We were big, nay, huge fans of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s 2007 Grindhouse spectacular here in the third row. So much that we did a lengthy dedicated podcast to the experience way back when it was theatrically released. The double-bill (with trailers, etc.) as a business venture ended up being such a flop that it was broken up into separate films and shown, without all the bells and whistles, in most parts of the world. Eventually the films were also released separately on DVD with the exception of the full ‘Grindhouse Experience’ being available as a complete Japanese Box Set (beautiful, but EXPENSIVE) a couple years ago. However, those with Blu-Ray capability can finally get everything soon (hopefully with lots of swanky new bonus features, including commentaries and supplementals on the fake trailers) in Region 1 format.
We’re a bit late on this, as /Film posted up the story (based on a Tweet from Edgar Wright) on Monday, but we always like to provide a forum to debate the merits of Death Proof. So have at it once again if you are so inclined.
Also, curiously, two of the fake trailers made for the 2007 ‘grindhouse experience’ are actually in post-production as actual features: Machete and Hobo With A Shotgun.
Death Proof WINS. Anyone who says otherwise is asleep with a cow-hoof up their ass.
100% Agreement there. Although I fear it is the nature of the double bill that they will be compared to each other.
My beef is generally with those who call Deathproof ‘boring’ because man that film is a fuckin’ delight from start to finish. Even on the 6 or 7th viewing (or because it is a sort of ‘hanging-out’ movie, especially on the 6 or 7th Viewing)
Finally! ‘Course now I’m left wondering when/if we’ll ever see that dee-luxe edition of the Kill Bill films all in one box.
I’m 90% sure that the Kill Bill box is in Disney/Miramax/Weistein hell. It’s more rights and whatnot holding it up. It’ll do business, but not CRAZY business for all the rights holders to huddle and come up with a plan. What is flabbergasting is that THE HOBBIT can’t get all parties together when that is such a ‘mega-dollar-shoe-in’ These situations are Weird.
Again, the Japanese have a ‘more or less’ complete KILL BILL with the black & white scene in KB1 in colour, and other stuff. Again, it’s expensive.
Boy it seems weird that we’ve gone more than a year without any KB:TWBA rumours surfacing, the last time I wrote anything was Jan 2009.
Death Proof simply gets BETTER on each subsequent viewing.
There had better be a Tarantino commentary. And there had better be a technical commentary as well as the standard commentary discussing story elements. Some slideshows of concept art and ad art would be cool too. And anything left on the cutting room floor that has to do with Cherry and her gatlin gun leg in Mexico. Also I would like to see this thing to come in under $60 if at all possible
I knew there was a reason I hadn’t bought either yet.
@ Rot – Amen!
Awesome. I only got around to watching them both recently because I was waiting for this to come out (the UK never got this version in theaters). Fingers crossed we’re getting a Region 2 Blu Ray.
I really enjoyed both of the films. Planet Terror is a more accurate ‘grindhouse’ parody and is a hell of a lot of fun, but Deathproof is a more solid, quality film.
Actually, I believe that Deathproof is far more of Grindhouse film than Planet Terror. Go back and watch a lot of that stuff, you’ll find they are endlessly filled with talking and ‘filler’ before the one action sequence or whathave you that is on the poster. The bonus with Deathproof is that the ‘filler’ dialogue is Tarantino dialogue which makes those tedious scenes in the old grindhouse flicks quite watchable.
True – Planet Terror was more like grindhouse wish-fulfillment, in that the original grindhouse movies always looked a lot more action packed in their trailers than they actually were. But at the same time, Deathproof was longer than most ‘true’ grindhouse films clocking in at 2 hours (the separate edition at least) and felt very much like a Tarantino film rather than a hack-for-hire project. As great as the film is, it’s pretty leisurely paced. I imagine the 87 min version is much more true to the grindhouse vision though.