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530 reviews in total

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457 out of 627 people found the following review useful:
Good, bloody fun!, 25 March 2007

Author: Zach Mannon from Los Angeles, CA

I went into this film with expectations for an extreme amount of campy senseless gore and violence - and it was delivered as promised! A WARNING: Know what to expect when you go see this movie, or you might be surprised/disappointed. There is no moral, no good sense or life lesson to be taken from the story lines or characters. Sometimes things don't make sense and this is all done on purpose in homage to original exploitation films Warnings aside, Grindhouse is a lot of fun, there were as many "ooh" and "ahh" moments as there were "oh my god why did they show that?" moments. All of the actors' performances were right on and the action directing was excellent. My only negative comment is that Tarintino's film dragged a bit in the middle, but he more than made up for it. I couldn't help but raise my fist in the air and shout out "yeah!" at the end of his flick.

You will be surprise, you will be disgusted and you'll enjoy the hell out of it.

A unique cinema experience indeed.

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323 out of 471 people found the following review useful:
First movie which I felt deserved my $12, 5 April 2007

Author: somewhatdyslexic from Canada

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

My friend and I got some passes to the sneak peak of this movie last night, both being fans of T & R couldn't pass up a chance to see this film.

It was a total knockout blow. Starting with Planet Terror, which was a terrible amount of fun with all of my favorite heroes and archetypes on screen. And of course a go-go dancer full of useless talents... and a machine gun for a leg. Most likely the best formula for a pulp movie. I laughed until I was out of breath, and then threw my shoes across the theater in a fit of ecstasy.

Next with Deathproof, Tarantino scores the real points. Not as action packed as Planet Terror, it certainly was structured better. Thinking at first that maybe the reels HAD in fact been replaced (the 'absence' of certain reels in both movies providing many laughs) with reels from a road trip film; I soon realized that Tarantino was just drawing his line in. He had our attention, he was just taking his time letting us know why he had it, taking his time very stylishly of course. With the introduction of Stuntman Mike and the sudden realization (well not realization... one just knows) that Mike ain't quite the night in the Chevy Nova we thought he was... things get intense. 30-ish minute car chase scene intense.

This movie was actually, flat-out the most entertaining film I have ever seen in theaters. Certainly worth sitting three hours for, and this was a clearcut case of filmmakers EARNING your money.

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351 out of 542 people found the following review useful:
Best "experience" in years, 28 March 2007

Author: jay_hovah703 from East Bay, CA

I won tickets to the world premiere of Grindhouse in LA this past week and it was the best 3 hours of my life in recent history. The stories of the two movies combined with the detail and inventiveness of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez brought together 3 hours of action packed fun. The two directors updated the sleazy grindhouse movie experience from the 70's and commercialized it so that we can all enjoy it. You won't find some greasy guy with his pants around his ankles sitting next to you, but you are probably going to be able to sit through all 3 hours of these movies.

I want to compliment the directors for having a unique cinematic vision (and the Weinsteins for funding that vision). I don't always agree with the choices made with either of the filmmakers, but I think they are two of the hardest working most innovative people in Hollywood today. I add this because most film studies students love to hate both of these people and in most conversations suggest that they would be able to do a much better job than either. I disagree.

Planet terror is a gross out flick that has appropriate amounts of gore and guts. If you like Rodriguez, then this movie fits in with all of his previous works. No real surprises here, but fun fun fun!

Tarantino surprised me. I liked the first movies from Tarantino because his movies were set in realities not far from our own. I doubt that it would happen in a weekend, but Pulp Fiction is a semi-believable good story in Los Angeles with unbelievable dialog. Same with Reservoir Dogs. (Jackie Brown is too believable and therefore, uninteresting) As he has progressed, his movies became fantasy, e.g., From Dusk til Dawn and Kill Bill 1 & 2 and WAY too over the top for a "Tarantino" flick.

