GRRRIIINNNDHOOOUUSE (spoilers after 4/6)

[Jacoby]

Sorry if there's already a topic for this, but I scanned the first page (for a milisecond) and didn't see one, so I made this.

I got sneak tickets to see Grindhouse last night. It was awesome. I really enjoyed both movies, though they were both very surprisingly different. The tone of the movies, I mean.

I'll try not to hype this up too much because I hate the hype machine.

I'll wait till more people see it before I talk specifics, but I just wanted to let you guys know that these two features are pretty damn cool.

Oh, and I personally liked Death Proof a little bit better. It was really dialoge heavy, with a lot of build up, but overall I think it was a cooler movie.

[joerules]

Cool, I'm excited about this one. I'm going to try and get midnight tickets tonight. If I can get the comic done in time...

[Pogues]

About how long was each flick?

Glad you liked it. That is a good sign I think.

[Jacoby]

The full run time was a little over 3 hours, I think. That's including faux trailers and all that jazz. I think both movies were about an hour and 20 minutes.

[Jacoby]

no one's seen it yet?!

[stormothecentury]

I went tonight. It was 3 hours of AWESOME.




Oh, and man it must've been cold where ever it was that they were filming Rosario Dawson.

[afr0puff]

Should've left after Planet Terror like half the theater did when I went to go see it. What a snore-fest. He goes from making kill bill to this crap. At least Beihn delivered the goods.

[LincM]

Should've left after Planet Terror like half the theater did when I went to go see it. What a snore-fest. He goes from making kill bill to this crap. At least Beihn delivered the goods.

I didn't think Kill Bill was that good. I thought that was a massive snorefest. I was really pissed off because of how much there was behind it. It had great moments (especially the first one) but overall I was really disappointed. Especially in the second one. I'm still waiting for Tarantino to come up with the goods that he wrote back in the early to mid-90s again.

But Planet Terror looks frigging awesome. I've heard that the second half is terrible, and I tend to agree with you Af, so that's lowered my expectations even more (which is a good thing, because maybe it'll get so low that I actually moderately enjoy it).

[stormothecentury]

I agree that Death Proof had way more exposition than necessary. And that one continuous shot rotating around the table was making me friggin' dizzy. However, that chase scene was awesome. Also, Kurt Russell getting his ass wrecked (and turning out to be a total pussy).

[Jacoby]

I agree that Death Proof had way more exposition than necessary. And that one continuous shot rotating around the table was making me friggin' dizzy. However, that chase scene was awesome. Also, Kurt Russell getting his ass wrecked (and turning out to be a total pussy).

Yeah, I really dug Death Proof. There was so much build up, but I think it was worth it. Maybe it's just a Rochester thing. Do they have cars where you're from, afro?

[TylerXKJ]

Grindhouse is not just a film. It's a cinematic experience. Colors are brighter, food tastes better, and the world is a little nicer after seeing Grindhouse. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

I've heard a lot of negativity about Deathproof, but I found it to be quite entertaining, probably because early on I knew it was going to be differnet in tone than Planet Terror. I'm by no means a Tarantino fanboy, but I will admit I've enjoyed all of his films that I've seen and Deathproof is no exception.

The whole point of Grindhouse to me was to just sit back, relax, and enjoy some fun movies. And I did.

[batsofchaos]

I've not seen it yet, but I actually don't really care for what I've seen concerning Planet Terror, and am way more interested in Death Proof. I don't know, I've not really liked a lot of Robert Rodriguez films and considering the film in this vein that I've seen of his (From Dusk Til Dawn) I can't say I have the greatest expectation for it. Hopefully I'll find it as awesome as everyone else here has.

[joerules]

Planet Terror is damn near perfect. I loved it from start to finish and was only upset with it when I thought it was closing in on an ending. Thankfully it goes on for the appropriate length.

