Rodriguez 1, Tarantino 0

Rating: 5/10 (28 May 2007)

The popular opinion seems to be that Tarantino trumps Rodriguez in this one. I've read a lot about how Tarantino has entered that pop icon phase where he could release a film of a 4 year old's birthday party shot on super 8 and it'd be accepted as genius. On one hand I think that's unfair to artists who find themselves in that situation. On the other, Tarantino's effort here may in fact add some fuel to that fire.
If "Death Proof" is reminiscent of anything it's "Sex and the City" with clips from a great action movie mixed in. The 20 - 30 minute discussions by the ladies (both sets) is mind numbing and, frankly, annoying. A good editor, like Rodriguez, could cut this into a fantastic film.
If there's one knock I have on Tarantino it's that all women, especially black women, are the same character in his movies. They are sexy, tough, hardboiled, fast talking tom boys who could whip a man's ass any day that ends in "y". And four of them sitting around a table all talking at once is a bit more cliché and sch-tick than I can stomach.
I also found myself cringing several times at how repetitive Tarantino has become. "Death Proof" contains so many samples from his earlier works that I began to wonder if he had any original ideas left at all. It's one thing to make subtle references to events and places in the worlds you've created as a director (Big Kahuna Burger for example), but it's another to rehash scenes, themes, and entire characters over and over and over.
Rodriguez on the other hand shines here with an incredibly fun and entertaining zombie movie that holds its own against any horror film ever made. While being a tribute to all zombie movies that have come before, it's also very original in its story, characters and elements (see: Rose McGowan's machine gun leg). And you have to love how the end reveals the whole thing to be a result of the Iraq War and, ultimately, George Bush's fault. Very clever.
Maybe Rodriguez is just better at this genre or maybe Tarantino is really out of new ideas or didn't feel like thinking of any. Regardless, "Planet Terror" gets a solid 7/10 while "Death Proof" squeaks out a 4/10.