Death Proof brings it all home! I don't want to spoil any of the movie, so just go see it! It's a simple plot with unbelievable suspense and decent dialog. I have never been so nervous in a film in as long as I can remember. Its no secret that the movie involves a car -- but Tarantino has taken a "classic" car scenario using a classic car and updated it for the new millennium. One only has suspend belief "just enough" for this mix of reality and fantasy to suck them in. It was Tarantino at his best.

Both movies were well executed, well scored, well written, and well played. The extra's and cameos are icing on the cake. No Oscars for either director, but that isn't why you went to see these movies in the first place, now is it?

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239 out of 357 people found the following review useful:
As uproariously funny, perversely disgusting and outrageously awesome as everyone hoped it would be, 4 April 2007

Author: DonFishies from Canada

When I first heard about Grindhouse, I was pretty excited. I have enjoyed practically everything Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez have ever done, so the idea of such a nostalgic homage as Grindhouse really peaked my interest. I was really hyped for the movie, and managed to snag free passes to an advanced screening, and was it ever worth it.

Grindhouse consists of two very different films. The first, Planet Terror, is directed by Rodriguez and is a horror movie about zombies. The second, Death Proof, is directed by Tarantino and is a thriller about a crazed killer who murders women with his car.

Just knowing these two simple plot lines is enough. They are two stand alone films, and they are just as awesome as I thought they would be. This is the closest to a true homage that either director has ever done, and it works amazingly on screen. I was never a big on watching real grindhouse-style films, but these two films are exactly what I would expect them to be like. Just watching the films together was an experience that is simply unmatchable.

I was not expecting anything more than an obscene amount of violence, but the films were a lot more than that. Despite some missing reels, both films have just enough story to actually make them work as conventional films. As said previously, they could easily stand alone away from each other, and still be just as good (but probably not as awesome as they are back-to-back). Having part of the films missing really does not even matter, they work that well without them, and have all the trademark carvings of a Rodriguez or Tarantino film. Planet Terror drags on a bit near the finale, but that seems only because Rodriguez tried to pack in a lot more story to offset the action than the premise really set out for it too. Death Proof is loaded with dialogue, but it comes off brisk and so much faster paced. But all the same, both stay very much in tone with their particular genre.

The missing reels are only a complement to the fact that both of the film's actual picture quality is intentionally absolutely terrible. The films (more so Planet Terror) are scratched up and tarnished to the point where some scenes are practically unwatchable. You just stop seeing the action on screen, and only notice how beat up the print is. It looks old and worn out. And it works wonderfully, and makes the experience all the more authentic. The DVDs will not look anywhere near as stylistically worn as the films do here. Watching these films in perfect quality would just ruin the true homage-style the pair were going for.

The violence in both is another key element to the true impact of both films. Both are quite obscenely violent, and just become downright disgusting in a lot of sequences. They set out to push the limits of conventional 2007 era violence, and they more than do that. People are decapitated, ripped limb from limb, and just shot left, right and center. These people are destroyed beyond all comprehension, and just when you think they have done enough, it just keeps coming. Gorehounds will be in heaven, and those who have trouble looking at more than the slightest hint of blood may need to sit this one out. It gets to the point of being sick and twisted, but it works beautifully in the films, and they just would not be the same without it. The makeup artists put in a lot of work here, and it shows in how graphically violent the films are.

But by pushing it to the limits, the films also become darkly hilarious. It is not just the dialogue that will give you a chuckle, it is the effects and the action happening on screen. In some places, it just becomes so downright ridiculous that you cannot do anything but laugh. A lot of what happens is downright vile and inhumane, but it is done with such style and wit, that it just cannot be anything but hilarious. Every obscene and violent action done in previous Rodriguez and Tarantino movies is more than topped here, and fans will be hard set on not wanting some more by the time Death Proof concludes.

The faux trailers are also a nice touch, and in a way, push the boundaries of violence and hilarity even more so. I do not want to ruin any of them, but I just could not stop laughing. They are absolutely perfect, and they connect the films even more than they are already (not to mention the old-school ratings and preview reels). Rodriguez's Machete trailer that opens Grindhouse is amazing, and sets the tone for everything that follows. They only further how dedicated the filmmakers were to their original visions, and make the film all the more authentic.

