I could not wait until lunchtime today to sneak out and see the movie. I found a theater nearby with a midnight (12:01am) showing, so I was there.

First stop – snack bar, to get hopped-up on junior mints and an extra jumbo Pibb Xtra. I haven’t been up this late by choice since I cannot remember.

“How was the movie?” you ask?

Wellllll…………

(SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT CONTINUE READING IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE MOVIE. GO SEE IT AND THEN RETURN HERE TO READ MY REVIEW!)

Two words for the producer – MORE TRIXIE!

If you have not guessed, I was one of those lads with a boyhood crush on Trixie from the Speed Racer cartoon. I was also just like young Speed Racer in the movie, drawing race cars on my school books and pretending I was racing in the Grand Prix.
So as a huge fan of both the supporting actress as well as the show, I enjoyed most of the movie version.

The “CGI” in this film was not the usual stuff – more like computer blended animation with lifelike characters.
The script, of course, was predictable and would not expect any oscars out of this one (except perhaps for best role played by an animal – chim chim was a real chimp!).
The racing action was more like super-ultra-highspeed bumper cars with more crashing than racing (think Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch on their worst possible days).
The race courses were tracks we could only dream of with our Hot Wheels when we were kids and the race cars were way, wicked cool.

We see the Mach 5, as well as a brand new Mach 6 and being old school as I am, I prefer the 5 – cleaner lines, classic styling and a real “sleeper” when compared with the design of some of the other race cars. Plus, what boy has not dreamed of driving the Mach 5 up to inspiration point with the lovely Trixie (Christina Ricci) at your side.

A bit too much plot going on most of the time in this movie, with too much screen time for the bad guys.
And parents be warned – even though it was near 2 in the morning, I swear I heard the censors let the “s” word slip into Speed’s vocabulary during one of the final race scenes.
Hey all you Shaft fans – Richard Roundtree plays the role of a former grand prix champ turned race announcer in this one.

Pops is a badass (who knew), Mom can weld as good as she can comfort and cook pancakes, MORE TRIXIE, Sparky has a british accent (yuck), Spreidel and Chim Chim can paint cars, and big corporate industry is run by greedy, evil underlords (go figure).

And then we have Racer X.
If there is a sequel, we know what WON’T be a plot line … at the end of this one they give us his true identity.

The final race scene is worth sitting through most of the slow portions earlier on in the movie, but expect that a few non-fans might leave the theater at some point. Some of the slower scenes are painful and they should insert a “this would be a good time to use the restroom if you need to go” scroller across the bottom of the screen.

Will I go see it again? Yes, but only at the drive-in so I can control the volume. The race scenes were way to quiet. I was truly disappointed by this. The Cars movie spoiled me I guess (now THOSE were awesome animated race scenes!).

Would I recommend this movie to others? Only if you are a true Speed Racer fan. Many won’t get the movie, or think it dumb most of the time.
But for those of us whose school notebook covers were adorned with race cars and study time filled with daydreams of taking the checkered flag in the big Grand Prix … Victory!

And did I suggest more Trixie?

autoworlddavid

Just as the flowers and trees emerge from their wintry sleep, springtime also brings out those shiny classic and antique cars and trucks as nearly each weekend of the month boasts some sort of show or cruise-in or any old excuse to get those hot rods and show cars out of the garage.

We visited with the Cruisers Club of Cedar Hill at their monthly car show at Sabor a la Mexicana restaurant parking lot in Duncanville and even entered our review car of the week into the show.

The Cruisers hold their regular shows on the second Saturday of each month. The Midlothian Classic Wheels club holds its show on the fourth Saturday. Uptown Village in Cedar Hill is now hosting a cruise-in (kinda like a car show but less formal) every third Saturday through fall. Next show is this Saturday, April 19, 4-8 p.m., in the parking lot adjacent to the Pleasant Run entrance to Uptown Village.

The next Cruisers Club event is a benefit show April 19, 1-5 p.m., at 821 Cockrell Hill Road in Ovilla. This annual show benefits the Ovilla Police and Fire Departments. The club’s website is www.thecruisersclub.com.

The next Midlothian Classic Wheels event is their annual Walk for a Cure car and bike show, April 26, 5-9 p.m. at the Midlothian Wal-Mart. All proceeds from this show go to Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The club’s website is www.midlothianclassicwheels.com.

A couple of new shows coming to the Best Southwest area are sponsored by CarsRoadshow.com. They will host a pair of shows coming up in Cedar Hill. The first is at Pizza Inn, 108 W. Beltline, Sunday April 27, 4-8 p.m. The second show is set for Saturday, May 3, 4-8 p.m. at the Buffalo Wild Wings at 430 E. Pleasant Run Road. Both of these shows are scheduled to be regular monthly events. More info at www.carsroadshow.com.

