Advance Review: Grindhouse (Part 2)

The revenge....

Advance Review: Grindhouse (Part 2) (Robert Rodriquez/Quentin Tarantino & Others, 2007, USA).

So..........

Eli Roth's Thanksgiving eh? Brutal 1970's horror mixed with the smoke pot/have sex = death slashers of the 1980's distilled in a 2 minute trailer "White meat, dark meat, its all carved" and the results of a trampoline, a girl and a knife... all those delights await you in this strange, kind of funny mixtape of a trailer from the bloke who brought us Hostel.

And now Our Feature Presentation.

What do you want to see more, even outside of Grindhouse? I believe the majority would go for Tarantino over Rodriquez, as would I. The right one?
Three ladies reunite after spending time away after college, in Austin, Texas. They spend the night at a bar which is also attended by Stuntman Mike. That's all I'm saying.
Tarantino characters, dialogue and style mixed with balls-to-the-wall car stunt craziness. An odd combination to be sure. But then Tarantino is one who has a fondness for the oddness when it comes to mixing it up. A talky heist film, a throwback explotation film brought to the ninetees and a throwback explotation film brought to the noughties, Tarantino is not one who is shy of taking risks. And not only is Grindhouse a great risk in itself but after the theatrics of PLANET TERROR!!!!, showing Death Proof after is quite something. The thing about the Grindhouse movies is that they have the lesser film before the "A" feature, the less explosive before the balls-out crazy second flick. This is the opposite with Grindhouse. PLANET TERROR!!!! is flashy, explosive, gory and sexy, Death Proof is.... a Tarantino film. Best way I can explain it really. You have your "mixtape" of a soundtrack, you have your obsession with women's feet, you have your long conversations which don't service the plot but are still achingly cool. QT pops up for a cameo again, Eli Roth makes an appearance it in itself is like a mixtape. The second half, the women getting revenge is a theme which runs through many of the man's work. Indeed this is one of its weaker points, the motivation for the girls to do what they do in the second half of Death Prood doesn't feel real except for the idea of them doing it for kicks (Throwback to Russ Myer there for you) and while they are pissed off, it doesn't quite seem right. Indeed, Joe on the rather wonderful podcast Cinemaslave makes a good point around this. Joe, I am stealing your thoughts! Sorry! I agree though,maybe not quite as vehemently as yourself but the film jutst ends. It's a funny ending, and feels oddly fitting but you do expect at least another 15 minutes, a final final showdown. Not what happens. Like I say though, what happens is very very funny and feels much like we have been exploited (as does the missing reel section, which dare I say it, is better than PLANET TERROR!!!!!). OK, so feels like a Tarantino film. The strong women, most notably the incredible Zoe Bell who you believe every second is capable of pulling off the stuff she does, are all excellent in playing stock Tarantino girls. BUT, the thing that makes this arguably better than PLANET TERROR!!! (though I reserve the right to strongly underline, ARGUABLY) is the man who drifted in from another movie entirely...
Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike. Dear god, do I want a movie of just him hunting people down, men, women, children, animals, buildings, whatever. He can exude charm, confidence, old-man sexiness even but turn on a psycho personna in a second. He does it remarkably well and all I can see is, we have one scene of it. One. And it is arguably the best part of the entire experience. He eats the role off, cracking off the dialogue like he has been working with Tarantino since he started writing Reservoir Dogs. He knows the scene entirely and the end to it is shocking and very exciting. Not compared to the following scene where we witness what happens when a car and its passenegers after the Death Proof juggernaut hits them head on. Quite simply breathtaking. And I haven't, and won't even talk about the car chase which ends the film. Cracking stuff, up there with the best and I won't spoil a bit.
So I have been in the Grindhouse completely. I would go through it again now if I could, and I will again in the next few days. People have generally loved one, hated the other. The overblown theatrics of Rodriquez or the mash-up of Tarantino? I would edge for Tarantino only if it is because I eat up everything he puts out. However, I'll say this much It is the best film Rodriquez has made yet, but certainly not the best Tarantino has. The trailers add to the experience with no complaint from me and I cannot wait to see this on the big screen. So fucking recommended, I can't believe it was as good, no better, than I hoped.

This, Sunshine, Hot Fuzz, Perfume, Last King Of Scotland, Inland Empire. What a year so far. It's only April!!!