Ha! For once, I get to review the big hyped-up release that everyone's been waiting for. Usually Jordan or Guy get to them first. Unfortunately, some of you probably won't like what I have to say. Nevertheless, you're still going to see it, right? I mean, it's a Tarantino film and a Rodriguez film with a contributions from other fanboy favorites. With that said, Grindhouse wasn't a bad film but, to me anyway, it was a disappointing one.

The film lasted about three and a half hours long so it'd take forever to review it such meticulous detail but I'll do my best.

First up is Robert Rodriguez' zombie flick, Planet Terror. Here, a batch of chemical weapons are released into a small Texas town turning everyone into pus-dripping, blister infested "sickos." I have to admit, they look pretty cool and unlike any zombies I've seen before. You also have an array of colorful characters to keep you interested. I can't mention them all because the fact is, they're too many, but lightning fast gunslinger El Wray (Freddy Rodriguez) leads the pack, Earl McGraw from Kill Bill and From Dusk Til Dawn returns for some more action, and then there was my personal favorite, psycho M.D. Doc Block (Josh Brolin), with a bad habit of chewing on a glass thermometer. I imagine everyone's going to remember Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan who actually does pretty well in both RR's and QT's films. Planet Terror starts out pretty good with the beginning of infection and the onset of zombie hospital mayhem. There's some great lines, plenty of gore and pus flying around, and lots of balls... literally; needless to say, it's all pretty gross (Tarantino's actually melt off onscreen! ). Things seem to be going fine until the missing reel (which plays off like a Monty Python gag) then the whole thing becomes one big joke (you can tell it's a joke when El Wray is doing a wheelie on a kid's motorbike). The thing suddenly becomes too cheesy to take seriously and has so many plot holes, you don't need the critics to point out anymore. The ending was totally bizarre as well and made no sense. It's almost like Bad Boys II near the end (not nearly as bad though). Nevertheless, Planet Terror is nothing more or less than pure, mindless entertainment that gets ruined by any thinking whatsoever... and why think when you have zombies getting sliced up by helicopter blades? In short, Planet Terror is silly and, at times, downright stupid but fun and pretty damn entertaining. Kind of a wannabe grindhouse film though. If it wasn't for the superimposed scratches and continuity errors inserted in post-production, this would just be a regular RR picture and no one would think twice about it, which isn't exactly a bad thing.

Then there's Death Proof, the real grindhouse film. QT's entry is so old school, it doesn't need any scratches or warped frames to show it (QT actually cuts down on all that as the film progresses until the halfway point when there's none left at all). With that said, Death Proof really isn't a horror movie... well, half of it is. Death Proof is a two act as opposed to three act film. The first act follows a couple of bar hopping chicks who are stalked and ultimately meet their demise at the hands of Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russel), a psychopath stuntman who gets off on smashing people up with his souped-up stuntcar, dubbed Death Proof, respectively. The first half of Death Proof is more of a horror movie while the second half is a car-chase movie with a couple of fearless stunt women (including real life stuntwoman Zoe Bell from Kill Bill) facing off against Mike. The car chases in the second half or awesome but Kurt Russel just steals the show. Not just Death Proof but the whole movie. I mean, his performance is second only to Snake Plisskin, and here enlies one of two problems I had with Death Proof. Kurt Russel's Stuntman Mike is just too cool. I actually was rooting for the guy to win. The girls in the first half are such trite and annoying slasher fodder, you actually want them to die (I did, anyway). Apparently, that's not the case in the second half, which is why, I guess, QT and KR chose to reduce Mike into, quite literally, a whiney crybaby (they went a little too far, to say the least, although Russel's performance still stands at this point). This just about ruined the film for me even though the rest of the audience was laughing and cheering. Nevertheless, Mike is definitely the bad guy. I just wish Russel and Tarantino hadn't made him so damn likeable. My second problem with Death Proof is the problem everyone else seems to have with it. Too... much... talking! Seriously, half of Death Proof was meaningless dribble that had nothing to do with the plot and just slowed the film down. I know Tarantino is renowned for his dialogue, and for good reason, but he's losing his touch. Now, it seems his dialogue isn't so much clever as it is boasting "I know more about movies than you do." In the first half, all the girls do is talk about drugs, booze, and guys. It was really quite boring. So yeah, Death Proof had moments when it was really, really good but personally, despite its many pleasant surprises, I found it to be a disappointment.

Then there's the fake trailers. Three out of four are unbelievably awesome. I didn't think Rob Zombie's Werewolf Women of the S.S. trailer was particularly noteworthy and definitely paled in comparison to the rest of them. Robert Rodriguez' Machete was awesome. Plenty of cheesy but cheerworthy lines, action, and Cheech Marin as a gun-toting priest. Eli Roth's slasher trailer Thanksgiving was straight out of 1981. I mean, it just looks so authentic. Edgar Wright's (Shaun of the Dead) trailer, Don't, was the best and probably the heighlight of the movie. I'd rather not spoil it for you guys. It was as ingenious as it was hilarious.

