I recently had the joy of watching Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's new film Grind House on 123 free movies. Although this film didn't tell us the meaning of life or give us 3 hours of Shakespearean dialogue I did walk out of the film feeling like I'd gotten my $10.50 worth of movie for the first time in a long time.
The film plays on the old 70's style of Grind House B-rated double feature films that were popular in the 60's and 70's. I personally feel it's a fresh way to offer moviegoers something that hasn't been seen at the movies in a long time. Both directors seemed very dedicated to making these films look as authentic as possible by adding in missing Scene spots and occasional films scratches.
The first film Planet Terror directed by Robert Rodriguez. Is reminiscent of the 70's and 80's sci-fi horror genre full of special effects and gory action. Watching this film I felt the need to look for a splatter guard to protect myself from the free flowing blood and guts flying throughout the film. There are a lot of talented actors in this film and I even caught myself thinking "hey it's that the guy from the terminator and Alien movies".
Overall "Planet Terror" is a crazed romp through a small Texas town devoid of any serious or political themes. This is strictly a horror/ action movies full of guns, babes and blood, anyone looking for a serious flick should maybe try Georgia Rule.
The Second film "Death Proof" stars Kirk Russell who does an excellent job as the villain and turns his psychopathic character into a really likeable guy. Directed by Quentin Tarantino you can really see his fingerprint on the dialogue as the characters sit around and squeak out cleaver banter. My only complaint is that the first group of characters are a bit boring to watch and seem to overstay their welcome. The early characters seen in this film consist of scatter brain hot chicks that are waiting to catch the next cool STD. They are fairly disposable and I even found my girlfriend muttering "kill them already."
As the film moves along we are introduced to another batch of character that are very likeable and more reflective of the characters we usually see in Tareinto movies. These women are strong, smart and give Stuntman Mike the scare of his life. The car chase in this film is one of the best car chase scenes we will see this year in a film and it is definitely became one of my favorites.
Overall. Grind House is not a film for everyone. The extreme violence and gore is not suited for young kid or easily excitable adults. It's really for fans of high-octane action movies that focus more on shock value than any serious message. I personally enjoyed the film and I really loved the idea of watching a double feature. Movie fans really should support this film and demand the return of the Double feature. When you consider what movie tickets cost today it is an investment well worth it.