Finally saw Grindhouse. Naturally, I had known about this film for quite a while and had heard about the surprise beating it took at the box office. Depending upon who you listened to, its failure was due to poor marketing and/or public confusion - "You mean, it wasn't over when it said 'The End'?" Supposedly plenty of folks left after the first half, honestly believing they'd seen the whole thing. You know, sometimes I believe the average movie-goer is just that stupid. But in this case...Disclaimer: I am a longtime fan of both Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. Like many cinephiles, I was blown away by their respective initial offerings. But, while I've continued to enjoy Rodriguez's work - as well as his dedication to showcasing easier ways to be a filmmaker on the cheap - the appeal of Tarantino - dare I say it? - has grown stale. I didn't care for the Kill Bill films, and am still somewhat shocked that I'm in the minority. There's just no soul there. Compare them to Pulp Fiction and even Reservoir Dogs. Aside from the violent aesthetic and the eye on '70's cool, Kill Bill 1 & 2 are pale shadows. However, this entry is not here for me to bash Tarantino's decline - at least not directly.
I went to see Grindhouse with the similar mindset I took into Ghost Rider and even last year's Wicker Man. (Look for my entry on Nic Cage in a few days....) I brought low expectations, expected a genuine B-movie, and left any interests in subtext at home. Rodriguez's entry, Planet Terror, satisfied me in every way. Here he offered a retread of the classic zombie/end-of-the-world story. (Actually, I'd classify them more as "mutants" than "zombies", but that's for some possibly intoxicated geek debate somewhere down the road.) The pace was quick, the dialogue intentionally stilted, the ick-factor appropriately off the scale. Furthermore, the casting of former sci-fi/horror icons from the '80's - including Terminator's Michael Biehn and Lawnmower Man's Jeff Fahey (plus a cameo by gore effects guru Tom Savini) - added to an air of just plain fun. Again, I was prepared to just have a good time - I don't think I even once pondered, "Just how does Rose MacGowan fire that machinegun-leg of hers?" Okay, maybe once.
Quite frankly, the Tarantino piece - Death Proof - bored me. I had read that Tarantino fashioned the film as a slasher/car-chase movie, or even a slasher movie where the guy uses a car instead of a really big knife. So, imagine my surprise when an hour into the film he eliminates the whole "slasher" element and turns it into an inconsistent female revenge flick. Apparently he wanted to get his Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill on. Truth is, a huge chunk of this segment consists of 3-4 women sitting around, talking. Now, dialogue is something Tarantino does really well - as evidenced in Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, and smatterings of his other films - and I've since read reviews that praise the conversations in Death Proof. However, to me it all just reeked of self-parody, lack of editing instinct, and/or plain laziness. There's no there there. Empty, meaningless patter. If that was his goal, then fine. But, my god, don't subject us to fifteen, twenty minutes of it at a time! You made your point ten minutes ago! In the plus column, let me state that Kurt Russell is fantastic in this picture. This is the type of role he was born to play - see also, The Thing, Escape From New York, etc. The movie only comes alive when he's on screen, and the exchanges between himself and Rose MacGowan actually seem like they're written by someone else. I suppose that's a talent in and of itself.
Finally, let me lump some praise on the faux trailers that are included with the Grindhouse experience. All were quite entertaining in their own way, but two of them - Rodriguez's own Machete and Rob Zombie's Werewolf Women of the SS - are worthy of their own feature-length releases. All I can say about the latter is, "... and Nicolas Cage as Fu Manchu!"
When asked, I'll recommend Grindhouse. I had a good time overall. However, if the Weinstein's do decide to release each segment individually - as they've done abroad and might do here to make up for the lackluster showing of the combined effort - then I'll point folks directly to Planet Terror. Heck, I'll probably go again!
1 comment:
i hear what you're saying with death proof, but i respectfully disagree.
while i see that death proof could use some editing, i think allowing the movie to marinate was a good choice. for me, it made the scene where the women decide to go after "russel the love muscle" all the more exhilerating. also, i had heard the film described as a "chick revenge flick," so my expectations were met head on.
in short, while i don't think death proof was his masterpiece, i also don't think it was as bad as oh, say....."jackie brown."
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