It Was Not Very Good...Then It Went Downhill

Rating: Null/10 (7 April 2007)

I was not prepared for these movies to be SO BAD!
The critics supposedly liked Tarantino's half, Death Proof, better than Rodriguez's Planet Terror, so I was hoping for a lift during phase two. Uh-uh. Tarantino's film is mostly sheer boredom confused with some truly nonsensical plot twists and spiced up with "action" sequences that drag on and on and on. The Dukes Of Hazzard did it better every week. People in the audience started walking out after about 10 minutes, and the trend continued almost to the end of the movie. One time a whole group got up together and left, it was that dull.
Speaking of homages there are a lot of them, some of which are so obscure that I'll explain a couple. The three names on the drink cup, Automatic Slim, Fat Ed and T-Bird were bad guys in a terrific Vietnam revenge movie called Rolling Thunder (1977) starring William Devane and Tommy Lee Jones as returned American POW's. According to the IMDb's Trivia entry for Rolling Thunder, "Quentin Tarantino said that this film was his favorite vengeance-movie. 'I saw it on a double feature with 'Enter the Dragon,' and it's better than 'Enter the Dragon,'' Tarantino said." If you can find a copy, I recommend you buy it and watch it in one sitting with few distractions. It's a classic. Luke Askew, one of the all-time underrated bad guys of film, plays Automatic Slim.
The other comes from a movie called Telefon (1977) which is a Charles Bronson CIA vs KGB action adventure, in which Donald Pleasance triggers secret agents with the Robert Frost lines, "The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep." There are lots more.
The fake trailers, called "Previews" on screen just like in the 1970's are the best little bits, but that's the problem, they're just little bits. I liked "Machete" the best but they're all good and they're all pretty hilarious.
Planet Terror is the better half of this twin-bill, but that's not saying much. It certainly has a cast that's head and shoulders better, and it's much better acted (although Kurt Russell does his usual amazing job in Death Proof). Plus the story is coherent with a beginning, a middle and an end, and the plot is well developed. It's just not very good. In its favor it has one or two real surprises and a good deal of humor.
If this is a must-see for you, fine, go see it. But if you're on the fence having trouble deciding, save your money and your three hours plus. If you're a real fan of good movies and good movie-making, wait for Rodriguez's next effort. As for Tarantino, he's going to have trouble digging himself out of this hole. Death Proof actually makes me wonder if the years of excess have gotten to him.