Dimension Films
Ah, the opening of a new Quentin Tarantino film. It is to me what it must be like what opening day of the baseball season is like to people who love baseball. I saw the trailer for Grindhouse a few months back, and I was psyched. Ever since I saw Pulp Fiction, I have always looked forward to Tarantino's films. Every one is a treat. In its own special way.
Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez are certainly two of the most self-indulgent directors in modern cinema. Every film that they make is the film they want to make. Look at Tarantino's body of work throughout the last ten years or so. He decided he wanted to make a film that paid homage to the 70s "blacksploitation" films he loves, so he made Jackie Brown. He wanted to pay homage to the over-the-top kung-fu films he loves, so he made Kill Bill. In each case, there were obvious elements of the genre he was emulating throughout the film, and the cast even included some of the most recognized people from the original films he was emulating.
Grindhouse is easily both directors' most self-indulgent effort to date. Like their previous work, these films (Grindhouse is actually a self-contained double-feature) have stylistic elements that hearken back to the genre being emulated--in this case, the B-movie science fiction and horror films of the 60s and 70s drive-in days. But Grindhouse doesn't stop there. Grindhouse is presented as if it were really a double-feature from that era. There are coming attractions (fake ones, directed by the likes of Eli Roth, Rob Zombie, and Edgar Wright) before each segment; bumpers from the old days (the little filmed segments that say "Prevues of Coming Attractions" and the like); and even little rating cartoons from the earliest days of the motion picture rating system. It's like a trip back in time. In addition, Tarantino and Rodriguez purposely making the film look and sound as if it has been run through the projector over a thousand times, complete with pops and scratches. There are also purposely bad edits (as if frames are missing after a bad splice) and even a missing reel in both films (which leaves a gap in the action--weird, but really funny in both cases). It's a no-holds barred self-indulgent free-for-all.
The first film of the double-feature is Rodriguez's Planet Terror. It's the story of a biochemical experiment at a military base that goes awry, creating armies of nasty, pus-spewing, man-eating zombies. A rag-tag, eclectic group of survivors including a go-go dancer named Cherry (McGowan), a mysterious and dangerous loner named Wray (Freddy Rodriguez), the local sheriff (Michael Biehn), and a slew of others face off against the armies of the infected and the military group who control the substance that created them (led by Bruce Willis in yet another un-credited role--he does that a lot in Tarantino films). Other folks making appearances in this segment include Naveen Andrews (who plays Sayid on Lost) and Quentin Tarantino (who can never resist the urge to get in front of the camera for at least a little while). Planet Terror is easily the most violent of the two segments, with lot of blood, gore, and just plain unnecessary grossness (melting testicles anyone?). It's actually rather nauseating at times. The plot is a little hard to follow in this one, so don't dig too deep. It's the uninfected versus the infected. That's all you really need to know.
The second feature is Death Proof. This one features Kurt Russell in a rather interesting turn as a mysterious and homicidal character known as Stuntman Mike. For reasons unknown, he uses his movie stunt cars (which have been death-proofed for stunt purposes) to kill people in horrible ways at high speeds. The cast in this segment (aside from Russell) includes Rose McGowan (again), Vanessa Ferlito (formerly of CSI: NY), Rosario Dawson, and Sydney Poitier (not the one you're thinking of). The plot of Death Proof is less convoluted than that of Planet Terror--in fact, it's pretty much non-existent. Once the action gets started (it does take a while), it's all about car chases and stunts. Pretty fun and exciting to watch, no doubt, but definitely not what you'd call brilliant in the story department. Stuntman Mike seems to do what he does for no apparent reason, and the two very distinct halves of Death Proof seem to have no real dramatic connection to one another--apart from Stuntman Mike.
Grindhouse scores high marks when it comes to creating atmosphere and presenting the audience with a B-movie-in-the-70s experience. It's like being in a time machine in that respect, and you definitely have to hand it to Tarantino and Rodriguez for pulling that off so well. The quest for authenticity is also the Grindhouse's downfall. Both segments are written and acted as if they were B-movies. The acting isn't as much of a problem as the stories. There are long lulls in both films where there is nothing but dialog--purposely bad dialog--and very 70s style acting. You get antsy waiting for something to happen. This is especially true in Death Proof, where both halves of the feature (there are two distinct groups of characters) spend a lot of time introducing the characters through prolonged conversations before Stuntman Mike enters the equation and the action begins. I know this was done on purpose--and from what I've seen of these types of films, it's very accurate--but it does wear on you a bit. And in a film that runs for three hours and fifteen minutes, it can become tiring.
The only place that both segments stray from their authentic roots is in terms of violence and language. Both are far beyond what a 70s schlock film could do in this department, with Planet Terror taking the prize for the most gory.
Overall, I came away feeling generally positive about Grindhouse. I don't think that it's either director's best work, but they definitely accomplish what they set out to do. I'm thinking that I'll have to see Grindhouse again before I can fully appreciate it. I was less than impressed the first time I saw Jackie Brown, but I ended up liking it a lot more every time I watched it. I have a feeling Grindhouse will be the same way. However, I think that this is one of those films that you just have to see in the theater. I am positive that a lot of its stylistic charm and ambiance will be lost when watching it in your own living room on DVD.
Bottom line: Not the best from either director, but a really cool cinema experience.