I saw Grindhouse today. Even though I was indifferent about Planet Terror, I absolutely loved Death Proof. I thought Kurt Russell was fantastic and the climactic car chase ranks among the best I've ever seen in film. Who knew Tarantino was such a car chase buff? Death Proof was full of references to movies like Vanishing Point, Gone in 60 Seconds and even CONVOY (check out Stuntman Mike's hood ornament.)

I did love the whole look and feel of Grindhouse, which transported me to my early teens, sitting in the Martha Washington Theatre, watching Martial Arts movies and schlock like Squirm, Orca and The Town That Dreaded Sundown. My favorite fake movie trailer was Thanksgiving.

Your comments?

- JJ
www.hollywood-diecast.com (http://www.hollywood-diecast.com)

Saw it tonight, I enjoyed it for the most part, though I sort of expected more from Rodriguez and Tarantino. But all in all, it's a pretty fun way to spend 3 1/2 hours. I too like Tarantino's segment better, zombie films have already been parodied & homaged to death. In comparison, Tarantino's tribute to the great seventies car chase movies and "avenging women" films seems more original.

The good: I thought genre vets Kurt Russell, Michael Biehn and Jeff Fahey were all great in their roles, and hope they get a boost like Travolta did with Pulp Fiction. Loved the cars, especially the Vanishing Point challenger and Stuntman Mike's Nova. And Rose McGowan is perfectly cast as a stripper who longs to be a stand-up comedian.

Stuntwoman/actress Zoe Bell oughta get a special Oscar for the "ships mast" sequence, one of the more amazing stunts ever filmed.

And finally, like the films it pays tribute to, this flick is definately more fun when watched with an audience.

I had the opposite reaction--I thought Rodriguez' Planet Terror was the better of the two films. I liked both films, but I think some of Tarantino's dialogue-heavy scenes in Death Proof had a tendency to slow the pacing to a dead crawl at points. I agree Grindhouse is really fun to watch with an audience, and a great way to spend three hours!

Y'know, I don't care how well they say this thing is doing at the box office or what critics are saying. I saw a morning matinee and really enjoyed the movie. Wasn't much of a crowd, but then again it started at 10am on a Monday, so I wasn't expecting one. That didn't stop me from laughing out loud at a lot of the in-jokes and just outright dark humor of the various movies.

"Planet Terror" was great! I love those old 70's/80's B-Movies along those lines and we definitely got it. Tom Savini's sorta cameo was a pleasant surprise, as well. And, as usual for movies of that particular genre & era, lots of plot holes! :)

I agree w/what I've read about the Tarantino portion of the movie ("Death Proof") being dialogue heavy to the point of dragging the whole thing down. I feel they could have cut a lot of that dialogue down - also shortening the movie a bit - and it still would have made sense and even added to the movie. I hate when a movie drags and slows the pacing.

However, that doesn't mean I didn't like that segment. Lots of witty dialogue as is usual w/Tarantino - tho overly verbose as mentioned.

Overall, I give this movie a solid 8 out of 10.

Kinda funny trivia while watching the credits - Mr. Rodrigeuz's Chef: Robert Rodriguez.

Kinda funny trivia while watching the credits - Mr. Rodrigeuz's Chef: Robert Rodriguez.I have two of Rodriguez' films on DVD--Sin City, and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. On each of 'em Rodriguez does a cooking segment where he teaches you how to make one of his favorite dishes. :thumbsup:

Haven't seen Grindhouse yet, but, being a huge fan of cheesy ’70s horror/action/exploitation flicks, I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun. Anything with a half-naked Rose McGowan stomping around with a machine gun for a leg just has to be good!

if you want to see it, better hurry. the studio and theaters are very unhappy.

At 3.5 hours this is definitely a rental for me. I'm betting it will do very well on DVD.

I was surprised when I went to the 8pm show on Saturday opening weekend, and there might have been twenty people in the theater. I thought at the time it was because of Easter Weekend, Easter might not have been the best holiday to release this over!

Too bad, though I'm sure the DVD will rock, a lot of the fun of The Grindhouse theater experience was the audience reactions to the gore and thrills. Especially during the chase scene that ends the movie.

