Grindhouse
posted by Fred Schroeder on April 11, 2007 at 12:38 am in Reviews, In Theaters, Film
It’s sad to say but most films in theaters today are nothing more than lead in press for an eventual DVD release and therefore play better on television in people’s homes. Gone is the spectacle and glory of going to the movies for the “big screen experience†replaced by mundane retreads of what was on television last week. Robert Rodriquez and Quentin Tarantino, however, have delivered a big screen experience with their new project “Grindhouse†but it’s more of a ride than a film.
Complete with fake trailers (made by Rob Zombie, Eli Roth, Edgar Wright and Rodriquez himself) missing reels, scratches and dirt “Grindhouse†presents two feature films “Planet Terror†by Rodriquez and “Death Proof†by Tarantino as a loving recreation of the double bill b-movie theaters that used to line places like 42nd street in New York. When I watched the film at the premiere in Mann’s Chinese Theater it was more like entering a ride at a movie theme park (“Enter Exploitation Land before journeying to Bergmanville and Fellini’s Castle,†the carnival barker shouts) than a traditional viewing of a film.
Personally I thought this was a great thing to be transported back to double feature land and done with such love and passion that you can’t help enjoying yourself the way you would at the “Haunted Mansion†in Disneyland (not to be confused with “The Haunted Mansion†starring Eddie Murphy which was enjoyed by no one.) That said, I’m not sure everyone is ready or wants a three-hour plus trip to the grindhouse. But not everyone is ready for Alan Moore’s “From Hell†(again I must clarify: the book not the movie) but that doesn’t stop it from being a masterpiece.
Of the two films (and it’s hard not to compare them because they’re joined at the hip) “Planet Terror†is the more fun as it pays homage to 80s sci-fi horror with a tone just south of “Evil Dead 2.†Rose McGowan stars as Cherry a go-go dancer who has an exceptionally bad day when Bruce Willis’ marines release mad scientist Naveen Andrews’ mutating gas into her small Texas town. Fortunately black leather badass Wray (Freddy Rodriguez) comes to the rescue and things get blown up real good.
Marley Shelton gives a standout performance as a doctor fleeing her abusive husband (Josh Brolin who is also fantastic) as the apocalypse descends on the town. She has some great sequences that remind me of the best things in the British comedy series “Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace.â€
Rodriguez wrote, shot, co-edited and co-composed the film himself and recreates the feel and everything pleasurable about the b-movies it emulates. He has lovingly added dirt and scratches and composed a score that recalls the best of John Carpenter’s work from the 70s and 80s
Tarantino’s “Death Proof†while not as “fun†is by far the better of the two films. Not content to create a pastiche of grindhouse films, Tarantino takes the genre and makes it his own doing some truly revolutionary things with his movie about a sadistic stuntman (aptly named Stuntman Mike) who hunts down women with his death proof car. I hesitate to talk about the twists and turns the movie takes here because the surprises are part of the fun of the ride but suffice to say this movie subverts conventions as much as the original “Psycho†did when it was released in 1960.
With Stuntman Mike, Kurt Russell has created one of his most memorable performances on par with his work in “Big Trouble in Little China†and “Escape from New York.†And real life stuntwoman Zoë Bell does a terrific job playing herself speaking loads and loads of Tarantino’s trademarked dialog (which this movie has in spades – if you don’t like his stuff don’t see the movie.)
“Death Proof†also has one of the all time great car set pieces in the history of cinema. If Tarintino’s filmmaking skills have improved anywhere it has been in constructing “pure cinema†sequences like this one. “Kill Bill†showed how well he could do martial arts; “Death Proof†shows what he can do with cars. I would love to see him do a musical or a western.
