34] and we make it like

[01:24:36] just so existent

[01:24:37] around us

[01:24:38] we'll like fix the race

[01:24:40] and there is this aspect to like

[01:24:41] a lot of movies do well

[01:24:42] just because

[01:24:43] they promote them

[01:24:44] like they're gonna do well

[01:24:45] yeah they retcon

[01:24:46] the fact that you already love it

[01:24:47] right

[01:24:48] yeah they at least do okay

[01:24:49] maybe they're not

[01:24:50] I mean sort of Batman vs Superman

[01:24:51] is kind of an example of that

[01:24:52] where it kinda couldn't

[01:24:53] not at least make money

[01:24:55] I would argue that

[01:24:56] Captain American Civil War

[01:24:57] is an example of everybody

[01:24:59] just already deciding

[01:25:00] they liked it before

[01:25:01] totally I mean

[01:25:02] but that's I mean

[01:25:03] of course Speed Racer got

[01:25:04] curbs down by Iron Man

[01:25:06] we'll talk about that in a second

[01:25:07] there's a great Mr. Show sketch

[01:25:08] the beginning of yeah

[01:25:09] coupon the movie

[01:25:10] in which they make this movie

[01:25:11] because they're like

[01:25:12] everyone loves coupons

[01:25:13] why wouldn't they like

[01:25:14] a movie about coupons

[01:25:15] and the movie bombs

[01:25:16] and the scene is all these

[01:25:17] executives trying to figure out

[01:25:18] who green lit the movie

[01:25:19] there was no creative inspiration

[01:25:20] it was just people love coupons

[01:25:21] they're using the coupon

[01:25:22] why aren't they seeing the movie

[01:25:23] and the sketch turns into

[01:25:25] a court hearing

[01:25:26] where they have to bring

[01:25:27] every single American citizen

[01:25:29] on trial to question them

[01:25:30] why they didn't go see

[01:25:31] coupon the movie

[01:25:32] and it ends with the judge

[01:25:33] decreeing that everyone legally

[01:25:35] is mandated to go see

[01:25:36] coupon the movie

[01:25:37] and the trailer at the end

[01:25:38] has these like poll quotes

[01:25:39] that are like

[01:25:40] a required romp

[01:25:41] you know

[01:25:42] a mandatory thrill ride

[01:25:44] and there's

[01:25:45] what they're trying to pull

[01:25:46] there is a perfunctory

[01:25:47] sort of like

[01:25:48] predestined

[01:25:50] attitude to a lot of

[01:25:51] I think marketing campaigns

[01:25:52] and merchandising campaigns

[01:25:53] for movies

[01:25:54] especially Batman vs Superman

[01:25:55] where it's like

[01:25:56] it doesn't matter whether or not

[01:25:57] you think this looks good

[01:25:58] we know you're gonna see it

[01:25:59] you fucking assholes

[01:26:00] just go buy the ticket

[01:26:01] and I think Royalton

[01:26:02] like Warner Brothers was going

[01:26:04] like if we sell it

[01:26:05] like it's a movie that everyone

[01:26:06] wants to see confidently

[01:26:07] everyone will want to see it

[01:26:08] and it didn't work

[01:26:10] like usually this works

[01:26:12] to some degree

[01:26:13] well I think a lot of people

[01:26:14] went to go see it first weekend

[01:26:15] and then it totally

[01:26:16] dropped off the next

[01:26:17] opening weekend was small

[01:26:18] and then it just got smaller

[01:26:20] oh really

[01:26:21] yeah well we'll talk about that

[01:26:22] in a second

[01:26:23] first I want to run some things

[01:26:24] guy by you guys

[01:26:25] please

[01:26:26] okay one

[01:26:27] other options for speed racer

[01:26:28] were Joseph Gordon Leavitt

[01:26:29] and Shia LeBeau

[01:26:31] the other one I heard

[01:26:32] what do you think about that

[01:26:33] nope

[01:26:34] the other guy I heard got close

[01:26:35] not long enough eyelashes

[01:26:36] sorry

[01:26:37] the other guy I heard got close

[01:26:39] and was the front runner

[01:26:41] briefly but then

[01:26:42] proved himself to be difficult

[01:26:43] one too much money for

[01:26:45] was my boy

[01:26:46] Zachy Efron

[01:26:48] oh yeah

[01:26:49] Efron would have been good

[01:26:50] Efron would have been good

[01:26:51] he has the right vibe

[01:26:52] he was in that pocket

[01:26:53] right then

[01:26:54] that was yeah

[01:26:55] but it was high school musical too

[01:26:56] and he thought he was hot shit

[01:26:57] and apparently came in with

[01:26:58] too many demands

[01:26:59] other options for Trixie were

[01:27:00] Elisha Cuthbert and Kate Mara

[01:27:02] but it was going to be Christina

[01:27:03] Regi