When I say that its "damn near perfect" you have to remember that because of the nature of the kind of movie experience they're trying to create, things like plot holes and bad acting only make the movie better. Had some over-the-top line deliveries or fuzzy 911 back story been part of a "real" movie, the movie would not have hit the same note. But because its part of the Grindhouse, I openly welcome machine gun legs, needle launchers and the next generations Snake Pliskin on a mini bike, It actually makes the movie better.

Death Proof... I don' know… is it even safe to compare it to Planet Terror? It's more of a character movie but less of a complete story from start to finish than Planet Terror is. And I'm not saying that's a bad thing necessarily. Death Proof is disjointed and incomplete but that lends itself very well to the Grindhouse atmosphere. And part of me expected this deep characterization but as it is - you're waiting for the car. You're waiting for Russell. And all the hot girls in the world talking candidly about sex, cars, and old movies in Tarantino wip-smart speak isn't going to cover up the fact that you've been sitting in a theater for an hour and 45 minutes waiting for this, and it just doesn't deliver.

Without being part of the Grindhouse I don't think Death Proof holds on its own as a complete movie experience. It has plenty of great things going on, but after all that time in the theater, it's damn near impossible to sit through without wondering when they're going to get to. And I counted 7 people that decided walking out was more important than waiting around to find out what a maniac and his car were going to do next.

For me the most disappointing thing about Death Proof is how they built up a character only to knock him down. In the first half of this segment Stuntman Mike is established as an evil badass in every sense of the word. What he does to those 5 girls is sick and twisted and an iconic character is created the second he flips those headlights back on.

In part two Stuntman Mike becomes a weepy bitch when the tables are turned on him. Like a bully that gets a taste of his own medicine we see this potentially great, legendary movie villain erased before our eyes as girl power wins out. To be fair, the audience ate it up. Cheering and applauding as Russell has his break down and the girls show him what true terror is. And I applauded right along with them. It was entertaining, but in the back of my head I knew that this was the beginning and end of a character that could have been recognized for years as one our greatest heavies ever. Grand opening, grand closing. Down goes Stuntman Mike.

It just hurts after the similar characters Tarantino created in Mr. Blonde or Vincent Vega who managed to get taken out with a little dignity. Ok, Vincent hit the floor before his toilet completely flushed, but he was still a bad ass mother fucker.



I actually look forward to the DVD release where I'll be able to enjoy the two halves of Grindhouse separately. Planet Terror one day, Death Proof another. Together they're definitely an experience, but I think apart, the movies will be able to shine and stand on their own and I’ll be able to enjoy them in a whole new way.

Grindhouse: 8 out of 10
Planet Terror 9.5 out of 10
Death Proof 6 out of 10

[Jacoby]

Joe. I am upset with you.

I am actually Quienton Taerenteeno (sp?) and I wrote Death Proof specifically for you.

Actually, that's a lie. I'm not the famous actor/director/badmotherfucker. But I think Death Proof delivered the goods, but it really made you work for it. Seriously...
HERE COMES A NASTY SPOILAGE FOR DEATH PROOF
When the three girls are just beating the shit out of the anti-heroish bad guy, it was nonstop chills down my spine. And my friend who I went to see it with was even more pumped about it. He was telling me how he could see the inspiration from older kung fu movies where the ending is just the bad guy getting his ass kicked, and then dying.

But it was such build up to the action scenes, I think it really bettered the movie experience for me. Instead of getting frustrated with all the dialogue and unneccesary exposition, I just let it bottle up knowing that there was going to be some asskicking that would go down. It's Grindhouse.

[joerules]

The talkie talkie would have been easier to swallow if the movie didn't follow Planet Terror. That's what iw as trying to get at in my origional post. There are a lot of good things in Death Proof, but after being in the theater that long, it's crule to make your audience work that hard.

I didn't hate Death Prrof either, and there were some things about it that I really liked. I think the first car wreck is the best pay off. The car chase was fun too, but that thesion was built primarily on Zoe bening in a difficult situation. And there were times where they could have just stopped, let her off and high tailed it without worrying about her falling off.

The end beatdown was great and I was chearing along with everyone, especially when the end titels came up. It was a nice ending for the movie. It ruined the character though.