This movie is good! It is too long to sit in the theater, though. Too bad the Drive In Movie is extinct.

Anyway, I don't feel bad for Tarintino or Rodriguez! I read that the DVD sales plan is to split the films and offer a two DVD release with lots of extras for both films. Anybody else read that? I'm sure T and R will make a few bucks on this project in the end

I liked Kurt and the lead guy from the zombie movie. However, I wasn't high enough of mind bending drugs to like any of the films. If that's the state of the American sense of humour, then I must be older than I thought. Absolutley crap.

I enjoyed the Planet Terror half tremendously but I think that QT could have cut 45 min to an hour out of "Death proof" and it would have been much better.

As the Grinch said. "All the noise, noise, noise. NOISE..."

I'm getting to the age where I take it as a sign of either lousy acting or very poor scripting/directing to have a character say nothing but m----f---- for twenty minutes straight

I loved the action and the idea of a bully who finds out he tangled with the wrong carful of helpless girls, but why spend that much time with characters (who are walking stereotypes) who you are ultimately dropped for no reason?

Who cares about "Jungle Julia" if her role ends up being nothing more than "victim #1"

I'm more concerened about the girl that was left with the hillbilly as collaterol

stylestically speaking, the experiement was only half successful. If we are to believe that we are watching a double feature from the 70's then the film scratches and burns etc.. are appropriate. but the films weren't period. there were plenty of modern touches that weren't 70s . the trailers did a better job with this concept.

if the films are to be taken as modern, then there was too much degrading of the film. I worked in a theatre where we ran ET 5 times a day for 4 months and it didn't end up with that much damage.

my 2 cents

However, I wasn't high enough of mind bending drugs to like any of the films.

Well I can see why you have such a sense of intellectual superiority over druggie illiterate Yanks like Tatrantino and Rodriguez. :freak:

"I wasn't high enough of mind bending drugs to like any of the films" is just pure poetry compared to that clumsy crap Tarantino tries to pass off as dialog in his movies.

Sorry phil, did I hit a nerve?

I liked Kurt and the lead guy from the zombie movie. However, I wasn't high enough of mind bending drugs to like any of the films. If that's the state of the American sense of humour, then I must be older than I thought. Absolutley crap.
OK, what you're saying is that those of us who enjoyed the film must be on mind bending drugs, you go on to use a generalization in an insulting manner about American humor - of which there is no such thing as a generalization of American Humor - and then want to challenge Scott/PhilipMarlowe when he responds back? :freak:

Your post doesn't come across as anything other than a snobbish, over-the-top generalization of American culture and is generally insulting to those of us who enjoyed the movie. Maybe that's not how you meant to come across, but that's how it reads to me. You also don't see where anyone who enjoyed it said something equally as inane about those who didn't enjoy it.

Nothing says you have to enjoy the movie. No one is stopping you from speaking your mind on the movie, either. However, if you do so in an insulting manner don't be surprised if folks take umbrage.

I really think QT's style of dialog is very entertaining, Res. Dogs and Pulp Fiction establish that as fact for most film buffs. I agree this may not be his best work, (too long) but still worth a watch! On DVD at least, if you can't make it to the theater.

DOH! Just realised PMarlow was being sarcastic. How funny! The American humour in that post almost slipped by me...

I like Tarantino's style of dialogue, as well. However, it sometimes goes overly long, dragging out not only a scene, but an entire movie on occasion. Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction are both great examples of his snappy dialogue done right. None of the scenes in those movies seemed overly long.

However, the initial car scene, the bar scene and the restaurant scene in "Death Proof" were too long, overly verbose. I'm happy to give prop's for that one long scene in the restaurant, as the cinemtography and acting were great. The dialogue could have been cut down by as much as two minutes, IMNSHO, and still gotten the point across.

Sorry phil, did I hit a nerve?

Not at all, I just think if you're going to dismiss somebody else's work as druggy American tripe, you ought to make sure you write a opinion a little more coherent than "However, I wasn't high enough of mind bending drugs to like any of the films."

Most of QTs stuff is overhyped crapola. I guess he got lucky with RD and PF, but KB got me PO.

