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Released by: Vivendi
Released on: November 2, 2010.
Director: Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Rose McGowan, Kurt Russell, Freddy Rodriguez, Rosario Dawson
Year: 2007
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The Movie:
Though the individual parts that made up the Grindhouse double feature were released on their own as extended versions, the theatrical experience was elusive on home video outside of an expensive Japanese import version - until now. While that Japanese version was great because it included the extended versions and the theatrical cut, it wasn't of the best quality. Vivendi steps up to the plate and delivers the theatrical cut in all its high definition glory on this two disc Blu-ray release, omitting the extended versions but including a second Blu-ray disc full of extra features. Here's a look:
PLANET TERROR:
A go-go dancer calling herself Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan) leaves the club she dances at and winds up at a BBQ joint run by J.T. (Jeff Fahey) where she runs into her old flame, El Wray (Freddy Rodriguez).
He gives her a ride and on the way they roll his truck. When they get out of the vehicle, some infected people have chewed off Cherry's leg, promptly destroying her dreams of becoming a standup comedian. El Wray takes her to the hospital where Dr. William Block (Josh Brolin) and his wife, Dakota Block (Mary Shelton) are dealing with some unusual marital issues. It turns out that the hospital is overrun with people arriving with strange growths and infections and before you know it, there's an outbreak. The local Sheriff (Michael Parks), who happens to be J.T.'s brother and who desperately wants his BBQ recipe, arrests El Wray but as the outbreak spreads, everyone soon has to band together to survive against the hordes of the infected. If that weren't bad enough, a covert military group (lead by Bruce Willis) is involved in a struggle with a shady 'scientist' named Abby (Naveen Andrews), whose hobbies include collecting the testicles of his enemies. It seems there might be an antidote available...
By taking all the insanity of zombie/infection films like Umberto Lenzi's Nightmare City and turning things up about two hundred percent, Rodriguez has made a deliriously fun splatter film that takes itself just seriously enough to work but not so serious as to overshoot its intentions. This is an homage to films from the likes of Romero, Fulci, Lenzi and even Antonio Margheritti (parts of the picture feel a little bit like Cannibal Apocalypse) with a dash of John Carpenter thrown in for good measure, and on that level, it works quite well. The film doesn't shy away from the gore or the gratuitous language and it peppers the film with clichés and outlandish characters (the marketing material, even the DVD cover, completely give away what happens to Cherry once her leg is gnawed off) and if the whole thing feels like cheap exploitation, well, so much the better. There's no real deep subtext to Planet Terror nor is there really much of a message to the picture - but sometimes there doesn't have to be. What Rodriguez has crafted here is plainly and simply a fast pace, bloody, bullet riddled horror thrill ride that starts with a bang and holds the breakneck pace for its duration.
As far as the performances are concerned, we're given an interesting cast to watch with Rose McGowan stealing the show. She's sultry, sexy, and sympathetic enough to work as the female lead but when it comes time to tear it up towards the end of the film proves equally capable in an action intensive role.
Freddy Rodriguez is likeable enough as the mysterious El Wray, and if we never find out exactly what his back-story is, that's half the fun. He's great in the action scenes - just watch as he takes out some unlucky infected types with a butterfly knife - but he's also well cast as the anti-hero who never misses. Surround them with a supporting cast like the one assembled here and throw in some fun cameos from Tom Savini, Quentin Tarantino and Michael Parks and you've got yourself a fun bunch of performers who are obviously having a ball with the material and with their roles.
From the intentionally degraded look of the print to the well placed 'missing reel' gag Rodriguez has done a good job of replicating the fleapit theater experience - this big budget Hollywood film looks like a worn out print you'd see at a second run inner city movie house. He's given us characters to like, a story that provides tension and gore galore to provide shock value - and in the end, has crafted an insanely entertaining film. Who cares if it's deep when it's this much fun?
DEATH PROOF:
When the film begins, a radio disc jockey named Jungle Julia (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) and her friends, Arlene (Vanessa Ferlito) and Shanna (Jordan Ladd) are out for a night at the bar before heading out of town for the weekend. The arrive at the saloon run by Warren (Quentin Tarantino) and flirt with a few of the local boys, Omar (Michael Bacall), Nate (Omar Doom) and Dov (Eli Roth). Meanwhile, a rough looking middle-aged man with a scar over his eye calling himself Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) is talking to a foxy blonde named Pam (Rose McGowan). The parties all interact a bit until it's starting to get late at which point Stuntman Mike gives Pam a ride home in his 'death proof' car. It seems Mike really was a stuntman and that his car has been modified to ensure that the driver will not be killed during flips, collisions and what not. The four girls hit the road in their vehicle and Mike and Pam get into his. A few moments later, Stuntman Mike drives head on into the girls' car and everyone dies... except for him.
