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BONUS REVIEW
Movie Review of Grindhouse (2007) [R] 191 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $13.00
Where Viewed: United Artists Denver Pavilions Stadium 15, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 7 April 2007
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
DVD Release Date: unscheduled
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez (Sin City), Eli Roth (Hostel), Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead), and Rob Zombie (The Devil's Rejects)
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Michael Biehn (You Are Here) • Jordan Ladd (Inland Empire) • Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) • Danny Trejo (SherryBaby) • Nicolas Cage (Ghost Rider) • Sybil Danning (Amazon Women on the Moon) • Olja Hrustic (Boy in a Bathtub) • Udo Kier (BloodRayne) • Sheri Moon (The Devil's Rejects) • Bill Moseley (Thr3e) • Lorielle New (Black Dahlia) • Tom Towles (Miami Vice)
Soundtrack: Download now from 
— or — order the CD below
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
Unbelievable. Unreal. One-of-a-kind. Those are the first expressions that come to mind in trying to describe the new Quentin Tarantino / Robert Rodriguez double feature collectively billed as Grindhouse. A 'grindhouse' as has probably been explained a few too many times recently was a movie theatre that reigned in the 1970s and survived by showing primarily exploitation films or those lambasted for a lack of artistic purpose vs. simply drawing in customers to see what amounted to sex and violence or pure schlock. Thin of plot, but large in advertising that made the films seem as though they were breaking taboos and could not and should not be seen by children, such exploitation films now generally go straight to DVD. So, imagine the fun of re-creating exploitation films for a new generation only this time, the claim of artistic merit can be hinged on the notion that to recreate a look and feel of an old now mostly gone film genre would require talent.
" Unbelievable. Unreal. One-of-a-kind.…pure, all out fun…clever cornucopia of creativity and clever cinematic craziness…"
Indeed, the attention to the detail in transporting movie audiences of the late 2000s to the early 1970s to see two modern films made to look, right down to film scratches and missing reels during all-important scenes, taken on by these two directors is mind boggling. Not only did they capture the feeling of this film experience (except the movie theatre candy is decidedly more varied than it was in the 70s) but they created fake movie trailers (one so classic it is now in production called Machete) and interludes which show that the films are not to be seen by children.
For this review of Grindhouse, uncommon among most critics, the take shall be to review the double feature in three parts. This review for Grindhouse will include a review of the overall experience and anything that wasn't in the two feature films called Planet Terror and Death Proof.
For an extensive review of Planet Terror click here.
For an extensive review of Death Proof click here.
As for the Grindhouse interludes pre and post the real films, one could probably spend a few hours analyzing just these parts. Machete was wildly fun in a sick sort of way. Danny Trejo appears as a modern day 'superhero'. A wronged hired assassin decides to make things right. His weapon of choice? His Machete. Apparently, this teaser is more than a teaser, it's a real teaser. According to sources, it's in production as a real film. Meanwhile, the fake trailer for the fake horror film, Thanksgiving was hilarious albeit morbidly grotesque. Then there was Werewolf Women of the SS which was also funny with a delectable and humorous cameo by Nicholas Cage as Fu Manchu. The best of the bunch, though, at least from my perspective was "Don't" as it best captured the look and feel of exploitation film movie trailers of the day with the most pizzazz and ominous "Don't" voice overs. Continuing, overall, these bonus materials were pure zany imagination gone wild with guest directors Eli Roth, Edgar Wright, and Rob Zombie taking charge and really having fun with them. Were these spoofs or recreations or an entirely new form of entertainment? In any case, they were so funny and out there that I'd recommend stocking up on food and frosty beverages for the second film and not going to the lobby mid-stream like so many have done and missed the whole thing. The psychedelic "coming soon" logos and the cheesy animation indicating that the film upcoming is not for children were also hilarious reminders of an era long gone with those films of the 70s actually probably tamer than some of the current stuff on cable. This was just pure, all out fun.
Finally, there will be people posting and blogging about which of the two feature films: Planet Terror or Death Proof is the better film. Setting aside the notion that they are two chapters in the same experience aside, the better of the two films, overall, is Planet Terror. It is the more complete of the two. Death Proof smacks more of a short story that got extended. It's hard to top Tarantino's dialogue and the amazing way he lets us in on the lives of the characters, that's true, but Death Proof falls shy of the complete experience plotwise that Planet Terror dials up.
For this review of Grindhouse, uncommon among most critics, the take shall be to review the double feature in three parts. This review for Grindhouse will include a review of the overall experience and anything that wasn't in the two feature films called Planet Terror and Death Proof.
For an extensive review of Planet Terror click here.
For an extensive review of Death Proof click here.
As for the Grindhouse interludes pre and post the real films, one could probably spend a few hours analyzing just these parts. Machete was wildly fun in a sick sort of way. Danny Trejo appears as a modern day 'superhero'. A wronged hired assassin decides to make things right. His weapon of choice? His Machete. Apparently, this teaser is more than a teaser, it's a real teaser. According to sources, it's in production as a real film. Meanwhile, the fake trailer for the fake horror film, Thanksgiving was hilarious albeit morbidly grotesque. Then there was Werewolf Women of the SS which was also funny with a delectable and humorous cameo by Nicholas Cage as Fu Manchu. The best of the bunch, though, at least from my perspective was "Don't" as it best captured the look and feel of exploitation film movie trailers of the day with the most pizzazz and ominous "Don't" voice overs. Continuing, overall, these bonus materials were pure zany imagination gone wild with guest directors Eli Roth, Edgar Wright, and Rob Zombie taking charge and really having fun with them. Were these spoofs or recreations or an entirely new form of entertainment? In any case, they were so funny and out there that I'd recommend stocking up on food and frosty beverages for the second film and not going to the lobby mid-stream like so many have done and missed the whole thing. The psychedelic "coming soon" logos and the cheesy animation indicating that the film upcoming is not for children were also hilarious reminders of an era long gone with those films of the 70s actually probably tamer than some of the current stuff on cable. This was just pure, all out fun.
Finally, there will be people posting and blogging about which of the two feature films: Planet Terror or Death Proof is the better film. Setting aside the notion that they are two chapters in the same experience aside, the better of the two films, overall, is Planet Terror. It is the more complete of the two. Death Proof smacks more of a short story that got extended. It's hard to top Tarantino's dialogue and the amazing way he lets us in on the lives of the characters, that's true, but Death Proof falls shy of the complete experience plotwise that Planet Terror dials up.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring Grindhouse (2007)
Cast Members
Michael Biehn
• Jordan Ladd • Eli RothDanny Trejo
• Nicolas Cage • Sybil DanningOlja Hrustic
• Udo Kier • Vladimir KozlovAndrew Martin
• Sheri Moon • Bill MoseleyLorielle New
• Tom TowlesCo-Directors
Robert Rodriguez
• Eli Roth • Edgar WrightRob Zombie
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Grindhouse (2007) Review-lite [150-word cap]
Unbelievable. Unreal. One-of-a-kind. Those are the first expressions that come to mind in trying to describe the new Quentin Tarantino / Robert Rodriguez double feature collectively billed as Grindhouse. Indeed, the attention to the detail in transporting movie audiences of the late 2000s to the early 1970s to see two modern films made to look, right down to film scratches and missing reels during all-important scenes, taken on by these two directors is mind boggling. Not only did they capture the feeling of this film experience (except the movie theatre candy is decidedly more varied than it was in the 70s) but they created fake movie trailers that are hysterical. With added direction from Eli Roth, Edgar Wright, and Rob Zombie, these interludes were so funny and out there they are not to be missed. This was just pure, all out fun.
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