The acting is campy, cheesy and right on the mark. Everyone is at their best, no matter how small their role, and no one feels like they are wrong for their part. Rose McGowan is a particular stand-out in both films, delivering every line and action to the highest degree possible. Kurt Russell is another stand-out, playing a character that is so evil that he exhales cool with every breath. And Freddy Rodriguez more than proves that he has what it takes to be a leading man. I did not like one particular character's sudden change half way through their film, but it works for the most part anyway.

There is nothing more I can say but that you need to see this film. It may be imperfect and a bit longish, but it is the closest thing to a brilliant homage that any filmmaker or audience has ever seen. It is everything that anyone could have hoped for and more.

9.5/10.

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177 out of 277 people found the following review useful:
Everything I Could Ever Want And More In A Film., 4 April 2007

Author: Matt_Layden from Canada

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

If you are reading this review then I'm assuming you have some vague idea of what a grindhouse film is, if not, look it up then get back to me. For those familiar with the cheesy B movie genre, you will know exactly what to expect, for those who've never seen a grindhouse film, well, let's just say you're in for a surprise. "Grindhouse" is a full blown, in your face orgasm that never ends; and when it does you don't want it to. Tarantino and Rodriguez pulled off exactly what they promised; delivering a film that is not only a fun experience, but a hilarious, grotesque, thrilling, chilling and maybe even vomit inducing experience. It's hard to say which film I liked better; they both have their own unique style and cheese factor.

Right from the beginning we get a small taste of what the rest of the film has in store. The film starts with the "Machete" trailer, it's over-the-top in every sense of the word and if you get the joke, you'll love every minute of it. The entire film is full of nods to the genre, whether it be random posters in the background and a character wearing a shirt with the cover of "faster pussy cat, kill kill" on it. I'm not the biggest fan of grindhouse films, as I've only seen a few, but "Grindhouse" has definitely opened my eyes and has ignited my thirst for more. While I have seen a few grindhouse films, I can safely say that "Death Proof" has a more grindhouse vibe out of the two. Its look and feel was more gritty, while "Planet Terror" was simply carnage on the screen.

"Planet Terror" has more humour and gore out of the two, which would be expected from the trailers. It has zombies and a woman with a machine gun for a leg. If you can't laugh at a guy who takes people's testicles who double cross him, or a sex scene in which a wooden leg makes an appearance and then the reel suddenly goes missing, then why the hell are you watching this movie? "Death Proof" was more intense out of the two, one particular scene has one character hanging onto the hood of a car for her life and Stuntman Mike tries to run them off the road; it's exciting and scary at the same time.Kurt Russell stands out in the whole cast, from both features. His homicidal and caring take on the psycho is chilling and funny, he's a psychotic mess and loves every minute of it. Rose McGowan, Tarantino, Marley Shelton and Michael Parks all make appearances in both films, with Michael Biehn making a small appearance in one of the fake trailers. Rounding out the rest of the cast is Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin, Rosario Dawson, Naveen Andrews and Tom Savini, to just name a few on a list that goes on and on. There are a few more cameo spots that I won't ruin for you, but they are quite comical.

The fake trailers themselves are worthy enough for stand alone films. In some cases the trailers themselves are more gruesome then the feature films. Leave it to Eli Roth to do something like that, his "Thanksgiving" trailer is where people will either laugh their heads off or vomit into a bag. Zombie's outing is "Werewolf Women of the SS", which showcases Nazis, werewolves, and naked women. Edgar Wright supplies us with the third trailer, in which it tells you "Don't see it alone".

The gore factor is high and in full drive here. Without a doubt this film will have you either cheering for more, or well, cheering for more. Is there ever such a thing as too much gore? Not in this homage to exploitation flicks of the 70's. If you honestly think there is too much gore, then why are you watching this film? It tells you up front that is about horrific violence, sexuality, and drugs. This film has a checklist and knocks everything down as it runs it course. If you're sitting in the theatre rolling your eyes at the ridiculousness of what is being shown on the screen, again I ask why are you here? Nothing in this film can be taken seriously, nor should it. Things aren't suppose to make sense, that was the beauty of those films from back then and the directors know this and capture it perfectly. Both films do have a missing reels segment, both happen at parts where something sexual is about to take place.