The rest of the world is getting them as 2 separate movies, and maybe the DVDs too.

The final chase sequence in Death Proof is worth the price of admission alone. To actually see the actress (who really is a stunt woman) performing her own stunts was really cool. And the "old school" stunts - Tarintino reportedly used no CGI in the final sequence - were amazing. Had us one the edge of our seats!

Heck yeah, that scene in the movie was definitely worth the price! He honestly had me guessing by that point, too. Will the girls survive? Will Stuntman Mike survive? Who will win?!?

Man, it killed me everytime the girl's challenger took a shot, that was one beautiful car at the start of the sequence. Definately the scene that made Grindhouse more fun to watch with an audience, even a sparse one.

The only thing that I thought was coming at the end of "Death Proof" that didn't happen - I was expecting someone to get clobbered with that Hallebrand quick-release steering wheel...

The final chase sequence in Death Proof is worth the price of admission alone. To actually see the actress (who really is a stunt woman) performing her own stunts was really cool. And the "old school" stunts - Tarintino reportedly used no CGI in the final sequence - were amazing. Had us one the edge of our seats!Yes, it was interesting, but it was another sequence that went on far too long. Besides which, we were sitting in the theater the entire time wondering, "Why don't they (the girls) just stop?" (I'd explain that more fully, but it would involve a description of the scene that would turn this into a spoiler.)

[QUOTE=aurora fan]This movie is good! It is too long to sit in the theater, though. Too bad the Drive In Movie is extinct.


Hey aurora fan,

The drive in movie is not extinct, it is more like an endangered species. We have a two screen drive in movie theatre in Wichita. There are several other towns around here like Eldorado that also have a drive in as well. I try to attend them as much as possible and buy their concessions to support them . They usually have triple features on friday and saturday nights. In early spring and late fall it's only $10 per car load. A 1 gallon container of popcorn is only $2.50. It's a great deal and alot of fun.

I have heard from people who live near popular big cities, where property values are inflated, that drive ins can't make enough money there because they can't afford the winter time shut downs. Another thing working against the currently existing drive ins will be the push toward digital projection which is a big expense for a drive in.

Roland

Yes, it was interesting, but it was another sequence that went on far too long. Besides which, we were sitting in the theater the entire time wondering, "Why don't they (the girls) just stop?" (I'd explain that more fully, but it would involve a description of the scene that would turn this into a spoiler.)

I thought that as well - then I remembered that obviously they couldn't stop because of that great, classic scene where Russel's character gets a vision of the car they are going to use, sneaks to the barn and cuts the brake lines... Don't you remember that scene? Maybe your theater was missing a reel or something! :p

[QUOTE=aurora fan]This movie is good! It is too long to sit in the theater, though. Too bad the Drive In Movie is extinct.


Hey aurora fan,

The drive in movie is not extinct, it is more like an endangered species. We have a two screen drive in movie theatre in Wichita. There are several other towns around here like Eldorado that also have a drive in as well. I try to attend them as much as possible and buy their concessions to support them . They usually have triple features on friday and saturday nights. In early spring and late fall it's only $10 per car load. A 1 gallon container of popcorn is only $2.50. It's a great deal and alot of fun.

I have heard from people who live near popular big cities, where property values are inflated, that drive ins can't make enough money there because they can't afford the winter time shut downs. Another thing working against the currently existing drive ins will be the push toward digital projection which is a big expense for a drive in.

Roland

Hey I am so psyched, the drive-in out here between Martinez and Concord (Solano Drive-In) has just reopened, starting with Spiderman 3 and Ghost Rider tonight! Wowee!

Oh, man. You guys are lucky. Last drive-in theater I knew of in Arkansas was in Hot Springs when I was growing up. Before it closed, it was running soft-core porn. Sadly, there are only three left in Arkansas and all of them are a bit of a drive.

To see if there's one in your part of the country, go to DriveIn Theater (http://www.driveintheater.com/index.html).

I thought that as well - then I remembered that obviously they couldn't stop because of that great, classic scene where Russel's character gets a vision of the car they are going to use, sneaks to the barn and cuts the brake lines... Don't you remember that scene? Maybe your theater was missing a reel or something! :p

I honestly don't understand that argument about just stopping, without getting into spoilers, stopping the car wouldn't have lessened the danger of Stuntman Mike, seems to me a moving target is harder to hit than a stationary one, even when precariously perched.

