Grindhouse!

[Chen Zhen]

movies.yahoo.com/feature/grindhouse.html (http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/grindhouse.html)

move looks like itll be a blast!

[godzillakungfu]

Oh yes, I'll definitely be their opening day.

[Tosh]

Yeah the trailer looked great when I seen 300 the other day, It's great to see Kurt Russel in a cool role again, he hasn't done anything good for a while

[The Running Man]

Anyone heard of the Grindhouse fan trailer trailer thing they're doing?

Here's a great one:

Hobo with a Shotgun (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LlazPgxKrA)

F'ing A! :D

[Tosh]

Just watched it after work, I enjoyed the hell out of it, at 2 1/2 hours it's a long one. I think I liked Planet Terror better, Freddy Rodriguez wields some duel knives that would make Ti Lung or David Chiang proud!

[The Running Man]

I thought it was fantastic! :D

Rodriguez's best movie, which although isn't saying much it kinda is and screw Sin City. And Tarantino's was sensational. Between the two I'd give the nod to Tarantino's but both were great.

And I love the trailers ("Don't" being the stand-out and Rob Zombie's being easily the worst).

[limubai2000]

Death Proof was the better of the 2 films by far. I think Planet Terror lost its energy about halfway through for me at least. Bruce Willis was great though.

I liked the Machette trailer the most, the others were eh so-so. The Rob Zombie trailer had the best breasts though. :p

I think Kurt Russell really did some of his best work in Death Proof, on par or better than Snake or Jack Burton. Great stuff. I also think Zoe Bell was great in the film in her first real acting role.

[Tosh]

Did you guys notice Jack Burton's shirt on the wall in the bar, great stuff:smokin

[Yakuza954]

Death Proof is my new favorite Tarantino movie after Pulp Fiction. I loved the abrupt martial arts movie end.

Planet Terror was kinda dissapointing after Sin City. Heck, I don't think its even as good as From Dusk Till Dawn.

btw, people started leaving in the droves after Planet Terror finished. I guess they weren't ready for the length of the double-feature.

[sevenhooks]

btw, people started leaving in the droves after Planet Terror finished. I guess they weren't ready for the length of the double-feature.

Wow. That's interesting.
I wonder if they even knew that there was another film??
:p

Did you get the impression at all that the people who left at that point were just not feeling it?

[sevenhooks]

Hey DION...

Patiently waiting to hear your review of this...!

[gfanikf]

btw, people started leaving in the droves after Planet Terror finished. I guess they weren't ready for the length of the double-feature.

After seeing Death Proof I can't blame them lol.

I loved Planet Terror (alot more than Death Proof, the movie had a really bad middle part and also any of the parts without Kurt)so much I went out and got the OST. Then again I'm a synth whore :) Still as I said before since I paid 14 USD for 2 tickets for 2 films how in the hell can I even complain!

Oh did anyone get a Girl in Gold Boots vibe from either of the films. I can't explain it but both me and Jess wanted to watch it afterward.

Bring on More Double Headers!!!

Harvey bring out a two fer of 36th Chamber and One Armed Swordsman :)

[limubai2000]

I wonder if they even knew that there was another film??

In my theater in Guam they had an usher come in and tell us there would 2 movies shown with some trailers in between, they said don't leave after Planet Terror there is another movie following it.

But then again that's cuz people here are dumb.

[Yakuza954]

Most people knew there was another movie to go, as they were leaving within the first 5-10 minutes of Death Proof. I just think most people aren't used to watching two movies back to back.

[Tosh]

Wow, that's strange, half the people stuck around for the credits to see if anything was at the end where I saw it.

I liked the Machette trailer the most, the others were eh so-so.

Agreed, and it's great it's at the very beginning, the other trailers would be a great time to get up and take a break, get something to drink, ect., wait and see the other ones on video (or youtube).

Looking back, Planet Terror could of scrapped the Nick Nolte and barbecue reciepe subplots and trimmed about 10 minutes off it (and thus trimming the running time of the movie as a whole), Freddy Rodriguez was terrific, and Tom Savini get's some quality screen time. Tarantino had a great part in there.

Deathproof was great, but there seemed to be something missing (maybe the missing reels fill it out?), the dialogue, especially with the second set of girls just started to go around in circles, almost like a Kevin Smith movie, Russell was great, the film really took a dive when he wasn't on the screen, I would of liked to see the second half of the car chase more even, but it was in true b movie fashion.
I watched the ending of the original Gone in 60 Seconds 1,000 times when I was younger, I don't think you can ever beat that car chase, but QT comes close.

