Ever since the numbers were released yesterday, anyone and everyone (as well as anyone who is everyone) has been talking Speed Racer -- specifically, how a $120 million Hollywood blockbuster could open with only $20 million at the box office. You can blame Iron Man, you can blame the marketing, you can blame the blogs for trashing the film all year long, you can blame Christina Ricci's weird haircut, or you can blame that judge on Project Runway for saying, "You can never have too much color!" Fact is, it missed the mark.

But what could've helped Speed Racer make more money in its opening weekend? The running time has been mentioned a lot in the past 24 hours, but a running time doesn't exactly woo audiences into the theater. Is the film's marketing 100% to blame? Should the trailers have been cut differently? Should they have stressed that this was a film for kids? Should they have added a little viral action into the mix? Or what about overall? From the beginning, were the Wachowski Brothers the right folks for the job? Should they have gone the animated route instead -- or maybe the animated 3-D route? Should they have made this a film for older kids; slap on a PG-13 rating?

In your opinion, what could've helped Speed Racer -- both in its opening weekend and in its development as a feature film?

At the Long Beach Grand Prix, the roar of high-powered race car engines fills the air, a deep bass thrum cutting through the smell of exhaust in the early summer heat. Tens of thousands of race fans have gathered to take in the metal-and-rubber reality of racing, but in the Long Beach Convention Center, a small group of journalists have gathered to talk about a big-screen fantasy vision of the spectacle roaring around us, Cinematical was there to speak with the people behind Speed Racer: Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci and Matthew Fox, as well as producer Joel Silver.

Emile Hirsch, relaxed and fairly amused, is asked about embodying a classic character. "It's pretty cool." He laughs; "I was a very big fan of the show growing up ... I would just watch it every morning with cereal ... sometimes soda in the cereal. ..." I then asked Hirsch if, after reading the script, he was worried about being Mark Hamill to Matthew Fox's Harrison Ford, that Speed would be out-cooled by Racer X. "Well, now I am ..." The rest of the sentence is unprintable, but Hirsch then mocked Fox's masked mystery man and spoke sincerely about Speed's virtues: "Yeah, (Racer X) is so cool ... No, no, no; Speed's got the nobility; Speed does the right thing; Speed is ... Speed's cool."

(Hirsch on coolness:)

I don't know a lot about Speed Racer aside from what I've gleaned from the theme song over the years -- apparently, the young man's a demon on wheels -- so, in many ways, I'm the best possible audience for Larry and Andy Wachowski's new big-screen interpretation of the character. Originally a Japanese animation program exported and re-dubbed for the American market in the '60s, Speed Racer has now been revived and revitalized for now. And the Wachowskis have created a blast of pure pop family fun; Speed Racer's a bright, bold visual spectacle designed for kids.

And why shouldn't it be? Or, rather, how could it not? This is a property where one of the supporting characters is, after all, a monkey; any fully-grown individual hoping for an adult action film or racing realism is looking in the wrong place. Speed Racer plays like a car-crazed visual wonder -- it looks and feels like what pop artist Roy Lichtenstein would dream if you locked him in a room full of gas fumes, gave him only candy to eat and showed him nothing but Tron, Indianapolis 500 footage, episodes of the '60s Batman TV show and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. All at the same time. With the volume very, very high.

Not long ago we asked you folks to submit a bunch of questions for Speed Racer stars Emile Hirsch and Christina Ricci to answer, and guess what -- they answered them! Well, not all of them, but a few lucky individuals had their questions hand-picked, thrown up on a screen and presented to those two charming kids during another one of Moviefone's fabulous Unscripted installments. As always, you can check out an exclusive clip from their chat above -- one you will only see here on Cinematical. In it, Hirsch and Ricci talk about working with a green screen, and how "tripped-out" the whole experience is. I believe Ricci compared it to feeling very high. Hmmm.

But anyway, these two cats star in the new film Speed Racer, out this Friday in theaters everywhere. And, as you're probably already aware, Speed Racer was based on an old 14th century poem about two spiders who fall in love with an elephant. Kidding! Of course it's based on the "tripped-out" (just tying it all in) cartoon from the '60s. The live-action feature film was written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski (aka those Matrix guys), and it also stars John Goodman, Susan Sarandon and Matthew Fox.

Check out the Moviefone Unscripted chat over here, and watch as the two talk about kissing (with and without tongue), cutting hair, fighting and details on their "perfect drive." Speed Racer arrives on May 9, and you can check out loads of really cool images from the film in our gallery below.

