Vroom Vroom

Win a pair of premium MotoGP tickets at Austin's Circuit of The Americas

One of the most thrilling race experiences of the year is coming up fast, and you won't want to miss it. MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas is the only North American round of the world's premier motorcycle racing championship, and it's speeding into Circuit of The Americas on April 8-10, 2022.

On deck for the three-day event is a lineup of MotoGP, MotoAmerica, Moto2, and Moto3 racing, along with the North American Talent Cup, which will be there for the first time.

Two fan zones will be packed with the FMX Motorcycle Stunt Show, Red Bull athletes, motorcycle vendors, and amusement rides, while the newly expanded Lonestar Land will have mouthwatering Texas barbecue, music, and amazing photo opps.

Fans can even take a parade lap on the track with fellow motorcycle enthusiasts in front of thousands of cheering fans with a Geico Cycle Coral package.

The insurance company is also providing free motorcycle parking, or you can roll up in an RV and set up camp mere steps from all the action.

The coolest part? You could win a pair of premium grandstand seats located at Turn 15. Simply head to CultureMap’s Instagram and like this post, follow both @culturemapsa and @cota_official, and tag your race-day buddy for the chance to win. We'll select and notify the winner on Wednesday, March 30.

Of course, if you don't want to take any chances, you can purchase an array of ticket options, ranging from $42 general admission grandstand seats to the Ducati package, which includes a "taste of Italy" food sampling and the chance to take your Ducati for a lap around the world-famous COTA track.

Head to COTA April 8-10 for nonstop action.

MotoGP

Photo courtesy of COTA

Head to COTA April 8-10 for nonstop action.

video races promoted

Movie Review

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 plays to the interests of video game fans

Sonic the Hedgehog (Ben Schwartz) in Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Sonic the Hedgehog (Ben Schwartz) in Sonic the Hedgehog 3

The first Sonic the Hedgehog movie in 2020 was one of the few video game adaptations that managed to appeal to both fans of the Sega game and those who just want to watch a fun movie. As the series moved into a second and now third film, though, it’s become increasingly reliant on giving the video game fans what they want, with not as much attention paid toward simply telling a good story.

In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) continues to live with human friends Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter), as well as Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Idris Elba), who stuck around after the events of the second film. Dispensing with any kind of narrative coherence, the trio is called away by an undefined military force to help with the escape of Shadow (Keanu Reeves), another alien hedgehog who has been locked away off the coast of Japan for many years.

Suffice it to say that the trio does not initially fare well against the powerful Shadow, forcing Sonic to do the unthinkable: Ask his nemesis, Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey), for help. What Sonic doesn’t anticipate is that Shadow has a history that left him with a grudge against most of human society, and he’s intent on using his powers — with a little help from his former mentor, Gerald Robotnik (also Carrey) — to exact his plans for revenge.

Made by the same team of director Jeff Fowler and writers Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the film is a combination of manic action, jokey sequences, and a dash of heart. The addition of Shadow ups the mayhem considerably, and the filmmakers rarely slow things down (although, oddly, the super-speed of Sonic and company feels lessened this time around).

The initial casting of Carrey gave the comic actor permission to indulge in whatever wackiness he could imagine, and giving him two roles in this film means double the nonsense. Ivo and Gerald (who’s Ivo’s grandfather, for the record) face off in a number of silly scenes, none more absurd than a dance sequence aboard a space station threatening to explode Earth (yeah, this movie is a lot).

Does the plot make a lick of sense? Absolutely not, but the filmmakers seem to acknowledge that fact, throwing anything and everything at the screen to try to entertain kids and/or fans of the video game series. It should come as no surprise that the end credits tease yet more characters from the video games joining the franchise, making it abundantly clear who is expected to get the most enjoyment out of the series going forward.

In addition to Carrey, the voice actors continue to make the characters fun. Schwartz and O’Shaughnessey provide the cartoon-style acting, while Elba and now Reeves give a nice counterbalance with their deep and serious voices. Marsden and Sumpter aren’t given much to do this time around, and Krysten Ritter shows up as Director Rockwell, a character who’s mostly there to move what little plot there is further along.

A four-quadrant movie is one that appeals to all ages and genders; Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a one or maybe two-quadrant movie at most. But it’s more fun than the other family-friendly offering this Christmas season, and fans of the video game will likely love the depiction of their favorite characters on screen, so it’s doing something right.

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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is now playing in theaters.

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