Now the problem with “Grindhouse†is that it’s not doing well at the box office. This is a damn shame. It may be the same reason “Slither†didn’t do well either – there aren’t enough fans of obscure B-movies (I mean that’s why they’re obscure right?) This box office debacle may result in the two movies being split apart and released separately which would be a huge disappointment to this reviewer. The great pleasure of “Grindhouse†is precisely in its presentation and would be ruined by a more traditional release. It’s one of the few films this year I heartily recommend seeing in the theater because you won’t have nearly the same experience.
Comment by Don Z posted April 11, 2007 at 12:06 pm:
“The Movies” should hire you as their spokesperson, because now I want to drop everything and see “Grindhouse.” What do you say, The Movies??
Comment by Jim posted April 16, 2007 at 2:22 pm:
Don’t!!!
That part was the most awesome. Planet Terror was good for what it was, and the Tarantino thing was absolute genius*!!!!!
*i define genius as something relentlessly boring and self-indulgent made by stunted man-child with no sense of humanity and absolutely nothing to say about anything and whose latest masturbatory abstractions can only be defended by people who like to use the phrase, “Well, that’s the whole point!” Pure Cinema!
Comment by Don Z posted April 16, 2007 at 3:37 pm:
I move we spell it “geenyus” when we mean it like that from now on.
Comment by Tom posted April 16, 2007 at 6:12 pm:
Death Proof was a self indulgent wankfest of witless dialogue and cheap racist invective that criminally wasted both Kurt Russell’s performance and my time. Two good car set pieces do not equal a good Grindhouse movie, and the film doesn’t so much subvert cinematic convention a la ‘Psycho’ as it does shamelessly steal from it. And I’m a Tarantino fan. Fred Schroeder, go to your room. I’m confiscating your Fulci movies until you’ve learned your lesson.
Comment by Don Z posted April 16, 2007 at 7:04 pm:
Hi Tom!!
Comment by Fred Schroeder posted April 16, 2007 at 10:31 pm:
What are you guys doing seeing a movie like Grindhouse? Have you no decency? Like the best junk food, it’s not for everyone. If you don’t like the films it’s paying homage to why bother?
That said, there’s never been anything like Grindhouse in the theaters. Ever.
Comment by Tom posted April 17, 2007 at 2:49 pm:
Planet Terror was great. Don’t was sublime. And I love the films Death Proof was trying to be. Sorry, was “paying homage to”. It was still rubbish. Bah. Novelty does not automatically equal entertainment, even on the spurious junk food comparison-o-meter.
And hi Don!
Comment by Fred Schroeder posted April 18, 2007 at 2:05 am:
I loved the whole “Gindhouse” experience/ride (”Death Proof” and all, hell especially “Death Proof”) because I loved going to see double features at the New Beverly in college and seeing really crappy movies (real stinkers like “Blood Diner” and “Street Trash”) in all their awful glory. I loved trading video-tapes in junior high to see things like “The Last House on the Left†and “I Spit on Your Grave†(which are just reprehensible films but still I love them.) And I’m not ashamed to admit I fucking loved USA’s “Up All Night†with Caroline Schlitt and later Rhonda Shear. I love the audacious in all its forms, be it “Zardoz†or “Dreamcatcher.†Show me something new or surprise me and do it with enough sheer audacity and I’ll come along for the ride you crazy bastard. That’s what “Grindhouse†did and for me it was a pleasure of induced nostalgia and amazement at the new.
Now, I don’t know if it devalues a work if you have to have seen something else to enjoy it. I’ll let stunted man-children with no sense of humanity debate that particular fucking issue. All I know is: I’ve seen “Vanishing Point,†“The Swinging Cheerleaders,†“Faster Pussycat … Kill Kill Kill†“Dirty Mary Crazy Larry,†“Movie Movie,†“Two Lane Blacktop,†“Macon County,†“Return to Macon County.†(Look, I’ve seen a lot of crappy movies, okay. Last night I watched something called “Baron Blood†by Mario Bava and thought it was great.) Anyway, I have a great love for those films and watching “Death Proof†you can tell the filmmaker loves those movies too. Especially “Macon County†which is just a weird meandering movie. And so is “Death Proof.†It’s just weird, man.