[limubai2000]

The film didn't to well at the box office, I don't remember seeing much promotion for it which probably prevented it from having a better opening weekend. At least they could have stolen money from a bunch of unsuspecting folks expecting a Kill Bill or Pulp Fiction type film. Wonder how the Weinsteins feel about this about right now, they haven't been able to crank out a major box office hit or Oscar winner at Miramax or at TWC, which I saw jokingly referred to elsewhere as Miramax 2.0. :p

[morgoth]

I didnt have time to see this movie yet, but I will for sure see it this Friday. IS there no fake kung fu trailers? If not, that is some BS right there. There better be a kung fu trailer!!!

[limubai2000]

No KF trailer Morg, and now they are talking about splitting the films up, adding footage and then releasing them separately in a few weeks.

WTF they must really be upset with opening number that low. Over at AICN they had a nice writeup about how they should not have released this on Easter's weekend as "counter programming" saying it did bad due to that and saying if they had released 300 on Easter it would have had the same fate. Not a bad theory me thinks.

[Markgway]

The film didn't to well at the box office, I don't remember seeing much promotion for it which probably prevented it from having a better opening weekend.

I think the problem as one critic put it was a lack of mainstream commercial appeal. Film buffs and those who remember the 70s might dig it but most people don't want three hours of dated cult exploitation. The theatrical market for this type of thing is very limited.

[D1 Ma]

I thought Planet Terror was OK (mostly because of Rose McGowan - I just loved her in this flick)
Death Proof was a lame, boring movie, which had nothing to offer, except for Zoe Bell's skills.
Overall, I'm very dissapointed. No wonder, the film flopped

[Dion Brother]

Overall, thought it was one of the more fun moviegoing experiences I've had in a while. PLANET TERROR was great, like a lost Avco Embassy release from 1981, with nods to John Carpenter and Umberto Lenzi and even a hysterical pseudo-Carpenter score. Plus it was just relentless in the way that Rodriguez understood the meaning of grindhouse gimmick. Loaded to the gills with gore and fetishistic shots of women, he got the point. But DEATH PROOF could have easily lost twenty minutes and less of Zoe Bell's "acting." Just too self conscious and forced. QT must be dating her. Great car chase, music and Kurt Russell performance, but alot of padding as well with the endless dialogue (and my girlfriend didn't find the "girl talk" very convincing, and she's hung out with QT!). But actually, a semi-disappointing co-feature actually duplicates the real grindhouse experience in the 1970s, so in some weird way, it works to the movie's advantage. And yes, I'm old enough to remember this era of moviegoing. Do not miss out on seeing this in a theater. I wish those Weinstein Brothers would allow this movie to gain some word of mouth cult attendance like SCREAM and PULP FICTION, instead of a hasty retreat from the concept after the disappointing opening weekend. Even if you smuggle in the snack food like I do, you'll STILL go to the concession stand. I thought theater owners would dig on something like that.

[limubai2000]

I think the problem as one critic put it was a lack of mainstream commercial appeal.

I agree, but they could have marketed it as the next QT film and gotten a much larger opening weekend number. I'm not saying I agree with that tactic but from a business standpoint they could have earned more return on their 80 million that way.

[The Running Man]

The marketing was stupid. It was basically telling people what "Grindhouse" was but not really how this film fit with that mold. Was it a parody? A homage? Was it trying to bring it back? If those films were crap, are these films going to be crap was well?

Note, that this really counts more of the midwest and south of the US since both ends of the coast the film did strong at. In fact, that's the case for most the source for US mainstream appeal anyway (midwest).

[morgoth]

Hey Limbai-

you say they are gonna release them seperately in a few weeks? Well it better be in the theaters next week cause I getting my moneys worth!

[GwaiLoMoFo]

Just watched this today. And it was a freaking blast!! Both were great but I would have to say I liked "Planet Terror" a bit more. That flick was simply balls to the wall from start to finish. "Death Proof" was good but a bit too chatty at the begining. But we know how QT likes his witty dialog. Bit of a slow starter, but very entertaining. I think they shoulda showed "Death Proof" first. That way the audience wouldnt have felt the momentum stop the way it did when "Death Proof" started. Only had a few people walk out during the film. But me and my little brother were rollin! Anybody else cath the line in "Death Proof" at the bar where Jungle Julia called Stuntman Mike "Zatoichi". The mock trailers were also a hoot. My favorite being Eli Roth's "Thanksgiving". I almost lost it when the cheerleader was jumin on the trampoline... OUCH!!!:eek

[morgoth]

I fell asleep during death Proof. Planet Terror was good corny fun.

[Markgway]

Officially a mega-flop.

It's already down at No. 10 in the charts in only the second week and has made back less than a third of its budget.

I've heard that in the U.K they're gonna release the films seperately only (and it's been pushed back from June to September).

[GwaiLoMoFo]

Officially a mega-flop.
And even with the weak competition out in theaters now. There was maybe 20 people in the theater when I saw it too. I watched a matinee of 300 with my wifethe day before and the place was 3/4 of the way full still! Not really that much of a suprise to see it that low. Considering the obscure genre they were paying homage to.

