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A |
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A |
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A |
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Movie Review: Grindhouse
by Wes (movies profile)
Mar 1, 2008
22
of
26 people found this review helpful
The first thing I thought after seeing this film was "This movie could possibly redefine cinema". It sounds strange, I know, but it could very well be true. With movie makers today, people in Hollywood are steering closer to making money instead of entertaining. This movie throws all that out the window. If you end up seeing this, you probably won't have as much fun at any other movie this year, quite possibly for years to come. What I mean by that is, this movie will be much more fun if you see it in theaters than if you rent it and watch it by yourself, in that this movie is made for the mass audience, it's almost like a real grind house experience. Everyone there knows they're there to have fun.
What is this about you ask? It's a back to back movie feature full of cheese and schlock. It pays homage to all the old cheesy films played at theaters late at night (they call them grind houses, in that they grind the projector all night.) Two directors, two films. Both are enormously entertaining. They even has those nostalgic "No one under 18 admitted" advertisements.
The first film is the finished product of director Robert Rodriguez. He is so accurate in the film making, he even goes so far as to purposely scratch certain segments making is extremely grainy, and even having entire missing reels, which apparently is common at the grind house. The story is about a stripper named Cherry (Rose McGowan looking stunning as usual), who is clearly unhappy with her profession (although she claims to be a go-go dancer.) After quitting and vowing to become a stand up comedian, she meets up with her old boyfriend, El Wray (Freddy Rodgriguez) who must have been a ninja in another life. Anyway, we cut to some scientists and some military guys, dealing biological weapons. Things go sour, and a few dead bodies, and a castration later, the weapons have been released, sending clouds of toxic gases over to the small town next door. You know the rest, people start eating (a "no brainer", that's an inside joke from the movie), and Cherry and El Wray are on the run. There are plenty of colorful characters also including an ass hole cop (Michael Beihn, back from the dead...no pun intended) a crazy cook, a lesbian nurse who calls her shots her "friends", and more hideously disfigured zombies than you can shake a stick at. And with every zombie movie, there's the gore factor, but Rodriguez takes it a step further, and well... let's just say it's not for the faint of heart... or stomach. Oh yeah, and Quentin Tarantino makes a guest appearance as one of the soldiers who has a... sexual problem. Yeah, good stuff.
There's a break between movies, with advertisements of movies to come. Those commercials are worth going to see the movie by themselves. The first is about "Machete" (Danny Trejo) a Mexican gardener turned hired assassin, turned revenged seeking bad ass turned Mexican liberator. Then there's "Werewolf Women of the S.S.", yeah the name explains itself, and then finally, there's Thanksgiving. That commercial has some of the funniest yet disgusting footage ever captured on film. The only thing I could've done without is the guy having sex with a dead guy's severed head. How did that get by the MPAA?
Finally, onto Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof". First off I'd like to say, this has the best stunt footage I have ever seen. No CGI, no stunt doubles, and you can tell. I can tell Tarantino has a true passion for these cheesy films, every shot, every frame is crafted with professional care. The story revolved around serial killer Stuntman Mike. A scarred old scab, he stalks women, and kills them with his car. It's brutal stuff.
We open to see Jungle Julia, Austin's most popular DJ, getting ready for the night ahead. She catches a ride with her friends, and next thing you know, they're at the same bar as Stuntman Mike. Things start out as normal (as in normal for QT), long, interesting conversations on modern culture and interesting theories. The night gets later, the girls get more drunk, and Stuntman Mike waits patiently. After offering a ride to a woman (Rose McGowan, also), and getting a lap dance from one of the girls (missing reel), they all head out, heading home. The five minutes after that are pure gold. After killing the woman , Stuntman Mike heads for Jungle Julia and her friends. That scene, when Mike let's loose, is the best car crash sequence I have ever seen on film. After being released with only a few scratches, he stalks his next victim's, a trio of stunt double chicks (and a model), who, to make it brief, teaches Mike a lesson he won't ever forget. The ending is abrupt, but funny. So is this review. |
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