Rodriguez and Tarantino: Feel the Genius

Rating: 8/10 (9 April 2007)

I have just returned from seeing "Grindhouse." My heart is still racing so much, I just don't know where to begin. First, let me say that my only disappointment had nothing to do with the film itself. Rather, it was the fact that there were so few people in the audience. Even though the film received favorable reviews, its opening weekend return was considered a disappointment. What a shame. (Especially when one notices that the big grosser was, again, "Blades of Glory" ...BE FOR REAL!) I am happy to see that so many of the other reviewers regarded this film as more than just a movie, but instead as an experience. Folks, that's what this film is all about: NOT SIMPLY WATCHING A MOVIE, BUT EXPERIENCING IT. There are so few films out there these days that actually invite an audience to do that. Now, I'm not suggesting that "Grindhouse" needs mainstream acceptance for validation. My point is that art of this magnitude should be witnessed and shared by as many as possible. The film itself? I'd rather you go see it to feel the genius of Rodriguez and Tarantino. Here are two master filmmakers doing what they do best, and, not coincidentally, doing it better than any other writers/directors out there today. What do they do? It's not only about exceeding audience expectations, it's about SUBVERTING them. It is true that this film invokes the "moviehouse" feel of the 1970's (for me, it was a return trip to the world of mid-70's drive-ins), but the two directors take that cinema experience and create a new cinematic juggernaut that grips you from the very start and will not turn you loose, until it has turned you every which but loose. NOTE: To all those waiting for "Grindhouse" to come to DVD or for some criminally bad bootleg: YOU WON"T GET THE FULL EXPERIENCE OF THIS MOVIE SITTING AT HOME NO MATTER WHAT TYPE OF HOME THEATRE YOU HAVE OR HOW BIG THE SCREEN. The only screen big enough is the one at the theatre. For the fans that really dig this movie, SPREAD THE WORD! It's not too late to make this a huge sleeper hit. The talent in front of and behind the camera should not be neglected. Excuse my gushing, but I haven't been this hyped about a film in quite some time, and I see no less than 150 films a year. Everything works in this movie: the acting, the writing (no one is better at using dialogue for character development than Tarantino), the soundtrack. . .I could go on, but I won't. Just this: Catch this movie the way it was meant to be seen, on the big screen. "Grindhouse" is neither parody nor spoof, yet more than just nostalgia or even homage. It's the movie to see this year. I can't wait to see it again in a couple of days.