This is one I'm VERY glad I saw in the theater. (Of course, I almost always prefer seeing movies in the theater, but some are less of an issue than others. That cozy little art-house movie may play just as well on the wide-screen with surround sound at home—especially since I don't have to deal with the moron and his blackberry in the row ahead of me—while this week's latest blockbuster will suffer from the transition to the smaller screen. Sadly, this means that I end up seeing a lot of crappy movies in theaters and the good stuff months later on DVD. But that's one of the perils of movie going these days, I guess.)
But Grindhouse is one of those that really needs to be experienced the way Tarantino and Rodriguez intended it. there's a method to their madness here, as they try to recreate an experience that you can't find any more. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing may be debatable, but it's definitely not something you're likely to come across at the local multiplex. More to the point, if you don't see this in the theater, there's some question as to when/if you're going to get the experience at all. When they interviewed Tarantino on KROQ, he was quick to point out that they intend to release the movies separately on DVD, so you can get each movie in its entirety (as he put it, they had to cut these "to the bone" to make their 90 minute mark). So you may get Planet Terror and Death Proof on DVD, but there's no telling whether you're going to actually get Grindhouse on DVD. And the real question for me is, do I CARE whether I'll get to own Planet Terror or Death Proof outside of the Grindhouse experience?
I mean, let's face it… outside of that whole Grindhouse experience, how good ARE these two movies? Rodriguez's Planet Terror is a fun riff on the zombie movie, with some truly outrageous, over the top moments. But for me it was little more than a fun exercise in genre film-making… an homage to a bygone era of the Roger Corman style excess and exploitation. And Tarantino's Death Proof, while entertaining, and with some great car stunts, was little more than a series of scenes of characters speaking in painfully Tarantino-esque dialogue, interspersed with those great car stunts. Story is nearly non-existent and it boils down to a one-note gag as you find that Stuntman Mike is not nearly the stud he presents himself to be.
It comes as no surprise to me that this didn't do well in the theatres. Outside of the Tarantino/Rodriguez faithful (of which I count myself a nominal member) I don't know how many people are clamoring to get the Grindhouse experience. It's also a LONG day at the movies. I walked into the theatre at 1 PM and came strolling out at 4:30. Now, I'm the last person to complain about a movie being too long, and I didn't have any trouble sitting through the 3½ hours of Grindhouse. But I am certain that, had I dragged Dani to it, she'd have been climbing the walls by the time the opening credits for Death Proof came scrolling on screen.
But Grindhouse is one of those that really needs to be experienced the way Tarantino and Rodriguez intended it. there's a method to their madness here, as they try to recreate an experience that you can't find any more. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing may be debatable, but it's definitely not something you're likely to come across at the local multiplex. More to the point, if you don't see this in the theater, there's some question as to when/if you're going to get the experience at all. When they interviewed Tarantino on KROQ, he was quick to point out that they intend to release the movies separately on DVD, so you can get each movie in its entirety (as he put it, they had to cut these "to the bone" to make their 90 minute mark). So you may get Planet Terror and Death Proof on DVD, but there's no telling whether you're going to actually get Grindhouse on DVD. And the real question for me is, do I CARE whether I'll get to own Planet Terror or Death Proof outside of the Grindhouse experience?
I mean, let's face it… outside of that whole Grindhouse experience, how good ARE these two movies? Rodriguez's Planet Terror is a fun riff on the zombie movie, with some truly outrageous, over the top moments. But for me it was little more than a fun exercise in genre film-making… an homage to a bygone era of the Roger Corman style excess and exploitation. And Tarantino's Death Proof, while entertaining, and with some great car stunts, was little more than a series of scenes of characters speaking in painfully Tarantino-esque dialogue, interspersed with those great car stunts. Story is nearly non-existent and it boils down to a one-note gag as you find that Stuntman Mike is not nearly the stud he presents himself to be.
It comes as no surprise to me that this didn't do well in the theatres. Outside of the Tarantino/Rodriguez faithful (of which I count myself a nominal member) I don't know how many people are clamoring to get the Grindhouse experience. It's also a LONG day at the movies. I walked into the theatre at 1 PM and came strolling out at 4:30. Now, I'm the last person to complain about a movie being too long, and I didn't have any trouble sitting through the 3½ hours of Grindhouse. But I am certain that, had I dragged Dani to it, she'd have been climbing the walls by the time the opening credits for Death Proof came scrolling on screen.
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