Imaginema

As Speed Racer is a title that will be maintained as the original for most of the countries, Warner Bros. has decided to create a teaser poster with an special optical effect.

For those not related with teasers, in movies there are two main types of graphic materials for advertising in movie theaters: movie posters and teaser-posters. The teaser poster refers to a usually shocking creative material that many times does not even include the movie title; it is frequently used for high budget movies to create expectation many months before the movie launch. As for movie posters are the ones used when the release date is close and they always have to include the entire credits block that use to appear on the bottom of the image.

Back to the matter in hand. Speed Racer teaser poster is now in many movie theaters around the world. I’ve just seen it the first time in a movie theater here in Spain and it uses a lenticular printing effect that is used to create a morphing or movement effect in the material where it is used.

As this is a very expensive printing technique (you have to paste an special optical effect plastic to the poster) it is usually seen only in Collector’s or Deluxe Edition DVD packs.

You will not be able to see the effect in this post image, but the effect used tries to transmit a sense of 3-D and movement at the same time. The reason I started the post talking about they keep the original English title in most of the countries is because they are using the same printed material in many countries. So they just had to make one print run. Which makes much more cheap the use of this printing techniques.

This is a very expected movie as it is the last film directed by the Wachowski brothers since the Matrix trilogy which guarantess at least a high visual and technological show. And not only because of this, but also because of what this movie means for the 1970’s and 1980’s generations that grew up with the TV show.

It has been months since Imaginema was born, and during the past few months, the lack of free time and the quest for a good subject to start writing, kept the blog empty until now. I just decided to write about the movie I have seen tonight.

For those who are not familiar with the foreign film markets (I am meaning foreign for the ones are outside the United States), in some countries like Spain, movie dialogues use to be translated completely and dubbed by local artists in Spanish.

It has been a surprise to find out, Lions and Lambs (just launched in Spain 2 days ago) was not only dubbed, but also graphically adapted to the country. By this I mean, all the newspapers cutouts, all the TV news written reports, and even all the character personal notes appeared on the screen in Spanish.

This translation techniques have first been used in child movies all over the world, but this is the first time we see it in Spain in such detail. Truth is, although it makes easy for people to follow the story, it is also strange to find all this Spanish words in the props and decorations of the scenes. It seems really artificial to watch on the screen even when you are listening the diologues in your own language.

Let’s just forget about this little mater, and talk a little about the movie. Truth is, the movie is really inspiring and deep feelings moving. But also it gets you to feel confused about what your ‘life call’ is.

In one of his media interviews, Robert Redford referred to his motivation to direct this movie as need to show the pain, separatism and confrontation that President Bush Administration has brought to American society during his two electoral periods. He mentioned a great apathy and lack of motivation that seems to surround most of American youth, but also the way many other young men and women seems to feel the duty to serve their country offering even their lives.

Lions for lambs really tries to communicate this thoughts, but also points out a criticism of how snob politicians play with these youth dreams of patriotism and idealism to support their own egotistical ambitions of power. Truth is this is shown in the movie with a really partial point of view, as if it were only a Republican party way of been. Meanwhile we all know most of the Democrat party politicians use to act and develop their careers in the same way. This is the only detail that gives away some of the credibility of the movie argument.

The film is a really modest production based in conversations that really gets you to think, and this is something you really thank of a movie. If a film really makes you to decide to write a post of it when no one pays you for it, that means something happened in the theater between the movie and you. And Lions for lambs really gets your mind busy reflecting about what characters say.

Truth is the movie do not makes any critique pointing to destroy, it only tries to make question yourself if you are doing things in the right way or the easy way. And this is shown primary in the title, that shows two different ways of fighting for your beliefs: one is as a lamb, comfortable seated in your office with a great superficial point of view and the other is as a lion in the battle field confronting real world as it is.

You do not have to be American to understand the real feelings this movie tries to transmit. Any one who loves freedom and believes in ’something’ may find this movie really enjoyable. Truth is the story will make you to ask yourself about many things, but will not give you an answer about any of those questions, you will have to find them by yourself, and this is the fact that really gives the story it’s credibility. There are not quick answers for the important questions of life.