While I'm personally much more excited about Iron Man and Indy 4, there's certainly been lots of buzzing amongst the internet bees about the Wachowski's adaptation of Speed Racer. In case you haven't seen the millions of trailers, the film looks ... well, it looks pretty damn trippy. Like they took the old cartoon and dosed it up with acid. It looks visually intense, with lots of brought, swirly colors, speedy-fast cars, and fairly simplistic dialog. Jeff Wells over at Hollywood Elsewhere put up a post noting that the tracking for Speed Racer looks a bit concerning, with not as many people as the studio might like saying they plan to see it opening weekend.

As commenters on Hollywood Elsewhere have noted, Speed Racer's target demographic looks to be A) fanboys who will pay to see anything about the cartoon they loved in their youth, especially if it's made with groovy CGI and shiny, pretty colors; and B) four-year-old boys. I can't really see a lot of chicks begging their boyfriends to see Speed Racer on date night, though there may be more than a few guys bargaining and sitting through Baby Mama or Made of Honor in exchange for a Speed Racer date.

Cinematical's James Rocchi caught Speed Racer last night at a sneak screening. I caught him on his cell at the Speed Racer junket this morning to ask his initial impressions of the film; here's what he had to say about it: "It's pure, pop family fun, a bold, bright kids' movie that's visually exciting and keeps the tone right." James noted that his overall impression of the film was "generally very favorable -- as a kids' movie." If any Cinematical readers have been to a preview screening of Speed Racer, let us know what you think of how the full movie plays. And the rest of you movie fans -- does Speed Racer look hot, or not? And are you planning to see it in the theater?

I don't remember a heck of a lot about the original Speed Racer TV show except that it had one of the great theme songs of all time. (Man, Greg Kihn spoke the truth: They really don't write 'em like that anymore.) That, and Speed's eyes were extraordinarily large and looked like a girl's, and his mouth never seemed to match what he was saying. Oh, anime! We were so young and untrained in your ways.

Forty years after it ended its two-year run on TV, Speed Racer has grown up to be a movie, starring Emile Hirsch (as Speed) and Christina Ricci (as Speed's girlfriend Trixie), both of whose eyes are appropriately large and well-lashed. Filmed by the Wachowski brothers (err, siblings?) in their first directorial effort since the Matrix movies, Speed Racer looks to be one of those movies that people will either love or hate. When we debuted the trailer back in December, it seemed like half the comments included the word "awesome," while the other half included the letters (and symbol) "WTF?"

You'll be able to see for yourself on May 9 whether the Wachowskis have pulled off the trick of transferring anime -- and racetrack shenanigans -- to the big screen. Meantime, we have more pressing business at hand: Emile Hirsch and Christina Ricci have signed on for our Unscripted interview series, for which they'll be asking each other your questions. And they can only do that if you get off your butt and submit one, so do it in the comments section below.

Please post your comment by Friday, April 18, and include your name and the city where you live. Go, Speed Racer fan, go!

In our animated future, we can not only anticipate Wall-E robots, Tintin, and dragon taming, but also the fuzzy and dangerous world of wolves. The Hollywood Reporter posts that we're getting a new animated film called Alpha and Omega, and it's got a whole roster of recognizable names attached -- Justin Long, Hayden Panettiere, Christina Ricci, Danny Glover, Larry Miller, and Dennis Hopper.

Alpha and Omega focuses on "two bickering wolves -- one a disciplined, Alpha-bred wolf (Panettiere), and the other a fun-loving, comical Omega wolf (Long) -- who are captured and taken thousands of miles from their home. Determined to rejoin their pack, the two mismatched wolves begin a dangerous trek across unfamiliar terrain, battling the odds, the elements, the bears, and one another -- and finding love along the way." Look out, Milo & Otis! There's a new sheriff in town. It's too soon to tell what this will all shape up like, but at least they cast the leads pretty well. Panettiere is good at being terse and Alpha, while Long is pretty much Omega in human form.

So they might not be as likely to 'freak your trip' as the last poster, but Comics2Film now has four new character posters for the Wachowski's highly-anticipated adaptation of Speed Racer. Our first poster release came back in December and now these new releases give some of the main characters their very own one sheet. Racer X, Trixie, and two new posters of the Speed Racer himself, Emile Hirsch, are now available (I guess nobody thought that a Chim Chim poster would help draw in the crowds).

Based on the popular Japanese series, the film centers on a young man with the unlikely name of Speed looking to be the champion of The Crucible; a cross-country car racing rally that took the life of his older brother, Rex. John Goodman and Susan Sarandon star as Speed's parents, and Christina Ricci plays his girlfriend -- with the advantage that she kind of looks like a cartoon to begin with. Rounding out the cast is Matthew Fox (LOST) as Racer X and Scott Porter as Rex Racer.

