Grindhouse- 10th Anniversary
It has now been a decade since the Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino double feature, Grindhouse, hit theaters. Despite the fact that it did not perform as well as expected at the box office, I still believe, to this day, that this was one of the best movie-going experiences in my lifetime. For me, personally, most movies don't seem to warrant going to the theater these days. I think it is a combination of modern home viewing technology and the movies that are made today. There are plenty of good movies that come out today, but they don't grab my attention quite the way movies used to and are on DVD and Blu-Ray just a few short months later, playing theaters for just a few brief weeks, so there is only a small window to go see them in the theaters now.
With Grindhouse, it was different. This was something I waited for and looked forward to for some time before the release. It was one that I knew would be best to see in the theater. This one actually made me excited to go to the movies again.
I was not disappointed.
What I got was over 3 hours of bloody, violent, deranged, crazy entertainment and it was more than worth the ticket price. For the same you would pay to see any other regular movie, you got two feature-length movies, plus several trailers for non-existing movies. It was a bargain.
Unfortunately, I think many people just did not get it. I suppose that is to be expected, as not everybody is familiar with exploitation cinema and the grindhouse era. That lack of familiarity for many people seemed to mean that they were not able to fully enjoy the movies and the trailers sandwiched between them. Instead, they would wonder why something is the way it is and why the movies look the way they do, etc.
The Movies:
Planet Terror is the first of the two movies and the more rapidly-paced of the two. I think it was a good idea to put this one first, just to get everything going quickly. It is bloody, chaotic, and just plain fun. It is absurd, it is exciting, and it takes you on a great ride. It doesn't hurt that there are a good few rather attractive women in it, including Robert's nieces (credited here as "the Crazy Babysitter Twins").
Death Proof, on the other hand, is more of a slow-burn movie (although it, too, features many very attractive women), which is a bit more in keeping with movies from the exploitation/grindhouse era. All the crazy violence and action that would fill the trailer was generally from the last 20-30 minutes of the movie. Many found Death Proof to be mostly boring, which I can understand, but do not agree with. Of the two movies, this is the one I prefer. I think both movies are excellent and very enjoyable, but I watch Death Proof way more frequently than I watch Planet Terror. In fact, going off of how often I watch each of them, Death Proof is my favorite Tarantino movie, period. I know I am in the minority on this (even the man himself has referred to it as the worst movie he will ever make), but that is my honest opinion.
The Trailers:
The first trailer is shown before Planet Terror, which is for Machete (which was actually made into a movie later). From the look to some of the dialogue to the violence to the narration, this trailer really captures the feel of those old trailers.
The remaining trailers are shown between the two movies. There is Rob Zombie's Werewolf Women of the SS, which really sounds like it would be a fun movie. The mix of ideas in this one is ridiculous, but at the same time just kooky enough that it could really make for one hell of an entertaining movie. Zombie apparently shot enough for a feature or at least close to it. If any of the other footage will ever see the light of day, I have no idea. Obviously, this trailer is bringing out some of the old nazi-exploitation vibe, which is great. I will say that I think this trailer is the least convincing as far as the old, worn-out look that they all have. This one looks like a new trailer with digital wear and tear added. This is not enough, however to ruin the fun of the trailer and I would still dig seeing this as a complete movie.
Don't is a throwback to all the movies that had the word "don't" in their titles, of which there were many: Don't Go in the House, Don't Answer the Phone, Don't Go in the Woods Alone, Don't Look in the Basement-- you get the idea. Some of these are actually referred to in the trailer's narration. This is one of the most well-done of the trailers. It really looks like something from 1977 or so. There are even some shots that brilliantly-recreated shots from real movies, such as The Legend of Hell House.
Thanksgiving brings back the good old days of the holiday-themed slasher movie. This one looks grimy and sleazy as hell, filled with blood, severed heads, and boobs. Eli Roth's narration is priceless and completes the feel of those old slasher trailers.
To top off the trailers, there was also a fake commercial for the Tarantino-universe restaurant, The Acuña Boys. If you have never seen any of these old commercials for restaurants like this, they really look just like this one looks.
