“Grindhouse” will entertain if you have the time

Are you sick of the same old, typical movies that have been released lately and are in desperate need of some original as well as outrageous material? If you are, then “Grindhouse” directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino may be just what you’re looking for. If you aren’t, you may still want to check out “Grindhouse” anyway as it is one of the most unique movies that’s been released in theaters in a long time.

But just what exactly is a “grindhouse,” you might be asking? A “grindhouse” was a nickname given to movie theaters in the 70s which was popular or well known for playing “exploitation” films. Now I can sense the next question that may be forming and to answer that, “exploitation” films were films that ditched conventional film norms in favor of more outlandish premises such as graphic violence and gore or excessive sex. These movies also paved the way for modern day “slasher” and zombie movies such as Friday The 13^th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Dawn of the Dead.

Since a majority of Ship students are children of the 80s, most of us will never have the ability to experience a true “grindhouse” which were notorious for being all around B-grade, meaning that both the films and the theaters were almost always low quality. Tarantino and Rodriguez emulated the feel of an old “grindhouse” film in a number of different ways such as scratchy looking film, missing reels, and senseless violence – which both Tarantino and Rodriguez pulled off well, even though Rodriguez’s film did seem make better use of these conventions. “Grindhouse” isn’t a typical movie-going experience because it doesn’t put an emphasis on seriousness or reality and is more about going out to the movies and having fun.

“Grindhouse” is comprised of two separate movies, “Planet Terror” and “Death Proof,” and also features a slew of fake movie trailers created specifically for “Grindhouse.” Though it isn’t advertised as a comedy, “Grindhouse” makes very good use of a lot of dark humor which fits in perfectly with the ridiculous stories. Also because of the sense of humor about the movies, “Grindhouse” is much more fun to see with a large crowd.

One of the most interesting parts of the whole “Grindhouse” experience is the fake movie trailers that a few well known directors such as Eli Roth and Rob Zombie contributed to the movie. In all, there are five movie trailers: “Machete,” “Don’t,” “Thanksgiving,” “Werewolf Women of the S.S.,” and “Hobo with a Shotgun.” Unfortunately, “Hobo with a Shotgun” is only being shown in select theaters across the United States and Canada. One of these trailers has been receiving so much praise that it is apparently being turned into a real, feature length film: “Machete,” created by Robert Rodriguez. “Machete” is the story of a Mexican day laborer, played by Danny Trejo, who gets hired to assassinate someone but gets double crossed and sets out for bloody revenge. Rodriguez plans to release a feature length version of the movie direct to DVD in the United States, most likely releasing in 2008, and perhaps even a theatrical release abroad. But just because one trailer is getting the Hollywood treatment, doesn’t mean that the rest of the trailers aren’t interesting enough to warrant attention.

All of the trailers show case over the top craziness which helps to further create a “grindhouse” type setting. Aside from “Machete,” one of the other trailers which was quite interesting was “Thanksgiving,” created by Eli Roth. “Thanksgiving” tells the story of a psychopath, dressed as a pilgrim, who terrorizes a town in Massachusetts around the Thanksgiving holiday.

Each trailer also maintains the essence of a “grindhouse” film by glorifying the strange premises presented in each movie. Also, some previews, as well as the feature movies, contain surprising cameos from big name actors which only add to the humor that “Grindhouse” presents.

Once the previews ended, the audience is treated to what many feel to be the better movie of the two which were presented, “Planet Terror.” “Planet Terror” tells the story of a Texas town that is contaminated by a toxic gas released by a small group of Army soldiers who have gone rogue, led by Bruce Willis, and a biochemist. The gas has some deadly strange side affects and turns almost whoever it comes in contact with into violently brutal zombie-like creatures which characters in the movie refer to as “sickos.” The main plot of the movie revolves around a small group of survivors whose lives become intertwined when they realize they are all that is left to save humanity from the deadly toxin.

Thought by many to make better use of “grindhouse” conventions and also to be an overall more interesting movie, “Planet Terror” is one of the most fun movies that has been released lately. It’s packed with a number of memorable characters and sports enough action and gore to make any horror fan happy and at the same time keeps viewers entertained with a lot of dark humor as well. Some have even stated that “Planet Terror” would have been better suited as the second movie of “Grindhouse” instead of being played first. Aside from being first, other have also bemoaned the fact that even though Willis is feature prominently in most ads for the movie, his role can be boiled down to a glorified cameo, which is strange for such a huge star in a movie such as this.

After “Planet Terror” concludes and a few more pieces of original footage role, “Death Proof,” directed by Quentin Tarantino, begins. This feature gives the audience a view of Stuntman Mike, played by Kurt Russell, a psychopathic killer who uses his “death proofed” stunt car to kill his unwitting female victims. Unfortunately the pacing of this movie is quite odd and almost feels like two separate movies. The first half, Mike is pursuing a group of girls in Texas and after he finishes with them moves onto a new set of victims in Tennessee. On top of the strange pacing, much of the acting in “Death Proof” isn’t that good and Kurt Russell stands out far and above anyone else in the movie as the best actor. Some of the female leads are more than a little annoying and when the dialogue begins to drag, and drag it does at times, you almost can’t help but root for Stuntman Mike to liven things up. As if the slightly annoying characters and odd pacing weren’t enough, “Death Proof” doesn’t show the same grasp on the concept of exploitation films that “Planet Terror” showed.

Don’t be mistaken, “Death Proof” isn’t necessarily a bad movie by any stretch - the plot, stunts, and action make up for the plodding parts of the film. But after sitting through two sets of previews plus and a feature length movie, a slower paced movie is not going to be as enjoyable as all that preceded it, since “Death Proof” does unfortunately shows last in “Grindhouse.” If “Death Proof” were to show first and “Planet Terror” second, “Grindhouse” would benefit greatly since “Planet Terror” was the much more enjoyable film.

Overall, “Grindhouse” should not be missed if you are fan of horror or action movies and it is some of the most fun that’s to be had at the movies these days. “Grindhouse” is a little on the long side, as it’s over three hours long, but if time isn’t an issue and you are in the market for an original movie experience that you’ll definitely remember for some time to come, make sure you don’t miss “Grindhouse.”