Grindhouse

One of the best ideas out of Hollywood in years. Rodriguez and Tarantino's double feature is filled with conceptual flaws and self indulgence (on Tarantino's part), but for the most part this duo delivers one of the best movie experiences anyone could ever have. Ideally it's best for those who lived through the grindhouse era and have enjoyed exploitation cinema, but really anyone who enjoys a loudly fun popcorn tossing good time will like this film. Inarguably the better of the two is Planet Terror, the ode to b-horror is hysterical and horrifying, calling to mind the 1996 cult favourite From Dusk Till Dawn. Rodriguez really buys into the style perfectly in the way he writes, and the film actually feels like it came from some crummy movie studio in the 60's. Watching Rodriguez push the limit and have a great time making a movie just makes the whole experience even better, and leaves you chomping at the bit for part two. But first, we get to sit through trailers from Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright, and Eli Roth. Roth and Wright's trailers are both charming in a grotesque way, and I personally would love to see Roth's "Thanksigiving" become a full length feature. Zombie's trailer while a idealistic stroke of genius fails because it looks too polished and clean. Then we're led into QT's segment, Death Proof. My worst nightmare came true before my eyes as Tarantino soils a great idea by shamelessly flaunting his linguistic skills and spending endless amounts of time on bullshit. When what matters begins, it works perfectly, but the self-righteously brilliant QT is his own worst enemy, and squanders the opportunity. On the plus side the car sequences are thrilling, and Kurt Russel as Stuntman Mike is completely effective. One edge Tarantino does have over Rodriguez is his photography, which makes the film actually look like it's from the 60's, as is Tarantino's style anyway. But the new-school Rodriguez shoots his piece with too much of a modern mindset, and at times Planet Terror looks more 21st century than it should. As the doors of the Grindhouse close, I can exclaim this is a must see for cinema buffs, and must be seen in a theatre to be seen at all. It's everything movies aren't nowadays, and filmmakers everywhere should take note of two of the best doing something new and exciting.