Rose McGowan – WilfridWong.com

Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror – Part Two Of Grindhouse

3 months ago we have watched part 1 of Grindhouse directed by Quentin Tarantino (Death Proof). I actually wanted to watch that polar bear documentary film. But TK counter-suggested to watch the “one legged hottie” instead. Cynthia leapt in joy. Guess my love for the polar bear will have to be postponed to another day.

Despite the positive critic reviews for Grindhouse, the box office result was below expectation in the US. Grindhouse was shown in a full length of 191 minutes with Planet Terror and Death Proof played back-to-back with one another. Personally, I think there is only that much blood and gore an audience can take in one sitting. Internationally, Grindhouse was split into two movies beefed up with extra scenes. Death Proof has covered the topics of forbidden sex, wanton violence, drug use, and nudity. As expected – true to the genre of grindhouse – Planet Terror covers the remaining aspects of freaks, monsters, destruction, rebellion, and mayhem. There is a trade-off between watching Grindhouse in one go and watching it in a split version. The former one is true to grindhouse style while the latter one we get to see each movie featured in full.

Let me warn you, Planet Terror is gross. This morning I woke up and when I tried to recall what the first scene was, I thought of that jar of preserved human testicles and the dude who got his balls cut. In fact, the first scene was the beautiful Rose McGowan (famous in the TV series “Charmed”) dancing sexily around the pole in skimpy outfit as a go-go dancer named Cherry Darling. Cherry Darling? What a nice name.

The plot of Planet Terror started with some military units being exposed to biochemical weapons that transformed human beings into … zombies. Soon, more people were infected and it was the destiny of the survivors to fight together and find the last safe spot in the world. What I enjoy most is the amount of humor being put into such a genre of grossness and suspense. We laughed almost throughout the show and for the record, I was not the loudest. There were some others who laughed harder than me! And the way how scenes are cut onto one another is clever. Some of the sequence are so original that make me wonder, how did Robert Rodriguez come out with that idea (like how the “one legged hottie” Cherry Darling fights with a gun attached to her missing leg)?

I think Rose McGowan is a good fit for the show. While her air time in Death Proof was limited – which is understandable given how the plot was written – she is the main actress in Planet Terror. In the TV series “Charmed”, she has gone through the journey of gaining her witch power and used it against the demons. In Planet Terror, she has also gone through the journey of losing a leg and gaining a gun and this time, she fights zombies. I can’t think of a better person to play that role.

But how does Planet Terror compares against Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof? Both movies are made with the 1970’s effect. Death Proof has a very structured storyline (2 parts involving 4 different women each) and a series of long conversations while Planet Terror focuses more on the visual effects with short, sharp dialogues. Both TK and Cynthia find Planet Terror having a higher entertainment value as compares to Death Proof. I naturally enjoy the long and deep conversations so I find Death Proof having a higher artistic value instead.

Again, if you have watched Death Proof, don’t miss Planet Terror. And if you haven’t, the two movies are unrelated though the theme is (grindhouse style and women emerge as the heroines). Not a movie for the weak stomach for sure. Lots of bodies being torn apart and plenty of blood everywhere. I can almost picture my buddy Mark faints in the theatre upon watching Planet Terror. So Mark, please stay away from this. Or you could use Planet Terror to train your tolerance of the sight of blood … at home!

Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof – Part One Of Grindhouse

From the writer and director of “Reservoir Dogs”, “Pulp Fiction”, “Jackie Brown”, and “Kill Bill”, Quentin Tarantino has created yet another classic this time in the Grindhouse style. If you like his works, especially the earlier ones (less fantasy and more realism), there is no reason for you to miss “Death Proof” – a believable story of a mad stunt man killing groups of women with his “death proof” car. To better appreciate “Death Proof”, you have to understand where “Grindhouse” comes from.

Grindhouse cinemas, made popular in the 1970s, mainly showed double featured B-rated exploitation movies back to back with one another. Exploitation film belongs to a movie genre whereby lurid contents is focused upon in the expense of production quality. Hence explains Death Proof’s aspects of forbidden sex, wanton violence, drug use, and nudity. And I would expect Robert Rodriguez’s “Planet Terror” – the 2nd film of the double featured “Grindhouse” – to cover the rest of the aspects of freaks, monsters, destruction, rebellion, and mayhem.

If you are familiar with Quentin Tarantino’s style, you should expect no less from “Death Proof”. The script is refreshing, lively, and at times pornographic; the cinematography is brilliant in bringing out the mood of the film through change in color filters, effects, and lighting; the acting is excellent (I strongly believe that director has a part to play in how actors act); the action scene is entertaining and engaging. “Death Proof” does not have a lot of blood and gore scenes like “Kill Bill”. But when it does, the scenes are very real (be warned). The dialogue between the groups of girls itself worth the re-watch value with the camera floating seamlessly as the subject of focus is changed. As a guy, I love the car chasing scene – probably one of the best I have seen. And as for Cynthia, she was clapping and screaming in joy towards the end of the show. I personally find it a bit odd and I guess it is a girl thing. From the storyline perspective, Quentin Tarantino has once again demonstrated his stroke of genius by making a 2-hour long movie from a simple story that can be summed up in one sentence. And finally, it is illegal to walk away from a Quentin Tarantino film without thoroughly enjoyed the soundtrack (pay attention to the ring-tone of one of the actresses). The part when one of the girls keeps changing the music in a jukebox as the conversation proceeds is one of my favorites. The song from the ending credits has such an infectious tone that there is a high chance I am getting the soundtrack just because of that song (anyone else loves that song besides me?).

Now, if you prefer a light entertainment and find explicit languages offensive, you may be in for a huge disappointment. There is a trailer for “Death Proof” but I strongly recommend against watching it if you are going to watch the movie anyway. For the undecided ones, check out the trailer to see if this is the sort of movie you may enjoy.

For true fans of Quentin Tarantino only: I have watched the interview from the directors and the selected cast a while back. This video clip may be a put off even for those who enjoy the movie but for the true fans, we just want more.