Speed Racer The Fastest Car on Earth VHS DVD VOLTRON

Years ago, Pops Racer built an engine too fast for humans to control. An evil girl has dug up the buried engine and put it in a new car to win the race. Can Speed save the day?

Leelee Sobieski

Director: Basil Dearden; Stars: Virginia McKenna, Peter Sellers; Release Date: May 29, 2007

Based on the 1960s Japanese-manga-derived animated TV series of the same name, SPEED RACER follows the adventures of the title character (Emile Hirsch), a young race car driver who sits behind the wheel of the lightning-fast Mach 5 vehicle. Aided by his family, which includes Pops Racer (John Goodman) and Mom Racer (Susan Sarandon), and his devoted doe-eyed girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), Speed racks up victory after victory, but still lives in the shadow of his late older brother, Rex (Scott Porter), who died in a race. When Speed garners the wrath of Royalton Industries, he must team up with the enigmatic Racer X (Matthew Fox) to defeat the ruthless corporation.Written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, the masterminds behind the MATRIX films, SPEED RACER replaces the gritty techno patina of that blockbuster series with a polished, brightly hued virtual reality. Though the eye-popping visuals threaten to eclipse the acting, the fine cast gamely makes the most of their green-screen environment,

Based on the 1960s Japanese-manga-derived animated TV series of the same name, SPEED RACER follows the adventures of the title character (Emile Hirsch), a young race car driver who sits behind the wheel of the lightning-fast Mach 5 vehicle. Aided by his family, which includes Pops Racer (John Goodman) and Mom Racer (Susan Sarandon), and his devoted doe-eyed girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), Speed racks up victory after victory, but still lives in the shadow of his late older brother, Rex (Scott Porter), who died in a race. When Speed garners the wrath of Royalton Industries, he must team up with the enigmatic Racer X (Matthew Fox) to defeat the ruthless corporation.Written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, the masterminds behind the MATRIX films, SPEED RACER replaces the gritty techno patina of that blockbuster series with a polished, brightly hued virtual reality. Though the eye-popping visuals threaten to eclipse the acting, the fine cast gamely makes the most of their green-screen environment,

Based on the 1960s Japanese-manga-derived animated TV series of the same name SPEED RACER follows the adventures of the title character Emile Hirsch a young race car driver who sits behind the wheel of the lightning-fast Mach 5 vehicle. Aided by his family which includes Pops Racer John Goodman and Mom Racer Susan Sarandon and his devoted doe-eyed girlfriend Trixie Christina Ricci Speed racks up victory after victory but still lives in the shadow of his late older brother Rex Scott Porter who died in a race. When Speed garners the wrath of Royalton Industries he must team up with the enigmatic Racer X Matthew Fox to defeat the ruthless corporation. Written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski the masterminds behind the MATRIX films SPEED RACER replaces the gritty techno patina of that blockbuster series with a polished brightly hued virtual reality. Though the eye-popping visuals threaten to eclipse the acting the fine cast gamely makes the most of their green-screen environment particularly the likable Hirsch who won acclaimed for his decidedly different INTO THE WILD role and LOST's always-noble Fox. Adding to the movie's giddy mood are Paulie Litt and his chimp companion who provide comic relief as Speed's playful younger brother Spritle and Chim Chim respectively. While definitely a case of style over substance SPEED RACER is a movie meticulously designed to appeal to families and kids especially the Spritle-like young ones.

Speed Racer is back in a turbo-charged feature film in full color as he takes the Mach V out for some blistering action in two adventures: "The Car Hater, " and "The Race Against the Mammoth Car." In the first, Speed Racer and the gang square off against the Car Hater himself, a man who holds the lives of hundreds in his hands. In the second adventure, Speed Racer and Trixie take on the mammoth car of the title, which turns out to be piloted by a dastardly madman. Featuring three vintage 1960s "words from our sponsors, " SPEED RACER is full of kitschy fun.

Feel the exhilaration and taste the exhaust in this up-close, driver's-seat-view of America's top spectator sport, auto racing. From seat-of-your-pants curves, to manic pit-stops and fiery crashes, SUPER RACERS captures all the high-octane thrills of racing.

Two episides from the classic animated series.

Slumming among the locals of a small New York town, Kelley Morse (Chris Klein), graduating senior at a posh prep school and all-around insufferable rich kid, engages the testosterone of one of the hicks (Josh Hartnett) when he flirts with the guy's girlfriend, Samantha (LeeLee Sobieski). A car chase ensues, resulting in Samantha's family's diner getting blown up, which in turn lands the boys in hot water with the law. The upshot is the snotty rich kid is sentenced to help the locals rebuild the diner. A romance develops between Kelley and Samantha, apparently because they like a particular Robert Frost poem. So now they're deep, see. But then their love is tested when Samantha contracts Ali MacGraw disease. You know, that's the sudden disease Ali McGraw gets in Love Story--really an excuse to emphasize the strength of the characters' love. You don't know what you got till it's gone, right? This film would be pretty bad if the performances weren't so engaging, especially LeeLee Sobieski's, who seems to be channeling Helen Hunt in this movie. Though Chris Klein never makes us believe for an instant that his arrogant character could make the changes he does, or that his and Sobieski's characters could ever really get together. The script is too thin to support any motivations, and the film falls into formula weepy territory to appeal to teen tear ducts. Lovers of weepies might overlook the film's plot weaknesses in favor of the strong performances and the prospect of a good cry. --Jim Gay