Planet Terror V.S. Death Proof

[Movies205]

Amen to that, and as seemingly the only person on the Hype who didn't like it, I expect to get many of those. Though I have already argued with many people outside the Hype and recieved several "You didn't get it"s. It wasn't a matter of not understanding the homage or the point, or whatever. I simply like what I like, and I didn't like Grindhouse.

There's a lot of that over at Box Office Mojo, however I don't get what there is to get to Grindhouse? Isn't the point that it's a cheezy B-movie, it's not exactly a well of depth. I haven't seen it yet, I'll probably go tommorrow when I can see it for 6 dollars. However, I'm not that interested, I'm kind of sick of QT style, this whole tongue-in-cheek movies about movies, where dialogue goes on and on because it so clever... In the words of Cronenberg...

"I think [Tarantino's] movies are only about other movies. His
references are never to human life, but to human life as filtered
through old movies. He's basically always doing remakes and pastiches
of old movies. And I saw those 70s movies when they came out – they
were bad then. Why would you want to do a remake of a bad 70s movie? I
don't see that remaking it makes it good somehow.
What it does do is make it kind of "post-modernist" in that it's
always referring to another era and it's retro and there's always
quotes around everything and everything is ironic and we're always
nudging and winking. "

 

[kypade]

Is "Croenburg" Cronenberg? Either way, that's the dumbest quote I've ever read.

 

[Movies205]

Is "Croenburg" Cronenberg? Either way, that's the dumbest quote I've ever read.

Okay.... Anyone have anything constructive to add, perhaps?

 

[Matt]

I actually agree with Cronenberg. QT is quickly becoming the VH1 of movies. Everything he does is some retro drawback to things that sucked in their time and are even worse in our time. Someone needs to tell QT and everyone who has been kissing his ass that just because it is vintage and just because you are doing a homage to it, doesn't make it great. If QT did a homage to the Nazi party would it be great?

 

[machinelover]

Well it looks like you'll have a choice now...

April 9, 2007 - Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse seemed like a "sure thing" for The Weinstein Co. The edgy flick has two great genre filmmakers who have cult followings, it's gotten great media coverage, solid reviews, and the studio spent $30 million on marketing. But the exploitation flick-inspired double feature opened with just $12 million. Audiences just didn't show up for it.

And now, TWC honcho Harvey Weinstein is pondering splitting the film in two, inserting addition footage, and re-releasing them individually -- that's straight from the horse's mouth to DeadlineHollywoodDaily.com. That was already the plan for the European release, but we'll see the same scenario play out in North America if Harv deems it doable.

"First of all, I'm incredibly disappointed," Weinstein told the site. "We tried to do something new and obviously we didn't do it that well. It's just a question of how is it going to hang in there. But we could split the movies in a couple of weeks. Make Tarantino's a full-length film, and Rodriguez's too. We'll be adding those 'two missing reels' that's talked about in the movie."

Did the film's 3 hour and 12 minute running time keep moviegoers away? Or was it just a poorly timed release? Weinstein cites the former saying, "Our research showed the length kept people away. It was the single biggest deterrent."

 

[Movies205]

I actually agree with Cronenberg. QT is quickly becoming the VH1 of movies. Everything he does is some retro drawback to things that sucked in their time and are even worse in our time. Someone needs to tell QT and everyone who has been kissing his ass that just because it is vintage and just because you are doing a homage to it, doesn't make it great. If QT did a homage to the Nazi party would it be great?

Well it worked great for Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, then it went sour. You can only milk the cow so much, it's as if QT simply can't just write a good story without the gimmicks. I wish these guys that emerged from the independent scene in the 90s would ****in evolve as film-makers, Kevin Smith is but he's moving at a snail's pace, Rodriguez for better or worse has... But how is Once Upon a Time in Mexico an improvement over Desperado? SHarkboy and Lava Girl? Ugh...

 

[The Dark Defender]

I love both, but I didn't really like many if any of the women in DP, the mindless banter dialogue was dragged out (a typical trait of Tarantino's films), and I didn't like the glorification of revenge ending where they basically it's ok to run innocent civilians off the road and risk the lives of bystanders on your quest to get the bad guy.
Planet Terror was uber entertaining throughout and nigh perfect as a fun romp.
The DP theme of not shoving people around because sooner or later you're going to shove someone that shoves you back harder was terrific though.

