Grindhouse

I rented the two movies that make up the Tarantino/Rodriguez double feature "Grindhouse" last week. A mini review:

Before I get into the movies themselves, I should note that you shouldn't feel obligated to rent them together (as I did); they both stand alone perfectly well. It's fun to watch them together as though you're actually at the double feature, but since some of the original elements from the theatre screenings are not present in the DVD release, the purists will be left wanting anyhow.

First off, Robert Rodriguez's contribution, "Planet Terror". It's essentially a zombie movie, but it's definitely Rodriguez's style and not George Romero. You still get some good B-movie quality bad acting, but there are some heavy hitters in the cast who kind of elevated it a little from pure B-movie. It's exceptionally good fun, and just weird enough in places to remain interesting throughout.

Rodriguez contributed a fake movie trailer, which also appears on the Planet Terror DVD. The fictional movie is called "Machete", and I can't really say much else without giving anything away, so I'll just say that it was awesome.

"Death Proof", according to Tarantino, is essentially him trying to best all the car chase movies of the 70's and 80's, while still paying homage to them. Whether or not he accomplished this is up for debate, but it does have a lot of good gags. It's standard Tarantino fare in that a.) it's very chatty, b.) each act of the movie is just different enough from the others that it could almost be a short film unto itself, and c.) the subject matter is still unique from all his other movies. Don't forget kids, this is the guy who won a Golden Globe for writing Pulp Fiction (yes yes, and an Oscar and a Golden Palm, but nobody really cares about those).

I'm not sure I've seen Kurt Russel as a bad guy in anything, and I wasn't sure he could pull it off, but he did. I felt his performance towards the end of the movie was far superior, but that's just me. As with some of Tarantino's other work, you have to wait for the payoff - be patient, because it's worth it. Pay very close attention at the end, as Rosario Dawson's character does something unexpected just when you think the movie's over.

Other bits and pieces:
Both movies used some aging techniques to make them look like overused, worn out films, although it's definitely more apparent in Planet Terror - it was more of an exploitation piece. Zoe Bell did stunts in both movies and stars as herself in Death Proof. Along with Zoe, Quentin Tarantino, Rose McGowan, and Michael Parks appear in both movies - Michael Parks even plays the same character! Rodriguez also cast his son Rebel, and his twin nieces Elise and Electra Avellan.

Both definitely worth watching. I give Planet Terror 4/5 stars, and Death Proof a 3.5.