Being a horror movie buff makes me appreciate the film on a whole new level. Both Tarantino and Rodriguez show that they can handle the genre and this time they've raised the bar. If you thought SAW III was gory, just wait till you see this flick. Everything, from gun shots, to stab wounds in "Planet Terror" has blood gushing left right and centre. Bodies are torn apart, faces fall off, testicles are cut off and fall off, people explode fingers are bitten off, people are shot, so on and so fourth. In "Death Proof" the deaths, which are few all happen within the vehicles. Dane Cook will be happy to see there is a scene in which a female character takes a tire to the face. Along with that, another gets thrown out of a car, someone loses a leg and another gets their face smashed in.

Everything works for "Grindhouse, the scratches on the film reels do not distract at all, instead it adds to the overall experience, an experience that I haven't had at a theatre in a long time. "Grindhouse" brings back the feelings that were once lost from the movies and beats out "300" as the most fun you'll have at the movies this year, and probably for awhile.

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184 out of 312 people found the following review useful:
Go see it in the theater., 29 March 2007

Author: thegreenyeti from Austin, TX

I went to the premier in Austin last night. Wow, what an awesome event. Here are a few brief thoughts: One of the previews, that is being made into a movie, looks absolutely absurd and I am sure that it will be a joy to watch.

Planet Terror kept you laughing, groaning, and cringing the entire time. Enough action to keep you into it, enough campy gore to laugh at, and plenty of build up to have you cheering for the good guys. Rodriguez put together an A-rated, B-movie.

Death Proof was also enjoyable. I may have been antsy due to the cramped seating, but it seemed like there was a little lull in the middle. I didn't want to get up at intermission as I didn't want to miss the trailers. As Tarantino has done before, there is some great dialogue flying around the core group of actors.

I will definitely go see it again in the theater. I missed some of the dialogue due to the roar of the audience. However, I think having an interactive audience really adds to the experience.

Enjoy.

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159 out of 272 people found the following review useful:
Most entertaining film I've seen in years., 6 April 2007

Author: Ludypro1 (ludypro1@aol.com) from Washington

There was no doubt in my mind that Grindhouse would be awesome. Two great directors making back to back movies. All films paying homage to the old grindhouse films the two filmmakers grew up on. I have just returned from the advanced showing of the picture and will have to say I am completely satisfied with this great film, or should I say films. The audience was cracking up and cheering and it made the entire experience more memorable. This is the kind of film where I will always remember the first time I saw it. Rodriguez seems to have the most fun with his film Planet Terror. The film is Rodriguez's dream project that he has wanted to make since he was a teenager. Quintin seems to take his a little more serious, but delivers an original story with one of the most satisfying endings. 10/10 is the rating I give this film. I recommend this movies to anyone who is a lover of films.

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233 out of 429 people found the following review useful:
The first classic of the new century, 5 April 2007

Author: Steven Johnson from Manitoba

Grindhouse is all about excess. Excess blood, gore, puss, explosions, near non-stop laughter and violence. The only thing you will find little of in it is nudity. It's typical Tarantino-paranoid-about-nudity and what we get are two distinct halves to one great film.

If you loved Tarantino's "Jackie Brown", then you'll love "Death Proof". D.P. is basically Jackie Brown on wheels. He rambles on and on and on about completely un-funny and pointless things for nearly 50 minutes with little else happening. I am quite disappointed with QT, as he is my favourite director/writer but I think he is stretching his limit a bit too far. He has fallen into a self-indulgent groove of non-stop banter or over-the-top violence. The end is capped off with probably one THE BEST car chases in history that lasts for about 20 amazing minutes that will undoubtedly give you a heart attack it's so well made. Also, Kurt Russell is NOT the main star of it as many people believe and I'll leave it at that.

