'Grindhouse' a fun experience

Rating: 9/10 (30 March 2008)

'Grindhouse' leads to a tricky situation when it comes to talking about the film. Do we discuss the individual films for their merits and their weaknesses or look at it as a whole? Is this a unique work or a pastiche of the grindhouse sub-genre of films? Did the public by and large actually get it? The answer to that last question is no. For the rest, it all depends on the audience.
For me, watching 'Grindhouse' was an experience unto itself. Unless midnight shows start cropping up, I fear it's one that won't be repeated. Let it be said that it was a great, fun movie-going experience. The idea of a double feature alone made it worth the price of admission. The quality of the two films was great while the trailers were just hilarious.
'Planet Terror' is Robert Rodriguez's homage to zombie films. He plays up the grindhouse experience more than Tarantino by displaying many conventions of the schlocky genre, including more than one gratuitous female shot in the first 5 minutes and the much talked about "missing reel" that probably threw your run of the mill theater goer for a curve. He also throws in a number of intentionally 2 dimensional characters full of faux emotions. Rodriguez's contribution is funny, clearly laughing at itself throughout the film. Rodriguez is a visual director and his fun effects are always worth a look, notably Ros Macgowan's leg/gun - it's used to great effect. 'Planet Terror' is almost parody. As it's intentionally camp, viewers may be turned off if they're looking for a good scare. 'Planet Terror' has its tongue firmly planted in cheek.
'Death Proof' is probably the more original of the two films and it's originality really seeps in after a couple viewings. Of particular note is how Tarantino successfully plays up the suspense in the first half with Kurt Russel as Stuntman Mike. We know what's going to happen, but Tarantino has a lot of fun with the payoff. The second half of the film is a really fun chase movie. It's very original, while still paying homage to the celebrated grindhouse genre.
Then there are those trailers. Rodriguez's 'Machete' is probably the coolest, but Rob Zombie's 'Werewolf Women of the SS' is just hilarious. These are just those extra special ingredients that made this such a fun experience.
In the end, that's what this film is - an experience. I had the pleasure of watching this at the Alamo Drafthouse, where we were treated to real grindhouse trailers beforehand, adding to the fun. I doubt seeing this film again will have the same effect. The Weinstein's handling of the DVD releases of the films by themselves has been telling of this. They are enjoyable, but nowhere near as much side by side without the trailers. That being said, it's hard to look at each film by itself without taking in the whole experience.