Don't have time to write a full length review... But I wanted to get you all out to see Grindhouse... Definitely worth seeing, with Death Proof being the better of the two films...
Here's Tunaflixs take...
http://tunaflix.com/?p=279#more-279
Directed by Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino
Written by Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino
Starring Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton, Rosario Dawson, Kurt Russell, Vanessa Ferlito, Jordan Ladd, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Zoe Bell, Bruce Willis
Studio Dimension Films
Genre Action, Horror
MPAA Rating R
Release Date April 6, 2007
I suspect fans of Grindhouse will fall into two categories: 1) those who know and love the trashy “grindhouse” movies on which this film is inspired, and 2) those who don’t know those movies, but feel obligated to rave about the movie because of all the hype, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s status as the coolest kids in school, and that they’re afraid of looking like they don’t get the joke.
Let’s be honest with ourselves and cut through all the marketing and Internet buzz: Grindhouse, while a worthy experiment and often entertaining, is a disappointment.
To its credit, Grindhouse, with the double feature concept, the fake trailers, and the 70’s-style interstitials graphics and music, has tried and succeeded in making moviegoing an experience again. Rodriguez and Tarantino clearly had a blast when they made their movies, and that vibe is certainly infectious. But that doesn’t mean both features aren’t without their flaws.
Planet Terror, Robert Rodriguez’s contribution to the double bill, is an unrepentant zombie splatterfest. Its storytelling is as sloppy as the exploding zombies that plague our heroes and the movie is beyond over-the-top, but those things are what make it so much fun.
Rose McGowan is sexy even as a one-legged stripper, and it’s always nice to see Michael Bien in tough-guy mode. I’m not sure if this was meant to be a joke or not, but Freddy Rodriguez’s character, Wray, is supposed to be some major badass. But with his baby face and diminutive statue (5’6”), he wasn’t credible at all in this role.
I expected Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof to be the highlight of the double bill, but I’m sad to say it wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong: a mediocre Tarantino is still light years more talented and entertaining than most directors out there.
Still, while Death Proof promises to be creepy and suspenseful, it ends up being mostly talky and, at times, boring. While Tarantino’s dialogue is clever and effervescent as usual, in Death Proof it lacks the electricity and mesmerizing rhythm from his previous movies. While Planet Terror is a gorefest, Death Proof, inexplicably, is a gabfest.
However, Death Proof shines whenever Kurt Russell, as the villain Stunt Man Mike, is onscreen. The car chase carnage he orchestrates throughout are spectacular and make the movie worthwhile once we get past the incessant talking.
Zoe Bell, who was Uma Thurman’s stuntwoman on Kill Bill, deserves a special mention. She plays herself in Death Proof, shows she can act, and performs a stunt that will blow your mind.
All the fake trailers at “intermission” from Eli Roth, Rob Zombie, and Edgar Wright are fantastically entertaining. In fact, they may be more entertaining than the feature presentations themselves. All three trailers are equally good, and, with the exception of Wright’s (if I tell you the title, it’ll give a way the joke), could viably be made into full-length B-level horror movies.
Here's Tunaflixs take...
http://tunaflix.com/?p=279#more-279
Directed by Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino
Written by Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino
Starring Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton, Rosario Dawson, Kurt Russell, Vanessa Ferlito, Jordan Ladd, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Zoe Bell, Bruce Willis
Studio Dimension Films
Genre Action, Horror
MPAA Rating R
Release Date April 6, 2007
I suspect fans of Grindhouse will fall into two categories: 1) those who know and love the trashy “grindhouse” movies on which this film is inspired, and 2) those who don’t know those movies, but feel obligated to rave about the movie because of all the hype, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s status as the coolest kids in school, and that they’re afraid of looking like they don’t get the joke.
Let’s be honest with ourselves and cut through all the marketing and Internet buzz: Grindhouse, while a worthy experiment and often entertaining, is a disappointment.
To its credit, Grindhouse, with the double feature concept, the fake trailers, and the 70’s-style interstitials graphics and music, has tried and succeeded in making moviegoing an experience again. Rodriguez and Tarantino clearly had a blast when they made their movies, and that vibe is certainly infectious. But that doesn’t mean both features aren’t without their flaws.
Planet Terror, Robert Rodriguez’s contribution to the double bill, is an unrepentant zombie splatterfest. Its storytelling is as sloppy as the exploding zombies that plague our heroes and the movie is beyond over-the-top, but those things are what make it so much fun.
Rose McGowan is sexy even as a one-legged stripper, and it’s always nice to see Michael Bien in tough-guy mode. I’m not sure if this was meant to be a joke or not, but Freddy Rodriguez’s character, Wray, is supposed to be some major badass. But with his baby face and diminutive statue (5’6”), he wasn’t credible at all in this role.
I expected Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof to be the highlight of the double bill, but I’m sad to say it wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong: a mediocre Tarantino is still light years more talented and entertaining than most directors out there.
Still, while Death Proof promises to be creepy and suspenseful, it ends up being mostly talky and, at times, boring. While Tarantino’s dialogue is clever and effervescent as usual, in Death Proof it lacks the electricity and mesmerizing rhythm from his previous movies. While Planet Terror is a gorefest, Death Proof, inexplicably, is a gabfest.
However, Death Proof shines whenever Kurt Russell, as the villain Stunt Man Mike, is onscreen. The car chase carnage he orchestrates throughout are spectacular and make the movie worthwhile once we get past the incessant talking.
Zoe Bell, who was Uma Thurman’s stuntwoman on Kill Bill, deserves a special mention. She plays herself in Death Proof, shows she can act, and performs a stunt that will blow your mind.
All the fake trailers at “intermission” from Eli Roth, Rob Zombie, and Edgar Wright are fantastically entertaining. In fact, they may be more entertaining than the feature presentations themselves. All three trailers are equally good, and, with the exception of Wright’s (if I tell you the title, it’ll give a way the joke), could viably be made into full-length B-level horror movies.