Rodriguez's "Planet Terror" on the other hand is a completely off the wall, no holds barred shmorgassboard of absolute cinematic enjoyment. People blow up when shot with revolvers, gore is splattered at least every couple minutes once it gets past the first two minutes and it will have you laughing harder than any Tarantino film ever has. It is so freakin' good that I think my eyes fell out and had an orga*m due to the cinematic bliss that is "Planet Terror".

Rose McGowan will undoubtedly become the new pin-up girl and sex symbol due to her role of Cherry Darling; a Go-Go dancer (unfortunately not a stripper) that eventually gets an assault rifle for a leg. Who knew that an assault rifle for a leg could ever be THAT hot?

There are no words in the history of mankind that can help me explain to anyone the awesomeness that is displayed in "Grindhouse". "Death Proof" may drag it down a bit, but is nonetheless essential for the film as a whole. This is exactly the movie that Hollywood needed to have kicked up it's butt. Hopefully this will pave the way for more "extreme" films or higher rated films in general; although I'm still unsure if it would be a good idea to go to the extremes that French cinema is experiencing at the moment, but would nonetheless be welcome.

IMO, "Grindhouse" is THE BEST FILM since "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" in 1966 for pure filmic enjoyment. Sit back, relax, and prepare to have your head explode! Go see it now or you'll regret it!

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63 out of 96 people found the following review useful:
an honest review, 8 April 2007

Author: column262000 from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

i have been reading a lot of these reviews and i couldn't help but ask myself if the studio(dimension films)is paying people to write some of these comments on this site.I'm seeing reviews like this movie is brilliant,and masterpiece,or the world famous this is the best time i've had in years.well let me tell you this,that is far from the truth.grind house as a whole had a great concept but fell short off the glory thanks in part to the usually surefire Tarentino.the movie starts out just as you anticipate is would,with a hilarious trailer(machete)and planet terror which i have to admit was guilty fun.Rodriguez stayed true to form with this zombie flick all the way down to the zombies moving slower than molasses.it had all the clichés that you would see in old school horror flicks and was incredibly entertaining.when his film ended i was satisfied.then in between the two movies were the trailers which were die hard funny.thanksgiving was just an uproar of laughter in which i found myself crying with laughter.after the trailers i was definitely satisfied.and then comes death proof.the satisfaction stops right here.i thought for sure that this would be the better of the two mainly because of Kurt Russell portrayal of a bad ass but i was in for quite a shock.the first thing i found wrong with this film was the hard to follow dialog between the girls in this film.i found myself in the audience just not giving a damn about what they had to say.let's take a look at the first set of girls.they go on about how they're going to score weed,lap dances,and all they seem to do in the movie was drink,smoke weed,and talk about crap that i wouldn't wanna hear chicks talk about in real life.the dialog was so boring that i found myself playing a game on my cell phone during the first part of this film.by the time they died i was cheering basically due to the fact that they couldn't talk anymore,but just when i thought we were getting somewhere,Tarentino screws us again by pulling the same crap with the second set of girls who not only are more irritating than the first set,but are more talkative.my complaint about the dialog is truly justified in this film because it does nothing to advance the film.oh and then there's Kurt Russell who was a perfect fit for a bad guy but guess what,Tarentino screws us there too.Kurt kills a total of five girls in the first half of the film(he kills four in one sequence)which i thought was bad ass because he's a killer right,but why in the hell does he only play bump the car with the 2nd set of girls?and why didn't the girls just stop the damn car?these were two questions i found astounding while watching the second half of this film.Kurt Russell starts off as a bad ass in the movie but by the end he turns into a cowering bitch running away from the girls he was trying to kill.and then the ending was just a total ripoff in this film to the point where when i saw the end hit the screen i yelled out you got to be kidding me!!there were many other deficiencies in Tarentino's flick but i'd be writing all day.all in all grind house had a good concept with a good first film packed with hilarious trailers but Tarentino's pitiful effort just sucks the life out of the whole experience.