From here, we meet Kim (Tracie Thoms), Abernathy (Rosario Dawson), Lee (Mary Elisabeth Winstead) and Zoe Bell (playing herself). As the three girls sit around a diner we learn that Zoe and Kim are stuntwomen, Lee a model. They've been friends for a long time and are glad to be relaxing for a while.
Kim and Zoe find out about a muscle car for sale 'just like the one in Vanishing Point' and head off to test-drive, leaving cute little Lee with the creepy owner as collateral. What Kim and Zoe, with Abernathy along for the ride, don't tell the others is that they're going to ride on the hood of the car, one at a time, before bringing it back. Of course, once Zoe is on the hood holding on for dear life in hope of some cheap thrills, Stuntman Mike shows up and starts to complicate matters for the ladies...
Death Proof has some problems - quite a few of them, actually. The first and primary issue with the picture is the dialogue. Not only is there so damn much of it, but every single line sounds not like a missive from an actual conversation but contrived Tarantino hipster speak. While it's fun to pick up the pop culture references (at one point Stuntman Mike is referred to as Zatoichi) and the tributes to low budget seventies cinema are charming in a rather all too obvious manner, the fact of the matter is that this is a very talky film and we've got to sit through a lot of banter before getting to the two genuine pay off scenes. Some of the references work better than others. Look for a few clever nods to some of Russell's past roles and more than a few winks referencing Tarantino's past films ensuring that we know Death Proof is set in the same universe. A clever reference to Bullitt stands out and there's even a reference to Peckinpah's Convoy.
The other problem is Zoe Bell. While she's certainly easy on the eyes and not at all lacking in enthusiasm or talent as a stuntwoman, her acting here is just a bit too perky and cute. She may very well be playing herself (the opening titles pretty much tell us she is) but maybe there's a reason she decided to be a stuntwoman and not an actress for while she excels with the physical demands required of her role, much of her dialogue feels forced and her performance contrived.
The rest of the cast do fairly well. Tarantino more or less shows up and plays himself, as he always seems to in his films, and Eli Roth is a little annoying as the frat boy (though that's likely intentional and the way that the character was written) but for the most part the rest of the cast do okay. Rosario Dawson and Tracie Thoms in particular really get into things in the last part of the picture and it's fun to see them embrace the ass-kicking side of their on screen personas. As far as the first part goes, Sydney Tamiia Poitier might be a little too cool for her own good but she's not bad and Ferlito and Ladd are fun in their supporting roles.
With that out of the way, there are some areas where Death Proof really does impress. Casting Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike was a brilliant idea. Not only does he completely look the part but he's got the right voice, the right mannerisms, and the perfect tough guy acting style to pull it off and make it look easy. While his performance here may not become the stuff of legend like his work with John Carpenter has, it's not because he doesn't deserve it - Russell is phenomenal in this part.
The other key factor that makes Death Proof worthwhile is the stunt driving scenes. Don't look for any fake CGI here - Tarantino wisely opted to use real cars and real stunt drivers the way films like this were made in decades past and the results are fantastic. The two key car scenes are also exceptionally well edited and really drive home the impact of the collisions and the balls out dangerousness of what we're seeing on screen.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Both films are presented on Blu-ray as they were theatrically, and that's in 2.35.1 widescreen. The AVC encoded 1080p high definition transfers for both films look great, with all the scratches and fades and dirt and debris in Planet Terror coming through beautifully though surprisingly rarely at the cost of fine detail. Death Proof is the 'cleaner' looking of the two pictures in that it didn't have as much post production manipulation applied to it the way the first film did, but it too retains its gritty aesthetic. Black levels are about where they should be, skin tones look good for both films, and colors are generally excellent. Both films look far better here than they did on the Japanese SD release, and fans of Grindhouse should be quite pleased with how it translates to Blu-ray, visually speaking.
Unfortunately the audio doesn't get the same sort of upgrade as the video does. Here we get a rock solid Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound mix, no lossless option is offered. It's a shame that this didn't happen, as Grindhouse would definitely have benefited from the extra power that a good lossless mix can provide, but the standard definition track here at least sounds quite good. There's plenty of channel separation throughout both movies, the levels are well balanced and bass is nice and strong. The soundtracks always sound great and the effects are mixed in nicely. Again, there should have been a lossless mix here and that didn't happen, but what's here does sound good, even if it could have sounded better.
Aside from the trailers for Machete, Werewolf Women Of The S.S., Thanksgiving and Don't!, the first disc includes an amusing audience reaction track for Planet Terror that was recorded at a theatrical screening of the film that's presented here with all sorts of cheers and groans and what not. It's not something you're probably going to listen to more than once, or even once for that matter. More interesting is a commentary track with Robert Rodriguez, who talks about making this picture, working with the various participants involved in this production, and more. If you've listened to the commentary on the single disc Planet Terror release, you've heard this track and the audience participation track as well - they're identical. The first disc has also got some spiffy menus and chapter stops.
