by Nicholas Berg
“Grindhouse” brings underground filmmaking to mainstream audiences
Grindhouse (n):
A theater playing back-to-back films exploiting sex, violence and other extreme subject matter.
It is nearly impossible to critique a grindhouse movie because they are so intentionally bad that they are entertaining. They are films where reality as we know it does not exist and the laws of physics do not apply. These movies are meant to be pure fun and “Grindhouse” certainly delivers. Directors Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino have created two separate, wildly different films and fused them together in keeping with the double feature tradition of the early 70s.
Ever since I saw “Reservoir Dogs” I have been a huge fan of Tarantino’s work and Rodriquez’s “Sin City” is one of my all-time favorite films, so I‘m probably a little biased. That being said going into the theater I was worried that I wouldn't like “Grindhouse”, but Rodriguez and Tarantino have once again exceeded all my expectations. I was yelling, laughing and clapping throughout both movies. It's rare to have a movie experience like “Grindhouse”, where the whole audience is interacting with the movie. I really enjoyed all the small details like the four fake movie trailers in-between films, my favorites were “Machete” and “Don’t”. The filmmakers have intentionally added dust and scratches, film grain and missing reels to the movie to give the audience a taste of the genuine grindhouse experience.
The first feature “Planet Terror” is Rodriguez's homage to ridiculous, over the top zombie films. A tale of a toxic gas which turns people into flesh eating mutants. The plot was so insane it is almost pointless, but the non-stop action and clever jokes make up for what the script lacks in depth. My favorite scene is when the fleeing victims use a helicopter like a giant wood chipper. Freddy Rodriguez’s performance as the mysterious hero was excellent and Rose McGowan brings an unexpected charm to her role as the depressed go-go dancer Cherry Darling.
The second feature is Tarantino's “Death Proof“. The story of a psychotic stuntman, played by Kurt Russell, who uses his reinforced, death proof car as a weapon. “Death Proof” fuses slasher film with high octane car chases and a revenge story. The stunts in this movie are incredible, and though the main character’s name is Stuntman Mike, most of the credit goes to real life stuntwoman Zoe Bell who plays herself in the film. Bell steals almost every scene she is in and every stunt you see her do in the film is actually her doing it. The final car case in “Death Proof” is one of the best chases ever filmed. Tarantino builds an incredible amount of suspense, and I found myself almost unable to sit still. I don‘t want to spoil it but the final scene is one of the most rewarding endings I have seen in a long time. The entire theatre was cheering and screaming when the movie ended.
“Grindhouse” is definitely not a film for the weak stomached - or those who can’t sit still for 3 hours and 11 minutes. But if you like guns, zombies, muscle cars, scantily-clad women, fully automatic prosthetic legs and extreme amounts of gore and hardcore action then I recommend you check out “Grindhouse”.
Rated R for strong graphic bloody violence and gore, pervasive language, some sexuality, nudity and drug use.
www.grindhousemovie.net
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