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Grindhouse

I saw Grindhouse last weekend. From the start, I enjoyed the double-feature setup with fake trailers and celluloid cigarette burns that led into a full-bore, over-the-top pastiche of 70s action/horror schlock.

I especially liked the Rodriguez's "Planet Terror", which came first, and featured an insane mutant-zombie attack fest. The Tarantino feature, "Death Proof", was good too, but this was more of an ode to gearheads and muscle cars, and is not a genre I enjoy quite as much as the first one.

Grindhouse is worth seeing in the theaters, and I recommend the film, but there are some caveats:
  1. You really have to buy into the premise of the film, that the features are both cheerfully imitating and mocking their pulp predecessors.
  2. Humorous or not, the film is gory, and if you've been turned off by the violence in previous Rodriguez or Tarantino films, you likely will feel the same about Grindhouse.
  3. You'll need some movie theater stamina, as, combined, the features are over three hours long.
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