Grindhouse - Region 1 DVD

Tarantino's Death Proof is the mellower of the two, relatively speaking; it's wordier (as to be expected) and rife with pulp/comic book posturing and eminently quotable dialogue. It also features a terrific lead performance by Kurt Russell as a homicidal stunt man whose weapon of choice is a souped-up Dodge Challenger. Tarantino's affection for his own dialogue slows down the action at times, but he does provide showy roles for a host of likable actresses, including Rosario Dawson, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, McGowan (again), Sydney Poitier, and newcomer Zoe Bell, who was Uma Thurman's stunt double in Kill Bill. Detractors may decry the rampant violence and latch onto a sexist undertone in Tarantino's feature, but for those viewers who grew up watching these types of films in either theaters or on VHS, such elements will be probably be more of a virtue than a detrimental factor. And the overall vibe of absurdist hype--which is elevated to hilarious levels by a quartet of mock trailers by Rodriguez (the "Mexploitation" action pic Machete, starring Danny Trejo as a badass version of his Spy Kids character), Eli Roth (the faux holiday slasher Thanksgiving), Rob Zombie (the delirious Werewolf Women of the S.S. with Sybil Danning and Nicolas Cage as Fu Manchu!) and Edgar (Shaun of the Dead) Wright (a hilarious Hammer send-up whose title is its funniest gag)--goes a long way towards making Grindhouse one of the most blissful guilty pleasure nights at the movies in a long time. -- Paul Gaita