Grindhouse

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Horrorphile - January 2008

Grindhouse

January 23rd 2008 04:57

Finally a chance to see Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriquez’s tribute to the sleazy exploitation flicks of the 70s and early 80s, where the decrepit cinema palaces of the 30s and 40s in downtown Manhattan would grind out as many double feature sessions of lurid and ultra-violent low-budget flicks as possible, with the prints nearly always in disrepair.

In America the Grindhouse (2007) double feature – Planet Terror followed by Death Proof – bombed at the cinemas. Cinemas were frustrated in having to fit a 3-hour programme into their daily screening schedule. Your Joe Average cinemagoer was reluctant to have their bums on seats for such a lengthy time, especially watching so-called “trash”, let alone what it was costing for a babysitter.

Rose McGowan as Cherry Darling

Executive producers, the powerful Weinstein brothers, found themselves forced into damage control. They needed to make some money back presto, so they did the unthinkable, they demanded Tarantino and Rodriguez split the movies up, add back some of the cutting room floor footage which had been trimmed in order to keep the movies grindhouse lite (ie roughly 80 minute running time), and release the movies individually. As you can imagine the boys weren’t happy. This decision completely negated the entire concept. But what can you do, when the bigger boys are calling the shots? Even directors with the clout of Tarantino and Rodriguez had to play ball in a game they were losing, much to their chagrin.

How bitterly ironic, that America, the birthplace of the grindhouse cinema experience, shunned the concept, and cut Grindhouse's balls off.

Grindhouse Planet Terror Freddy Rodriguez

Freddy Rodriguez as El Wray

Europe and Australasia would’ve lapped it up, but no, we weren’t even given the opportunity to show our appreciation and enthusiasm for the double feature bill … until now. But only for a short time. Sydneysiders can see Grindhouse at the Chauvel cinema, as it was meant to be seen; complete with four “fake” trailers, and even a scheduled intermission. The audience response has been very good (as was to be expected), and so Chauvel have been able to extend the movies’ season for another week! This is apparently the only print in Australasia, and thus will be making the rounds. For those in other cities (and New Zealand), keep your eyes peeled …

Marley Shelton as Dr. Dakota Block

So, how does it all rack up? There’s the classic psychedelic “Prevues from our coming attractions” card first up with suitably sifty muzak, followed by the “fake” trailer to Machete, rated X, starring Danny Trejo as a rough-as-guts man of vengeance armed to the teeth, with, you guessed it, machetes. This doozy is apparently gonna be made into a full-length feature (following huge audience feedback), to be directed by Rodriquez. Then there’s cute big cat warning that the following feature is “restricted”.

Grindhouse Planet Terror Rose McGowan and Marley Shelton

Hot chicks on a hot chopper with zombies lurching close behind, yeah, baby, yeeeah!

Anyone for pizza?

And it’s time for Planet Terror, Rodriguez’s messy and utterly fantastic homage to the over-the-top zombie splatter horrors from Europe (think Lucio Fulci). With a dynamite cast including hardbody Rose McGowan, Bruce Willis and this flick kicks some serious schlocky ass. Gory and unashamedly gross Planet Terror takes the baton and runs hard, shooting from the hip, and swinging wildly. I haven’t been so gleefully entertained by such deep beautiful trash in a while.

Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike

The print scratches and deliberately bad cutting adds such delicious flavour, and the silver nitrate burn-out, which dissolves the screen, thus resulting in a “missing reel” is pure gold (there’s a missing reel in Death Proof also; gone is the lap-dance which can be seen in the extended version which screened theatrically in Australasia). Curiously, the print scratches and jumps are noticeably less frequent in Death Proof, something which disappointed me, but then Death Proof is disappointing.

Even in the intentionally truncated version Death Proof just doesn’t possess the same energy or stylistic intensity as Planet Terror. It certainly has its moments, and Zoe Bell’s stunt work on the Dodge Challenger is pretty hair-raising fer sure, but Tarantino keeps the movie dialogue heavy, and it weighs down hard, especially following Planet Terror's furious, and far lessy talky, pace. But enough of Death Proof's trappings, you can read more in my review of the extended cut here

Legs all the way to milky chocolate heaven

What I do want to mention is how good Planet Terror is! It rubbed me up in all the right places! Freddy Rodriguez definitely holds fort as the gung-ho hero, but it’s Rose McGowan and Marley Shelton who threaten to steal the show with their white-hot, sassy as all Hell roles as Cherry Darling and Dr. Dakota Block, respectively.

Grindhouse Death Proof Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosario Dawson and Tracie Thoms

Girls acting silly in a movie not silly enough

However a big nod must go to Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger for the awesome, over-the-top special effects make-up work! Tom Savini, who blunders his way through a small role as a fingerless cop, would be proud, and no doubt is, since Nicotero was one of his protégé’s on Day of the Dead (1985).

A cheerleader cums a cropper

Another important mention are the three other "fake" trailers; Werewolf Women of the S.S. directed by Rob Zombie is the weakest, but still pretty amusing, but Edgar (Shaun of the Dead) Wright's Don't is classic Brit haunted horror, and Eli Roth's slasher-fest Thanksgiving is pitch perfect naaaasty.

Grindhouse Death Proof Quentin Tarantino

Tarantino can't help himself, cameoing in both movies

I could tear on and on about how enjoyable it was to see Grindhouse on the big screen in all its scratchy, sleazy, seedy glory. The only thing better would’ve been seeing it at a drive-in, so we could smoke ourselves silly before and during the session, and shag my girl rotten in the back set during the intermission.

Stay tuned for a more focused and extended review of Planet Terror once I get my grubby mitts on my own DVD copy of the full-length version … with all the smokin’, blood’n’puss-drippin’ extras! Yeeehaaaa!!!

Grindhouse alternate teaser movie poster

When Death Proof was billed to play first ... and so it should've, 'cos Planet Terror's better

Here's the thrill-packed theatrical trailer:

Here is the "fake" trailer for Thanksgiving:

And here is an extra "fake" trailer which was screened only in the US and Canada and played at the start before the Machete trailer. It was a student effort which won a special Grindhouse competition set-up by Rodriguez:

It gives us struggling filmmakers hope ....

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

4 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by JohnDoe

January 23rd 2008 05:31

Film & TV on DVD

Thanks for making me even more depressed I had to cancel on you at the last minute. (We would have had a blood shot gem of a night)

Oh well I have a promo copy of Planet Terror on the way for this weekend but goddamn I want to see those trailers.

Comment by Damo

January 23rd 2008 06:42

Hobo with a Shot Gun.

Hahahahahahaha.

Comment by Cibbuano

January 23rd 2008 21:41

Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak

oh, JD, what wrath hath you wrought?

amazing - the Chauvel is extending it? I might talk someone into going to see it again.

People seem to like Planet Terror a lot more - don't get me wrong, Planet Terror is awesome - especially Freddie, Rose and Dr. Dakota. And the bbq.

I just found the car chase scenes in Death Proof to be incredible. And Kurt Russell, when he gets creepy, he takes it up a notch.

Comment by Bryn

January 24th 2008 02:33

Horrorphile

Cibby, I found Planet Terror a lot more moreish, shall we say ... Death Proof was fun, but a lot of it reminded me of the character indulgences of Jackie Brown and Pulp Fiction. And I just didn't dig the Zoe Bell character, she annoyed me, and her acting wasn't up to scratch against the other women. Kurt was wonderful though ... I wonder how Mickey Rourke would've done it, as he was the original casting. I'm tempted to see Planet Terror again on the big screen, definitely ... perhaps you, me and JD should go ... ?

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