Grindhouse
Planet Terror 8/10
Death Proof 9/10
Where to begin with this monster of a movie. Grindhouse, simply put, is an event in and of itself. You will go to the movie theatre not necessarily to see the two movies contained in this epic showing, but more for the fun, excitement, and pure unforgivable enjoyment you’ll undoubtedly experience. I’d heard all kinds of things going into this movie about which director’s movie was best to most of you will walk out of it, so I was prepared for anything. Tarantino’s movie was supposedly “twice as good” as Rodriguez’s movie, but in the end I felt it was just barely better. Planet Terror, Rodriguez’s bloodfest, was action to the core and gave no apologies for making people cover their eyes. His tale of zombie infection and the people trying to survive never ceases to be over the top and by the time Rose McGowan loses her leg and gets it replaced by a rocket launching machine gun, you just take it and run without any questions asked. Imagine some of the grosser scenes from Sin City, Rodriguez’s last film, such as when Bruce Willis pounds that guys head into mush, and make a whole movie out of it. Add to that a few laughs here and there and a conveniently placed missing reel, and that’s basically Planet Terror.
Death Proof on the other hand surprised me. I’d read reviews that it was his best dialogue since Pulp Fiction, so I expected people talking most the movie, but I didn’t think they’d be talking in long 20 minute scene after 20 minute scene one after another. Initially that completely turned me off and I could care less about the pop culture bitching the characters were doing in a style only Tarantino could’ve written. Luckily, about 1/3rd through the movie Tarantino cuts that out and introduces Kurt Russell’s character Stuntman Mike. I hate to go into much detail about this film, since not knowing anything about the plot made it ten times better once it reached the end for me, so I’ll just leave it at the fact that Stuntman Mike isn’t quite the nice guy we think he is from his initial actions, and what comes about in the second half of the movie was one of the single coolest/funniest endings in a movie I’ve seen in a long time. The highlight though had to be the car chase scene that was simply insane and had me incredibly nervous watching it. I won’t spoil the ending and I’ll just leave it at the fact that Tarantino won this round of paying homage to the grindhouse genre of the past, but the movies are so radically different that you’ll find something in each that will put an evil smile on your face and have you eagerly waiting until you can see it again.
