what does Death Proof make you think about himu
Serial murderers and the means for their grotesque actions, feminism, cars and wimmen;etc.
For me what makes DP interesting are the conversations everyone else finds boring. Each character has their own defined personality, and this brings the movie whole circle. This post summarizes my feelings better than I can articulate:
"To me, the way Tarantino totally flips our expectations is incredible, and to put it frankly, ballsy. He spends half his time in a specific setting with a group of characters, and in an instant, he takes them away and brings us somewhere completely different for the remainder of the film. Who does that in a "genre" picture? I might hate the move if it didn't make complete sense. The first half of the film has much to do about Jungle Julia's facade of toughness. She has the billboards and she talks the talk, but at the end of the day, she's still consumed by a man who stood her up. Her vulnerability is exposed, and ultimately, she is not strong enough to finish this film as its protagonist. Tarantino sets it up brilliantly with the subtle jabs at her character. The line between antagonist and protagonist is suddenly blurred as the first segment reaches its close. The vulnerability factor is played up more bluntly with Butterfly. Stuntman Mike basically spells it out in his speech for her, but he also uses her exposed vulnerability to completely manipulate her. She is not strong enough to finish this film as its protagonist either.
Now we're all set up for the final half of the film. This half isn't just about women who talk tough. It's about women who are tough. I don't believe these characters are just emulating men either. Their initial car ride scene establishes them as being very feminine. The point that Tarantino is getting at is that being assertive and strong willed isn't an exclusively male trait. It's not as though they are going around shooting up a mob of baddies with a pistol in their left and right hands as if it were some violent male fantasy. The last half of the film is simply about a group of women who won't be victimized. The position in which Stuntman Mike finds himself is completely flipped from the first half of the film. He hasn't just met his match; he's been totally dominated. For Tarantino to encase all of this in a film that feels this smooth and effortless is a remarkable achievement in my book (and Stuntman Mike's book too)."I especially thought the way women were written was refreshing, because, typically when movies or entertainment in general express feminism themes throughout the story of a male targeted film, the gals are tough, burly and loud. Planet Terror epitomized this. But Death Proof flips that on its head, and the girls who end up saving the day are actually pretty damn girly. They talk about the latest Vogue magazine and what kind of lips a dude they make out with has. If there was anything DP made me think about, it was my perception of women in general.
I'll be first to admit that the dialogue in Death Proof is mastubatory - especially any scene where they bring up any stunt movies or past grindhouse movies; the writing isn't even up to snuff with past movies Tarantino wrote. However, for a movie he apparently wrote without much time put into it, I think Death Proof has a lot to say and sympathize with its message, flaws and all. Sure, it's bloated. But to say it's mindless when only 20-30 minutes are spent doing any action at all is lol.