American Suzuki visited North Texas recently and brought with them three unique new concept vehicles for segments they currently do not occupy in the U.S. market.
Swift is a fun little sport hatch that kind of resembles MINI and is currently available in other global markets. We will see the second-generation model here sometime early in the next decade. And this sporty current model they brought out looks nothing like the little car they had in the U.S. market a decade ago, thank goodness.
A vehicle that will be arriving very soon is the Equator pickup, Suzuki’s first real truck for North America. Based on a shared Nissan platform, Equator should arrive late this year or early next year and will offer choice of powertrains and running gear as well as an offroad edition.
Fresh off its global debut at the New York Auto Show, this is Concept Kizashi 3′s second stop in a whirlwind tour. The near-luxury sport sedan is “somewhat mid-sized” but no specific details as to powertrains, price, final design or equipment was going to be spilled while it was in North Texas. Marketing V.P. Gene Brown did say that the production version should arrive on our shores by 2010. The concept vehicle is being shown in all-wheel-drive and powered by a 300hp 3.6-liter V-6 with six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.
While currently only offering vehicles in one-third of all automotive segments, Suzuki hopes to increase that to half with the launch of these new vehicles in the near future.
And while Suzuki may not be thought of as one of the big global automakers, they did manage to sell about 2.4 million units last year, no small feat in itself.
Suzuki has announced that they are going forward as a Japanese car company and their partnerships with Korean companies are expiring soon. They will also be celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2009.
And they said their current and new models all embody the Suzuki mantra of “Travel light, live fully.”

Dallas Auto Show, part one

The Dallas Auto Show media day always falls right after our production cycle ends for the week so unfortunately you have to read about what you missed, not what you can expect. That said, most of these vehicles will arrive in dealerships in the near future.
Nissan displayed the new GT-R 480hp twin-turbo supercar (that just recently beat both Porsche 911 Turbo and Z06 Corvette in a heads-up competition) next to the next-generation Maxima, whose body lines are a bit smoother yet still embodies a performance sedan philosophy.
Ford showed up with a host of new and concept vehicles. The barrage was led by the next F-150 pickup, set to arrive this fall, as well as a Dallas Cowboys edition Shelby GT500 Mustang. Also shown were the Transit Connect and Verve concepts, which will both most likely arrive on U.S. shores in the next couple of years in production form. Lincoln walked us around its latest sedan, MKS, and showed the concept MKT, which is made almost entirely from recycled materials.
HUMMER debuted its newest Shreveport creation, the H3T pickup, which will be offered with choice of inline five-cylinder or Alpha V-8 powertrains.
One of the most anticipated vehicles at this year’s show went almost undetectable as Dodge brought a black-on-black Challenger SRT-8 production car. Think Darth Vader with a big block HEMI. And they’re all sold out for the first model year.
A vehicle that will be available for purchase this fall is the Chrysler Aspen 2-Mode Hybrid SUV that offers fuel economy improvements of up to 40 percent in town and about 25 percent in overall driving. No pricing announced just yet but they feature the 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 with MDS mated to a transmission with two electric motors designed to offer boost at either low- or high-speed operating ranges on an all-wheel-drive chassis.
The big news from Chevrolet? It is finally launching its new eight-passenger CUV, tagged Traverse. This vehicle will be built at the Spring Hill, Tenn., plant that Saturn quit using recently. Traverse will be powered by Chevy’s new 3.6-liter V-6/six-speed automatic transmission powertrain combo that is proving popular in all of the other GM fullsize crossovers. The automaker also had the new ZR1 super-Corvette in the display area.
Other vehicles making a splash at this year’s Dallas stop included: Aston Martin brought the new DBS (set to star in the next James Bond flick); Hyundai showed the new Genesis coupe alongside its sedan siblings; a collection of cute little Smart cars drew a lot of attention and Scion had its big wall of custom cars as part of a multimedia display.

Dallas Auto Show, part two

Dallas Auto Show media day festivities did not end at the Dallas Convention Center. OnStar and XM Radio joined together with GM to invite journalists to Gilley’s Dallas for its announcement of new enhanced services, and threw in a little entertainment afterward. Here is their official press release:

GM and OnStar Lead the Way with New Navigation Services

GM’s new navigation services include OnStar download to
navigation system and MapQuest functionality

Dallas – OnStar has announced the introduction of two new navigational services to complement and enhance its existing Turn-by-Turn service, the most widely available navigation system on the market. These features solidify GM’s leadership in navigation with more vehicles on the road with embedded navigation systems and more options than any other automaker.