 

[The Dark Defender]

Aside from the random character change in Stuntman...mark? What about "The View" scenes with the groups of girls talking, and talking, ect. Explain that and why it was worthwhile.

Spoiler

It wasn't random. The point is that he was a sexual predator that was used to victims that really didn't have the means to fight back, for the first time he was pitted against an opponent that was, and he couldn't handle it.

 

[iceberg325]

I think some of the dialogue was needed to give the characters depth. Would Stuntman Mike be such a great character without his dialogue in the first act of death proof?

The problem with deathproof for me was the casting. I didnt like any of the girls in the second act. I loved the stunt that chick pulled and I give her all the cerdit for that. I just didnt like the choice of girls for the characters. Thats just my opinion.

I thought planet terror was more entertaining. Not making it a better movie per se. Its just both films are total opposites so I dont try to compare them. I see thma as complete stand alone films. I liked them both the same for what they offered.

As for the trailers, I liked machete and thanksgiving lol. This goes to show what some filmakers can come up with when they are given total freedom.

 

[Golgo-13]

I think the excessive dialogue everyone is referring too is from the girls.

 

[iceberg325]

I think the excessive dialogue everyone is referring too is from the girls.

It isnt the 1st time tarantino has done such a thing. Going to see a film made by him such should be expected lol. Hes a chatty dude lol.

I loved the Dialogue in the first half. With jungle Juila and all the girls. I wasnt too interested in the second bunch of girls.

 

[cryptic name]

i preferred Planet Terror as a movie, but i think Death Proof really captured the 70's exploitation feeling they were going for. it seemed like something you'd find on at 3 in the morning and go "what the hell is this?"

 

[cryptic name]

Okay.... Anyone have anything constructive to add, perhaps?

why would he say "remaking a bad movie doesn't make it any better" when he remade the fly...and made it better?
anyway, i think the real idea behind grindhouse was to take what those old B movies promised and never delivered, and deliver on them. in that sense it worked very well, and was entertaining as all get out.

 

[iceberg325]

why would he say "remaking a bad movie doesn't make it any better" when he remade the fly...and made it better?
anyway, i think the real idea behind grindhouse was to take what those old B movies promised and never delivered, and deliver on them. in that sense it worked very well, and was entertaining as all get out.

The bad thing about that is those films dont cater to a wide audience. Its hard to sell that now a days. I guess everyone will have to wait and see what happens this weekend. Maybe the movie will pick up. IMO I felt deathproof should have been shown first. Maybe people would have gotten a better reaction that way.

 

[cryptic name]

the box office doesn't really concern me. i saw the flicks, enjoyed them immensely, and will by the dvd. i don't need the films to be successful to love them, it's not like i desperately need Grindhouse 2 or anything.

 

[iceberg325]

the box office doesn't really concern me. i saw the flicks, enjoyed them immensely, and will by the dvd. i don't need the films to be successful to love them, it's not like i desperately need Grindhouse 2 or anything.

I feel the same way. I didnt care for the reviews either. I loved the films

 

[Speedball]

Planet Terror was a good bad movie.
But Death Proof was a good movie.
I liked the dialogue and the set, and it has some of the most intense scenes I've ever seen. Plus, it had Zoe Bell, who was awesome.

 

[Clerk]

Death Proof was complete and total ****. 99.9% of the time, I understand that beauty is in the eye of the beholder..... but I cannot even grasp how someone could enjoy Death Proof. I dont think I ever checked my watch so much in a movie.

 

[Malus]

Planet Terror

Death Proof like ALL of Tarantino's films take way to long to get to the point...and way to much unnecessary dialogue. :

YES. Exactly. After Kurt Russell finally made his first attack, it took what seemed like hours of "clever" inside-reference pointless dialogue to get to the final car battle.
The women referring to "Vanishing Point" and "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry" - I was so not buying that. Tarrantino knows those films; these 20-something women most likely would not in my opinion; stunt women or not. Stuff like that, and the obvious grindhouse era posters in the bar scene just took me right out of the movie.

