Monday, April 23, 2007

Grindhouse (2007)


Director: Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino

With Grindhouse, you either get it, or you don't. I don't simply mean getting what the grindhouses were, but more of being able to experience this film as just that, an experience. Grindhouse is an admittedly uneven double feature with films from Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino.

"Planet Terror" is Rodriguez's entry. A zombie gore-fest that leaves you wishing it had tried something new with the genre, especially after seeing Tarantino's efforts. It's almost too derivative of the George A. Romero zombie flick "the Crazies", but with modern special effects thrown in to merely make the audience groan. "Death Proof" is Tarantino's entry, and quite obviously the better of the two. Tarantino takes the genre of a slasher flick, and leaves you thinking, "I'm not sure what I just saw, but I liked it." It's pretty unexpectedly good. Not merely emulating a grindhouse movie, but using its elements to make a movie that no one will see coming. The dialogue in "Death Proof" is excellent, which will come as no surprise to Tarantino fans. But I think there were one too many scenes used to show off the dialogue, and not beneficial for the film. Look out for the terrible editing...and by terrible, I mean excellent. If you love slasher flicks that sentence will make sense to you. Complete with phony trailers, and missing reels, Grindhouse is a fun ride. The phony trailers may be the best part, and really make you glad to be a film fan. Not to mention Quentin's great taste in music; unearthing such acts as Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich or T. Rex for an outstanding, one of a kind soundtrack.

All in all, Grindhouse presents a new experience for modern film fans, and for that alone I would recommend it. But it's more than that. It paves it's own way, and doesn't look back. It's not two movies, It's one entity that packs a punch. And although it's uneven, it's memorable, which is more than I can say for most films these days.

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