d2cheer

Thanks, I am with scott1598 on having to go sometimes, so I appreciate knowing when I should duck out. I did make it all the way through the Departed but that was not 3+ hours...

SonOfAStu

Definitely between the features during the fake trailers. If you must see those, they'll be available online everywhere by the end of the month.

SonOfAStu

And there's the most predictable response of the day. Somehow I knew someone would say that. Sorry to burst your bubble, but I got the point of them exactly. Getting the point doesn't automatically make them entertaining. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they're there. A perfect time to use the bathroom between two really fun films that I'll definitely see in the theater again.

OldBoy

nah..the trailers i am looking forward to seeing in the whole scheme of these films...seeing it illegally dl'd to youtube or something would not be close to the same effect.

10 minutes into DP sounds like a good bet.

hapgilmore

saw this today...AWESOME movie, BUT Planet Terror was better than Death Proof IMO...WAY WAY WAY too much banter between the girls, most of which was pretty pointless and didn't serve the story at all...but damn that chase at the end was AMAZING!

FrancisRizzo3

This is an in-theater experience, because it's a rare chance to enjoy what it was like to sit through a double-feature in the '70s.

Unfortunately, Tarantino made a bad, and worse yet, boring Tarantino flick, instead of a Grind House flick. He barely embraced the concept, which causes the overall experience to fall far short of the mark expected. You can't throw a couple of scratches into a film and expect it to work after we have been immersed in two hours of time-machine fun. We didn't go to Grindhouse to see a good movie. We went to have a good time.

I get the feeling that most of the critics going for Death Proof over Planet Terror doesn't like B-movies, are Tarantino fans mainly and didn't get the point of the Grindhouse concept. If they showed Death Proof in a real Grind House, the audience would riot (and not out of joy.)

maingon

I was hoping to see that too

Perkinsun Dzees

Saw this today.

"Planet Terror" was typical RR -- all flash and no substance. Unfortunately, most of the good flash had already been revealed in the trailers and the other flash was primarily a pastiche of other horror/zombie flicks. Still, it moved at a fast clip and wasn't boring.

The trailers were pretty lame. Rob Zombie's trailer was just stupid. Not funny, just stupid. Eli Roth's -- meh. Most 70's slasher flicks are more creative than that. However, I thought Edgar Wright's trailer was pretty funny. Don't -- Don't -- Dont'!!!

Then comes "Death Proof". What can I say? Awesome dialogue. Maybe some the best dialogue QT has ever written (loved the Zatoichi reference). The conversation really had a nice flow to it and sounded like stuff that a bunch of girls would actually talk about. Unlike in the RR flick, you will actually end up caring for these characters. The first big "action" sequence in "Death Proof" is amazing. Totally takes your breath away. You've seen those stupid car commercials where somebody's car gets totalled. Well you ain't seen nothin' yet!!!

Then comes more GREAT dialogue. I don't know how, but QT has really developed an incredible ear for how a group of hotties converse with each other. Who would have thunk that a scene of women talking to each other could be this exciting? The line about "Gone in Sixty Seconds" (the Jolie version) cracked me up.

The finale is like "Revenge of the Cheerleaders" meets "Mad Max". I think it goes on a bit too long and could have used a few more plot twists and turns, but overall it was a pretty nifty piece of filmmaking (and Zoe Bell is awesome!).

If you are a QT fan, you will love "Death Proof". If not, go home after the trailers!

I thought it was the right thing to have the "Planet Terror" as the first feature since it is more of an appetizer than a real meal. "Death Proof" is the main course -- the steak and potatoes -- the chef's special. When it's all over you'll want to go back for a second helping.

maingon

I had a great time watching Deathproof. I think he did it well. It was a differnt pace then Planet terror and am glad it was. I think if it were as wild as planet terror it would of been too much. I actually ended up enjoying Death Proof. the car stuff was amazing and the movie was pretty funny. The crowed laughed alot. I thought it worked great with Planet terror. But man that car chase was awesome one of the best I ever seen.

Snowmaker

Yeah, I actually felt bad for Stuntman Mike at the end.

Zen Peckinpah

Saw it this morning. First showing at the local AMC, $5 too.

Loved, loved, loved the hell out of the entire thing. Planet Terror is a splatterfest that belongs on the same shelf as The Wild Bunch and RoboCop. Probably the best executed movie violence and gore I've seen in a while, and, dare I say it, gorier than Kill Bill.



Also, I think Rodriguez totally went the route of Peckinpah and Verhoeven (I mentioned their most famous movies above, so) with the violence. Those squibs were like giant packets of thick Kool-Aid!

I don't get all the Death Proof hate. As an aspiring writer I was completely engrossed with this from the first lines. The dialogue was amazing...you really get a great read on the character development, and Tarantino always does that well IMO. I remember reading that Tarantino loves what he calls "hangout movies" (how he described Jackie Brown IIRC), and that was what the scenes with the women were like. Once Stuntman Mike gets into the picture the movie became another classic for him. Plus, I loved how his movie wasn't the same exact thing as what Rodriguez did, in that he adhered to the same fundamentals but did it with his own style, and it blew me away how he could combine all of the elements of car chases, heavy dialogue, and the slasher subplot. That climactic car chase is probably up there with The French Connection and To Live and Die in L.A. for me. It was almost if you blended Vanishing Point, Dazed and Confused, and The Hitcher into one movie. Kurt Russell should get an Oscar nomination for this. Anybody else think he was like Jack Burton's evil twin here?



