GRINDHOUSE Review

I was able to catch Grindhouse this weekend, the new double feature by the clever directing duo of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. I whole-heartedly recommend the movie with two caveats: 1) you must be willing to take a wild, self-referential, bloody ride; and 2) you have to make it through the much-too-bloody first half by Rodriguez to uncover the real gem that is Tarantino's new movie.

Rodriguez and Tarantino should both get credit for having fun. That's what these two 90 minute movies are about. Unabashed crazy blood-and-guts wild-ass fun. From fake horror movie previews to grainy film and missing reels, the directors throw in every old school gimmick but the kitchen sink.

The first part of the movie, Rodriguez's Planet Terror, might as well be a video game. Full of fast-flying bullets and exploding zombies, the over-the-top gore finally just begins to wash over you after 45 mins or so. There are some laugh-out-loud moments, which you might expect. But who in the world could have known that Rose McGowan (of Scream and Charmed fame) could be such a kickass heroine? And cutie Freddy Rodriguez (from Six Feet Under) plays a charming, gun-toting love interest.

While Planet Terror has genuine moments of suspense, Tarantino's Death Proof is the movie that actually keeps you on the edge of your seat. You know from the movie trailer that Rose McGowan gets in Kurt Russell's "death proof" car, and he tries to kill her. But that's only about 1/4 of the movie. The rest of Death Proof is balls-to-the-wall girl power. Not since Buffy have I seen some gals kick such ass.

If you don't mind gore and you want to have some fun, Grindhouse will certainly fit the bill. You'll probably get squeamish during Rodriguez's first half, but hold tight because Tarantino's second half redeems the double feature as a whole. Now I just want Tarantino to get back to making another great drama, a la Pulp Fiction or Jackie Brown. Hell, even Kill Bill would do.