Hard to beat for best film of '07

Rating: 10/10 (16 April 2007)

It would be hard to defend this nostalgic double-feature film as a masterpiece, but I can, without any guilt, say that it was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had at the theater. It's not just a movie; it can legitimately be called an experience. Rodriguez's segment, Planet Terror, is probably the more easily enjoyed and more consistently enjoyable of the films. Kind of a rip-off of Romero's Dead series, but that makes perfect sense as it's supposed to be a cheap fright flick. And what easier way to make a cheap fright flick than to rip off a good one? Planet Terror feels exactly like what it is supposed to be, with its disgusting gore, lame jokes and Godawful acting (star Freddy Rodriguez, the segment's male lead, excels at this so well it's downright spooky). And, what's better, it rarely seems to be winking at the audience when it's doing these things. It's an all-out ball. Tarantino's segment, Death Proof, is a more confounding animal. After Planet Terror, any movie might seem a little slow. But Death Proof really is a slow burn. It starts off with a very 70s-ish feel, with outdated hairstyles and bad acting that feels like it comes from bad movies of that era. But then, about halfway through, it changes tones entirely and becomes a very modern-feeling movie, with mostly pretty good performances. The dialogue throughout is very much in the Tarantino vein, and let us not forget that it was his dialogue that made him famous. The structure of the film kind of seemed nouvelle vague-esquire, and of course Tarantino was a big fan of that movement. When Death Proof gets to its climax, though, it's pure adrenaline rush. The film references (aloud) Dirty Marry Crazy Larry, Vanishing Point and Gone in 60 Seconds, and then ends with one of the most entertaining car chases in cinema history. However disjointed Death Proof feels, it's still a damn fun movie. And the two halves of Grindhouse might not comment on each other much (they do briefly share the same universe, in one weird sequence), but the entire thing just rocks. Add to that several fake trailers for other cheesy movies (my favorite being the first one, Machete, of which a feature length version is supposedly already in production), and you've really got yourself some cinematic gold. It'll be a shame when Harvey "Scissorhands" Weinstein cuts it in two in a short while here, because it's all about the entire experience. Right now it's the film to beat for '07.