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MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
149 .......................... 139
__________________________
May 13th
—— 2007 ——
DEATH
PROOF
—— thriller ——
REWATCH
commentary with Swan
"Remember when I said this car was death proof? Well, that wasn't a lie. This car is 100% death proof. Only to get the benefit of it, honey, you really need to be sitting in my seat."
Quentin Tarantino has changed a whole lot since he dedicated his craft to classic crime thrillers, though always with that extra-added essence of a very curious and distinctive dialogue, in which Tarantino could make complete nonsense sound like beautifully orchestrated art. But ever since the release of ‘Kill Bill’ volumes one and two, he has truly turned his style of filmmaking inside out, showing every heartstring attached to his appetite for old exploitation, bloody samurai flicks and classic westerns. For a man, who still has his heart in cinema and appreciate the authenticity of true filmmaking, these genre films are more than just great sections in cinema. They should be viewed in their correct form to be enjoyed and appreciated to the fullest, and this is where the phenomenon of “grindhouse cinema” enters the stage…
Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino come together once again, to bring back the atmospheric and characteristic viewing experience of yesterday, to the audiences of the 21st century. This dynamic duo quite literally restore the grindhouse picture show, by giving the modern day audience a three hour long movie theater experience of the 70s – all the way down to cheesy film trailers and filthy worn out prints, looking as scratched and used up as the old movie reels circulating cinemas back in the days. Rodriguez reinstated the B-movie badassery of the ever-popular zombie genre, while Tarantino took on the exploitation genre with the pedal through the medal, recreating the muscle car subgenre of the good ol’ 70s… Rodriguez’ ‘Planet Terror’ got a lot of attention for being an addictive over-the-top hell ride with the entertainment-level through the roof, all the while Tarantino’s offer was overshadowed a bit more than it should have been.
The mental zombie madness of ‘Planet Terror’ was indeed an acceptable addition to the grindhouse experiment, but ‘Death Proof’ was far from merely being a turbo-fueled tryout for a genre long gone. It was a genuine exploitation flick from the 1970s, made by a man whose heart beats for the unbeatable exploitation exosphere extravaganza. Tarantino’s endless love for grindhouse cinema has spawned a picture-perfect copy of the scratched up exploitation reels, coming from the dirty old floors of the local trivial cinemas. Because, even though we are constantly witnesses to various directors trying to pull off different time periods that are no longer of existence, we rarely ever see such an authentic example of a genre (almost) impossible to replicate. How in the world do you duplicate what is essentially a very complete period-orientated movie-going experience? The short answer to that question is: you don’t. Well, unless you are Quentin Tarantino of course…
‘Death Proof’ is a very unique experience that you have to see to believe. But if you are unfamiliar with the old exploitation films you might be left wondering what the hell is up with this mediocre crap, coming from a director of such great talent. What was he thinking while making this movie, you may wonder. Honestly, I don’t believe he worked on this project with his brain as much as he did with his heart, and perhaps this film is actually the closest you will ever get to witness the complete expanded talent of this particular director. Tarantino is a master cinema copycat, everybody knows that, but it takes extraordinary talent to copy and paste a 70s movie into the 21st century without anyone batting an eye in terms of exploitative presentation. It simply looks and feels right, and yet so very wrong at the same time. There aren’t many who will be able to appreciate this kind of movie being made next to today’s cinema standards, and for those who are unable to see the film for what it wants to be, this will be nothing but a dull and empty experience. But for everyone else though, this is a total blast from start to finish – full of genuine gasoline greatness, motorcar mayhem, worn out visuals, dated soundtrack and of course several frames of feet – all crammed into several feet of frames! It is exploitation heaven!
__________________________
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
149 .......................... 139
__________________________
May 13th
—— 2007 ——
DEATH
PROOF
—— thriller ——
REWATCH
commentary with Swan
"Remember when I said this car was death proof? Well, that wasn't a lie. This car is 100% death proof. Only to get the benefit of it, honey, you really need to be sitting in my seat."
Quentin Tarantino has changed a whole lot since he dedicated his craft to classic crime thrillers, though always with that extra-added essence of a very curious and distinctive dialogue, in which Tarantino could make complete nonsense sound like beautifully orchestrated art. But ever since the release of ‘Kill Bill’ volumes one and two, he has truly turned his style of filmmaking inside out, showing every heartstring attached to his appetite for old exploitation, bloody samurai flicks and classic westerns. For a man, who still has his heart in cinema and appreciate the authenticity of true filmmaking, these genre films are more than just great sections in cinema. They should be viewed in their correct form to be enjoyed and appreciated to the fullest, and this is where the phenomenon of “grindhouse cinema” enters the stage…
Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino come together once again, to bring back the atmospheric and characteristic viewing experience of yesterday, to the audiences of the 21st century. This dynamic duo quite literally restore the grindhouse picture show, by giving the modern day audience a three hour long movie theater experience of the 70s – all the way down to cheesy film trailers and filthy worn out prints, looking as scratched and used up as the old movie reels circulating cinemas back in the days. Rodriguez reinstated the B-movie badassery of the ever-popular zombie genre, while Tarantino took on the exploitation genre with the pedal through the medal, recreating the muscle car subgenre of the good ol’ 70s… Rodriguez’ ‘Planet Terror’ got a lot of attention for being an addictive over-the-top hell ride with the entertainment-level through the roof, all the while Tarantino’s offer was overshadowed a bit more than it should have been.
The mental zombie madness of ‘Planet Terror’ was indeed an acceptable addition to the grindhouse experiment, but ‘Death Proof’ was far from merely being a turbo-fueled tryout for a genre long gone. It was a genuine exploitation flick from the 1970s, made by a man whose heart beats for the unbeatable exploitation exosphere extravaganza. Tarantino’s endless love for grindhouse cinema has spawned a picture-perfect copy of the scratched up exploitation reels, coming from the dirty old floors of the local trivial cinemas. Because, even though we are constantly witnesses to various directors trying to pull off different time periods that are no longer of existence, we rarely ever see such an authentic example of a genre (almost) impossible to replicate. How in the world do you duplicate what is essentially a very complete period-orientated movie-going experience? The short answer to that question is: you don’t. Well, unless you are Quentin Tarantino of course…
‘Death Proof’ is a very unique experience that you have to see to believe. But if you are unfamiliar with the old exploitation films you might be left wondering what the hell is up with this mediocre crap, coming from a director of such great talent. What was he thinking while making this movie, you may wonder. Honestly, I don’t believe he worked on this project with his brain as much as he did with his heart, and perhaps this film is actually the closest you will ever get to witness the complete expanded talent of this particular director. Tarantino is a master cinema copycat, everybody knows that, but it takes extraordinary talent to copy and paste a 70s movie into the 21st century without anyone batting an eye in terms of exploitative presentation. It simply looks and feels right, and yet so very wrong at the same time. There aren’t many who will be able to appreciate this kind of movie being made next to today’s cinema standards, and for those who are unable to see the film for what it wants to be, this will be nothing but a dull and empty experience. But for everyone else though, this is a total blast from start to finish – full of genuine gasoline greatness, motorcar mayhem, worn out visuals, dated soundtrack and of course several frames of feet – all crammed into several feet of frames! It is exploitation heaven!
__________________________