Grindhouse Review

Basically, you don't just "see" Grindhouse. You experience it. Is it cliche? Yes. Is it lame? Yes. Is it nevertheless true? Hell yes.

If you're reading this, then you know me, and you subsequently know about Grindhouse. It's the double feature homage to real Grindhouses back in the 70's where they showed anything from blaxploitation and sexploitation to B horror movies and even more. This Grindhouse starts off with Planet Terror, the zombie B horror film from Robert Rodriguez, and ends oh so well with Death Proof, Tarantino's self-proclaimed slasher with a car instead of a knife. The two are completely different, yet hold up equally well. Comparisons and criticisms will be apparent, but they are so different that these almost seem baseless.

Planet Terror's plot revolves around a small town where a plague is intentionally put into the town to find who survives; thus they are the "cure." The main players include Cherry Darling, a "go-go" dancer who gets her leg eaten (yes) off, then, as the commercials show, gets a gun for a leg; Wray, the criminal badass who "never misses" and is Cherry's girlfriend, sort of; Dr. William Block, who figures out that his wife, Dr. Dakota Block, is cheating on him, with a surprise Tammy (Fergie!). Also there's the Sheriff, Earl McGraw (yes, the SAME Earl McGraw as Kill Bill "Son Number One, this tall drinkin', cock-sucker ain't dead."), and Abby, the man trying to contain the plague.

Oh my GOD you have not seen gore until you have seen this. Did you ever think you'd see a jar full of human testicles? No, I didn't think so. Anyway you've got to know that going in though. I mean, there is blood, blood, blood, and more blood. It's all in good "fun," as it were, because Rodriguez has created the movie in all hilarity, as MANY moments will have you laugh out loud. The violence just ends up being funny. Part of this lends itself to the acting, which is typical camp, but taken to the nth degree. It's intentional, not accidental, and it works VERY well. Speaking of acting, preferrably actresses, Rose McGowan (Cherry), where the hell have YOU been all my life? Hilarious, sexy, and surprisingly good acting (furthered by the second segment) all come together in the complete badass package of a girl with a gun for a leg. But I digress.

Oh, and before I go on, I've GOTTA mention the opening trailer (fake, as are all of them), Machete, as it is absolutely hilarious.

Anyway, as the opening credits state, Rodriguez is the director of photography, and he directs the hell out of everything. He also helped edit, which is all for the better. As per Grindhouse movies, there are spots on the screen, as if the film is dirty, there are jumpcuts abound (but in good taste, not accidentally), and there are even segments missing (though it is the sex scene). Stylistically, it all works flawlessly.

Planet Terror comes down with an ever so slight case of style over substance, but it's only if you judge harshly. I mean, it is exploiting horror zombie flicks, so characters will be bare boned, some actions will seem completely unmotivated, and the story will be ridiculous. But again, it's all in good fun, as the film uses all of this to its advantage. This self reflexivity often lends itself to the humor. The actors often seem like they know they are just speaking lines, and they make it funny.

So you come to the end of the gore fest and you're satisfied, ALREADY. But then, you remember you've got one more. And before that, fake trailers that are absolutely hilarious; probably the funniest parts. I'm not going to talk about them, or even name them, save one, Thanksgiving, which is amazing ("This Thanksgiving, there won't be any leftovers."). Just see those for yourself.

And then, oh yes, it's the meat and potatoes, Death Proof, Quentin Tarantino's side of this whole thing. Tarantino fans, feast your eyes and your ears, because this one's for you. And if you know me, you know THIS is why I was excited for Grindhouse.

First, let's just get the issues that seem to bug people out of the way. Yes, there IS Tarantino dialogue. And it is long, and not everyone will find it entertaining. But you've got to appreciate it (I loved it), both for its value as realistic dialogue and for its function to lull the audience before the craziness; it's almost psychotic in its ability to do just that. But anyway, some people will be bored, but I know I wasn't.

So Death Proof is about Stuntman Mike, who stalks women. First he stalks a group of four, one being Jungle Julia, a now famous actress who is on bilboards everywhere. He then stalks another group of four, one including Zoe Bell, playing herself as a stuntwoman (oh THAT'S a coincidence). Oh, and after he stalks them, he likes to kill them. But can he? I won't give it away.

Oh wow, oh wow, I LOVED this movie. I mean, this is quintessential Tarantino, I don't care what anyone says. He's got the dialogue, as usual, but more so, I love the juxtaposition of different events and emotions, along with the typical older music in a rather violent situation, drugs, sex, booze, oh and of course, insane violence. And he EVEN throws into the mix crazy car chases/crashes, which he directs oh so well. I love the shots of the Vanishing Point charger slowly creeping into the frame. SO cool. The final car chase is just amazing. It pretty much makes you forget everything that came before it, and at the same time it doesn't. Again, the dialogue functions very well to actually develop the characters. We actually feel for them, and we become attached to them, whether we want to or not. So when they suddenly get into these situations, we are on the edge of our seat, in white knuckled awe, and almost fear, as their lives are threatened.

As I said, Tarantino fans, eat your heart out. More typical Tarantino techniques make their way through. He reuses Earl McGraw, and even Son Number One, and he calls him that! The opening "Feature Presentation" music used for both is reused from Kill Bill (which used it from past old school movies). Tarantino loves rules, and he uses them multiple times throughout the script. When the second group of girls is eating breakfast, one can only make the connection to Reservoir Dogs, as the camera circles around the meaningless, but brilliantly written conversation. The acting is life-like and realistic, with the only weak point being Zoe Bell at some times, but for the most part, she does a great job. Tracie Thoms, on the other hand, is awesome all the time. Oh and Rose McGowan is back in this segment as well, as a blonde this time, and again she shows great ability. Anyway, more details surface, as Red Apple cigarettes are used in Planet Terror, while in Death Proof, Big Kahuna Burger is mentioned, and once, when the music is being flipped, you catch a glimpse of a little song named "Misirlou." Like I said, if you love Tarantino, you'll gobble this stuff up. I loved it.

Man, I really loved everything: Planet Terror, trailers, and (probably most of all) Death Proof. Two completely different experiences, one insanely awesome ending, one ultimately gratifying show. Oh I've said enough, just go see it! GO!

I love it when this happens...

5/5