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Movie Review - Grindhouse (2007)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino |
| Starring: |
Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodríguez, Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton, Jeff Fahey, Michael Biehn, Naveen Andrews, Tom Savini,
Carlos Gallardo, Quentin Tarantino, Michael Parks, Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Jordan Ladd, Tracie Thoms, Mary
Elizabeth Winstead, and Zoe Bell |
| Rated: |
R (for just about everything you can imagine) |
| Length: |
191 minutes |
| Genre: |
Action/Horror/Sci-Fi/Thriller |
| Tagline: |
A double feature that'll tear you in two! |
| Studio: |
The Weinstein Co. |
| Website: |
Grindhouse |
| Release: |
April 6, 2007 |
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PLOT
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Nikki: I think Johnny's probably got this covered, and who am I to mess with perfection?
Johnny: Let's see if you're right...
Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, back to back! The longtime collaborators rejoin forces to present two original, complete
films as a double feature.
Up first is Rodriguez's Planet Terror - a grotesque and beyond-messed-up trip to a sleepy little Texas town ravaged by a
mysterious plague. Tarantino switches gears (man, I'm funny) with Death Proof - a white knuckle ride behind the blacktop
roamin' wheel of a psycho stuntman's death machine.
Inspired by the old-school distribution of independent horror classics of the 60s and 70s, Grindhouse combines
two shockingly bold and abrasive features with fake trailers, missing reels, and varying degrees of exploitation all for the price
of one. One of the most unique movie experiences in recent memory ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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In the words of Quentin Tarantino, "This is a grindhouse movie made by people who love grindhouse movies." That being accurately
stated, you don't have to be a fan of the genre yourself to enjoy this double feature. All that's required is a high tolerance
for excess and a not-easily-offended mindset.
In the 60s and 70s, films weren't distributed the way they are today. Nowadays, a movie typically opens on 3000 screens and plays
everywhere at once. But the old grindhouse exploitation flicks were lucky to have 20 prints. Those prints would play in one location
for about a week and then be transferred to the next city.
As you can imagine, by the time the prints made their way from Houston to Los Angeles, their condition was less than pristine.
Reels were missing and the film was scratched up and worn out.
That was part of the novelty of those movies, and it's the concept that Tarantino and Rodriguez have effectively mastered with
their own homage to the little-known genre.
As many of you know, I find a certain amount of guilty pleasure in movies whose entertainment value is a byproduct of extreme
incompetence. In Planet Terror, Rodriguez has delivered a highly entertaining representation of how something can be so
bad that it's good. Its genius lies in the fact that while Rodriguez has certainly made an intentionally "bad" movie, it's very
well-done!
The story is surprisingly cohesive, the actors play their parts to perfection, the one-liners are cleverly cheesy, the action
sequences are intentionally over-the-top, and the plot holes can all be explained away in the perfectly-executed missing reel -
a plot device that works so well it had the preview audience moaning, as if on cue.
Throw in the foreboding menace of Josh Brolin as a demented, yet surprisingly sympathetic, doctor, stealing every single scene he's in,
and you've got a wild ride of a good time. Statements such as, "Doc Block is my new hero!" could be heard throughout the theater, but
that might have just been the echo from when I said it.
Planet Terror is a high-octane, hard act to follow, and I feel that Tarantino's desire to slow the pace ultimately hurts
Death Proof a little. While still an enjoyable film in its own right, once you're two hours in, it's hard to come down from a
sugar rush and keep still while listening to girls talk, talk, talk.
There's no denying that Tarantino has shown great skill with dialogue, but his chatty Cathy's don't have much insight or
cool burger philosophies to offer here. I did love Tracie Thoms' explanation of why she chooses to carry a gun instead of
mace ("A [guy] tries to rape me, I don't want to leave him with just a skin rash"), but listening to Rosario Dawson's character
drone on and on about her sex life becomes a bit tiresome.
However, the positives of Death Proof ultimately outweigh the negatives. Once Kurt Russell makes his arrival, as expected,
he owns the screen as a charmingly dangerous stuntman. Sure, the guy seems to have a fascination with using his car as a death machine,
but doggone it, he's so cool doing it!
The car sequence near the beginning of the film is so absolutely insane that I actually screamed "Ohhhhh!" aloud, and the final
car chase is one of the most genuinely exciting I've seen in a long, long time. The true beauty of it is that there is no CGI involved. What you see
on screen is how the chase was filmed. That is indeed Zoe Bell earning her paycheck, sliding around on top of the hood of a car
going 60 - 70 mph.
By the time the experience was over, I was physically exhausted. And that's a good thing! Both movies figure out a way
to pull you into their demented worlds, and then they totally overload you with everything.