[Shaolin Dog Paw]

I finally saw this the other day. I was the only person in the theatre. :|

It seemd like Tarantino's movie was sort of a rip of the 70's evil trucker vs. muscle car movie The Duel.

However, i enjoyed it. It was fun and nostalgic. I hope they do more of this type of movie. It would have done alot better if it was low budget... keep everything else the same. Get some out of work actors and real strippers to star in it, get rid of the CGI, go old school FX all the way. They would have saved millions, made good profit, and prepare the way for future grindhouse features.

I thought she said Zatoichi or Ichi, heh, now i know im not hearing things.

[Markgway]

I hope they do more of this type of movie.

Lol, wishful thinking on your part.

[sevenhooks]

NOBODY was in the theater when we went to see this the other day.
Enjoyed it for what it was.
Planet Terror got old fast and couldn't wait for it to end.
I had heard that Death Proof was a bit talky in parts and was prepared.
I dug it a lot more than I thought I would.
The performances were really great (particularly that "Zoe" chick who I guess was playing herself).
In fact, all the girls worked really well off each other.
Action was great and the soundtrack was brilliant.
I'd even go see it again (but I'd be sure to walk in about an hour and some change into the film in order to bypass Planet Terror).

The main difference I sensed between the two flicks was that I felt I actually cared about what happened to the characters in Death Proof, while I could really care less about what happened to anyone in Planet Terror.

[moongirl6]

I thought this was a total blast!! I agree with those who have commented before me that Death Proof meandered too much in the middle with excess dialogue--I also agree that the "girl talk" was unconvincing, and it didn't have enough car terror or Kurt Russell, but it was still great. Planet Terror was different but great also, and I thought the maneuvers of Rose McGowan's character in the final confronation scene was totally and completely awesome. Personally, I loved all of the trailers (although I agree that Machete was the best--I wish they would make that film!). They were totally dead-on as far as trailers like these goes. Years ago, I rented (and copied) a video from my local video store that had about 20 minutes worth of trailers for films like these at the end. They were hilarious (and were avaible for rent by the same video store). They included spots for "Dr. Butcher, MD" (I never got around to watching the whole movie, but the trailer was so extensive that I got a pretty good taste of the whole thing, and it seemed to share a lot of elements in common with Planet Terror), "New Year's Evil", and who knows what else. Just like the Grindhouse trailers.

As a sidenote, in the theater I saw Grindhouse, an employee had us read a sign by the ticket window explaining that the scratches and other flaws in the film were intentional!!

[Stuntman Jules]

I really dug it. PLANET TERROR is Rodriguez's best film to date and has a great FROM DUSK TILL DAWN vibe to it and while DEATH PROOF is somewhat flawed, it's still great. I think a lot of DEATH PROOF's flaws were intentional as a lot of grindhouse films really were boring and talky and without much action. Tarantino does know just what he's doing.

[sea kelp]

I loved death proof to no end, even if the vanishing point love was a little much it was still great entertainment. I'm a lucky guy in that movies do not bore me. Even if its full of camp, trivial dialogue or just slow paced, it's like I'm immune to it. My only real problem was the Zatoichi name dropping, which hurt my ears and made me cringe. So while it did have a few issues Kill Bill did, I was totally engrossed in it. And the end? Loved it, almost perfect.

Planet Terror was not good. Rodriguez admitted when they started the project he really didn't know much about Grindhouse cinema (he said this at SXSW I believe) and man, does it show. I suppose it was worth it for the helicopter gag and blood sprays though.

[Stuntman Jules]

Yeah, PLANET TERROR does feel way more 80s Troma/Cannon Films than 70s AIP, but it was still a lot of badass fun at least.

Also, as far as the trailers go, WEREWOLF WOMEN OF THE SS was a huge disappointment but THANKSGIVING and DON'T were great. MACHETE looked a bit too CGI for a grindhouse trailer.

[daTOAD]

agreed. Rodriguez is definetly 80s to Tarantinos 60s/70s.both i felt were great[as a person who loves 80s slashers and sci fi along with 70s demented drive inn stuff]. i actually cant wait for them to be released seperately so i can make my own double feature with them.PLANET TERROR/ GALAXY OF TERROR and DEATH PROOF/THE CANDY SNATCHERS. perfect. Rob Zombies trailer sucked. didnt help that his Halloween trailer was missing also.

[Daisho2004]

OK I got to watch these movies last night, and I did enjoy "Planet Terror" a whole lot good story as far the Zombie plot goes it just made me laugh, but "Death Proof" was just plan Boring, to much talking and not enough Action. Kurt Russell was good I was glad to see him making a comeback, QT seemed more into the dialogue than making a movie that was good. When there was Action it was only for a few minutes its too long to sit and watch again. I would have to fast forward it if I ever watched it again.