Also carried over from single disc release of Planet Terror is the 10 Minute Film School With Robert Rodriguez featurette. This segment explains how the director tried to save money on a few different aspects of the production, including the machine gun leg. There's some amusing footage of Rodriguez trying this out on his own at his house, as he explains how Rose had to restrict her movements so that the gun could be imposed over the green cast they used on her leg. Using behind the scenes footage and footage from the film, this featurette turns out to be a pretty interesting look at a few of the more memorable moments in the picture. On of the more interesting points that he makes here is that he feels the intentional degradation of the film makes it appear even more violent than it is.
From there, check out The Badass Babes Of Planet Terror and The Guys Of Planet Terror which focus on the cast that star in the picture. Interviews with pretty much all of the principal male and female performers can be found in here alongside thoughts from Rodriguez and Tarantino. There are some clips from the finished version of the film along with behind the scenes clips, but neither feature go that in-depth and they're not as interesting as you'd expect them to be. That said, it's fun to see Savini and Fahey show up and talk about their bit parts and some of the behind the scenes footage is kind of neat.
Up next is Casting Rebel is an amusing discussion with the director who explains his reasons for casting his young son as the boy in the film who meets a rather unfortunate end. He talks about some of the moral dilemmas he faces as a father and also what it was like working with his son. There are some interviews with the cast members who all express their fondness for the boy, as well as with Rebel himself, in addition to some behind the scenes clips.
Sickos, Bullets And Explosions: The Stunts Of Planet Terror is exactly what you'd think - a look at the stunt work used to make the action scenes in the film come to life. The cast members discuss their experiences with the stunt team, Rose McGowan in particular professes her admiration for the role and the physicality of the part. Freddy Rodriguez shows up and talks about the knife scenes, and while everyone rambles on about how cool everyone else is, we're treated to some genuinely interesting behind the scenes footage of the stunt team doing their thing.
The Friend, The Doctor And The Real Estate Agent is a featurette where Rodriguez discusses a few of the bit part players in the film, his friends Felix Sebates, Tommy Nix and Skip Reissig. New to the Blu-ray release of Grindhouse is another one of Rodriguez's cooking school bits, and a twelve minute segment entitled The Make Up Effects Of Planet Terror in which Greg Nicatero talks about his effects work on the film and how he made all those gooey, icky, pussy sores come to life. Good stuff.
As far as Death Proof goes, again, most of the supplements are carried over from the single disc release starting with a documentary entitled Stunts On Wheels: The Legendary Drivers Of Death Proof.
This segment starts off with some behind the scenes footage that shows the stunt drivers at work. Interviews with Tarantino, stunt coordinator Jeff Dashnaw, Kurt Russell, and a few of the drivers like Buddy Joe Hooker make up the bulk of the material but some of the stunt footage, particularly where we see Stuntman Mike's car flip, is pretty damn impressive. Tarantino talks about films like White Lightning and Vanishing Point which inspired his film, and the stuntmen discuss the intensity and complexity of the work that they were required to do on the picture. Stuntwoman Tracey Keehn Dashnaw shows up and talks about her stunt work and Tarantino and her fellow stunt workers gush about her job. Chrissy Weathersby discusses how important it was to see some of the other drivers prepare for their work and Tarantino explains how and why he wanted a black, female stunt driver in his picture. Terry Leonard also appears on camera, referring to Tarantino as the 'John Ford of this era.' The featurette ends with everyone recapping how much they enjoyed working on the film and with some footage of Tarantino thanking his stunt crew.
Introducing Zoe Bell begins with Quentin talking about how he met Zoe Bell and how he wound up using her in Kill Bill. Zoe talks about what it's like to take direction from Quentin, who responds by discussing how he wanted Zoe to play herself in Death Proof and she mentions how she was quite taken aback when she read the script and found out how Quentin had actually written her into the film. Mary Elisabeth Winstead talks about how it was cute that Zoe wasn't really aware that she was acting and Zoe responds in kind by praising her female co-stars. Rosario Dawson discusses how Zoe would freak out over the 'talky' stuff rather than the stunt work. Kurt Russell talks about how Zoe was comfortable with the physical side of her performance and Buddy Joe Hooker refers to her as a female Steve McQueen. The segment ends with Bell talking about how Tarantino changed her life and how much she enjoys working with him before finishing off with some on set clips where Tarantino thanks her for her efforts.
Kurt Russell As Stuntman Mike starts off with Tarantino saying 'Snake Plissken' before Rosario talks about how creepy Kurt can be. From there, Tarantino talks about how and why he cast Russell in the lead roll and Kurt talks about why he took the part. From there, Tarantino explains how he grew up watching Russell, and what it was like working with him from the director's point of view and how Kurt understood the character perfectly and how all the veteran stunt workers on Death Proof had met someone like Stuntman Mike in real life. Kurt talks about collaborating with Tarantino and what it was like working on the project, wrapping things up by describing working on Death Proof as 'a truly great experience.'
