Get More From Life- Go Out To a Movie!

Heed those words, as they will serve you well! "Grindhouse," the highly publicized double feature event from Robert Rodriguez ("Sin City," "Once Upon a Time in Mexico") and Quentin Tarantino is three plus hours of movie-going bliss. I say that as a movie nerd, but I can't pretend that I know the films that Rodriguez and Tarantino are paying tribute to here. I know of them, the low budget, high carnage films that played very briefly in movie houses during the seventies. There would be a very small number of prints made and as they would travel from town to town, they would become scratched and torn and occasionally lose reels along the way. I only know this from the stories of those who witnessed these pulpy pieces of cinema. People like Rodriguez and Tarantino. About the only grindhouse style movie I've seen that comes to mind is 1976's "The Human Tornado," the wonderfully over the top sequel to "Dolemite" (which I have still not seen). And while I (along with the vast majority of the audience) have no point of reference when it comes to the grindhouse experience (the little grubby theaters they were shown in), the film most definitely succeeds in making us wish that we had.
After the real trailers we are taken into the first fake trailer, Robert Rodriguez's "Machete," starring Danny Trejo and Cheech Marin. It is a hilarious and bloody mess, and the perfect way to start out our night out at the movies. This is immediately followed by Rodriguez's 90 minute long zombie feature, "Planet Terror." It's thoroughly disgusting, violent, out of control, and an absolute blast from start to finish. Rose McGowan stars as Cherry Darling, a go-go dancer who wants to become a stand-up comedian. Over the course of the evening however, Cherry's dreams of being a stand-up anything become considerably less likely. You see her left leg is ripped from her by a horde of hungry zombies. It's a good while before her man Wray (Freddy Rodriguez in certified badass mode) is able to replace it with the machine gun that everyone knows from the posters and trailers but the whole movie is so much fun that you don't mind. Everything works wonderfully here. The celebrity cameos, the one-liners, the filth, and the fury. What really makes "Planet Terror" great in the end though is the look of it. Rodriguez really goes all out in making the film look as scratched and beaten up as possible. A reel even goes missing at one point, and when the next one starts up, clearly a whole lot has happened. You can almost imagine this being the last time that this print will be playable before it completely deteriorates. I don't want to give away anymore so as not to spoil the fun. That's what "Planet Terror" is all about. After this comes the intermission. This is not however a "Lawrence of Arabia," "2001" style "you can stretch your legs, go to the bathroom and not miss anything" intermission. It's fake trailer time again!
This is where "Grindhouse" is at its best, is during the break between the two features. Rob Zombie's "Werewolf Women of the SS," starring Udo Keir and Nicolas Cage as Fu Manchu is thoroughly tasteless and terrific. Edgar Wright's ("Shaun of the Dead," "Hot Fuzz") "Don't" may be the funniest of these trailers. I won't even bother trying to describe it because no description could possibly do it justice. It just has to be witnessed. Or maybe I should say, "If...you're...thinking...of...describing...this...movie...DON'T!" Then Eli Roth ("Cabin Fever") gives us a horror film set on a holiday that the genre has overlooked, "Thanksgiving." "White meat, dark meat," the narrator intones. "All will be carved." There are also some wonderful little advertisements throughout this segment that really enhance the overall experience.
After this it's time for the second feature, Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof." I've always been a big fan of Tarantino-speak. The unique language of his characters has always been the best part of his films, and the reason we become so invested in his characters and situations. This is why "Death Proof" is somewhat of a disappointment. If your bladder can't sustain "Grindhouse's" running time then I suggest making your mad dash to the bathroom about 10 minutes into this one. "The girls" as they're described in the opening credits just aren't likable. I don't know if it's the dialogue itself, which feels oddly re-heated from QT's previous stuff, the performances of the actors (most notably Sydney Poitier, the daughter of Sidney Poitier), or that the characters were just unlikable, but for whatever reason, "Death Proof" doesn't really pick up until the introduction of Stuntman Mike (the outstanding Kurt Russell). (Stuntman Mike claims that his brother got him into the business. A guy named, Stuntman Bob. For my brother and I that's very funny, for obvious reasons.) Right off we can see the slight menace of this film stunt driver, even if the women he meets can't. It is a gleefully scary performance from Russell, and I actually kind of found myself rooting for him while he terrorized the first group of girls. The second group, led by Rosario Dawson and professional stunt woman Zoe Bell, are more interesting and a little bit more likable. Some of the dialogue still doesn't quite work, but a lot more of it does than it did in "Death Proof's" first half. The fact that Bell's character and Kim (Tracie Thoms) are supposed to be stunt people sets up an incredible final half hour with a car chase that goes well beyond exhilarating. By the time we get to this point we are rooting for the women now because hey, we like these people a lot more. It should be noted that Zoe Bell did all of her own stunt work in this amazing action sequence. Incredible work!
Tarantino's film is mostly devoid of the pops and hisses that "Planet Terror" had. There are some early on, but once we meet the second group of women they become virtually non-existent. Tarantino doesn't want to make a great z-grade movie like Rodriguez, he just wants to make a great movie. While "Death Proof" falls short of that mark on a number of counts, the final sequence, the performance of Russell, and yes, some great dialogue (hey, this is Tarantino after all- there are some genuine pearls) make it a worthy addition to "Grindhouse" and to filmmaking.
Overall, it's Dolemite, baby!

Planet Terror: 9/10
Death Proof: 8/10
Fake Trailers: 10/10

Grindhouse: 9/10