INFLUX MOVIE REVIEWS

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Grindhouse
Grindhouse: A Spoof Unto Thyself
MOVIE: Grindhouse

DIRECTOR: Robert Rodriguez / Quentin Tarantino

CAST: Kurt Russell, Jeff Fahey, Josh Brolin, Rosario Dawson, Rose McGowan

THE QUICK HIT:

Grindhouse attempts to revive the over-the-top exploitation double features of the 1970s. However, it just doesn't happen. One of the best thing about exploitation films is their lack of budget, their lack of appropriateness, and the unforgiving drive to offend with relentless abandonment by any means necessary. This 2007 "grindhouse" revival seems all to aware of its budget and its need for commercial success. GRADE: B-

THE BIG PICTURE:

This could have been great. There was so much potential.

Grindhouse. Exploitation. Tarantino. Rodriguez. Double-feature. Zombie. Slasher. Each, in and of itself, creates an image and a genre in a movie goers mind.

Quality acting and off-the chart special effects, however, are not a symbol of the grindhouse genre. This was so overdone and so poorly marketed that disappointment was the only possible outcome. The trailers were inept at letting the audience know what to expect, and the budget was self-defeating.

If you couldn't figure it out from the trailer, Rodriguez's Planet Terror is a zombie flick, and Tarantino's Death Proof is a slasher movie. Has there ever been a zombie or slasher movie that cost $53 million? Now there has been.

Traditionally, you take a movie like Halloween, Saw, Hostel or The Devil's Rejects and make it for under $10 million. Then, if it has a $12 million opening weekend, it's a huge success. If it grosses $25 million, it's a freakin' blockbuster and headed toward the eternal sequel afterlife.

Remember, $53 million went into these movies. That's a lot of money. And even worse, that much money creates that much more expectation. Zombie movies and slasher movies are wildly successful because they make do with what they have and they hit a chord with the viewing audience.

Now, back to my initial comment: this could have been great. But how?

If Rodriguez and Tarantino truly wanted to capture the spirit of the grindhouse, they would have limited themselves to low-budget filmmaking and made do with what they could afford. Just like Rodriguez did with El MariachiI ($220k) and Tarantino did with Reservoir Dogs ($1.5 million).

TECHNICAL MUMBO JUMBO:

The $53 million dollar budget set these two movies way over the top. The manufactured low-budget feel felt overproduced. In musical terms, it is Primus versus Rush -- if you know, you get it.

Review by Todd Johnson.

INFLUX MOVIE REVIEWS www.influxmagazine.com
Grindhouse	*Grindhouse: A Spoof Unto Thyself* MOVIE: Grindhouse
	DIRECTOR: Robert Rodriguez / Quentin Tarantino
	CAST: Kurt Russell, Jeff Fahey, Josh Brolin, Rosario Dawson, Rose McGowan
THE QUICK HIT:
Grindhouse attempts to revive the over-the-top exploitation double features of the 1970s. However, it just doesn't happen. One of the best thing about exploitation films is their lack of budget, their lack of appropriateness, and the unforgiving drive to offend with relentless abandonment by any means necessary. This 2007 "grindhouse" revival seems all to aware of its budget and its need for commercial success. GRADE: B-
THE BIG PICTURE:
This could have been great. There was so much potential. Grindhouse. Exploitation. Tarantino. Rodriguez. Double-feature. Zombie. Slasher. Each, in and of itself, creates an image and a genre in a movie goers mind. Quality acting and off-the chart special effects, however, are not a symbol of the grindhouse genre. This was so overdone and so poorly marketed that disappointment was the only possible outcome. The trailers were inept at letting the audience know what to expect, and the budget was self-defeating. If you couldn't figure it out from the trailer, Rodriguez's Planet Terror is a zombie flick, and Tarantino's Death Proof is a slasher movie. Has there ever been a zombie or slasher movie that cost $53 million? Now there has been. Traditionally, you take a movie like Halloween, Saw, Hostel or The Devil's Rejects and make it for under $10 million. Then, if it has a $12 million opening weekend, it's a huge success. If it grosses $25 million, it's a freakin' blockbuster and headed toward the eternal sequel afterlife. Remember, $53 million went into these movies. That's a lot of money. And even worse, that much money creates that much more expectation. Zombie movies and slasher movies are wildly successful because they make do with what they have and they hit a chord with the viewing audience. Now, back to my initial comment: this could have been great. But how? If Rodriguez and Tarantino truly wanted to capture the spirit of the grindhouse, they would have limited themselves to low-budget filmmaking and made do with what they could afford. Just like Rodriguez did with El MariachiI ($220k) and Tarantino did with Reservoir Dogs ($1.5 million).
TECHNICAL MUMBO JUMBO:
The $53 million dollar budget set these two movies way over the top. The manufactured low-budget feel felt overproduced. In musical terms, it is Primus versus Rush -- if you know, you get it.
Review by Todd Johnson.