All in all, Grindhouse is a mixed bag as the very concept would suggest. There's some good moments, some bad moments, and some so-bad-it's-good moments. Considering, it's three and a half hours long, it's a safe bet that everyone will find something they like in it. In short, I guess it's worth the price of admission and you'll certainly have fun watching it, I just don't think, as is usually the case, that is was quite as good as the hype would have you believe.

How did you get to see this movie? has it been released in America?

I've got to wait until the end of May to see the movie here in Australia. damn!

But yeah I am so pumped for it. I didn't read your review cause i didn't want any spoilers.

But man, oh man three and half hours. Is that true? That's a big commitment. After sitting through for three hours through three Lord Of The Rings films plus King Kong I have a bit of a three hour phobia. Blame Peter Jackson.  

Tonka,

It was released on April 6 in the US and Canada. A few other places as well I think. And yeah, how much does it such that we have to wait till May 31? Bloody wankers.

Yep it's three hours plus. That's a lot of movie, but you're a big boy so I'm sure you can handle it.

I'm excited for this movie as well. Although a lot of people in the US and Canada don't appear to be. The film barely managed to scrape together 11 million for the whole weekend. That's nowhere near as much as they were hoping. Yikes. It's kinda strange considering the immense hype around the movie


Cheers, Chismeister.

Surprised more people haven't jumped on and reviewed this.  I don't have time right now but I will say that I usually dig Tarantino and Rodriguez and I definitely dig the films they dig.  This was the best time I've ever had in a theater and I heard other audience members saying that as well.

Don't understand the poor box office but hey, no accounting for taste.  I'd urge everyone to go out and see it just for something different.  Oh and Zoe Bell was freaking great.

Us in the UK have to wait til June. Well at least we got Hot Fuzz first

Quoted from RobertSpence Us in the UK have to wait til June. Well at least we got Hot Fuzz first

Somehow, I'm willing to bet you guys got the bigger end of the stick. It's not that I thought Grindhouse was that disappointing but rather that Hot Fuzz is probably that good. Seriously. Edgar Wright's 60 seconds or so in Grindhouse are more memorable to me than either of the features, with the exception of Kurt Russel's nonstop awesomeness. Plus Hot Fuzz runs a manageable length while Grindhouse is a little exhausting at just over three hours long. That's asking a lot from the viewer. I don't care how good the movie is.

Quoted from Heretic Don't understand the poor box office but hey, no accounting for taste.  I'd urge everyone to go out and see it just for something different.  Oh and Zoe Bell was freaking great.

theres a few reasons for this...

1. the movie is 3 hours long...
2. that means far less showtimes in 1 day
3. target audience... this kind of movie doesnt have a huge demographic
4. released on a holiday weekend...up against numerous family movies which rake in the big $$$

if the movie is good word of mouth may help it out a bit...

this is the kind of movie that could explode on DVD


James review is fair, not everyone is going to like this movie

Awesome!!! I loved both films!! Rock on Grindhouse!! I hope to see more like this in future.

I think I have to say that Robert Rodriguez's movie, "Planet Terror" was my favourite. It entertained me throughout, grossed me out more and was an all round more exciting movie. I LOVED Freddy Rodriguez - Rico from Six Feet Under - He nailed the role and I'm so glad he moved away from his TV character that he's best known for. And of course I was thrilled to see JOSH BROLIN (my Goonie), give an INCREDIBLE performance. He rocked every scene he was in. Hopefully he'll take a stab at a few more gritty roles now! I have to also say that Rose McGowan was INCREDIBLE! Fab performance!!

Now, having said all of that, Tarantino didn't do a bad job of his flick, "Death Proof" at all, I just didn't care for all the girl-time in that film. It only got good once the cars got into gear... Won't give anything away, I hate spoilers. Zoe Bell owned the movie and Kurt gave a great performance. Everyone else was so-so and the dialogue seemed a bit forced at times.

The cheesy trailers before both movies were hysterical and all I can say is that I'm glad we don't have Thanksgiving in the UK, LMFAO!!! Do not take your pee-break here, these are SO worth seeing. Anyone who's a fan of Tarantino will be well chuffed by the re-appearance of so many "Dusk Till Dawn" actors in these trailers too.

Great double-feature!! Oh, and I got over the 3hours and 10mins thing by not drinking anything 2 hours prior to the movies. SORTED!

Go check it out, it's a rollercoaster of a ride to say the least and I have a feeling this will be a movie that does brilliantly on DVD, regardless of the poor opening ticket sales. I for one will definately be adding it to my collection.

Andy xxx

i cant believe they are going to split up the movies. they said audenices were leaving after planet terror cause they didnt know it was a double feature.

are you kidding me??? are these people living under a bridge?!!do they turn their television on?!

Is that the reason why they're splitting the movies up? I thought it was because they weren't making much money...hmmm....

If people are that stupid, it's their loss. There was no reason to think that after "Planet Terror" there was nothing more to see. It was OBVIOUS there was more, as the previews began rolling immediately and it was only 5 minutes or so, after the 2nd batch of previews before "Death Proof", that the movie started.

