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Grindhouse (Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino)
Everything I Could Ever Want And More In A Film.
Grindhouse is two films in one. The first film is “Planet Terror”, directed by Robert Rodriguez, of “Sin City” and “Desperado” fame, the second is “Death Proof”, directed by Quentin Tarantino, of “Pulp Fiction” and “Kill Bill” fame. In a nutshell one is about zombies, while the other is about a mad man. Put them together and add fake trailers before and in between and you have yourself the most fun you’ll ever have at a movie theatre this year…and years to come no less.
If you are reading this review then I’m assuming you have some vague idea of what a grindhouse film is, if not, look it up then get back to me. For those familiar with the cheesy B movie genre, you will know exactly what to expect, for those who’ve never seen a grindhouse film, well, let’s just say you’re in for a surprise. “Grindhouse” is a full blown, in your face orgasm that never ends; and when it does you don’t want it to. Tarantino and Rodriguez pulled off exactly what they promised; delivering a film that is not only a fun experience, but a hilarious, grotesque, thrilling, chilling and maybe even vomit inducing experience. It’s hard to say which film I liked better; they both have their own unique style and cheese factor. Instead of deciding which film you like better, how about you just take it all in and enjoy the entire thing.
Right from the beginning we get a small taste of what the rest of the film has in store. The film starts with the “Machete” trailer, it’s over-the-top in every sense of the word and if you get the joke, you’ll love every minute of it. The entire film is full of nods to the genre, whether it be random posters in the background and a character wearing a shirt with the cover of “faster pussy cat, kill kill” on it. I’m not the biggest fan of grindhouse films, as I’ve only seen a few, but “Grindhouse” has definitely opened my eyes and has ignited my thirst for more. While I have seen a few grindhouse films, I can safely say that “Death Proof” has a more grindhouse vibe out of the two. Its look and feel was more gritty, while “Planet Terror” was simply carnage on the screen.
“Planet Terror” has more humour and gore out of the two, which would be expected from the trailers. It has zombies and a woman with a machine gun for a leg. If you can’t laugh at a guy who takes people’s testicles who double cross him, or a sex scene in which a wooden leg makes an appearance and then the reel suddenly goes missing, then why the hell are you watching this movie? “Death Proof” was more intense out of the two, one particular scene has one character hanging onto the hood of a car for her life and Stuntman Mike tries to run them off the road; it’s exciting and scary at the same time.
Kurt Russell stands out in the whole cast, from both features. His homicidal and caring take on the psycho is chilling and funny. My only complaint is that he loses his badass factor half way through the “Death Proof” segment, as the girls turn the tables on him and chase him down. Rose McGowan, Tarantino, Marley Shelton and Michael Parks all make appearances in both films, with Michael Biehn making a small appearance in one of the faux trailers. Rounding out the rest of the cast is Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin, Rosario Dawson, Naveen Andrews and Tom Savini, to just name a few on a list that goes on and on. There are a few more cameo spots that I won’t ruin for you, but they are quite comical.
The faux trailers themselves are worthy enough for stand alone films. In some cases the trailers themselves are more gruesome then the feature films. Leave it to Eli Roth to do something like that, his “Thanksgiving” trailer is where people will either laugh their heads off or vomit into a bag. Zombie’s outing is “Werewolf Women of the SS”, which showcases Nazis, werewolves, and naked women. Edgar Wright supplies us with the third trailer, in which it tells you “Don’t see it alone”. Out of all the trailers, I was most impressed with Rodriguez’s “Machete”, because no one messes with a Mexican, and Roth’s “Thanksgiving”.
The gore factor is high and in full drive here. Without a doubt this film will have you either cheering for more, or well, cheering for more. Is there ever such a thing as too much gore? Not in this homage to exploitation flicks of the 70’s. If you honestly think there is too much gore, then why are you watching this film? It tells you up front that is about horrific violence, sexuality, and drugs. This film has a checklist and knocks everything down as it runs it course…its three hour plus course. If you’re sitting in the theatre rolling your eyes at the ridiculousness of what is being shown on the screen, again I ask why are you here? Nothing in this film can be taken seriously, nor should it. Things aren’t suppose to make sense, that was the beauty of those films from back then and the directors know this and capture it perfectly. Both films do have a missing reels segment, both happen at parts where something sexual is about to take place.
Being a horror movie buff makes me appreciate the film on a whole new level. Both Tarantino and Rodriguez show that they can handle the genre and this time they’ve raised the bar. If you thought SAW III was gory, just wait till you see this flick. Everything, from gun shots, to stab wounds in “Planet Terror” has blood gushing left right and centre. Bodies are torn apart, faces fall off, testicles are cut off and fall off, people explode fingers are bitten off, people are shot, so on and so fourth. In “Death Proof” the deaths, which are few all happen within the vehicles. Dane Cook will be happy to see there is a scene in which a female character takes a tire to the face. Along with that, another gets thrown out of a car, someone loses a leg and another gets their face smashed in.
Everything just clicks in “Grindhouse”, from the score right down to the blood smears on the faces. The scratches on the film reels do not distract at all, instead it adds to the overall experience, an experience that I haven’t had at a theatre in a long time. Out of the two, real grindhouse fans will probably like “Death Proof” out of the two and the gore hounds will no doubt lean towards “Planet Terror”. The bottom line is we get two no holds barred, kick ass horror films for the price of one. “Grindhouse” brings back the feelings that were once lost from the movies. “Grindhouse” beats out “300” as the most fun you’ll have at the movies this year and probably for awhile.