The first new service is OnStar Destination Download, which enables OnStar subscribers with screen-based navigation systems to quickly input their destination while on the go via the simple press of a button. The second service, OnStar eNav, allows subscribers with a Turn-by-Turn Navigation-capable vehicle to find and save destinations on MapQuest.com and have those destinations sent to their vehicle’s OnStar Turn-by-Turn Navigation system.

“Through OnStar and onboard navigation systems, GM is transforming the category with the broadest range of options to suit customer preferences,” said OnStar President Chet Huber. “With 3.1 million model year 2008 vehicles equipped with some form of factory-installed navigation, GM is delivering on our commitment to redefine the availability and functionality of navigation systems in the United States and Canada.”

To initiate OnStar Destination Download, users simply press the OnStar blue button to connect with an advisor. Once subscribers provide the advisor with their destination, the destination is downloaded to their navigation screen within seconds. Press the “Go” button on the navigation system to begin the route.

Typically to use a screen-based navigation system, drivers have to bring their vehicle to a stop and place it in park. With OnStar Destination Download, subscribers can have the address of their destination sent directly to their navigation system while still driving, providing a safe, easy and immediate solution.

In addition, OnStar brings more than 10 million point-of-interest records, refreshed every month, to the navigation system. This supplements and greatly enhances the point-of-interest data loaded on navigation DVDs.

OnStar Destination Download will be available on over 80 percent of GM’s screen-based navigation vehicle volume or 325,000 Model Year 2009 vehicles. In total, 22 different GM vehicle models will offer this new service.

OnStar’s second new service offering, OnStar eNav, allows subscribers to plan their travel destinations on the MapQuest site ( HYPERLINK “http://www.mapquest.com” \o “http://www.mapquest.com/” www.mapquest.com) and then send those destinations to their OnStar system. When ready to retrieve those directions, subscribers simply press their vehicle’s OnStar phone button to access voice-guided commands through which they can select their route. Turn-by-Turn navigation will then launch to guide them on their way.

“At MapQuest we strive to provide our users with easy-to-use features that will save them time and ensure that they find their destination,” said Christian Dwyer, Senior Vice President and General Manager of MapQuest. “OnStar eNav is a great addition to our suite of ‘Send To’ capabilities offering users the convenience of researching and planning online and sending results to a user’s preferred device or system.”

OnStar eNav will be available retroactively on 2.7 million current Turn-by-Turn capable GM vehicles. Later this year eNav will also combine with OnStar Destination Download to download destinations directly to the vehicle’s screen-based navigation system.

OnStar and MapQuest conducted a pilot of eNav beginning in June 2007 with approximately 3,000 customers. A survey of pilot participants showed that 95 percent of them would use eNav at least monthly and 93 percent of the participants agreed that eNav should be offered by OnStar.

“From the pilot we learned that many of our subscribers like to pre-plan their trips, especially when visiting new areas,” said Huber. “They appreciated the simplicity of eNav and used it to plan thousands of routes.”

Also available to subscribers with screen-based navigation systems is XM NavTraffic, XM’s real-time traffic information service is now available in 80 major North American markets. This service feeds comprehensive road condition data such as accidents, traffic backups and road construction to the subscriber’s navigation screen. The availability of XM NavTraffic will greatly expand in model year 2009 to the same 22 GM vehicles equipped with screen-based navigation that also feature OnStar Destination Download. XM NavTraffic made its GM debut on the 2005 Cadillac CTS.

Where available, XM NavTraffic subscribers can view a color-coded overlay on their navigation screen indicating the average speed of travel along their planned route.

“GM and OnStar are demonstrating their commitment to providing their drivers with the best in technology, with this impressive expansion of XM NavTraffic across 22 vehicles in the 2009 model year,” said Steve Cook, executive vice president, automotive, XM Satellite Radio. “XM NavTraffic provides the most comprehensive information and coast-to-coast updates every minute, ensuring that GM drivers will always have the latest and most detailed information at his or her fingertips. “

“Our varied connected navigation options mean something for everyone whether you drive a Cadillac CTS or a Chevrolet Cobalt,” Huber said. “As the leader in navigation our continual goal is to provide GM drivers with useful and convenient services that make the driving experience simpler, safer and more secure.”

For more information on each of these navigational services, visit HYPERLINK “http://www.onstar.com” www.onstar.com.

About GM
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 266,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 35 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

About OnStar by GM
OnStar, a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Motors, is the leading provider of in-vehicle safety, security and communication services. OnStar is available on more than 50 MY 2008 GM models and includes one year of service. OnStar is standard on nearly all new GM retail vehicles in the United States and Canada. OnStar provides services to more than 5 million subscribers in the U.S. and Canada. More information about OnStar can be found at HYPERLINK “http://www.onstar.com/” http://www.onstar.com/.