Tarrantino's cameos were both lame to me. The cameo in "Death Proof" was just irritating.
I kept thinking he looked like Squiggy from Laverne & Shirley.

And the whole text messaging scene in "Death Proof" to connect it to "Planet Terror" went on too long. It's like Jeez, we get it already.

I found "Planet Terror" far more entertaining. Nothing really special in either feature for me, except that magnificent Kurt Russell performance.

I guess seeing the vintage, swirling colors "Coming Soon" bit was my favorite moment.

 

[Le Diable Blanc]

Planet Terror

 

[Nivek]

I'll make this short and sweet. I f**king loved Planet Terror and the first half of the flick. Blood, gore, Boobs, severed Balls, Michael Biehn, Tom Savini, Boil covered Mutants, gunplay, brainless dead Fergie... damn good stuff. It wasn't high art, but it is enjoyable as holy hell.

But Death Proof... me and my girlfriend ended up walking out of the theatre about an hour into it. Someone needs to Donkey Kick Tarentino in the sack for making that *****!!! Utterly wasted Kurt Russell, for shots of stupid *****es talking about useless uninteresting bulls#!t and showing their feet for an HOUR! What the hell happened? Why the hell didn't Rob Rod say something about it being so disgustingly BORING!?!

 

[Nivek]

Dp felt more like an actual exploitation film. PT was more like a self aware spoof of the genre. I think QT understood what he was trying to do more than Rodriquez.

The only thing QT exploited was the audiences paitence with witless uninteresting banter between some foot fetish bimbettes.

Alot of this debate about the quality of Death Proof is simply just showing who was really watching these films, and who is simply jumping on a bandwagon. Even though I loved Planet Terror, RR should have been a friend and produser and made QT trim alot of the fat that dragged Gringhouse to a flat stop.

 

[Movies205]

why would he say "remaking a bad movie doesn't make it any better" when he remade the fly...and made it better?
anyway, i think the real idea behind grindhouse was to take what those old B movies promised and never delivered, and deliver on them. in that sense it worked very well, and was entertaining as all get out.

He saying that simply taking a 70s film and not changing it at all, isn't good. The Fly is significantly different than the 50s version.

 

[Mr. Credible]

Well it looks like you'll have a choice now...

April 9, 2007 - Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse seemed like a "sure thing" for The Weinstein Co. The edgy flick has two great genre filmmakers who have cult followings, it's gotten great media coverage, solid reviews, and the studio spent $30 million on marketing. But the exploitation flick-inspired double feature opened with just $12 million. Audiences just didn't show up for it.

And now, TWC honcho Harvey Weinstein is pondering splitting the film in two, inserting addition footage, and re-releasing them individually -- that's straight from the horse's mouth to DeadlineHollywoodDaily.com. That was already the plan for the European release, but we'll see the same scenario play out in North America if Harv deems it doable.

"First of all, I'm incredibly disappointed," Weinstein told the site. "We tried to do something new and obviously we didn't do it that well. It's just a question of how is it going to hang in there. But we could split the movies in a couple of weeks. Make Tarantino's a full-length film, and Rodriguez's too. We'll be adding those 'two missing reels' that's talked about in the movie."

Did the film's 3 hour and 12 minute running time keep moviegoers away? Or was it just a poorly timed release? Weinstein cites the former saying, "Our research showed the length kept people away. It was the single biggest deterrent."

that's the biggest crybaby thing i've ever heard a movie studio say... so what, now they're going to indian give, and make everyone else pay for 2 seperate movies? i call shenanigans on that.

your movie did poorly at the box office. get over it. it happens.

 

[Spider-Fan]

Just saw it last night, and I thought this was a very enjoyable theater experience. Both movies were going for different things, but I feel each could have been improved with minor changes.

Planet Terror was supposed to be gross, cheesy, and fun. However, the one scene with Tarantino was a little much. Could have lived without some of those moments.

Death Proof needed more Stuntman Mike after the first act. The first act of this feature was definately better. We see Mike only once before he goes after them. He should have been seen more.

Overall, these features were typical movies for these directors. I would say they are around equal. I don't know why so many people on here are hating on Tarantino. I like his movies a lot (except I can't vouch for Jackie Brown...never seen it).