Also, the female characters (namely Rosario Dawson and Tracie Thoms and Zoe Bell) were less like The Bride and more like Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor.

The trailers were hilarious. Thanksgiving and Machete were my favorites. However, I thought Don't was not good at all. Really bland and boring execution.



But huge, huge, huge thumbs up. Death Proof might be one of my favorites this year.

SonOfAStu

I thought Tracie Thoms was easily the worst part of Death Proof, and I usually REALLY like her. Her character here was so irritating I was praying for her early demise.

Patman

Got a chance to see this double feature bill due to the holiday.

I enjoyed "Planet Terror" more than "Deathproof" mainly because PT just plays more like a "grindhouse" film (decent setup for a nutty zombie flick), while DP is a little self-indulgent on QT's part, and the payoff didn't quite redeem all the dialogue scenes in the film.

But it's definitely worth seeing if you like both/either director's work, and you get your money's worth (just over 3 hours of schlocky fun at the movies).

I give PT 3 stars or a grade of B, and I give DP 2.5 stars or a grade of C+.

Oh yeah, I really hated Heh.

Brent L

I watched Grindhouse earlier tonight, and I had a blast. The crowd I was with wasn't as rowdy as I had hoped, but they were ok by the time it was said and done. When "The End" showed up on the screen at the end of Death Proof the crowed all bust open and actually started to clap. There were plenty of laughs from everyone from beginning to end though, so it was received very well by the crowd, even if not as rowdy as I had hoped for. I liked everything, both of the movies and the trailers. It was just a flat out awesome time for me.

I can't believe some of the stuff that some people are actually complaining about, but eh, whatever. I highly recommend this, but I don't think I need to say that to most of you guys who are interested in it in the first place.

OldBoy

i don't think you'll ever see these movies mentioned in the same sentence again. kudos!

das Monkey

Over the years, I've learned to just completely ignore the reviews when certain filmmakers release a new title. Tarantino sits atop that list. I can't believe people didn't like Death Proof. Planet Terror was great fun, but "Death Proof" was 15 different kinds of kickass, and the crowd erupted in applause at the conclusion. I like each for what they tried to do, but I tend to prefer Death Proof, probably because I felt like I had already seen most of Planet Terror in the trailers. As much as I loved it, though, it's probably Tarantino's worst dialogue to date. It's not bad and is certainly better than Planet Terror's (which I acknowledge is intentional), but he usually produces better. I wonder how much of that is due to it being a predominantly female piece?

Regardless, it was an awesome experience, and the trailers couldn't have been more perfect. Dear God, someone green-light Thanksgiving! Best time I've had at the movies in quite a while and one of those few times where the communal crowd atmosphere was superior than respectful silence.

das

Brent L

I just remembered another moment that got a huge pop from the crowd I saw this with:

A-aron

I don't understand the negative response to the "missing reel" cards. Part of the history of grindhouse films were that projectionists would steal parts of the actual films - hence why they happened where they happened here.

I loved this movie, though as I was walking out of the theater I had to really think about what it was I just saw. RR's piece is pulp horror, QT's more like the best parts of a car chase film. This might have been the first time I actually felt like yelling at the screen

Between this and 300, I'm really looking forward to the supplemental materials on the DVDs. Then again, I'm still waiting for more Kill Bill DVDs.

FrancisRizzo3

Absolutely. Basically, take Tarantino's Sam Jackson material, and remove the male genitalia.
Weak.

I actually put my head back and closed my eyes until I heard people stop talking. It was a movie in search of any kind of pacing.

GreenVulture

Short Take
Overall, quite a bit of fun to be had. Rodriguez embraces the genre, but it feels like Tarantino is trying to deconstruct it.

Long (Winded) Take
Planet Terror is a total blast. Robert Rodriguez lets his b-movie ways go wild in a world where there is non-stop blood, explosions, gore and gunfire, and where minor things like deep characters and rich stories have no place. The director has made no attempt to hide Terror as a tribute to John Carpenter, and the film is a blend of Big Trouble in Little China's anything-goes action, Prince of Darkness's end-of-the-world feel, and The Thing's "there goes my lunch" special effects (the crew at KNB definitely earned their paychecks here).

The cast is fine for the most part, with Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton and Freddy Rodriguez standing out; also welcome are old pros like Michael Biehn and Jeff Fahey (much like Carpenter did with casting his childhood favorites Lee Van Cleef and Donald Plesance, Rodriguez does the same). Quentin Tarantino once again manages to bring his particular brand of sucky acting to Terror, but his role is mercifully brief. As the main character, Rose McGowan is acceptable, which is as good as an actor like McGowan is going to get; on the other hand, Shelton is fantastic, and made me wish she had taken the lead instead. However, this doesn't stop the movie from kicking Grindhouse into high gear from the get go.