In Finding Quentin's Gals, Quentin talks about how he wanted to cast the women in the film like he was casting an old slasher film which is why they're hanging out and talking about boys. From there he explains how and why he chose each of the women in the cast for their respective roles. Sydney Tamiia
Poitier talks about how Tarantino explained her role to her as 'Jungle Julia is to music as I am to movies.'
Vanessa Ferlito explains that Quentin sent her the script and told her to read it and Tarantino talks about how he met her and why he wanted her in the part and why he built certain parts of the movie around her, including the lap dance scene. From there we learn that Tarantino knew Jordan Ladd through their mutual friend, Eli Roth and why she was perfect as Shannon. She explains what an honor it was to work with the cast and the director, and from there Tarantino explains how he and Rodriguez bantered back and forth about whether Rose McGowan should have appeared in both pictures or not and Rose talks about how Tarantino was excited that she showed up looking like Barbara Bouchet. Rosario Dawson refers to the movie as 'Quentin's bad ass chicks film' and Tracie Thomas talks about how she got the part using a specific auditioning process alongside Dawson and Tarantino talks about what it was like working with the two of them on the second part of the movie. Mary Elizabeth Winstead explains how excited she was to be on board with the group that got to 'do a lot of ass kicking' and Tarantino tells us why he chose to not write her character so specifically so that he could cast anyone he wanted. Quentin rounds things off by talking about Zoe Bell but considering that this is covered in the Introducing Zoe Bell featurette it makes sense that she only gets a minute or so here.
The Uncut Version Of Baby It's You Performed By Mary Elizabeth Winstead is essentially just a longer take of Winstead singing along to 'Baby It's You' on her iPod while sitting at the wheel of her car.
The Guys Of Death Proof is a shorter piece where Quentin talks about why he cast James Parks and Michael Parks and why he chose to play Warren himself. Eli Roth talks about how amazing it is that Quentin cast him as a weird Jewish guy, explaining how it's been the part he's been preparing for his entire life and what an honor it was to work with Kurt Russell -there's some amusing footage of Roth and Russell goofing off in the bar. Omar Doom explains how Nate is the one guy in the movie who actually gets one of the girls and Tarantino explains how he was the perfect 'dream boat' for the job. Everyone expresses admiration for Michael Bacall
Quentin's Greatest Collaborator: Editor Sally Menke is a featurette where Tarantino talks about how Sally is, as the title says, his greatest collaborator and how she's worked with him on every project since Reservoir Dogs. Quentin tells a few stories about working with her and then from there we see a bunch of clips that were cut from the feature where various performers on camera talk to Sally, knowing she'll see it in the editing room and have to cut it out.
Last but not least is a Double Dare Trailer which promotes the documentary on female stunt performers starring Zoe Bell. There's also a spiffy poster gallery included here. New to this release are a twelve minute bit called The Hot Rods Of Death Proof which is an interesting dissection of what Tarantino thinks makes a good car chase, and an eight minute featurette entitled From Texas To Tennessee: The Production Design Of Death Proof that takes a look at the car design work and a lot of the background details that crop up in the film, from the look of the film to the billboards that we see.
But wait - that's not all. The Werewolf Woman Of The S.S. trailer gets a commentary from creator Rob Zombie as well as its own nine minute making of documentary that takes us behind the scenes. The Don't! trailer gets two separate audio commentary tracks from director Edgar Wright, a making of documentary with some on set footage, a storyboard to film comparison featurette, a storyboard gallery and a look at the fake one sheet art for the movie. Thanksgiving also gets a commentary from director Eli Roth and a six minute making of documentary with some fun on set footage included.
Looking at Grindhouse as a whole, rather than two separate pieces, is the interesting Times Talk With Lynn Hirschberg where the two directors sit down for a lengthy interview session that runs over an hour in which they talk about how they came to collaborate the way they do, why they wanted to make a movie like Grindhouse, and why they chose to do it as a double feature. A lot of this is also covered in the included twenty five minute Comic Con 2006 Panel where the two directors join Marley Shelton, Rose McGowan, Rosario Dawson, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead to field questions from the crowd. Closing out the extras on the second disc is the awesome Hobo With a Shotgun fake trailer that played with the feature in certain areas and some animated menus. A nice insert booklet lists all of the supplements available in the set.
The Final Word:
It might not have set the world on fire when it hit theaters a few years ago but Grindhouse kicks all kinds of ass on Blu-ray, even if this release doesn't get the lossless mix that it deserved. The transfers are excellent and the extras both plentiful and interesting and the feature itself holds up really well. This is, all around, just a really good time at the movies.