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44 out of 59 people found the following review useful:
Another Tarantino ego trip, 21 April 2007

Author: Dan Grant (dan.grant@bell.ca) from Toronto, Ontario

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Films like Pulp Fiction are one of a kind, literally. No one can duplicate the success of Pulp Fiction. Many have tried, none have succeeded. The problem with this is that Quentin Taratnino made such an auspiciously brilliant debut with Reservoir Dogs and then Pulp Fiction, that he would have a very difficult time matching the brilliance of those two films. But who would have thought he would drop so far down on the directing evolutionary chain? Jackie Brown was just okay, but Kill Bill and now his Death Proof segment of Grindhouse is so embarrassingly bad that I think Tarantino has officially lost what made him such an ingénue. This is a sad statement as no one, with the exception of maybe Spielberg, exploded onto the scene the way Taratino did. But I'm not sure if anyone has burned out the way he has either. His films are gimmicks now. They are not really true movies, but rather they rely on cheap ideas that try to show us what a genius Tarantino is. He perpetually tries to show us how much of a film geek he is and while making films that only he could love, he forgets that most of us don't give a you-know-what about how much he knows about film. All we want is a movie that we can embrace. A movie that has a story, not just a bunch of uninteresting characters sitting around calling each other bitches and then spouting off more inside Hollywood stuff that Tarantino must of had a ball with writing and then chuckling to himself as he writes things in his scripts that only he would understand. This isn't a film for Quentin, it should be made for all of us. And it's not. And this is where he has failed. I know many many people adored Kill Bill. I'm not one of the loonies that did. It was more of an ego fest from Quentin. A subliminal flipping of the bird to all of us. Quentin makes movies for himself, not for us. And if this continues, he won't be working for much longer. He got away with it in Kill Bill because the movie was split in two. If it was one film, people would have walked out of it also.

Grindhouse, as everyone knows now, is two films made in the tradition of old 70's films that apparently had little quality to them. They were just violent films with little or no film expertise exhibited by the director. In this homage to those crappy films, you have Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez making two films in the same vein. Robert's film is pretty decent as we are treated to zombies coming to kill people and then you have the gorgeous Rose McGowan getting a machine gun for a leg. This episode is at least blatantly tongue in cheek. It has a likable cast that includes Michael Biehn and Jeff Fahey. This zombie flick is action packed and humorous. And as much as I'd like to go on praising this portion of the film, it's hard to remember the good things after you watch Deathproof. The film has two great scenes. Both of them involve Kurt Russell trying to kill people with his car. But once you get past that, what you are left with is a rip off of Reservoir Dogs and more inept dialogue that goes on for 20 minutes at a time and the conversation adds up to a big fat nothing. I could really care less about Pete Townsend leaving the Who to join some silly sounding band. Or how Daryl Hannah's stand in screwed one of the girls love interest. None of the dialogue fits in this movie the way it did in Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction. It's sound for the sake of sound.

I get the feeling watching Quentin's recent films that he really doesn't give a damn about what his fans want. He makes films to amuse himself. And good for him I guess. If you can get paid insane amounts of money to basically go to a playground and play tag on the jungle jim all day long, then you have the perfect life. But if you are here to make movies that people want you to make, and you end up disappointing them because of your ego, then every criticism bestowed upon you is deserved. And don't be surprised if he starts to lose some of the support he has in Hollywood right now? You think two crappy films in a row can't do you in? Check out M. Night Shyamalan who also stopped making movies for an audience but more for himself. Check to see what his next movie has for a budget and how short of a leash he is on. QT could be heading down the same path to nowhere.

Grindhouse is a massive failure because Quentin's ego is about the size of Texas now. And as the cook says in Planet Terror, "best damn one in Texas," you can apply that same idiom for Quentin, but with a slight variation.

"Biggest ego in Hollywood!" One of the biggest disappointments of the year, maybe of all time.

3/10 Planet Terror- 6/10 Death Proof- 2/10

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