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Grindhouse is extraordinary. Yes, you heard me... extraordinary. It happens to be one of the best and well put together films of the past few years. I've heard nothing but rave reviews for it and I can now understand why. If you're thinking about going to see this and feel kind of iffy because it looks too corny, I'm telling you now that you're missing something spectacular. You have to take this film for what it is. It's meant to be corny and ridiculously hilarious. The thing I love about this film is that it is well aware of it's own genre. Film masters Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez have teamed up to make on of the most memorable movies I have ever seen.
During the movie (which is 191 minutes), I decided that I would take notes on what I did and didn't like. I know that sounds stupid, but with a film this long I wouldn't have remembered half of the stuff I wanted to say here. First off, let me talk about the film's posters. They are absolutely terrific. The promo posters with Rose McGowan and Marley Shelton on them are so authentic looking with the creases and fold marks and actually look like it came straight from the 1970s. Also, during the film, the whole "missing reels" and "this film is Restriced" parts add to the overall precision.
Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror is the first film in this action-packed double feature. The film is set in a small town in the midst of a zombie outbreak where only a scarce amount of survivors fight their way to safety from this infectious disease. This movie was not the better of the two, but it was definitely the goriest. It's very aware of it's own genre and like Rodriguez's Sin City, it has the look of a classic 50s/60s [horror] film. Planet Terror is also full of amazing characters which are played by amazing actors. These actors may seem to be phony and cheesy, but that's exactly how the film needed them to be and they all pulled it off quite excellently. Rose McGowan has the most memorable character in the entire film and probably in recent film history, also. Cherry Darling, the stripper/wannabe stand-up comic, gets her leg ripped off by an infected zombie. In return, she receives a machine gun to be placed where her leg once was and is now ready to kick some zombie ass. Freddy Rodriguez who plays El Wray, the man who 'never misses', is also one of the best characters in the film. However, there was two things I really didn't like. One was the two annoying babysitter twins. They really did not have to be there and if they would have been left out, the scenes they were in would have been much better. Two is Bruce Willis. He appears in every movie now in some small cameo role and to me, it's a waste of screen time. He needs a strong comeback and hopefully Die Hard 4 will do that for him so he can stop pestering us with his pop-up roles. The music in Planet Terror was great and the film had some classic lines, too. Overall, a solid film.
Now for Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof. This was the best of the two films. It had me on the edge of my seat with what I believe was the best car chase scene I've ever seen. The first half of the movie was great with some witty dialogue and interesting characters, but once the characters were built up beyond belief it became a little toilsome. When Kurt Russell's character was introduced it picked up the pace and when Rosario Dawson, Tracie Thoms, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Zoe Bell were introduced... wow, this movie became quite the ride. Death Proof is a road-raging slasher film in which the villain (Kurt Russell) hunts his victims with a car that is 'death proof' to only the driver. Kurt Russell was good as Stunt Man Mike, but the person who stole the show in Death Proof for me was Tracie Thoms. I was getting used to the three women at the beginning, too, but unfortunately they felt Stunt Man Mike's wrath a little too early. I would have liked to see more of Mary Elizabeth Winstead, too, but that's okay. Quentin's great use of dialogue is put to good use and his acting skills are also put to the test in this film. If anything, watch this movie for the greatest car chase scene ever.
Overall, this movie is absolutely fantastic. It is easily one of the most entertaining and memorable films I've ever seen and I can't see how anyone would forget it. Go see this if you have the chance, it's an amazing cinematic experience.
10/10
