Theo Moore

I've been a serious Tarantino fan since Reservoir Dogs days. I've always loved the lurid dialogue and his knack for combining genres (ala Kill Bill). Some of the greatest scripting ever was in Pulp Fiction.

I've liked Robert Rodriguez since El Marachi, and its sequel Desperado. Can't really say what I've liked about his work, only that it always had an edgy, sexy feel that I liked. And, of course, Desperado was the first movie I remember seeing Salma Hayek in, and let me tell you, I could watch her read the phone book.

The most recent movie by the pair, Grindhouse, was seriously hit and miss. There are really two sections to the "double feature", and the idea is to pay homage to the horribly produced, cheaply made drive-in movies of the 70s, when people were going to the drive-in and the move was largely irrelevant. Not to say that there weren't some memorable movies from that time, but they weren't produced with that in mind. I totally get what the directors were going for, and they more or less make it.

The movie has that grainy, worn-out quality to it that you would expect from an old movie like that. Even intentional skips in the sound track (and "missing reels" in some choice places) add to the charm.

Oh, before I get, this is rated R, but it's one heckuva a seriously hard R. I am surprised this didn't get an Unrated rating. Not one for the kids for sure.

Rodriguez does the first segment, titled "Planet Terror". Tell you the truth, I loved this one. So amazingly over the top, so wonderfully B-movie, and such great cheezy lines and plot. It was clearly a tongue in cheek parody of the original genre. Lots of gore, lots of violence, lots of ridiculous over-the-top stunts. Zombies, betrayal, mystery, adultery, skimpy clothes, big guns, silicone, etc. All in the space of a little over an hour.

Taratino's "Death Proof" didn't thrill me quite as much. He was trying the trademark Tarantino dialogue, but it just didn't work as well for me this time. Not sure if it were the actors chosen or what, but I had trouble getting into it. The first 10 minutes are three actresses talking about what they are going to do that night. This rang awfully flat and empty. Kurt Russell has some interaction with Rose McGowan that really worked well, though. I liked that part. However, the others....not so much to be honest. The dialogue between most of the women in this one just didn't work for me. It wasn't that it was vulgar (it was) or that it was over the top ridiculous (it was), the actresses just didn't act it badly in the correct way, if that makes sense. I expect bad acting, but these actresses seemed to acting out bad acting very poorly. Just my two cents. The car scenes were ok, but I thought they were too long. Overall, I felt like Tarantino's segment felt like it was stretched out and could have been done much faster. I was finding myself wishing it would hurry up and get to the point sometimes.

However, the film also contains previews of "coming attractions", and these short segments are fantastic! Heck, I'd like to see the films myself. :-) Danny Trejo makes an appearance in one, as does Bill Moseley and Sheri Moon Zombie (what? No Sid Haig??). Tell you the truth, I think I'd like to see those movies, too. :-) As an interesting note, the only nudity in the whole film occurs in those segments. Not really anything too serious.

So, I'd have to say this is likely one for the archives, and I'll most likely buy it. But, it'll never been in my top 25 or 50...or 100, possibly. However, this is definitely one for the big screen without fail.