David O'Connell
Grindhouse
January 20th 2008 23:25
"Grindhouse" is the double feature that brings Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof" and Robert Rodriguez's "Planet Terror" together under one bill, complete with fake previews, fast food ads, missing frames and missing reels.
"Planet Terror" is an homage to ultra-gory zombie movies, depicting a biological weapon leak that turns a small town into flesh-eating monstrosities. Rather than promoting the Romero-style zombies - slow, mindless, easy to kill - Rodriguez cranks it up into trashy horror. There's plenty of ripped apart bodies, dripping pus and blood, and no shortage of one-line heroes to wield large weapons.
It's a delicious homage to a genre of movie that hasn't really stopped producing, although "Planet Terror" looks and feels like a B-movie from the 70s. It's action packed and ultra-violent, with Rose McGowan attaching a machine gun to her amputated leg (the poster girl of the movie) or Freddy Rodriguez kicking zombie ass all over town.
"Death Proof" takes the serial killer/car chase genre on, and Tarantino's half of the Grindhouse feature is full of nail-biting stunts and wonderful chase scenes.
Kurt Russell plays Stuntman Mike, a has-been stunt actor, one of the ones who faded into obscurity when he couldn't hack it against the fearless CGI replicants.
In the other car, a fantastically charming group of girls, played by real-life stuntperson Zoe Bell, girl-next-door Rosario Dawson and foul-mouthed Tracie Thom. These are girls that you'd want to hang out with - but definitely girls that you don't want to push around.
Is the "Grindhouse" double feature a good movie?
It's not a great movie... but I loved it. Every second of it. Part of my adoration for the movie is growing up on a heavy diet of meaningless action movies and my newfound respect for trashy horror (hat tipped to Bryn for introducing the joys of the genre).
Tarantino and Rodriguez obviously love these genres, too, having spent their youths transfixed by these types of movies, movies that served a purpose: as Roger Ebert wrote in his review:
"The fundamental reason young males went to schlock double features in the golden age was in the hope of seeing breasts, or, lacking that, stuff blowed up real good."
...but Ebert follows that up with a particularly astute observation:
"Now that the mainstream is showing lots of breasts and real big explosions, there is no longer a market for bad movies showing the same thing."
Ebert is one of the old school fellas that really did grow up with these nasty flicks... aside from writing "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" with Russ Meyer, who is referenced often in "Grindhouse", he used to go to all of these seedy theatres to watch exploitation and trash. His take on "Grindhouse" is straight up:
"...my movie-going reaches back to before either [Tarantino or Rodriguez] was born, and I have never witnessed a double bill and supporting program much like the one they have created."
Ah. Then we have the crux of it... "Grindhouse" is for young men and women like me... we watched trashy exploitation movies on cable TV, but we never actually went to a grindhouse theatre, mostly because we lived in good, clean parts of N. America. We're the segment of society that fell in love with the idea of grindhouse, though... seeing art where others only saw stilted dialogue, purposeless nudity and senseless violence.
I think David Denby understands this appeal, as he wrote in the NewYorker:
"...the widespread notion in the press that Tarantino and Rodriguez have become moviemaking radicals. They haven’t: genteel, middlebrow culture lost its sway years ago, and plenty of other filmmakers are doing hyper-violence and sleaze. Tarantino and Rodriguez aren’t going against the flow; they’re trying to get ahead of the flow. What they’d like, of course, is to bring to their version of trash that extra touch of madness which turns exploitation into wit."
Personally, I liked "Death Proof" better than "Planet Terror", as "Terror" grew a little dull at one point, or the wit seemed to escape the theatre like the last traces of helium in a popped balloon. Both movies contain their flaws and still look too good to really feel like a B-movie from a lost era - but I knew this going in.
What compelled me to go to the cinema by myself on a Friday night to catch this one week only (at the Chauvel!) double feature?
Sheer entertainment. This is all about having a great time at the movies, a sentiment that I haven't felt in an audience in a while. I'll rewatch this on DVD to dissect it, but last week, in a packed theatre, with the film nerd hollering and shouting at the references and cameos - that was a good night, like being part of a rare ghostly army, one that only manifests on somber, rainy days to see gore, violence and trash.
I say: If you're not into B-movies, wild violence or sly nods, this isn't a movie for you. It did rather poorly in the States, suggesting that mainstream audiences are a little tired of rehashing the old horror genre.
See it for: The women in this movie are fantastic. I don't mean that they're sexy - they are, naturally - but the women are really fantastic heroines in both features. I never noticed Rose McGowan before, but what a lead! And the stunt girls in "Death Proof" are amazing, especially Zoe Bell, doing the crazy stunts on the hood of that car - yeow!
*this image is from the Guardian Film Blog
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Comment by Lara M
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Comment by Cibbuano
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Comment by JohnDoe
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Comment by Cibbuano
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I really enjoyed the whole experience... on the friday night, it was packed with geeks and cinephiles, howling at the screen. A really fun time...
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Great audience to see it with, they've extended the season another week, cos of such good houses.
I loved Planet Terror, whereas Death Proof, even in its shortened form was still tedious, and outstayed its welcome. Personally I think Death Proof should've been billed first, as the energy and pace of Planet Terror is alot more intense, but then you found it tedious .... intriguing.
I can't wait to own a copy of Planet Terror, the extended version!!! Apparently though its still missing the reel ... lol
Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
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reading your review now...
Comment by Theresa
Today's World
Thought they were brilliant, but preferred Planet Terror.
Agree that the car stunts in Death Proof were really refreshing old school, instead of cgi.
Theresa