Then the momentum is nearly killed with Tarantino's Death Proof. You think Tarantino + Kurt Russell + b-movies + cars = pure cinematic awesomeness. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

For one thing, the first half of the movie almost feels like a tribute to Tarantino's twin fetishes: feet and obscure 60's/70's music gems. And then there is the talking. Oh sweet Jesus, the talking.

Yes, lengthy conversations are a staple of Tarantino's, but they don't work here for a couple of reasons:

1) The conversations in Tarantino's past movies have never been this goddamn long.
2) Dialogue-heavy scenes need to have a rhythm to the way they're spoken, and be delivered by actors charasmatic and strong enough to hold your attention; the writing here is fairly banal, and, barring Russell, none of the performers are up to the task.

To expand on the acting in Death Proof, three of the performers (Sydney Poitier, Tracie Thoms and Vanessa Ferlito) are flat out bad and incredibly annoying, to the point where I openly rooting for their deaths. Others like Jordan Ladd and Mary Elizabeth Winstead are given very little to do, and the normally dependable Rosario Dawson is more or less wasted with a role that is literally in the background; on a more positive note, Zoe Bell brings some bubbly charm to her part.

But Kurt Russell...ah, yes. In terms of screentime, his role is relatively small, but he makes every second count. Russell's lined face, steely blue eyes and way of talking all ooze quiet, cold-blooded menace, attributes that pays off big time in film's final 15 minutes, where his psycho killer is given a creative turn.

On the fake trailers: lots of fun. Werewolf Women of the SS is the worst of the four previews, a random hodgepodge of shots that seem to come from different movies, though a cameo at the end provides one of Grindhouse's biggest laughs. Don't and Machete provide amusing 2-minute blasts; Thanksgiving is the best of the bunch, so good actually that I almost wish it had been made as the second half of Grindhouse...oh well, maybe that'll be for the sequel.

All in all, Grindhouse is worth your money, but next time, let's hope everyone is on the same wavelength. Rodriguez, Eli Roth, Edgar Wright and Rob Zombie all seem to have made exploitation, whereas Tarantino seems to be providing a dissection of the genre. Taken on its own, Death Proof might even be the superior picture, but coming after the exhilarating Planet Terror, it just provides a jarring shift in tone, and grinds (no pun intended) Grindhouse to a halt.

Couple of other things:

johnnysd

Saw this tonight and really really liked it. I remember sneaking into Grindhouse double features when I was a kid and it totally captured that feeling. In terms of the movies themselves, well I think that there will continue to be camps that like one or the other a lot more. One thing I disagree with, though, is that QTs was less of a Grindhouse movie. I thought Deathproof was over the top and more satirical, whereas DeathProof was actual more of a type of movie you would have really seen in a Grindhouse (with some extra dialogue) The crowd is was with was sparse, but seemed to enjoy it, and like Deathproof better. As for me, I enjoyed the whole experience very much, but halfway through Death Proof I realized I was involved in the film itself, and not as a part of the Grindhouse mechanism. Highly recommended.

RichC2

Whats weird is I had a blast with both films but felt Planet Terror was a insanely creative bad movie, it went balls out, but wasn't an actual Grindhouse movie. It was too much a tribute to everything over the top in the originals to not be considered a satire or borderline spoof. That said, it was very entertaining if a little long, the missing reel was beautifully placed.

Death Proof, well I enjoyed the hell out of this movie and it actually felt shorter than Planet Terror (got involved I suppose). It is, however, more of a good movie pretending to be a bad one. The movie is a complete deconstruction of the slasher thriller with some carsploitation added into the mix. That said, Tarantino was a bit too telling with his tone. He was in full control of it, which is great, but at the same time you knew where it was going with each segment based purely off the lighting and tone. If I had one complaint, it was that the avengers were a tad too happy during the ordeal.

Still, I had a fantastic time, enjoyed the hell out of the entire thing. And to be honest, it didn't feel like a 3 hr+ marathon session, though I did take a quick bathroom break right after the Thanksgiving trailer (which got a huge response in the theater).

Slumbering Fist

Same thing happened at my screening.

As I said before, my problem with Death Proof was it was around 80% Tarantino and 20% grindhouse. I dont think its a bad film - its a good film but a minor failure in terms of what they were aiming to recreate. He focused too much on Tarantino-isms and too little on slasher-isms and a drive-in theater feel (the car stunt flick stuff he got). Roth, Wright, and Rodriguez all nailed the look and tone of their inspirations, but Tarantino and Zombie (who's cutting, lighting, compositions, etc, were not right) didnt remove themselves or embrace the genres very well. In my opinion, of course.

RichC2

I have to disagree, as a lot of Grindhouse movies I've seen had a lot more talk than action.

Zombie's was way off though, it just looked like a fun remake than anything authentic.

Gcomeau

You know what's funny is no one clapped til the end of both flicks here which is cool to be a part of. But Planet Terror was the superior film imo. Damn i loved those trailers and they got a great response. I thought the missing scene moment(the first time) was genious.

Must get soundtrack, great stuff imo...still don't have Kill Bill sdtr.