Grindhouse!

The wait (for those who did, actually, wait) is finally over, and well worth the wait! Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's double feature, entitled Grindhouse (after the cinematic style of the 60's/70's in which the films pay much homage). And it's as fun and violent as anyone would hope.

The opening film is Planet Terror, Rodriguez's take on the zombie franchise. Picture hot babes, lots of cheesy lines, great violence, and yes, a woman with a machine gun for a leg. This is creatively fun. It's well-crafted.

Tarantino's Death Proof is the second feature. It's his take on... all sorts of cinema. He doesn't stick to one gun. It opens up a spooky slasher kind of movie about a stuntman who likes to kill people with his "death proof" car. But it eventually turns into a fun movie centered around four sassy girls, talking about this and that (in a typical and still fun Tarantino fashion). Then it becomes a crazy car chase kind of film. And finally, in the end, it just becomes a violent beat up movie. Although the film lacks a singular direction, as Rodriguez's has, Tarantino crafts a film that has more to offer, while still staying at the surface level. In this way, I feel Tarantino made the superior film. However, Rodriguez's film is a non-stop blast, and most people prefer that film.

I don't think that the films should be compared, anyhow. The movies are meant to be run together. You shouldn't just see one. See both. That's part of the experience.

Before each movie there are some fake trailers for would be grindhouse flicks made by some friends of the two (including Rob Zombie and Hostel's Eli Roth). And I must say, these trailers do not disappoint. Each one made me laugh, some quite hysterically. So even though the entire experience of Grindhouse lasts around 3 and a half hours, you won't want to take any breaks between features.

Simply put, if you have the time and are ready for fun, Grindhouse is the best movie experience you'll have during this movie season (and, thus far, this year). If you know what you're getting yourself into, you'll have a blast. Hands down. If you're not ready for it... well, that's a different story.

A-

IMDB information on GRINDHOUSE