I can picture the two directors sitting around, exchanging ideas, when one of them says, "Too much?" The other's reply? An
emphatic, "Not enough!" You'll see what I mean. There are moments where you'll be thinking, "Surely they aren't going
to... OHH! They just did!" It's cinematic insanity at its most outrageous.
Rodriguez and Tarantino aren't just pushing the boundaries, they're redefining them; experimenting with just how far they can go and
how much they can get away with. As a result, this is not a film for everybody. The gore, though not excessively realistic, is
abundant. I'm not very squeamish, but there are scenes I had to watch through squinted eyes. I'd recommend not seeing this
with grandmama or your Sunday School class.
"Does it really get that extreme, Johnny?"
I've got two words for ya: melting genitalia.
You're either still on board or you've jumped over the side without even bothering to wait for a life jacket.
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NIKKI BLUEJEANS' TAKE
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As a TaRodTinEz fan of epic proportions, I was - to say the very least - psyched to see this flick. Add Kurt Russell, a wealth of the
directors' favorite characters and actors, and the incredibly talented and underrated Josh Brolin to the mix, and I was chomping at the
bit. Since my fellow Movie Marks failed to fund my trip to Memphis to screen it alongside fellow Brolin fan, Johnny Betts, I had to go
to my own screening here in Phoenix.
In short, Grindhouse was a blast.
Neither director disappoints. (A side note: I had my pad and pen ready to write down my thoughts as I watched and didn't end up
writing a thing. That's how engulfed I was in this flick.) There are vintage tags and special effects that recreate the feel of the
Grindhouse experience, including imperfections in the projection of the films - and other similar and ill-timed
interruptions.
Rodriguez is up first (after his fake trailer) with his light-hearted Zombie Romp (sarcasm) entitled Planet Terror. Rodriguez
really embraces the genre of b-zombie movies and gives us a very funny, and of course, bloody homage. You'll find yourself laughing in
the most inappropriate of places... due to the intentionally cheesy dialogue and over-the-top gore.
For the die-hard fans out there, you'll chuckle - maybe even cheer - for some Rodriguez regulars scattered throughout. (There are
pretty obscure ones, too! Keep an eye out for the original Mariachi, Carlos Gallardo, among others.).
But the newbies hold their own, and then some. Josh Brolin is diabolical, yet alluring as Doc Block (who ROCKS, by the way), and the
dynamic duo of Rose McGowan and Freddy Rodriguez is pure gold.
After some exaggerated, yet strangely believable b-movie trailers by guest directors, Tarantino's Death Proof (or, as I like to
refer to it, *ahem* Death Cab for Cuties - thank you, thank you) begins. Tarantino doesn't stray much from his usual style, but he
incorporates some kick-butt action sequences that - oddly enough - don't resemble any that he's attempted before. I was literally at
the edge of my seat during this one. Let's just say that I'll never look at Kurt Russell the same way again. He's forever filed
under "Cool" in my book. When you see it, you'll get that reference.
Overall, both of these directors take excellent care of their leading ladies - and I think we all can appreciate that, whether it's
seen as empowering or sexy (depending on our gender). Hmmmm... perhaps it's in an effort to keep the peace with the gals out there
who are dragged to these movies by their movie violence-tolerant boyfriends. In any case, I challenge you not to come out of that
theater cheering.
At over 3 hours, it's well worth the price of admission - and, even though the whole point is for it to feel like a double-feature, it
didn't feel too long either. Most importantly, it doesn't take itself too seriously. So, if you're a fan of Tarantino, Rodriguez, or
the Grindhouse phenomenon, you will love this movie. Just go and have fun with it!
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JOHNNY'S ODDS & ENDS
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- "I grew up in the central coast of California, where we had great drive-ins," Josh Brolin says. "You'd see a Bruce Lee movie, and
then a Charles Bronson movie. The best part to me was that you got two bangs for your buck."
- Josh Brolin portrays Dr. William Block, Dakota's suspicious and controlling husband. He shared many of his scenes with Shelton, who
found the actor distractingly charming: "Our characters hate each other -- we're killing each other, we're fighting, we're violent.
But Josh is just the most magnanimous guy. He's so charismatic and funny. Between takes we were cracking up."
- Despite their kidding around, Shelton appreciated his similar commitment to the role and his dedication to making his character as
"real" as possible. "He gained twenty-five pounds for the role. He plays this brooding Texan with a beer gut -- just this crazy guy
who is a bitter, male chauvinist pig. He did an amazing job, and he's so funny in the movie, and so menacing, and so scary."
- Brolin has known Rodriguez for years, and the part of Block was written specifically for him. He wasn't aware of the specifics of
the project or of the imaginativeness of its plot, so he was pleased when he finally read the script for PLANET TERROR. "Why would you
not be a part of something that's that fun; that's that involved," the actor says.
