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.

More signs of a slow, post-holiday news day: Cinematical reports on the completion of a sex change operation. Yes folks, we're going there. According to Rated-M, the man formerly known as Larry Wachowski has officially completed his full sex change. Now, I'm not sure whether he had an actual operation, or if he just underwent hormone treatments (I'll admit to not being an expert in this area), but Larry is now Lana Wachowski. Say goodbye to referring to the writer-director duo as the Wachowski Brothers; I imagine from here on out, the PC thing to do will be to call them The Wachowskis, or Lana and Andy Wachowski. Which is fine by me. If a sex change helps make a person feel more complete, and subsequently brings happiness to their lives, then I'm all for it. On behalf of Cinematical, we wish Lana good luck moving forward.

Interestingly enough, Lana will speak to the press about this -- which is rare for the Wachowskis since they're not ones to speak to the press about anything, let alone something this personal in nature. However, rumor has it that she will not openly speak about the sex change until after Speed Racer hits theaters on May 9. On top of that, sources say that Andy Wachowski will do all the press for the film as well for fear that the whole sex change thing could potentially harm the family-friendly film. Aside from a newly-released photo showing Lana's full change (which you can see above, and click on to see the full pic), Rated-M also claims that Dateline NBC has nabbed the rights to Lana's first public interview on the subject. Going forward, it will be fascinating to see how Hollywood and the Wachowski fans handle the sex change. Will everyone embrace Lana, or could this damage their careers?

Last week in this space, I pondered the success of Tyler Perry's latest film, Madea's Family Reunion, which to date has grossed over $62 million (the bulk of that in the first 24 days of its run). Then over the weekend, I listened to a fantastic conversation on Integral Naked between philosopher Ken Wilber and Matrix director Larry Wachowski chatting it up about the heavily Buddhist philosophy and intricate storyline of the Matrix films**, and followed that up with this excellent piece on Zen Buddhism in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill films. Madea's Family Reunion, the Matrix triology, and Kill Bill - a group of films that on the surface appear to have almost no overlap, other than big box office returns - have more in common than you might think.

(Editor's note: As one of our readers pointed out, to access the interview, you have to join Integral Naked, which costs $10 a month - something I didn't realize at the time because my husband has an account, so when he sent me the URL to it, I was able to log right in. If you're into Ken Wilber, it's a bargain; if you're not into deep philosophical discussions that make your brain bleed, then just read the summary of the interview at the link, above, which you should be able to read without paying. It's a pretty thorough summary. Regardless, my apologies for not disclosing that you would have to pay to hear the interview yourself - KV.)

"They make us feel indebted
For saving us from hell
And then they put us through it
It's time the bastards fell!"

-- "Suspect Device," Stiff Little Fingers, 1979

"The revolution will not be televised."

-- Gil-Scott Heron

The more things stay the same, the more they change. Or vice-versa. Originally written and published in 1981, the comic book V for Vendetta was created by Englishmen Alan Moore (writer) and David Lloyd (artist) in response to political events in their home nation. They created a dark fantasia about life under fascism in a near-future England, and a masked man who sprung from the shadows to smash the iron grip of power. Over two decades later, V for Vendetta comes to the big screen with a script adaptation by Andy and Larry Wachowski, with big stars and big money all apparent in the final product. And once again, Hollywood moves at the speed of lead; a rousing response to Thatcherism is exactly what the world needs now.

Time turns all artifacts of rebellion into fetish objects: Ronald Reagan is immortalized as a collectible plate. Che Guevara's known mostly as a T-shirt. Billy Bragg's early on-the-cheap LP's of protest songs have been re-mastered for a CD box set with bonus DVDs. And turning any work of art into a movie inevitably takes time. The question of whether the world of 2006 resembles that of 1981 politically is a matter of personal opinion; the question of whether filmmaking has changed in the past 25 years is not. Moore's original vision (which I read when it was first published in serial form, riveted with adolescent angst) is so old it takes place in a future that is now our past. (It's also worth nothing that Moore has asked for his name to be removed from the film as part of a dispute with DC Comics - which, like Cinematical, is nestled under the corporate umbrella of Time Warner, along with Warner Brothers Films.)

The story is still essentially the same; after political chaos and mass destruction, England's risen from the ashes of ruin to be reborn as a orderly, healthy, efficiently-run dictatorship, complete with secret police and propaganda broadcasts.  A young woman, Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman) is out past curfew and set upon by the feared 'Fingermen' – secret police that can call anything you do a crime and whose every action is, by definition, legal. The cops are stopped by a single man – a cape-wearing phantasm wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, an unceasing, unsettling smile beaming out as he dispatches any who oppose him. (The film shows and explains how Fawkes attempted to destroy the House of Parliament in 1605 in a prologue, so American audiences won't be left wondering why the dude kicking ass is wearing what looks like, as near as they can tell, a Hamburglar mask.)