Speed Racer passes away

Sad day for Racer fans.

Peter Fernandez, who voiced the iconic character in the American import of the 1960s Japanese cartoon and who also wrote the lyrics to the indelible theme song, has died.

He succumbed to lung cancer at 83, according to the Anime News Network .

And of course, who could forget that theme song?

Go Speed Racer Go!

Epic Cars of Greatness

At Just South of North we are big fans of the 1990's comedy Family Matters.

Remember that awesome car that Steve used to drive?

Yes, the Urkel Mobile.

Well, that was actually a 1957 BMW Isetta. The door opened in the front and the car had only three wheels. In a word, legendary.

That car was amazing, but so are these:

Mach 5: This car is based on the epic car driven by Speed Racer. It is currently in the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. The car was built in 1999 and sold on eBay to the Museum for $125,000.


The Disc Drive: Yes, this car is covered in floppy discs. The best part, the liscense plate.



The "green" car: This car is covered in tons and tons of hiking stickers. The car might not be electric, but it does get it's owners out there to enjoy the wilderness.


The Camouflage car: I believe this is actually what Brandon drove in high school.


The Mystery Machine: This is what I drove in high school with my buddys Shaggy and Scooby, Daphne, Velma and Fred. We solved mysteries and hunted ghosts and stuff.


The OFFICIAL Just South of North mobile: This is what Brandon and I cruise around Spokane in now. They see us rollin....

He's a demon on wheels.

I saw Speed Racer this weekend, and all I can say is AMAZING. Now I know it is doing horrible at the box office, but read pretty much any review of the movie and it is good. Where as Indiana Jones is roaring. Despite the fact everybody (Brandon included) has hated it.

Speed Racer is good on three levels. The first is the acting. It is very well done and there is great chemistry among the actors. Emile Hirsch did a great job jumping from Into The Wild to this movie.

The second is the graphics. Holy cow are the colors awesome. Although I have never been on acid, many reviews say that is what it would be like. Trippy.

And third, the storyline is very well done. It's not just about some kid who drives fast. It really is a great story about corporate greed and racing.

I loved the movie, and would definitely see it again. Unlike Indiana Jones, which I hear will make you never want to see another movie again.

I also saw The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (cause I really do not have a life) this weekend. (Actually, it was 90 degrees with about 80 percent humidity. Not fun. Theaters equal free Air Conditioning)

The Narnia books are my favorite series of all time, so I set the movies to a pretty high grading system. The first movie was great and followed the book to the letter. The second one was an even better movie.

As a book, Prince Caspian was good, but would have made a horrible movie. Because half the book is the children wandering around trying to find the Prince. Lame. The movie however made new parts that fit the story very well.

The movie is a lot darker, with much better battle scenes. If it wouldn't have been for editing this film could have easily moved to an "R" rating with the fight scenes. But they were great!

In the end, both of these films were great.

Go Speed Go!