10/10
Everything I Could Ever Want And More In A Film.
Grindhouse is two films in one. The first film is “Planet Terror”, directed by Robert Rodriguez, of “Sin City” and “Desperado” fame, the second is “Death Proof”, directed by Quentin Tarantino, of “Pulp Fiction” and “Kill Bill” fame. In a nutshell one is about zombies, while the other is about a mad man. Put them together and add fake trailers before and in between and you have yourself the most fun you’ll ever have at a movie theatre this year…and years to come no less.
If you are reading this review then I’m assuming you have some vague idea of what a grindhouse film is, if not, look it up then get back to me. For those familiar with the cheesy B movie genre, you will know exactly what to expect, for those who’ve never seen a grindhouse film, well, let’s just say you’re in for a surprise. “Grindhouse” is a full blown, in your face orgasm that never ends; and when it does you don’t want it to. Tarantino and Rodriguez pulled off exactly what they promised; delivering a film that is not only a fun experience, but a hilarious, grotesque, thrilling, chilling and maybe even vomit inducing experience. It’s hard to say which film I liked better; they both have their own unique style and cheese factor. Instead of deciding which film you like better, how about you just take it all in and enjoy the entire thing.
Right from the beginning we get a small taste of what the rest of the film has in store. The film starts with the “Machete” trailer, it’s over-the-top in every sense of the word and if you get the joke, you’ll love every minute of it. The entire film is full of nods to the genre, whether it be random posters in the background and a character wearing a shirt with the cover of “faster pussy cat, kill kill” on it. I’m not the biggest fan of grindhouse films, as I’ve only seen a few, but “Grindhouse” has definitely opened my eyes and has ignited my thirst for more. While I have seen a few grindhouse films, I can safely say that “Death Proof” has a more grindhouse vibe out of the two. Its look and feel was more gritty, while “Planet Terror” was simply carnage on the screen.
“Planet Terror” has more humour and gore out of the two, which would be expected from the trailers. It has zombies and a woman with a machine gun for a leg. If you can’t laugh at a guy who takes people’s testicles who double cross him, or a sex scene in which a wooden leg makes an appearance and then the reel suddenly goes missing, then why the hell are you watching this movie? “Death Proof” was more intense out of the two, one particular scene has one character hanging onto the hood of a car for her life and Stuntman Mike tries to run them off the road; it’s exciting and scary at the same time.
Kurt Russell stands out in the whole cast, from both features. His homicidal and caring take on the psycho is chilling and funny. My only complaint is that he loses his badass factor half way through the “Death Proof” segment, as the girls turn the tables on him and chase him down. Rose McGowan, Tarantino, Marley Shelton and Michael Parks all make appearances in both films, with Michael Biehn making a small appearance in one of the faux trailers. Rounding out the rest of the cast is Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin, Rosario Dawson, Naveen Andrews and Tom Savini, to just name a few on a list that goes on and on. There are a few more cameo spots that I won’t ruin for you, but they are quite comical.
The faux trailers themselves are worthy enough for stand alone films. In some cases the trailers themselves are more gruesome then the feature films. Leave it to Eli Roth to do something like that, his “Thanksgiving” trailer is where people will either laugh their heads off or vomit into a bag. Zombie’s outing is “Werewolf Women of the SS”, which showcases Nazis, werewolves, and naked women. Edgar Wright supplies us with the third trailer, in which it tells you “Don’t see it alone”. Out of all the trailers, I was most impressed with Rodriguez’s “Machete”, because no one messes with a Mexican, and Roth’s “Thanksgiving”.
The gore factor is high and in full drive here. Without a doubt this film will have you either cheering for more, or well, cheering for more. Is there ever such a thing as too much gore? Not in this homage to exploitation flicks of the 70’s. If you honestly think there is too much gore, then why are you watching this film? It tells you up front that is about horrific violence, sexuality, and drugs. This film has a checklist and knocks everything down as it runs it course…its three hour plus course. If you’re sitting in the theatre rolling your eyes at the ridiculousness of what is being shown on the screen, again I ask why are you here? Nothing in this film can be taken seriously, nor should it. Things aren’t suppose to make sense, that was the beauty of those films from back then and the directors know this and capture it perfectly. Both films do have a missing reels segment, both happen at parts where something sexual is about to take place.
Being a horror movie buff makes me appreciate the film on a whole new level. Both Tarantino and Rodriguez show that they can handle the genre and this time they’ve raised the bar. If you thought SAW III was gory, just wait till you see this flick. Everything, from gun shots, to stab wounds in “Planet Terror” has blood gushing left right and centre. Bodies are torn apart, faces fall off, testicles are cut off and fall off, people explode fingers are bitten off, people are shot, so on and so fourth. In “Death Proof” the deaths, which are few all happen within the vehicles. Dane Cook will be happy to see there is a scene in which a female character takes a tire to the face. Along with that, another gets thrown out of a car, someone loses a leg and another gets their face smashed in.
Everything just clicks in “Grindhouse”, from the score right down to the blood smears on the faces. The scratches on the film reels do not distract at all, instead it adds to the overall experience, an experience that I haven’t had at a theatre in a long time. Out of the two, real grindhouse fans will probably like “Death Proof” out of the two and the gore hounds will no doubt lean towards “Planet Terror”. The bottom line is we get two no holds barred, kick ass horror films for the price of one. “Grindhouse” brings back the feelings that were once lost from the movies. “Grindhouse” beats out “300” as the most fun you’ll have at the movies this year and probably for awhile.
10/10