***Zombies, dancing skanks, rednecks and killer stunt cars***
āGrindhouseā (2007) features two separate movies: āPlanet Terrorā by Robert...
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***Zombies, dancing skanks, rednecks and killer stunt cars***
āGrindhouseā (2007) features two separate movies: āPlanet Terrorā by Robert Rodriguez and āDeath Proofā by Quentin Tarantino. Together, theyāre called āGrindhouseā because theyāre a deliberate attempt to recreate the experience of a double feature at a B movie house in the mid/late 60s-70s with the prints intentionally marred by scratches and blemishes or, in one case, a whole reel supposedly missing. Trailers for fake movies, like āMachete,ā are also part of the package.
āPlanet Terrorā involves a biochemical outbreak in central Texas that (big surprise) turns people into zombies and the ragtag group that teams-up to fight āem, led by Freddy RodrĆguez and Michael Biehn, the latter a sheriff. Hotties Rose McGowan and Marley Shelton are on hand, the former acquiring a machine gun implant in replace of her amputated leg. (How exactly she pulls the trigger to massacre zombies is anyoneās guess).
The movie comes across as a melding of āFaster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!ā (1965), āNight of the Living Deadā (1968) and āDawn of the Deadā (1978), but with the modern tone of āSlitherā (2006) with its gross, deliberately offensive black humor. McGowan is a highlight throughout, especially her opening go-go sequence whereas Freddy Rodriguez is surprisingly formidable. Their romantic arc is kind of touching. Another point of interest is the quality cast, rounded out by the likes of Bruce Willis, Josh Brolin, Naveen Andrews and Fergie.
At the end of the day, though, āPlanet Terrorā fails to rise above the low-budget sorta-genius of Syfy schlock like āFlu Bird Horrorā (2008), āWyvernā (2009) and āSasquatch Mountainā (2006) even though it cost literally twelve times as much. GRADE: C
āDeath Proofā involves an embittered stuntman (Kurt Russell) and his psycho obsession with murdering young women of dubious character with his death proof stunt car (but only the driverās side). The first half is very good, hindered only by the inane chatter of the girls. This kind of dull drivel goes into overdrive in the second half, particularly involving Zoe Bell, Tracie Thoms and Rosario Dawson, but is rewarded by a thrilling car chase in the country thatās supposedly Tennessee, but obviously Southern Cal.
Russellās character is perversely charismatic and the movie perks up whenever heās on screen. There are no less than eight female co-stars playing mostly classless types (but not all of them) and, depending on your tastes, four of them are quite alluring,: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rose McGowan, Vanessa Ferlito and Sydney Tamiia Poitier (yes, Sidneyās daughter). GRADE: C+/B-
The two movies and additional trailers run 3 hours, 11 minutes. Unless you have that kind of time to blow, I suggest watching the movies singularly.
OVERALL GRADE: C+