Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Late Night Double Feature Picture Show

Grindhouse Review

Whew. I haven't had so much fun at the movies...well, maybe ever. I could only pity the people who chose Blades of Glory or the latest romantic dramedy. Grindhouse is like every so-bad-it's-good '70s revenge/zombie/car chase/hillbilly psycho movie you've ever seen, all smushed up into one bloody pyrotechnic ball. To break it down...

1 part: stuff that explodes for no reason
1 part: hawt girls in tight vintage Ts
1 part: mind-melting car stunts
1 part: that movie where Vic Morrow just drives and drives as a psycho in a semi bears down on him
1 part: Russ Meyer go-go club flick
1 part: Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill!
1 part: peppery film that threatens to break at any second (and sometimes does)
1 part: honkeytonk bar where Jager is possibly on tap
1 part: guns that shoot themselves
1 part: trailers for such imaginary B-grade gems as Don't and Hobo with a Shotgun

The movie is really two: One zombie flick by Robert Rodriguez (Out of Sight, From Dusk Til Dawn) and one girl revenge/car chase flick by Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino's half is far too talky even by Tarantino standards, but it makes up for it with wicked stunts and Kurt Russell's villain sobbing like a little girl. Grindhouse is a movie's movie. It just begs for popcorn (with butter) and a gallon of your favorite sugary beverage, loud laughter, and sneakers on the seat in front of you (or, preferably, the dashboard). It's not for everybody, but if it's for you...you will know. You will hear its siren's call as you walk past the lobby poster; it might sound like a backwater sheriff's drawl ("Ah reckon we got a problem on our hands."), or the gurgling grunt of a zombie as it claws at your car window with its oozing fingers, but you will hear it. And you must heed that call.

12 comments:

tweetey30 said...

Sounds like a good movie. Or should I say movies. As you have double up top. LOL...

Gardenia said...

I gotta see it - I'm really into escapism.

tweetey30 said...

Sme got it to work today. Thanks though. Sorry for the fustration.LOL..

tweetey30 said...

Sorry you have been tagged.LOL

S.M. Elliott said...

Oh sure, give me good news and then tag me! Heehee.

tshsmom said...

Damn it Tweets! I was gonna tag her!

I don't particularly want to see this movie. Since your Dad and brother are big Tarantino fans, I know I'll end up watching it. I guess I can handle watching Kurt Russell. Although watching Antonio Banderas, didn't make watching 3 of his movies any more enjoyable. *sigh*

S.M. Elliott said...

If you could get through Kill Bill, I'm sure you'll be able to suffer through this one too. ;)

Kurt Russell's awesome in this, and normally I don't like him at all. Do Dad and Z like "Reservoir Dogs"? That's my favorite.

tshsmom said...

I DIDN'T watch the Kill Bills, Dad and Z did.

S.M. Elliott said...

You're no fun! They were pretty good. I don't think I would have watched them on my own, but Richard insisted on seeing them for Michael Parks's 5-minute cameos.

S.M. Elliott said...

I can see Dad totally getting into this one, since it's a send-up of B movies. The fake trailers alone will have him rolling on the floor.
;D

Anonymous said...

I will heed that call. I can't say I love exploitation films, because only a handfull of them are any good. My friend Badman and I are currently watching several classic exploitation films for the website we're working on. So far, the only ones I like are Rob Zombie's.

I actually can't stand Russ Meyer, but love Rodriguez and Tarantino. Laura likes it, and you like it, so Mrs. Z and I will probably love this one (or really two).

S.M. Elliott said...

Weirdly, I love Russ Meyer movies. They're hilarious.
The funniest part about "Grindhouse" is that it was produced, in part, by the Weinstein brothers - who made exactly the kind of movies it's imitating. ;D