Directed by: Robert Rodriguez (Planet Terror), Quentin Tarantino (Death Proof)

Written by: Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino

Year: 2007

Starring: Planet Terror: Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez. Death Proof: Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, Zoe Bell, Vanessa Ferlito, Jordan Ladd

Mrs. Z and I went on a date last night and saw Grindhouse, an exploitation double feature from Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. We both loved it.

Before I begin, let me just say that the movie (movies, actually) should have been rated X. The level of violence was on par to the exploitation films of the 70s. However, as someone who gets to see movies for free, and as someone who’s currently doing exploitation films, this one was a treat.

Planet Terror

The first movie was Planet Terror, written and directed by Robert Rodriguez. I was hoping Rodriguez hasn’t lost it, because Once Upon a Time in Mexico was horrible, and he really hasn’t done anything outstanding since From Dusk ‘Til Dawn. Yes, Sin City was good, but vastly overrated.

Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan) is a go-go dancer who loses a leg when a gas used as a military weapon is released in a rural Texas town. The gas turns people into zombies and her ex-boyfriend El Wray (Freddie Rodriguez) saves her life. Dr. William Block is the evil doctor who treats these people being turned into zombies, and Dr. Dakota Block is his wife that he treats like crap.

There are half a dozen other characters, and I’m not going to list them off, but I will tell you that Rodriguez does an excellent job developing them. After seeing the movie, Mrs. Z and I discussed which characters we liked best. I liked the cook, and of course Cherry Darling.

The action was over the top and unbelievable, but it’s all good. The zombies didn’t really follow zombie guidelines. Sometimes they attacked, sometimes they retreated, sometimes they just stood around and got shot. I don’t think Rodriguez cared about zombie rules; he was more concerned with keeping the viewers on the edge of their seats.

Rodriguez also did a large chunk of the soundtrack. Usually, Jack of All Trades are Masters of none, but Rodriguez is the exception. His directing, writing, musicianship, and even editing are top notch. The dialog is good, not as good as Tarantino’s, but still good. Rodriguez works more with darkness than Tarantino, but his lighting is spectacular. As Tarantino’s stunts are simplistic, Rodriguez goes overboard and full-on cheese.

This movie relied more on action and gore, and did a fine job at it. Rodriguez still has it, and he has redeemed himself for his last sleepers. Not as good as From Dusk ‘Til Dawn, but still a solid movie, and for an exploitation film, it’s top notch. 8 dead zombies

Death Proof

You get two movies for the price of one ticket. It doesn’t get better than that. One warning, go to the bathroom first and don’t drink anything, or else you’ll have to go pee during Death Proof.

This baby is Tarantino’s turn to entertain you. It has a much smaller death count, and a completely different plot. Here, you have Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell), a scarred misogynist, who, kills women with his death proof stunt car.

Tarantino does what he does best in this one. Although the dialog is not as good as Pulp Fiction, this is definitely his best work since then.

After killing off his first female victims, you get to a slow middle part that a lot of viewers criticize. I actually loved it. He developed four women, two actresses, and their stunt doubles.

Of the actresses, you had the dumb one and the hopeless idealist/romantic. I personally liked the stunt doubles better, because I’ve always had a preference for sporty gals. That’s just me though.

Of the stunt doubles, one was a tough gun-totin’ Kim (Tracie Thoms), and the other was the quirky New Zealander Zoe Bell who played herself. I swear Kim is the female version of yours truly, a hardened realist with a sense of humor, plus good-looking too.

This time around, Stuntman Mike stalks these four women. I won’t give much away, but one scene has you on the edge of your seat.

One thing I really liked about this one is it's pro-gun. When you see it, you'll see what I mean. Guns aren't just equalizers, they're advantage givers, and they'll turn the tides for an otherwise bad situation. That's why liberals want to ban them, because they want you to be dependent on the government. They don't like self-sufficiency, but that's another rant. Just go see the fucking movie for yourself.

9 dead zombies for this one. Tarantino hasn’t been this good since Pulp Fiction.

Bonus - Included with the double features are some uncensored trailers for exploitation films that don’t exist. Several of them, I’d love to see made into real movies.

The casting in both movies is perfect. The casting in the trailers is excellent as well, and seeing Nicholas Cage as Fu Manchu in Werewolf Women of the SS got both me and Mrs. Z to bust up laughing. Danny Trejo looked so cool in Machete too. Both Don’t and Thanksgiving were hilarious.