There has been plenty of discussion about the somewhat 'trippy' look of the film, and these new posters are keeping right in line with that psychedelic vibe. Which is kind of funny if you think about all the hassle the Wachowski's got over keeping the film 'family friendly'. So whether fans like it or not, it seems like the new Speed Racer is going to be all about wholesome spectacle (probably best enjoyed in IMAX). If you don't believe me, you could always take a look at the new trailer over at Yahoo. Speed Racer will arrive in theaters on May 9th, 2008.

Unfortunately, soon after the two international trailers for Speed Racer hit the net, they were pulled from the eager eyes of fans everywhere. And it's too bad, because they were pretty good. However, there's now a long, new trailer over at Yahoo that has much of the bubblegum color action of the others (like Racer X clips and visions of Christina Ricci as Trixie), plus a whole bit on how Speed Racer came to be.

This time, we see the little pre-racing tyke dreaming about the day when he'll be a racer himself -- to the chagrin of his teacher. Back then, he was just like any normal kid -- daydreaming in class, making flip books with his notebook. Basically, if you're interested in the story of the racer, this is the trailer to see.

Me, however, I still like the teaser the best -- with that little bit of Speed Racer music at the start, and then those uber-surreal, almost comic-like action sequences. Luckily, that trailer plays right after the last one finishes (with a short commercial in between). Speed races to theaters on May 9.

Here he comes. Here comes Speed Racer. He's a demon on wheels! Good lord, I'm hooked, and I have to admit -- Speed Racer didn't really appeal to me until I saw the trailers. In case the last incarnation wasn't enough to whet your speed racing appetites, two new international trailers have hit the net.

Above, you get more of the usual -- color-infused, wild-arse racing -- one that at least briefly gives me flashbacks to Grease. (Speed Racer fans, I ask you -- which came first -- tire slashers in Speed Racer, or Grease?) That's the trailer you can check out above. After the jump, you can check out the second version. It might seem the same at first, but stick with it. Along with more dialog, you can check out Christina Ricci's pixie-bobbed Trixie. And, most importantly -- Matthew Fox's Racer X.

The film hits theaters on May 9.

Welcome friends to what has to be the most exciting Insert Caption in the history of caption contests around the world! This week, we have something so special for you that I can hardly write about it without watching the jealousy literally pour out my body. Seriously. It's disgusting. The jealousy just pours out into this liquid goo that sticks to everything. This week, we're wrapping our caption claws around Summit Entertainment's Penelope, starring Christina Ricci, James McAvoy and Reese Witherspoon. Now check this out -- one Grand Prize winner will ride away with a brand spanking new yellow Vespa LX 50 (pictured right, and courtesy of Vespa -- click on the image for a larger version).

That's right! And all you have to do is come up with the wittiest caption for the photo of Christina Ricci on a park bench below. The contest officially begins right now, and you have until 12:01am on Wednesday, February 27th to enter. For more on Penelope, check out the film's official website, and sound off below!

Read the official rules for this contest

Last week, we asked you to come up with captions for a photo from Charlie Bartlett -- and as much as we loved your toe-tapping toilet humor, we ultimately decided that Josh B. provided all the right caption-winning ingredients.

1. "So I definitely think your daddy issues stem all of the way back to potty training." -- Josh B.

See full image and all captions

The first poster for Speed Racer has arrived online (courtesy of JoBlo) -- a film that's sure to give you an "interesting" experience at the theater when it arrives on May 9. The trailer, which first hit Moviefone recently, has caused all sorts of commotion from people who either love the trippy live-action look to people who hate the fact that it looks like a high-priced video game. This particular poster, according to recent photos over at FirstShowing, appears to be lenticular for the in-theater versions. That means the image changes based on the way you look at it. So next time you visit the theater, expect a bunch of stoners to be standing in front of the Speed Racer poster like a pack of hypnotized Chim-Chims.

Directed by the Wachowski Brothers (or siblings), Speed Racer is based on the popular '60s cartoon. It stars Emile Hirsch as an up-and-coming race car driver who enters into a dangerous race in order to help thwart an evil company's plans to destroy his car and his family's business. The film co-stars Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon and Matthew Fox. You can check out the trailer over on Moviefone, or visit the film's official site for more info.

