film: review

> GRINDHOUSE (2007)
"...everything I could have imagined and more..."

By John C. Lyons
Film Critic

Directed by: Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino (trailers by Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright, and Eli Roth)

Written by: Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino (trailers by Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright, and Eli Roth)

Starring: Rose McGowan, Kurt Russell, Freddie Rodriguez, Rosario Dawson, Zoe Bell, Bruce Willis

Genre: Action/Horror/Sci-Fi/Thriller

Our Rating: 8/10

At the time of writing this review, Grindhouse, at least in its initial form as a double-bill, is sadly already out of the first-run theaters. I loved the idea of bringing these two directors (Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino) together in Sin City and even though the grindhouse-style isn’t what I would call a viewing pleasure, I was eager to see what the two would come up with in this experiment. A lot was made of the film’s earnings, but as for the actual product, I think their idea of slapping fake trailers into a combined juggernaut of blood, babes, and comedy was everything I could have imagined and more.

The two features are completely different beasts: one part a gruesome, over-the-top homage (Rodriguez’s insane Planet Terror), the other a serious, new entry in the genre (Tarantino’s revenge flick Death Proof). I left feeling worn out (from all the funny parts, not the runtime) and really impressed by Tarantino, whose film is more an actual movie than Rodriguez’s gross-out zombie fest. But I loved them both, they complimented each other nicely, and the fake trailers were hilarious! Planet Terror, I feel, works best in a group viewing. I don’t think I could watch all its gore again by myself, it’s just more enjoyable to have someone to cringe and giggle with, but Death Proof I think I’ll enjoy time and time again, it’s clearly the gem of the bunch.

Both filmmakers get to play in their respective playgrounds here, and whatever form these movies end up coming out on in the home viewing market, I highly recommend them both, for the initiated.

I saw this film at Cinemark’s Tinseltown 17 Theatres on Peach Street in Erie, PA. Click for showtimes.

related links:
Grindhouse - official site

MPAA rating: R
for strong graphic bloody violence and gore, pervasive language, some sexuality, nudity and drug use

length: 3 hours, 12 minutes