I find it hard to believe that people would think that there was nothing else to see. I noticed a few people get up myself, but figured they took a pee-break as there was at least 5 minutes to go till Tarantino's movie started.

I don't believe that could be the reason they'd split the movie up. It seems like the whole point to the project was for it to be a double-feature show. I'll google and try to find out more, but I could be wrong.

OK, this is taken from - http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/8241


Is "Grindhouse" an old-fashioned double feature or two separate films?

It depends on where you live.

Variety reports that since the double-bill concept is alien to many filmgoers around the world, "Grindhouse" will be going out as two pics in some parts of the globe, while the U.S. and a few other English-speaking territories will see it as one singular experience.

The pic -- with a finished cost of $53 million, not the much higher figure incorrectly reported last week -- consists of two segments directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. It was envisioned as a salute to double- or triple-bills of the 1950s and '60s.

But most non-English-speaking territories have little tradition of a grindhouse double bill. So the central conceit of the film -- two short exploitation films, separated by faux trailers for upcoming cheapies -- would be lost.

When split, the two pics will be titled "Grindhouse: Planet Terror" (Rodriguez's seg) and "Grindhouse: Death Proof" (Tarantino's).

With the split, some additional footage could be added to each one.

Glen Basner, prez of Weinstein Co. international distribution, was at the Berlin fest discussing release patterns. The general plan is that the two films will be released three-five months apart, but there's no decision yet on which will be first.

They're also weighing the logistics of the faux trailers -- what will be attached to which pic. (In the united version, the pseudo-trailers will come between the two segs.)

The project was presold in a number of territories, including the U.K. (Momentum Films), Spain (Aurum), France (TFM), Germany (Senator Intl.), Italy (Medusa), Australia/New Zealand (Village Roadshow) and Thailand (Major).

In the non-English-speaking areas, the split pics will allow the Weinstein Co. and the local distrib to harness income for two pics, rather than one.

Loved this film, too bad it is a huge flop, but maybe it will have life on DVD, or it could be forgotten forever, who knows.

I thought Planet terror was the better of the two, from start to finish this was one hell of a ride, and Bruce Willis actually has a part in it, not just a 5 second cameo which I thought it was going to be.  Probably my favorite zombie movie.

Death proof had the best performance, Kurt Russel kicked ass, one of my favorite performances by him, in fact he speaks Tarantino dialogue better than anyone else ever has, it was a perfect fit.  On the down side is a 20-25 min sequence in the middle that drags on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and, oh well you get the point.  After about 10 - 15 min of chatter between these girls I went out for a cigarette, I come back and it's the same scene, and it still goes on for another 5-10 min, this scene was waaaaaaaaay too long, should have been cut in half and the rest given to Russel.

I loved how Kurt was a major bad ass at first, then in the second half becomes the biggest pussy of pussies, I loved it when he cries like a baby from a cartoon and goes "owie"  I laughed so hard.

The car chase at the end is amazing, truly rocked, that blond girl, my lord, how did she do those things.  

Anyways both are a lot of fun, but Planet terror was my fav.

Quoted from Andy Petrou OK, this is taken from - http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/8241 Is "Grindhouse" an old-fashioned double feature or two separate films? It depends on where you live. Variety reports that since the double-bill concept is alien to many filmgoers around the world, "Grindhouse" will be going out as two pics in some parts of the globe, while the U.S. and a few other English-speaking territories will see it as one singular experience.

Yep that's us. I probably wasn't going to see it anyway.

I might check it out on DVD. But I actually think Tarantino has lost it. Reservoir Dogs, True Romance and Pulp Fiction had a magic about them that catapulted them into my all time top 20, but his later stuff hasn't reached the same heights. A lot of people talk up Kill Bill, but seriously, compared to Pulp Fiction, it's a piece of s hit. Since Pulp Fiction Tarantino has just been going through the motions.

All artists reach their prime and then pass it and unfortunately this has happened to him. I can't see him making anything as good as Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs again. This is a shame because he’s one of my all time favourites.

I enjoyed Grindhouse more than I enjoyed Pulp Fiction. And I say that only in so far as it was a more enjoyable movie-going experience, ultimately. I do not understand why this movie bombed at all. People are strange.

I'm wondering if anyone can help me, please? I have tried to find out the DVD release date for the movie (North American region) and I can't seem to find any information about it. Does anyone here know when it's expected to go on sale?

Thanks in advance!!

Andy x

I did a brief search but wasn't able to find anything as far as a release date, but given its box office performance, I wouldn't be surprised to see it released within the next three months.

A couple articles I found did mention that they may be split up for the dvd release, as well as the possibility of it going straight to video in the UK.  If it's Region 1 or not I don't know.

Eli Roth also seems to be trying to get a Geindhouse 2 made with "Thanksgiving" and "Don't".

Me personally, would like to see "Hobo with a Shotgun", the trailer contest winner that was shown before the film in Canada.  If you haven't seen it, check it out on YouTube.