You've probably already seen the pics, so now it's time to enjoy the first trailer for one of this summer's most anticipated films, Speed Racer. Based on the classic 1960s cartoon, Speed Racer was brought back to life on the big screen by those Matrix wizards, the Wachowski Brothers. And whether you agree with what they've done or not, guaranteed you haven't seen anything like this before. Bursting with vibrant colors, and featuring scenes that look absolutely spectacular to watch (you'll need to see this one in the theater), Speed Racer stars Emile Hirsch as the aspiring race car driver Speed, who, with help from his family (Mom and Pops played by Susan Sarandon and John Goodman), his girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci) and a little chimp named Chim Chim, builds the unstoppable Mach 5 and teams with the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox) to win the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible in order to save his family's business and beat the evil Royalton at his own game. You can check out the trailer up top, or head on over to Moviefone to see it in glorious HD. Additionally, we've included a gallery of still photos below. Speed Racer is set to crash its way into theaters on May 9, 2008.

You might not have heard of Mr. Skin prior to 2007, but once Knocked Up hit screens, Mr. Skin became a household name. And who better to throw together a top 20 nude scenes of 2007 list then the dude whose job it is to spot, record and gain access to each and every piece of big-screen nudity. It may not be the most intellectual year-end list, but it's certainly one that grabs a lot of attention. So who made the list? Who came in at number one? And would Mr. Skin throw a bone to the film that catapulted the site to nekked super-stardom? I think maybe ...

Coming in at numero uno on the top nude scenes of 2007 list was -- drum roll please -- 43-year-old (and still hot) Marisa Tomei for baring all that and then some in Sidney Lumet's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. Tomei wastes no time in shedding off the clothes, as the film's opening shot reveals her bent over on all fours doing the nasty with Philip Seymour Hoffman. She continues to remain nude for a good hour of the film until, finally (and regretfully) she puts her clothes back on. Surprisingly, Natalie Portman's infamous nude scene in the Wes Anderson short Hotel Chevalier came in at number three (proving you can weigh 70 pounds soaking wet and still look hot), while Keeley Hazell (Cashback), Christina Ricci (Black Snake Moan) and Sienna Miller (Factory Girl) rounded out the top five. Knocked Up finally crashes the list at number 10 (with nude shots of Stormy Daniels, Nautica Thorn and a Mr. Skin plug at the fifty-nine-minute mark). Special kudos from Cinematical go out to Heather Matarazzo (18 on the list) for sporting the birthday suit in Hostel: Part II (is this the same girl from Welcome to the Dollhouse?) and Danielle Harris (17 on the list) for her nude scene in Zombie's Halloween ... after playing little Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4 and 5 almost 20 years ago. Oh, and even though it's TV, shouldn't the cast of Tell Me You Love Me get some sort of special nudity award for 2007? Like, most uncomfortable nudity ever! It's only right ...

Check out the full list after the jump, then let us know what your favorite nude scenes of 2007 are.

[via Slashfilm]

Sexy is as sexy does, I guess. Picking the hottest chicks of horror is a pretty tricky business. Not only are my picks completely subjective, slaves to my personal whims and moods, but also they are likely to change from day to day. Already, since I submitted my picks, I'm regretting not mentioning Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil, or Eihi Shiina in Audition. And what can I do with more obscure hotties from other eras like Jenny Wright in Near Dark, or Britt Ekland in the original The Wicker Man, or Simone Simon in Cat People? Do they not deserve a shot at hotness? Well, in any case, here are the seven I wound up with -- in chronological order -- and in all honesty, they're all pretty darn easy on the eyes and a little spooky besides.

1. Fay Wray in King Kong
In a movie entirely populated by men and beasts, Fay is a welcome bit of softness. If King Kong had been made two years later, the Hays Code would have required Fay to wear a high-necked negligee with bloomers and probably several other layers of underthings. But thankfully for generations of young boys, the film was made in 1933, and Fay was able to wear her flimsy, silky number that clung and flapped in the breeze. Likewise, the movie was better able to suggest the subversive relationship between beauty and beast. (Watch the trailer ... or head straight to the gallery!)

2. Elsa Lanchester in Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Elsa was the ultimate goth chick in cinema. Many came in her wake, including Barbara Steele (Black Sunday) and the little known but easily recognizable Carroll Borland (Mark of the Vampire). But make no mistake: even without her two-foot fright wig with the silver piping up the side, Elsa was a hottie in her time. You can see it in the film's prologue; she plays Mary Shelley, freshly emerged from penning her chilling magnum opus. She has cat eyes, and a devilish grin that entrances even the strongest men. One question: if Dr. Frankenstein was able to build such a sex bomb, why did his male monster come out so ugly and blocky? (Watch the trailer ... or head straight to the gallery!)