Review of Grindhouse (2007) by J K — 05 Dec 2009

Ok, now this review is for both films of the Grindhouse tandem plus the kick-ass fake movie trailers BECAUSE TARENTINO-RODRIGUEZ MEANT THESE FILMS TO BE VIEWED TOGETHER. Not seperately, which was a dumb decision by the greedy producers.

First off, one thing I want my fellow reviewers to understand about Grindhouse is that if it had been a box office smash, it wouldn't have been a true homage to the 1970s grindhouse schlock it references and honors. Some of those old-school grindhouse movies' box office takes weren't enough to buy a 1977 rusty, used Chevy Vega. Because these films did so poorly at the box office tells me three things: 1, This movie is dead on! 2, You don't need box office successes to create a good, fun and entertaining movie. 3, The critics are more wrong than they are right.

PART 1: Planet Terror was a tad bit stronger than Death Proof just because the story and cast were more refined (which is as big as compliment I can pay Rodriguez for actually outperforming Tarentino). Robert Rodriguez, when he really, really wants to do it, can make some VERY cool cinema. Great acting, dialogue, cast, gore, action and enough cheesiness without making it too silly. Rose McGowan's line "I'm just Cherry" should become an all-time iconic line (it probably won't). Great characters played by Josh Brolin, Michael Biehn and Jeff Fahey and what a fantastic cameo by Bruce Willis. Awesome! Bloody, funny and shocking all at the same time. That's what grindhouse was at it's core.

PART 2. The Trailers were awesome, especially Machete. They're making a Machete movie with Danny Trejo. I will be in the cinema line with bells on for that sucker. The Thanksgiving trailer made me nearly snort my Coke out my nose it was so funny and, yes, that was Nicolas Cage in that one trailer.

Part 3. As for Death Proof. You will NEVER see my trash Tarentino because the man is one of the few risk takers and one of the true geniuses in all of Hollywood BUT Death Proof really was just a homage to Vanishing Points of that era and nothing more. That's all I took it for so I wasn't disappointed, I just felt it was different that's all. One contention I did have was trying to believe Kurt Russell as a murdering psycopath. I kind of viewed him as your father's creepy friend who tries to nail the teenage daughter, not the raving lunatic in this film. You think they could've come up with a better villain. One essential character was portrayed by real-life stuntwoman Zoe Bell, who, honestly, can't act, which is probably why they cast her in the first place because it fits in with the overall structure. Anyhoo, this wasn't really a movie in the truest sense. There was no plot, no character development, no climax. Just one big car chase and hot girls (Rosario Dawson, Jordan Ladd, Vanessa Ferlitto, Sidney Poitier's daughter). It was just grindhouse, which is what made it brilliant because it was its own form of entertainment. It makes me angry that critics were expecting Truffaut or Hitchcock with these movies. If you read a critical review of these movies, the critic has no true grasp of movies to begin with. THEY WERE MEANT TO BE THIS WAY.