If a given idea - like, say, a live-action update of a cheeseball retro-futuristic anime series the audience might have a passing awareness of thanks to Family Guy - has just enough merit to justify its existence, then the question becomes whether its concept has been turned into the best movie it can be. In Speed Racer's case: is the art direction really that spectacular? (Yes.) Are the action sequences enjoyable? (Yes.) During said sequences, can you tell what's going on? (Yes. Until the very end.) Is the plot engaging enough to hold them together? (Yes.) Are the characters likeable? (Yes.) Do they have plausible character arcs? (Yes.) Is the movie primarily aimed at kids or adults? (Kids and young teenagers - though everyone will be impressed by the visuals.) Is there objectionable content? (Three or four mild swear words, and you could make an argument that many of the women are glorified hood ornaments. That said, they do race, and the supporting cast is multiracial.) Read More

After a brief break, completely away from music, Jason Mraz has returned with his new album, "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things."

andPOP spoke with Mraz during a tour stop in Toronto. Watch the interview by clicking play on the right side of this page. Read More

For those of you suspecting foul play in your homes or offices and want proof of your paranoia on a budget, Swann introduces the Do-it-yourself Digital Private Eye. Built to mimic a standard motion sensor device, this product has a built in pinhole camera designed to take low resolution colour photos every time it senses motion up to 15 feet away, 3 seconds apart.

The Digital Private Eye comes complete with the motion sensor camera unit, an AC power plug, wall mount, two screws to mount the unit, software disc, and a bonus SD memory card. Users can mount this unit on a wall and snap up to 30,000 photos on a 1 GB SD card, powering the camera by either battery or with the AC plug. The unit has a camera button (in case you wish to snap a picture manually), a power switch to save energy when not in use, an SD card slot as well as a plug for a USB cable to upload your photos and see what the camera has caught. Read More

When you think of the Need for Speed franchise, two things should come to mind – besides needs and speed. Fast cars and intense races are what make this Black Box developed, EA published series successful, and unfortunately the latest PSP port of Need for Speed ProStreet fails to meet these criteria. Read More