OnStar Quick Facts

Subsidiary of General Motors Corporation, headquartered in Detroit, Michigan
Established in 1995; first customer in 1996
Over 5 million subscribers
Over 88 million cumulative service interactions since 1996
OnStar is now standard equipment on most GM retail vehicles sold in the U.S. & Canada
Announced a joint venture in November 2007 to bring OnStar to China in 2009
English, Spanish and French-speaking advisors on-call 24 hours a day
An OnStar advisor interacts with a subscriber an average of once every two seconds
Monthly snapshot of services (based on a 3-month rolling average December 2007 through February 2008):
2,300 Automatic Crash Responses
11,000 emergency calls
6,000 Good Samaritan calls
700 stolen vehicle location assists
61,000 remote door unlocks
32,000 roadside assistance
596,000 Turn-by-Turn Routes
More than 2.7 million OnStar Vehicle Diagnostic monthly e-mails sent
67,000 GM Goodwrench remote diagnostics
31 million OnStar Hands-Free calling minutes

Halle-frickin-lujah, it looks like they have it fixed!

The city of Austin once again plays host to the Lonestar Rod and Kustom Roundup April 4-6. The majority of the show has now been moved to the Travis County Expo Center, but there is still plenty of activity into the evening hours down on South Congress, especially around the Continental Club. More info at www.lonestarroundup.com.

In addition to all of the NASCAR excitement filling Texas Motor Speedway April 3-6, the 8th annual Chevy Thunder returns to Fort Worth April 4-5. This year’s event will be in Stockyards Station and will offer fans interactive displays, opportunities to meet some of NASCAR’s top Team Chevy drivers, a monster Silverado, an offroad consumer ride and drive area, live entertainment and more. More information can be found at www.chevythunder days.com.
• • •

For those of you looking to rub elbows with royalty, the Scarborough Faire Rennaisance Festival opens April 5 in Waxahachie and runs through Memorial Day.

From their website at www.scarboroughrenfest. com:
Dates and times: Saturdays, Sundays and Memorial Day Monday, April 5-May 26, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Ticket Prices: Regular admission: $19.99 adults, $6.50 children (ages 5-12), children 4 and under are free.
Discount tickets are available at Metroplex Tom Thumb and Austin-area Randalls locations.
Season passes: $70 adults, $15 children (ages 5-12).
Discount group and consignment programs are available.
Annual attendance: 200,000.

Festival facts
• Began in 1981;
• The Festival runs eight consecutive weekends and Memorial Day Monday each spring;
• Scarborough Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance-themed festival based on the year 1533, during the reign of England’s King Henry VIII;
• Scarborough Festival is a 35-acre “village” (larger than most area shopping malls) within a 167-acre site;
• The festival employs more than 2,000 performers, artisans, food service people, grounds crew and retail staff during the course of a season;
• The festival is a privately held company owned by the same two families since its inception;
• 21 stages with over 200 performances daily;
• Three Full Combat Jousts take place each day;
• 150 primarily volunteer members of the Scarborough Academy of Performing Arts make up the performing company that become the “characters” of Scarborough including our very own King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn;
• Daily falconry demonstrations are conducted by John Karger of Last Chance Forever Wildlife Conservatory;
• 200 permanent shoppes feature unique handmade wares made by artisans from around the country;
• Scarborough Renaissance Festival is one of the largest outdoor “juried” craft shows in the country;
• Each day, artisans demonstrate ancient arts such as glassblowing, blacksmithing, candlemaking, printing on a Guttenberg Press, leather crafting, broomaking, armor making, coin minting and more;
• More than 20 tons of the Festival’s famous giant turkey legs are devoured annually during the eight-weekend season;
• Non-traditional foods such as hand made pastas, seafood, stir fry, steak-on-a-stick, Scott’s eggs, Italian Ice, etouffee, empanadas, fajitas, meatball sandwiches, baklava, quiche, pastries and more than 60 other hearty foods make up the culinary adventure at Scarborough Renaissance Festival;
• Five food court areas (kitchens) are strategically located throughout the festival, each offering a completely different menu selection;
• Seven pubs and taverns offer hearty ales, variety of beers, wine, mead and frozen favorites;
• Student Days at Scarborough Renaissance Festival are when more than 30,000 students and teachers visit on educational field trips during two days each May when the Festival is open exclusively to schools;
• You really can marry a knight in shining armor; more than 20 royal renaissance weddings are held during the festival each year.