'Grindhouse' shivers and shakes with sleaze
By Kait Barnes, Staff Writer
April 19, 2007 | 10:31 p.m.
An homage to the B-movie houses of a time past, "Grindhouse" is an epic double feature filled to the brim with A-list cameos, gore and, of course, lots of sleaze.
“Grindhouse” opens with a set of fake movie previews, each overly violent and containing such memorable lines as “you fucked with the wrong Mexican.” It is these over-the-top clips that set the tone for an campier feature presentation.
The first film in the double feature is the Robert Rodriguez-directed “Planet Terror,” a movie that features a revolving cast of outlandish characters and the movie’s centerpiece, an army of blood-thirsty zombies.
A virus that turns people into zombies has spread in a small Texas town, and a ragtag group of survivors must do all they can to escape the wrath of the hungry fiends. The revolving cast of characters is completely outrageous, but somehow, they all connect. The film’s reluctant heroine and eventual one-legged go-go dancer, Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan), is the film’s crowning glory. McGowan gives one of the best performances of her life in this film, equal parts deadpan and sultry. The colorful group provides a semi-human backdrop to the campy horror of the film without affecting Rodriguez’s intent for cinematic entertainment.
“Planet Terror” is a movie meant to entertain and excite an audience into gore, and this film does its duty. Here, violence is always the answer, with brains being eaten and lots of people being shot, body parts exploding upon impact. The zombies are disgusting, bloody pustules cover their faces and they will stop at nothing to satisfy their appetite for human flesh. The bloody corpses fill the screen and when the literally brainless head of Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas appears, laughs and screams are abound. The action scenes are perfect, the makeup is almost disturbing and the fake blood is constantly and delightfully spilled. The film’s content is so over-the-top that it works completely to its advantage. Both gory and completely ludicrous from start to finish, “Planet Terror” is one hell of a ride.
Following “Planet Terror” is 10-minute intermission in which more faux trailers are shown. Most entertaining is “Werewolf Women of the SS,” a Hitler spoof that features violent German werewolf babes. The intermission segues into the Tarantino feature “Death Proof,” which promises more B-movie-inspired hilarity.
“Death Proof” opens stylishly with a group of young, attractive women planning their night out on the town. With names like Butterfly and Jungle Julia, these flighty twenty-somethings do not immediately seem headed for doom. It’s Tarantino’s way of pulling the audience into the film under the guise of a road trip movie. The girls go out driving around the city of Austin, then head to a bar for a night of dancing and drinking.
The girls’ luck changes when they meet a man named Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell), who sits at the bar alone and claims to have a death-proof car. At first, his demeanor is affable, if not a little lecherous. When the girls leave, Stuntman Mike follows them out in his giant black car, and it is here that his sadistic nature is revealed. It is quickly divulged that the car is only death-proof for those in the driver’s side and from there, chaos ensues. In true “Grindhouse” fashion, there’s more gore, and this time, lots of fire. The pure depravity of Stuntman Mike’s obsession is brilliant and is a tribute to the dark side of Tarantino’s mind.
The audience is then introduced to another group of women, presumably Stuntman Mike’s next victims. The characters are more developed this time, with a makeup artist named Abby and two stuntwomen being his main targets. The daring nature of the stuntwomen, Zoe and Kim, are an interesting contrast to Stuntman Mike’s corrupt nature. The girls take a hotrod sports car out on a joy ride, Zoe riding on the hood to add to the fun, only to be immediately terrorized by Stuntman Mike and his vehicle of death. He chases them up and down country roads, but thanks to deft driving, the girls survive. Instead of fleeing, they take their revenge upon Stuntman Mike. The women take charge and it is a refreshing change of events. Reminiscent of Tarantino’s “Jackie Brown,” the kick-ass attitude of these ladies shows that, despite his grisliness, Tarantino just might have a woman’s touch.
“Death Proof” is an entertaining and well-developed movie that is a breather from the constant violence of “Planet Terror.” Despite their differences, both films are sadistic and entertaining, and together they make a satisfying double feature. “Grindhouse” is an epic piece of cinema clocking in at over three hours, but with such exciting features filling the time, the time simply flies.
Speakeasy rating: A
Running time: 3 hours, 12 minutes
MPAA rating: R, for graphic and bloody violence, sexual content, nudity, some drug use and pervasive language
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Action