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I first want to start off this review with full disclosure:  I really don’t like horror films.  Now I can tell you that I really like this film.  There have been quite a number of people who’ve seen this film that I know that have compared the Rodriguez film (Planet Terror) and the Taratino film (Deathproof) the sentence after they say, “I saw Grindhouse”.  It’s very easy to do that considering they play back to back.  But aside from the fact they are part of a double-feature there’s little similarities between them.

The concept of Grindhouse is reason enough alone to see it.  When was the last time you saw a double-feature in the movie theater?  The directors have the entire look and feel of the 70s drive in down to a tee.  Even the slides mentioning “Feature presentation” are perfect.  This works well considering if either one of these films were shown alone they would have to be a bit longer, which would cause a bit more “fluff” that would not have worked for either film.
The double-feature starts with “Planet Terror” a throw-back to the zombie movies of the past.  Robert Rodriguez wrote, directed, and even scored this film.  What made me like this film is that it was easy to tell that no one in the theater or on the set took it too seriously.  Some lines in the film were typical of that genre and made the audience laugh out loud, myself included.  Rodriguez was also able to use the 70s drive-in to his advantage during parts of the movie including a “Missing Reel” sequence that the audience needed to complete the story.  But we all took it in stride considering no one was taking it too seriously.

After a few funny trailers “Deathproof” started.  Quentin Tarantino used some of the same bit actors for his film, which was anoter clever use of the genre.  Tarantino did what he does best, right excellent dialog.   How many of use can recite a line of 5 from  “Pulp Fiction”?  There was a car chase scene which was taken right out of the 70s with two muscle cars included.  Although Tarantino did not use the 70s drive-in to his advantage as much as Robert Rodridguez, this film made it worth the while to come back after a bathroom break.

If you thinking of seeing this double feature…do it!  Do it while it’s in the theater.  You will not get the full affect at your home.  It’s a shame that there are few drive-in theaters left, because I would recommend seeing it there.  And when you do see it in the theater, don’t by (or bring) your own drinks, you’ll miss a few minutes of two great films.

written by tom