All told, Grindhouse was and is a movie-experience like none other these days. It takes viewers back to a different time, when you felt like you got a bit more for what you paid and it delivers. Even though I think this is best experienced in an actual theater, it is still great fun in your own home on your TV in your living room, either alone or with a couple friends.
If you never gave this one a go, you should. And if you did, but hated it, well it isn't for everybody.
With Grindhouse, it was different. This was something I waited for and looked forward to for some time before the release. It was one that I knew would be best to see in the theater. This one actually made me excited to go to the movies again.
I was not disappointed.
What I got was over 3 hours of bloody, violent, deranged, crazy entertainment and it was more than worth the ticket price. For the same you would pay to see any other regular movie, you got two feature-length movies, plus several trailers for non-existing movies. It was a bargain.
Unfortunately, I think many people just did not get it. I suppose that is to be expected, as not everybody is familiar with exploitation cinema and the grindhouse era. That lack of familiarity for many people seemed to mean that they were not able to fully enjoy the movies and the trailers sandwiched between them. Instead, they would wonder why something is the way it is and why the movies look the way they do, etc.
The Movies:
 |
| Planet Terror DVD cover |
Planet Terror is the first of the two movies and the more rapidly-paced of the two. I think it was a good idea to put this one first, just to get everything going quickly. It is bloody, chaotic, and just plain fun. It is absurd, it is exciting, and it takes you on a great ride. It doesn't hurt that there are a good few rather attractive women in it, including Robert's nieces (credited here as "the Crazy Babysitter Twins").
 | |||||
| Death Proof DVD cover |
Death Proof, on the other hand, is more of a slow-burn movie (although it, too, features many very attractive women), which is a bit more in keeping with movies from the exploitation/grindhouse era. All the crazy violence and action that would fill the trailer was generally from the last 20-30 minutes of the movie. Many found Death Proof to be mostly boring, which I can understand, but do not agree with. Of the two movies, this is the one I prefer. I think both movies are excellent and very enjoyable, but I watch Death Proof way more frequently than I watch Planet Terror. In fact, going off of how often I watch each of them, Death Proof is my favorite Tarantino movie, period. I know I am in the minority on this (even the man himself has referred to it as the worst movie he will ever make), but that is my honest opinion.
The Trailers:
The first trailer is shown before Planet Terror, which is for Machete (which was actually made into a movie later). From the look to some of the dialogue to the violence to the narration, this trailer really captures the feel of those old trailers.
The remaining trailers are shown between the two movies. There is Rob Zombie's Werewolf Women of the SS, which really sounds like it would be a fun movie. The mix of ideas in this one is ridiculous, but at the same time just kooky enough that it could really make for one hell of an entertaining movie. Zombie apparently shot enough for a feature or at least close to it. If any of the other footage will ever see the light of day, I have no idea. Obviously, this trailer is bringing out some of the old nazi-exploitation vibe, which is great. I will say that I think this trailer is the least convincing as far as the old, worn-out look that they all have. This one looks like a new trailer with digital wear and tear added. This is not enough, however to ruin the fun of the trailer and I would still dig seeing this as a complete movie.
Don't is a throwback to all the movies that had the word "don't" in their titles, of which there were many: Don't Go in the House, Don't Answer the Phone, Don't Go in the Woods Alone, Don't Look in the Basement-- you get the idea. Some of these are actually referred to in the trailer's narration. This is one of the most well-done of the trailers. It really looks like something from 1977 or so. There are even some shots that brilliantly-recreated shots from real movies, such as The Legend of Hell House.
Thanksgiving brings back the good old days of the holiday-themed slasher movie. This one looks grimy and sleazy as hell, filled with blood, severed heads, and boobs. Eli Roth's narration is priceless and completes the feel of those old slasher trailers.
To top off the trailers, there was also a fake commercial for the Tarantino-universe restaurant, The Acuña Boys. If you have never seen any of these old commercials for restaurants like this, they really look just like this one looks.
All told, Grindhouse was and is a movie-experience like none other these days. It takes viewers back to a different time, when you felt like you got a bit more for what you paid and it delivers. Even though I think this is best experienced in an actual theater, it is still great fun in your own home on your TV in your living room, either alone or with a couple friends.
If you never gave this one a go, you should. And if you did, but hated it, well it isn't for everybody.
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