"Grind House" (2007) - Movie Review

“Grind House (n); A theater playing back-to-back films exploiting sex, violence, and other extreme subject matter.”

The movie opens with the above lines. It clearly says that the following two features by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino are going contain some extreme gore, sex and violence. Most of the audiences including me are aware of it, but I was expecting the good out of the dust. I was expecting the elements of those glorious days in those movie theatres which I missed, along with the creative talents of these two talented directors. While I do not believe much in expecting something, the trailers and advertisements sub consciously set those. I walked in with the idea of getting an amazing cheesy spoof with the right mix of that “tarantinized” version of those exploited movies. Tarantino drives on the line while Rodriguez painted the most unimaginable gross I have ever witnessed. I have not watched the “real” Grind House movies but I have the idea of how it is. But being gruesomely loyal to those gory details is the fact I did not expect. It is indeed my bad.

“Planet Terror” had its moments as the first feature in the movie. I have never understood why there are gruesome and stomach churning graphical movies. Some how my mind does not able to pull away as “everybody has their own taste”. I have a strong feeling that no one will enjoy watching someone’s private parts being cut off and being collected as bunch. I do accept the fact the Zombie movies need some special effect to promote the intensity in it, but is it a competition on how much one can make the audience flinch or even throw up seeing something like that? Since the movie boasts those as their remembrance to the director’s days of Grind House, I guess Rodriguez wanted to stick to the loyalty of it. I am trying hard to think of some good lines or cheesy scenes or maybe even story telling, but it is an “exploitation” movie and hence it is the way it is. I did not enjoy all the parts of the parts flying around or blood drooling, which concludes I did not like “Planet Terror”.

As I was anxiously waiting for the flesh feast to end and give my senses back and also expecting some real stuff from Tarantino who disappointed big time with his private parts melting in “Planet Terror”, the fake trailers gave some relief. They were the most I enjoyed. The trailer “Don’t” will remain the winner of all those. It is not surprising when I learned that the trailer was made by the director of the movie “Shaun of the Dead”, Edgar Wright. The rest of the trailers gave the effect the “Grind House” demanded. A special mention to Rodriguez for using some of the real mishaps which would have happened in those Grind Houses and they bring the authenticity to the feature.

Having been burned up by the first feature and brought back to the screen by those trailers, Tarantino’s “Death Proof” opened up. It can be only Tarantino, who can think of a serial killer using his car as weapon. Kurt Russell as Stunt Man Mike is sleek, stylish and viciously real. He rules the frames when he comes in. The film goes through the girls partying and also having some Tarantino’s classic conversations. When I say classic, it says it is a trademark Quentin touch. Is it interesting? For a while, yes, but it dies with the time. But Quentin shows how it can be done. He put back the faith of having some real solid invention out of the dirty old garbage. Taking the elements of those comedies of errors, he sprinkles his formula. While Rodriguez’s piece stays as “typical” Grind House movies by the definition, Tarantino flairs with his style of presentation. Definitely a watchable feature and can be enjoyed for its moments of Kurt. While thinking about it, the question is, whether he nails down the feature and pays the real nostalgic with their creative tribute to those films? Maybe not. The feature’s first segment had a promising start. Kurt impressing all way had his ammunitions ready to blow it apart. But the mileage driven was not till the end.

One of the best stunts I have ever seen is the car sequences of this feature. Heavily interesting and nail biting chases providing the essential ingredient for a thriller. It is the indication of how a horror is not alone in bringing tons of blood, but some nice inventive thinking to make the audience come to the edge of their seats. Quentin excels in those and proves that he can make a “bad” good movie.

Of all, given a chance, I would not want to watch “Grind House”. It is due to the fact that I don’t like flesh and blood all over the place and also that the real nostalgic frame in those can be watched in a streaming “you tube”, which are the trailers.