Miscellaneous Movie Musings

[Alex]

Lani and I saw Grindhouse last night. I'd recommend it with caveats.

I loved that all nudity was in the fake trailers with none in the movies (the reverse of reality).

If the goal was to accurately make a bad movie then Robert Rodriguez wins the prize. If the goal was to make a good movie using the forms of bad ones then Tarantino wins the prize.

Planet Terror is a decent enough faux-zombie movie but much of its interest comes from its meta value. If it weren't in on the joke it would go completely unremarked. It doesn't help that I really don't see the appeal of Rose McGowan.

I understand that the scratches and jumps and missing reals were to create the feeling of not just seeing a grindhouse movie but seeing a grindhouse movie in a grindhouse theater. But I mostly just found screen artifacts annoying. A winking joke that juts stopped being amusing. I'm glad that Tarantino minimized it in his.

Death Proof benefits for being a two-act movie which you don't really see and being to acts allows a pretty sharp split between them. You see Tarantino for the dialog and he doesn't disappoint (and partakes maybe a bit too much) but what is really amazing is that I think he has filmed one of the all time great car chases. Yes, it is a contrived set up but it works and for the first time in a very long time such a chase got my heart going and had suspense.

One reviewer I read jokingly said that Tarantino cheated by making a good movie while Rodriguez followed the rules of the exercise. I'd have to agree with that to some degree. I'm not feeling burned by Planet Terror but I don't ever need to see it again (just like Toxic Avenger). I do imagine I'll be seeing Death Proof again at some point.