When grindhouse movies were weird it was because they were made in a hurry or had no money or because they were made by inept directors (like Ed Wood etc) but sometimes it was because an outstanding filmmaker like Larry Cohen was taking advantage of his situation. When that happened you got fantastic things like “God Told Me To†and Tarintino pulls the same trick with “Death Proof.â€
“Death Proof†is one of Tarantino’s most unique films and probably the most original thing he’s done since the Palm D’Or winning “Pulp Fiction†By the way, I thought “Kill Bill†was pretty great too. He’s a singular filmmaker who is attuned to all things cinematic and is one of the few filmmakers who understands the language of cinema and how to use it. He’s a crazy bastard. Who makes a movie so weird and full of outlandish shit? It’s a no brainer to say that the final car chase is on par with “The French Connection,†“Bullet,†and Cronenberg’s “Crash.†A particular delight is when the two 70s cars join the freeway filled with minivans, SUVs and family sedans as the modern comes crashing into the past.
Beyond the obvious car chase, is the sequence where the camera spins around the coffee table as the second group of women tell the story where Zoe Bell fell down a hill trying to take a picture. In the middle of the scene Stuntman Mike sits out of focus in the background and remains there uncommented on as this figure of impending menace. The whole scene is an unbroken shot (at least six minutes) that is just beautiful to watch on a technical level (especially knowing Tarantino served as his own DP) and on a narrative/suspense level (a textbook example of Hitchcock’s bomb under the table rule.)
For me it’s stuff like this that made the movie a fantastic pleasure. But not everyone has even seen those old crappy movies (and maybe they shouldn’t) or has the same voracious love for cinema in all its forms (especially the slimiest forms) that I have, so they’re not going to like it. And it’s not about not “getting it†or sharing some inside “wink, wink, nudge, nudge†bullshit, ironic joke. It’s not about that. It’s not irony. It’s love. Real fucking love for real fucking movies. This is a goddamn religion. Now get out of my church and rain on someone else’s parade.
Comment by Timothy posted April 18, 2007 at 1:49 pm:
This is the most I’ve heard of Fred in almost 2 months.
usually it’s:
“working”
“sorry. can’t”
or
(no reply)
Basically, it’s come to this: insult a movie he enjoys in order to get bonafide interaction? Well, “SALO” SUCKS SUCKAH!
I’m just giving you shit, Fred. Though, we all do miss you.
Hi Don! I’m about to join you in the world of Fatherhood.
Comment by Fred Schroeder posted April 18, 2007 at 2:50 pm:
In re-reading my comments. I have to admit to being a bit over zealous here and to being a bit of an asshole. Please forgive your humble servant in this regard as he means well and has the best of intentions, meaning no ill will to anyone. It should also be pointed out that I am always correct in everything that I say and write.
“Salo” may be the greatest film ever made. That’s a documented fact about which there can be no question.
Finally, Tim someday you and I will escape together and spend endless days and nights on an island where our true love can express itself and we will be fullfilled as no other men have been fullfilled. Someday …
Comment by Justin posted April 20, 2007 at 6:19 am:
I am no expert in the genre of low budget exploitation for profit/horror, and I’ve only been to one double feature in my whole life (Blue Thunder and The Concrete Jungle), but I get the joke and I love these filmmakers, and I wouldn’t have missed ‘Grindhouse’ for anything.
I appreciate the artistry of Tarantino’s long takes with the floating-camera-’round-table-while-people-eat trick he does so well, but what does this pay homage to other than his other work? I thought the ‘Grindhouse’ was supposed to be a send-up of all of those shitty movies Fred loves so much. I think Rodriguez turned in his homework assignment for an A+ while Tarantino lost his way somewhere in the process. With that being said, I loved both films anyway!
P.S.-For the sake of the entire experience, ‘Planet Terror’ should have followed ‘Death Proof’.