Two films, back to back, from bringing back the old school Grindhouse days, brought to you by two directors big enough to do it.
Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror takes place on a planet much like Earth where zombies have begun their attack on humanity.
Quentin Tarantino's showcases Kurt Russell as a stuntman who uses his stunt car as a deadly weapon.
Cherry (Planet Terror) / Pam (Death Proof) - Rose McGowan
Wray (Planet Terror) - Freddy Rodriguez
Dr. Block (Planet Terror) - Josh Brolin
Sheriff Hague (Planet Terror) - Michael Biehn
Stuntman Mike (Death Proof) - Kurt Russell
Abernathy (Death Proof) - Rosario Dawson
Directed and Written by - Quention Tarantino (Death Proof) and Robert Rodriguez (Planet Terror)
I always have trouble with movies that I really like. I can write about terrible movies all the live long day, but when it comes to something I really like, I have trouble thinking of what to say. So for Grindhouse, I'll sum it up thusly: They got everything right.
You want proof? I'm going to post links to movies at this very site that shows examples of where Tarantino, Rodriguez, and the Fake Trailer Team got their inspirations. This movie...well, more like "experience" was spot on in basically every way.
-Bad dialogue and acting? Well, you can pretty much scroll through the list here, but for easy reference: Hell of the Living Dead, Return of the Zombies.
-Long, pointless scenes of people talking about nothing for filler? Seeds of Evil, Three on a Meathook.
-Nonsensical plotlines that don't lead anywhere and are generally forgotten when things get rolling? Demons 2, I Dismember Mama.
-Over the top gore? Zombie, Wizard of Gore.
-Randomly thrown in sex scenes and pointless nudity? Zombie Lake, Rats, Night of Terror.
-Endings that just cut the movie off and don't explain a damn thing? Alien Dead, Burial Ground.
Add in the scratchy film, random splotches of color, and other great stuff I won't give away because it would ruin the effect, you have one of the best experiences you could possibly have in a theater.
On top of all of that, you have the fake trailers, which had me almost collapsing on the floor laughing. Again, I'm not going to spoil anything for anyone, just go see it. You will not be disappointed.
I have to say I preferred Rodriguez's section over Tarantino's a bit, but the ending to Quentin's portion totally paid off the rest of his bit. Kurt Russell was having a great time hamming it up, and the film as a whole really never stops winking at the audience.
Yeah, there will be a few that don't "get it" when they walk out of the theater. If you've never seen a Grindhouse era release in your life you might be totally confused and put off by the complete randomness that ensues at the very first second of film. Also, as per the era, the movies are sexually charged and violent as all hell and back, both in the dialogue and the action on-screen, so a lot of movie-goers today won't be able to handle that, which, if you can't guess, ROCKS MY SOCKS OFF.
I thought about giving this a 9.5, just because it doesn't exactly have an uppercut in it...but it kind of does, and to be honest, I don't give a shit. This bitch deserves a 10. It was a labor of love for absolutely everyone involved and it shows. It's also a carefully meticulated love letter to us genre fans who grew up on awful movies, ones that came from a time when movie-making was about fun and being outrageous, coming up with ways to shock and offend people in ways thought unimaginable, and then boasting about it in trailers and posters that usually had nothing to do with the movies they were about.
DO NOT go into this with thoughts of great photography and a solid plot, etc. If you think of this as a regular Tarantino or Rodriguez picture, you're going to be irritated and possibly start throwing chairs. Just go have fun. I expected it to be totally ridiculous, over the top, and hilarious, and my expectations were not only met tenfold, they were completely destroyed and I was ashamed afterwards I wasn't as excited as I should've been...and I was pretty damn excited.
So, excuse me, I've rambled too much, and I need to get in line to see it again.
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I always have trouble with movies that I really like. I can write about terrible movies all the live ...
Drool...
Ok, I finally got to see this a second time through. It was awesome the first time through, and even better the second time through.
The first flick is action packed and has a ton of random stuff in it. I can't wait till the DVD comes out to find out who "El Wray" actually is. If you like zombie movies, you'll love "Planet Terror". Being fast paced, full of gore, and crammed full of humor, the first flick will be a blast for anyone.
Now for the second flick "Death Proof". Some people have said this flick dragged a bit. The first time I saw it, I agreed with that assessment. The second time I did not. Since I already knew there wouldn't be a lot of action in parts, I started looking for other elements, such as references to "Planet Terror" and camera work. There is one scene that is a continuous shot lasting quite some time (maybe 10 minutes?). If you are observant while watching, you'll notice Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) is sitting right behind his victims at the counter while they talk about BS. Just having him in the background in such a long continuous scene with no editing, while not blatently revealing his identity is a feat in itself. Of course the car chases were flat out awesome, especially the part with a blatent dummy on the hood, which only happens once.
Now, don't think I left out the trailers. Man, they really bridged the two movies well, and were funny as hell. "Don't" is a rip on every horror movie every made telling you not to do something. An example would be "Don't Look in the Basement". Machette is action packed and full of great one liners. Thanksgiving is just funny as anything, especially the girlfriend parts. If you are watching it for the first time and need to go to the bathroom, DON'T. Wait until the end of the trailers between the movies and make a quick run right before "Death Proof" starts.
Overall, this movie hits on every point that we look for here at Cheesy Movie Night. Bad acting, bad one liners, awful editing, complete randomness, zombies, babes, gore, and so on.
All I have to say is, go see it. Period.
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Drool... ...
**Please take note, the Cap'n only watched "Planet Terror" by Robert Rodriguez**
A'las m' hardies!!! So I finally caught up with the rest of the world and watched one of the flicks from "Grindhouse". It hasn't hit us over here yet, so I had to find "other" means to watch it. *laugh* I wouldn't worry, though. As soon as it gets here, it gets my money 18374 times over. I can't remember the last time I got to see a movie that I don't think I will ever get tired of. This "experience" as I like to think of it as is about as perfect as it gets. I won't even begin to get into it, just know that it is all that and a bag of chips. This movie was damn well worth the wait!!!
The effects, acting, movie, everydamnthing was so on point! Mr. Rodriguez's flick was ridiculous mad from the jump! Random explosions *literally*, blood, chicks, some more blood, over-the-top stunts, did I mention blood? AND they threw in two hot and crazy babysitter twins! What more could you want?!
I wouldn't doubt for a second that everyone involved with "Planet Terror" weren't having loads of fun making the film. The cast all had great chemistry and really sold this as a great low budget, gritty and fast-paced, cheese-fest! The soundtrack, advertisements before and after and everything else was the icing on the cake. I know I'm rambling on and on, though. I can't say enough about the whole damn thing. Everything was spot on and just about any ol' skool film you could think of was an influence on this one. Kudos and hats off to the cast and crew and especially Mr. Rodriguez for blessing us with such an awesome contribution of filmmaking! I can't wait to watch "Death Proof"! The only complaint I have is the hankering I now have for some authentic Mexican cuisine...
See this now!
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**Please take note, the Cap'n only watched "Planet Terror" by Robert Rodriguez** ...





