OK, OK, I may have obtained this through less than legal means but hey, waiting till June? Fuck that. Spoilers at times but not too detailed, don't worry. I am currently "obtaining" the second half but for now...
Advance Review: Grindhouse - Part 1 (Robert Rodriquez, Quentin Tarantino & Others, 2007, USA).
Robert Rodriquez and Quentin Tarantino have made an awful lot of money for the Weinstein's. The Mariarchi Trilogy, the Spy Kids Trilogy, Pulp Fiction, The Kill Bill's and Sin City have all made a huge profit and so they have been given free rein for probably the most risky investment yet. A 3 hour throwback to a genre of film not seen for decades. Two films, and trailers to create the "true" Grindhouse experience released in the US on Easter weekend. The result? It flopped pretty hard over there and now there is talk of seperating the 2 in the US and everywhere else, even though I have already seen ads in UK publications advertising it as a double feature. However, for those looking forward to it, nothing will stop them from experiencing the Grindhouse. Indeed, the belated UK release could not stop me either, but trust me, I know I'll be seeing it in the cinema.
I'll do the review in the order of contents within the film. The first thing we see is a trailer for a fake movie, as all the trailers are. The movie in question? MACHETE. Rodriquez stalwart Danny Trejo starts as a Mexican Machine of a man double-crossed and swearing to get revenge with the help of his brother, another stalwart Cheech Marin. The trailer has it all, the cool lines, the boobs and the guns that make up a great Grindhouse trailer (yes I've seen some, just go on YouTube). Rodriquez perfectly sets up this film in the trailer, and you truly get the sense that all the best bits are ion the trailer, as a great Grindhose tradition insists it must be. This settles you in perfectly for the tounge-in-cheek but kick ass action to come. Then the first movie starts, Robert Rodriquez's PLANET TERROR.
A go-go dancer called Cherry (Rose McGowan). A wandering trucker with a secret past called El Wray (Freddy Rodriquez). A husband and wife team of doctors with marital problems and a needle fetish (Josh Brolin & Marley Shelton). A scientist and an Army general who let off out green gases with horrific consequences (Naveen Andrews & Bruce Willis) A bar owner with the best BBQ recipe in Texas (Jeff Fahey). All their lives will collide as they all try to survive the night and get away from PLANET TERROR!!!
First things first, this title cracks me up. It's Earth! I went into this honestly thinking it was set on Mars or something, no its Earth. Points alone for that. The tone is set perfectly from the start with Cherry showing one of her "useless talents", dancing. A very hot scene setting the tone that explotation is the name of the game. This is further backed up by the next scene showcasing the KNB effects perfectly. These zombies? When they go down, they don't just go down, they fucking explode! Shit flys everywhere. Not just the zombies either (I'm looking at you, Lost man!). These old school throwback effects do very well in taking ny kind of realism out of the film and remind more of the horror of the 1980's, notably Society or Re-Animator. Of course, realsim is not the name of the game. Any film featuring Quentin Tarantino trying to rape a girl with his penis falling off can not be called anything like realistic! Everything in this film is hyper-real, the characters a suprising amount of room to breathe considering their number, they all get their moments for development and to shine and for Rodriquez to do this should be applauded. The film is tight with not an ounce of fat on it and it may be his strongest script to date. It is also a very funny film. One character's obsession with collecting balls is one of the most deranged character beat I think I may have ever seen. The film revels in its ridiculousness and feels more like parody than tribute. The Missing Reel gag is noteworthly brilliant. It cuts off at a point you really want it to continue and the film never explains what happens after the reel, brilliance.
To the cast. Rose McGowan is hot and kick-ass in her role and sums up a perfect explotation heroine. Brutal, sexy and not afraid to have a gun/rocket launcher attached to her leg. Freddy Rodriquez is quite the revelation as El Wray and fully aquits himself as an action hero. His wall-roll-kill is just awesome. Josh Brolin is a sick bastard as the Doctor and meets a pleasing fate, Marley Shelton is quite bizarre in her potrayal, her obsession with needles feels a little off but fits in perfectly given the film. Naveen Andrews is also suprisingly good. He is charming and also a bastard and that is something I never thought he could pull off. Good stuff from all really.
I did not expect to enjoy this section as much as I did. i have tried to remain fairly vague as to not spoil the film too much but the combination of outright coll factors Rodriquez has made has created something I will happily watch again and again.
We next have an intermission of sorts starting with a trailer for WEREWOLF WOMEN OF THE SS. Bizarre stuff fitting in with the general work-ethic of Rob Zombie's. Dark but ridiuclous, smutty and outlandish, this is a fun little trailer with a terrific cameo I did not know was coming. I'll see this much, I want to see that person in that role in a full film RIGHT NOW. Following this trailer, we get what may be the most out-of-keeping aspect so far but one which is one of the highlights of the entire package so far. A mash up of Hammer Horror cliches, Edgar Wright's DON'T warns us of many perils which swirl faster and faster at us and then just... stop. You will know what I mean when you see it, but it is actually quite the gut-busting little moment.
And that be all for now. Back, god willing, tonight, otherwise tomorrow with the rest of GRINDHOUSE...
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