Showbits

When I previewed the summer blockbuster season, I declared Iron Man a must-see and Speed Racer a maybe-see. I've so far been right — Marvel's first of two superhero films this year was everything I'd hoped it would be, and more (with a full review to be posted here as soon as my editor is finished with it). With Speed Racer not being released until tomorrow, this other live-action adaptation remains an unknown quantity.

But more and more, I'm finding myself opening to the idea of spending 135 minutes watching a film from the same brothers who invented, and then ruined, the Matrix trilogy. What most recently nudged my opinion in a positive direction was this uninterrupted three-minute clip. It's corny, but that's okay: as with the second Fantastic Four film, it's not necessarily about having low expectations, but realistic expectations. And the more I see of Speed Racer, the better an idea I get of what to expect.

I was surprised that the plethora of Iron Man clips the studio released to the Internet did not ruin the film; despite all the previews, I went into the theater still not knowing as large a detail as the villain's identity. Given that safe philosophy, here are the three minutes of Speed Racer linked to above, along with its preceding four minutes, in the film's first seven minutes:

The car being used in the latest James Bond film plunged into a lake in northern Italy while being driven to the set. [Story continues]

When I first read that news story's headline, I didn't think much of it; property damage and death-defying stunts are staples of the action genre. But the article goes on to clarify that this was no stunt; the vehicle was being delivered to the set of the 22nd James Bond film when it went off the road, over a cliff, and into Lake Garda. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt — but my heart weeps at the damage done to this beautiful machine:

The accident was blamed on recent rainfall having slickened the road … but really, if you were driving the Bondmobile, wouldn't you too feel invincible?

Though the following information already exists as various comments on existing threads, I perceived the pending premieres of a pair of popular pilots prompted promotion (phew!) — so to ensure our readers stay savvy and don't miss the return of these franchises, here's a timely reminder.

On Sunday, January 13th, at 8:00 PM EST, and Monday, January 14th, at 9:00 PM EST, will be Fox's two-part The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which attempts to bring the successful Terminator movie series to the small screen. The show features a strong cast that includes Thomas Dekker (Heroes) and Summer Glau (Firefly), as seen in this trailer:

Five weeks later, on Sunday, February 17th, at 9:00 PM EST, will be NBC's debut of what could be a new Knight Rider series. This two-hour movie is what's known as a "backdoor pilot": a stand-alone film that could conceivably lead to a continuing series. Trailers such as the following have not yet shown much actual movie footage, just teasers:

Each show is based on a successful license; what could possibly go wrong?

(Hat tip to Coming Soon)

The Knight Industries Two Thousand is for sale:

The 1982 Pontiac Trans Am that starred alongside David Hasselhoff in the television series Knight Rider can be mine — er, yours — for the low, low price of $149,995.00!

The 1982 DMC-12 DeLorean used in Back to the Future and Michael Keaton's Batmobile are two of the most famous cars of that decade — but both pale next to the original car of tomorrow. KITT started it all, inspiring such other series as Airwolf and Viper. To own such a historical vehicle, be it for driving or (more likely) collecting and preservation, is a geek's dream come true.

But with KITT driving off the studio lot… how will the proposed, upcoming Knight Rider: The Movie ever hit the road?