GRINDHOUSE! I've been really saddened about the jeering and handwringing and second-guessing over Grindhouse's "disappointing" box office. I saw the movie last week and, like loads of other people, I had a blast! At the time of this posting, Grindhouse has scored a whopping 8.3 out of 10 at IMDB, where it's ranked the 122nd-best movie ever--right between The Sixth Sense and Annie Hall, and way better than Fellini's La Strada (242), Truffaut's The 400 Blows (243), and Franklin J. Schaffner's Planet of the Apes (247). Impressive!Of course, I realize that Grindhouse isn't for everyone's taste. Basically, you've got to have some tolerance for gory zombie flicks to sit through Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror, the first of the two movies in this pseudo double-bill. If you can get over that one bloody hump (with or without a vomit bag--BYI), you're set to get a kick out of the whole package!
Now, there's just one other consideration for those going to see Grindhouse: the total length. Like a lot of movies these days, it's long, clocking in at more than 3 hours. The good news is that you get your money's worth; the bad news is that (also like a lot of movies these days), Grindhouse is something of an endurance test due to its lack of an intermission. Sure, there's a faux intermission between Planet Terror and Quentin Tarantino's relatively tame but still clever car stalker flick Death Proof, but it's filled with faux trailers you might not want to miss. Which could leave you and your bladder struggling with the dilemma of figuring out when to pee.
I suspect Tarantino might have been very aware of the potentially urgent peeing predicament--Death Proof has a couple-three moments that seem to indicate as much. Yet, in this age of YouTube, I think I've got a decent, um, solution to the problem--the intermission trailers themselves! There's a little more to the intermission material, but if you must take a bathroom break between the main features, at least you won't miss the following.
Source (1:54)
Source (1:32)
Source (2:59)
My other Grindhouse tip: For the full experience, make sure you see it in a theater where people will be likely to call out jokes and such. If necessary, bring your own posse for this purpose. (I saw it on 42nd Street, for old time's sake.)
IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING My favorite trailer is Don't.
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4 comments:
Maybe it's just me, but I totally didn't get the point of these incredibly long, violent and gory films with maybe a handful of funny moments. I agree that the trailer for "Don't" made me chuckle but sort of disappointing that such talented directors don't dedicate themselves to something newer and more interesting.
I can't understand why this one did so poorly either, because like you I just had tons of fun watching it .. I think Quentin's half was the superior flick, but only by a nose, and I just loved watching them back to back
Debbie, I'm surprised you went but not surprised you were less than thrilled. Grindhouse will never be to everyone's taste.
I couldn't argue that the films (especially the first one) aren't violent...but they're not really that long, right?
There's no question that Tarantino and Rodriguez both have an enormous amount of fondness for violent genre films. The thing is...I think it's interesting to see how they do their own versions of those flicks.
Out of the relative few Rodriguez films I've seen, I would rank Planet Terror as one of my two favorites. Tarantino-wise, I think Death Proof is a strong addition to what looks more and more like a skillful and knowing exploration of cheesy action/revenge genres. I liked the intensity of Planet Terror but I was also very intrigued by the sluggish pacing and twists and turns of Death Proof, which reminded me of urban legends and also proved to be timely with its pro-seatbelt point of view.
Maybe Tarantino and Rodriguez will go on to make other, more refined, movies--stranger things have happened. But for now I'm impressed by Grindhouse--its exuberance as well as its execution. I just wonder how exuberant movie theater audiences are these days--I really do enjoy this type of movie more when there's good, cheeky input from the audience, which (along with tantalizing posters and trailers that were almost invariably better than the movies) is something I associate with the grindhouse experience.
Incidentally: One of the big name-checked movies in Grindhouse is Vanishing Point, a car movie written by the very talented (but now deceased) Guillermo Cabrera Infante.
I just read that the guy who did "Don't" is Edgar Wright, whose Hot Fuzz opens Friday.
And just in case anyone cares, I hated Grindhouse. Yes, technically excellent, but I thought all those '70s exploitation flicks were unbelievably boring at the time... so now I want to sit through a thousand hours of pointless note-for-note remakes!? Sheesh... at least bring something fresh to table.
Like, for instance, Don't. At least that was funny. And short.
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