Grindhouse (Rodriguez/Tarantino, 2007) - 8.5/10
First and foremost: how hot is Rose McGowan in Planet Terror? Yowza!
How would I describe Grindhouse, the new collaboration between best friends and filmmakers Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, paying homage to the cheap, cheesey, exploitation grindhouse movies of years past? I would say that one film is an adrenaline-charged, but forgettable piece of trashy fun, while the other film shattered all expectations, becoming a certifiable masterpiece in the process. This was an interesting idea on paper, but the final result was so much more than could ever have been expected.
Things opened up with Rodriguez's "Planet Terror", a pastiche of zombie flicks, dark comedy, and over-the-top action. This movie is definately a blast, if wholly unoriginal. What I really loved about this one is that, blatant CGI and comedy aside, it felt like a classic John Carpenter movie - which I believe was Rodriguez's goal. Everything from the way it was shot, to the locations, and especially the awesome score, felt like it was straight out of a Carpenter flick circa 1980. Rose McGowan rocks this one completely, and awesome supporting work is turned in from journeymen like Michael Parks, Jeff Fahey, and the ever-awesome Michael Biehn. There were also problems with this movie, though. The excessive CGI usage felt tacky and totally betrayed the idea behind a grindhouse flick. The movie, despite lasting only 80 minutes, actually felt like it ran on far too long. Finally, Tarantino should never be allowed to step in front of the camera again. His scenes were a waste of time and totally cringe-worthy. But on sheer adrenaline alone, the film won me over. I'd give "Planet Terror" a 7/10.
Next up is Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece, "Death Proof". Let's get one thing straight right away: this isn't a horror or exploitation flick, like you had been led to believe. No, this is Tarantino's movie about female empowerment. Yes, leave it to a screwball like Quentin to drop a movie like this in the midst of the carnage. There is a slight bit of homage paid to road rage and slasher flicks, but that all falls in the background. The movie features more "signature" Tarantino dialogue than any of his previous work, so be warned, if that is not your cup of tea. A solid 50 minutes or so of this movie is dialogue and character interaction. The movie does really hit the road, however, when Tarantino finally gives the audience what they came for: pure metal-on-metal vehicular insanity. The chase scenes are wonderfully exciting and well-shot. Kurt Russell is great in his small role, but this movie really belongs to all the fine ladies in the cast, from Rosario Dawson to Zoe Bell. I think this is near Tarantino's best work, but it is sure to turn lots of people off. With that said, I think he "gets" what a grindhouse movie is, and is equal to the task. Tarantino masterfully toys with the audience in this one, and it's such a slickly-crafted film that really shocks the viewer by going everywhere but where you would expect, and in doing so, turns many cliches on their heads. You really have to see this one to believe it, but what Tarantino did with this film is nothing short of brilliant. His most vital work in years. I'd give "Death Proof" a 9.5/10.
Last but not least, I would be doing the film a grave injustice if I were to forget the fake trailers. Whereas the beef of the film is of varying quality, these trailers, each and every one of them, are solid gold. I live in Canada, so first up was the special trailer attached to Canadian prints, "Hobo With A Shotgun". Let me tell you, this set up the evening perfectly. The audience was just howling in laughter to this one. It was too funny. Next up was "Machete", a parody of all the god-awful low budget action movies I grew up watching, complete with cheesey dialogue and gratuitous nudity, and it struck all those notes masterfully. "Werewolf Women Of The SS" drew a ton of laughs, probably mostly from myself, as I found the concept to be genius, and always dig crazy Nazi's being portrayed. "Don't!" again had the audience in stitches, with its hilarious pace, and by the end of the trailer, people were yelling along with the narrator. Finally, the slam dunk on whole event, the best trailer of them all, was for the Halloween rip-off, "Thanksgiving". Oh my god, if this wasn't the most pitch-perfect spoof I've ever seen of a horror movie, I don't know what is. I was in tears after that one. I'd give these trailers a 9/10.
So there it is. I went to the Grindhouse and came out with an fantastic experience on the whole. Extremly highly recommended.