I thought the movie was fantastic, liked the 2nd movie beter and now I hear they might split them up, if so Im diffanty going to see the Kurt Russel movie again.

Oh, man. You guys are lucky. Last drive-in theater I knew of in Arkansas was in Hot Springs when I was growing up. Before it closed, it was running soft-core porn. Sadly, there are only three left in Arkansas and all of them are a bit of a drive.

To see if there's one in your part of the country, go to DriveIn Theater (http://www.driveintheater.com/index.html).

We still have a bunch in Ohio (think that site says 48)
Closest one is half an hour from me, and also happens to be near where we camp in the summer. We hit the flea market there on the weekends.

Will have to keep an eye out and see if it comes to the theater and make the trip up to see it.

I didn't see the movies, but I did see several of the actors at Chiller in April. Kyler got a good photo with the baby-sitter twins...

I finally rented both of the Grindhouse movies and watched them this past week. My whole family loved both movies. I'm surprised that this film didn't do well in the theatres. I'm also surprised that my local drive-in didn't show this film. I didn't even know about the movie until I went to Chiller last April where several of the actors showed up to do autographs. My first impression was that I probably wouldn't want to see these movies with a name like Grindhouse. You can't judge a movie by it's name.

Planet Terror was alot of fun to watch throughout. The Death Proof movie had a middle part filled with way too much dialog, but when the action kicked in, it really kicked in. The Machete trailer was cool too. Does anyone know if there is a plan to make Machete into a real movie?

The Machete trailer was cool too. Does anyone know if there is a plan to make Machete into a real movie?Rumor has it that Robert Rodriguez is planning to do a feature-length version of Machete because of the favorable response to the trailer. At this point, however, that's all it is--a rumor.

Roland, it didn't do well in the theatres, I think, due to the extreme length of the two films plus intermission. I wonder if they didn't do better overseas, where they were released individually.

I went to see them in the theatre with some friends. It was a great time, but the whole experience started to drag in a few places.

At the end of "Death Proof," I was waiting for one of the girls to clobber Kurt Russel with the car's Hallebrand quick-release steering wheel. That would have been hilarious.

Saw Death Proof a couple weeks ago. I had a lot of fun watching it, but I gotta say, as a film, it was seriously flawed in several ways. Not the least of which was leaving a few threads hanging with its too-abrupt ending.

Okay, it was a tribute/homage to badly-made 70s films. Tarantino advertises this with a few self-conscious, intentionally bad edits. But the rest of the film is too skillfully made to make those edits anything but obvious ham-handed hand waving saying "hello! I'm mimicking a bad movie!!"

I'm not entirely sure Stuntman Mike had a character. In his first kill, he was stoney silent, just running down the first three girls without a word. In the second sequence, he actively chased them in a car dogfight while shouting psycho taunts out his window. Maybe he's tripolar.

The ending? WTF? Punch punch heel kick The End? How about a little wind-up scene, Quentin? What about the guy who loaned them the car? I was waiting for them to roll into his yard in the wreck and say "We'll take it!" What about the cheerleader? They left this poor innocent actress as "collateral" when they took the car, with the suggestion that she'd "service" the farmer. A little resolution there would have been proper. Did her friends get her raped as a "joke?" Were they gonna acrew the guy out of his car, were they gonna pay him for it, or were they maybe gonna offer to trade their Mustang?

Yeah, yeah, it wasn't relevant to the car chase, it wasn't the point of the film. Nither was the 30 minutes wasted on the first three girls having philosophical coversations before they get killed.

Fun car chase, but poor filmmaking.

Roland, it didn't do well in the theatres, I think, due to the extreme length of the two films plus intermission.

Not to mention opening a three hourplus long sex & violence opus on Easter Weekend, I think there were 5 people in the theater I saw it in.

I like the longer version of both films on the two DVD's. According to Rodriguez on the commentary, there's gonna be another extra-extra special edition of Grindhouse coming down the road as well.