- The character was a small role that was developed and fleshed out during a meeting between Rodriguez and Brolin. "He came in with a
beard, and that whole character we kind of came up with based on him just coming in and reading," Rodriguez says. "You don't know he's
a villain until there's a scene where he turns. You're sympathetic to him until you realize he's out of his mind. And this is before
he's turned into a zombie. He's crazy and deadly before he even gets infected. So I wanted - I battled that a long time. I thought the
character was someone who was never going to get infected. He was just going to be more dangerous than anyone just because he was out
of his mind, jealous, and crazy, after his wife for cheating on him."
- Tarantino says, "Two of the most dangerous characters that pose the most important threat to the heroes of the movie are not the
infected people. It's Josh Brolin's character, and Rapist #1, who becomes a main villain for the third act of the movie."
- Despite all of the work, there's an element of playfulness to the art of filling mannequins with bottles of red-colored corn syrup.
Josh Brolin comments: "Greg's great. If you go to their shop, they have everything! They're totally into the work, but they have a
bunch of fun. It's just a bunch of people having fun."
- Troublemaker Digital's first hurdle was to digitally remove the lead actress' leg and replace it with a wooden, and later, a gun
leg. The solution involved manufacturing an apparatus to place over McGowan's leg . The process also required the patience and
imagination of the film's lead actress. The actor explains: "I'm wearing a high heeled boot on one leg, and a greenscreen leg, on the
other. Walking with the greenscreen leg is quite difficult. I'm at an angle and my body alignment is really weird. I had to do a lot
of different exercises to be able to hold my leg up for long periods of time."
- The idea for this project began simply enough, when Rodriguez spotted a double bill poster at Tarantino's house and commented that he
had the same poster at his home. Rodriguez mentioned that he'd long wanted to make a double feature, and Tarantino suggested that
they collaborate on the project together. As the concept was developed further, the directors brought in some of their friends and
collaborators (Eli Roth, Edgar Wright, and Rob Zombie) to make "fake" trailers to be presented in front of and between their
movies.
- Rose McGowan says, "I asked [Rodriguez], 'How did you come up with the fact that Cherry has a machine gun leg? He said, 'Well, I was
sitting in traffic...,' and that's where the explanation stopped. OK, I sit in traffic, too, and I don't often have machine gun legs
that pop into my head. But that's just me."
- Josh Brolin is in Grindhouse and was also in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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NIKKI'S ODDS & ENDS
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- Famous TaRodTinEz products, like Chango Cerveza, Red Apple Cigarettes, Big Kahuna Burger, and Acuna Boys Mexican Food (referencing
a Mexican gang in Kill Bill) all make appearances or are mentioned.
- Lines of dialogue and camera angles reminiscent of previous Tarantino movies pop up here and there in Death Proof,
unofficially rewarding QT fans for their loyalty over the years...
- Robert Rodriguez scored his film, in addition to writing, directing, and editing it. His band, Chingon (who I highly recommend),
also contributed to the soundtrack. Show off.
- Tarantino tends to cast friends and crew in his films. For example, Death Proof features Uma Thurman's stunt double in
Kill Bill in a major role. Note to self: make friends with Quentin Tarantino. Start by taking back the upcoming (see Mama's
Approval) dig at his acting skills...
- Initially, there was talk of splitting the two features and releasing them as stand-alone films in Europe.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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Nikki: No, no, no... Sex, violence, drugs, more violence, strong language, did I mention violence? ... and a
double-dose of Tarantino attempting to act - this is definitely not one for the kiddies, or the squeamish...
Johnny: Amen to what Nikki just said. The movie also contains a certain amount of nudity, and you might recall
from my review that there's an inclusion of a disgusting little thing called melting genitalia. My mother would have a heart attack
within the first two minutes. In fact, I will not be going out of my way to even let her know I saw this.
Any parent taking their child to this should be flogged in public.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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Nikki: In my opinion, the trailers for this TaRodTinEz extravaganza are virtual works of art: the epitome of
cool. And you pretty much get what you'd expect.
Johnny: Agreed. You watch the trailer and you either think, "A chick with a machine gun leg? AWESOME!" or
"A chick with a machine gun leg? STUPID!" Make your choice and be that your guide.
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THE GIST
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Nikki: Cinematic novelty at its best. Somehow, these guys make zombies and muscle cars even cooler. If
you're a nerd like me, you'll enjoy every minute of it.
Johnny: If you're not easily offended, and you're up for what's sure to be the most unique movie experience
of the year, then you'll find the double feature of Grindhouse just the kind of warped cinematic experience you've been waiting
for.
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