comment #1

le corbeau says ...

Another half hour of Kurt Russell, great.

Another half hour of smut-talkin' bimbos, yeesh.

comment #2

Josh Massey says ...

Grindhouse is the perfect example of why I don't find it necessary to go to theaters that much anymore.

Most movies are on DVD within three or four months, my home theater system always has a properly lit and focused presentation, there aren't any crying babies or talky teenagers in my den, it doesn't cost $10 - and, most of all, you're more often than not getting a truncated film in theaters, which is completely bizarre. I would be pissed if I paid to see an edited-down Death Proof only to find out that the version QT always intended was going to be delivered soon thereafter.

comment #3

Jesse Perry says ...

Does this mean there's going to be an even longer wait for the action? Usually, I don't mind with QT, but I thought this was his weakest film, dialogue-wise.

comment #4

wayne76 says ...

I loved Death Proof, and I feel that it would have no problem standing on its own, but 30 EXTRA MINUTES???? That seems a bit excessive, unless all of it is the restored lapdance.

comment #5

le corbeau says ...

"Grindhouse is the perfect example of why I don't find it necessary to go to theaters that much anymore."

Especially ironic given the experience it's attempting to replicate-- which I thought at times it did quite well; watching the trailers and in-between stuff, I could have been at the Pawnee Plaza in Wichita seeing Charles Bronson in The White Buffalo.

By the way, has ANY reviewer mentioned the movie Grindhouse is closest to in format-- Stanley Donen's 1978 Movie Movie, which also had a double bill (of 30s parodies, a boxing movie and a Busby Berkeley-style musical), along with fake trailers and the like?

comment #6

Reedyb says ...

Unless he filmed some action he isn't telling us about, I'm not sure.

As for the Movie Movie reference, It just shows to go you that no one remembers anything anymore.

comment #7

christian says ...

oh, DZ remembers....

comment #8

Ju-osh says ...

Some of the stuff from the script that was shot but not included in the Grindhouse version of Deathproof:

*SPOILERS*

1. One of the first group of girls goes out to their car with Eli Roth's character to make out. He doesn't take the hint to finger fuck her (seriously), and she pushes him off and they go back inside the bar (the Grindhouse version only shows them returning inside).

2. The lapdance (scenes of whick are actually shown in the trailer for Grindhouse)

3. The second group of girls goes to a convenience store where they have their first encounter with Kurt Russell's character, Stuntman Mike (he compulsively brushes his hand against one of the girl's feet while she sleeps in her car).

4. In the store, the girls talk about the energy drink they are seen drinking later on, and they buy the international copy of Vogue that has the picture of the cheerleader-costumed girl in it (also seen later).

5. The girls pick up Zoe Bell at the airport. (Tarantino referenced all his other films in Death Proof -- why not Jackie Brown, too, right?).

comment #9

Rich S. says ...

"I cut it down to the bone and took all the fat off it to see if it could still exist. . ."

Don't you wish that every director did this and then, if the film still works, LEAVE IT ALONE! Strunk & White 101: Omit needless words.

Clint Eastwood was once asked if he learned anything about movie making from sitting on the jury at Cannes. He replied that he wished he could go back and cut 20 minutes off every movie he'd ever made. I wish that lesson had stuck.

DVD now exists to let the director have the last word, so if he wants to indulge in bloat, he can. Just try to learn some restraint and economy of storytelling when the flick is in the theater.

comment #10

Mike Ock says ...

I hated Death Proof because even at 85 minutes it felt too long, not to mention that the dialogue was painful to sit through. An hr and 55 minute version? Thanks but I'll pass.

Crappy movies are alot like junk food. They're only good in moderation. That's why everyone loves the fake trailers so much.

I'd love to see what happens if the longer version of Death Proof bombs. How will Harvey spin it then? I don't know if Tarantino's ego could handle that.

comment #11

storymark says ...

What? No anti-Tarantino screed from DZ? Even with AICN posting an article this morning about QT remaking a Chinese film?

His Mom must not have woken him, yet.

comment #12

le corbeau says ...

Death Proof would have rocked at a super-tight hour. Of course, it also would have been even more obviously Tarantino's entry in that series of campy remakes of AIP movies by name directors that one of the cable channels was doing a few years ago...

comment #13

The Winchester says ...

MGMax- The AIP thing on Showtime, didn't Rodriguez make that Roadracers movie for it? Circle of life...

And we don't need a 115 minute version of Death Proof. I saw Grindhouse thrice, and although I think the DP section gets better each time I see it, (at least more tolerable) it's still needlessly talky and self indulgent. And I hate the girls in the beginning.

comment #14

Edward Havens says ...

Another half-hour of a high school dropout's uncouth burble, which he has somehow convinced himself and others is worthy of Mailer-esque deification?

Where do I sign up for a lobotomy?

comment #15

jeffmcm says ...

Death Proof is one of the best films of the year and I'm thoroughly looking forward to this, on video or whereever.

comment #16

T. S. Idiot says ...

I want to know what happens after the freeze frame. Them girls got some 'splaining to do.

comment #17

le corbeau says ...

"MGMax- The AIP thing on Showtime, didn't Rodriguez make that Roadracers movie for it? Circle of life..."

Right, so Rodriguez had already made BOTH halves of Grindhouse once already, with that and From Dusk Till Dawn.

comment #18

gatsby1040 says ...

I don't understand what everyone's problem is with the "smack talkin bimbos." I think both gangs of girls are comparable to Reservoir Dogs' gang of dudes, and everyone creams all over that movie. I like that he's getting away from clannish male groupings-- its a unique set of characters here. When's the last time you saw characters like these in a movie? I found the second gang of girls really likable too, especially Zoe Bell. People bitch about Tracie thoms' Samuel-L-Impression, but who cares? Directors often feature variations on a few different archetypes: see every women in every movie Howard Hawks ever directed, whether its Bacall, Hepburn, Rosalind Russell or Angie Dickenson. Sure the first batch of gals isnt as likable as the second -- but if anything, its because their section suffers the most from unpaid-off threads and loose ends left by ruthless cutting. But in both sections, the dialogue is terrific, and stands up well against any of his work except maybe Pulp.

People who complain about all that dialogue being boring should re-watch Planet Terror. that's the action-filled piece of style-less, character-less shit they deserve.

comment #19

le corbeau says ...

Actually it was smut-talkin' bimbos. I just had the inescapable feeling that he wrote their dialogue after spending the whole weekend watching Sex and the City to learn how women really talk. But if you didn't find them screechily tiresome, to each his own.

comment #20

Pelham123 says ...

Well, I liked both halves of "Grindhouse", which room do I have to sit in?

comment #21

Geoff says ...

Planet Terror was a blast for me. I laughed pretty hard throughout. It was just a no-nonsense over the top horror cliche thing. Fun for people who know where he's coming from.

I liked Death Proof as well, but I agree that more Kurt Russel would be better in this new version. The dialogue was great, but I don't think there necessarily needs to be a whole lot more. It will get kinda thin on repeat viewings.

comment #22

vulgar71 says ...

I'm excited for a longer Death Proof. I think it will play better by not being attached to Planet Terror. PT was extremely fast paced and DP was the opposite (for the most part), so the juxtaposition was extremely obvious. (Hey, this is the first time I've used juxtapose since high school. I sure hope I used it correctly.) Huzzah for more Death Proof!

comment #23

Rich S. says ...

I think the more you think about Death Proof, the better it plays. It's essentially one big mindscrew. You get these shallow girls, with one who may be something more. She seems to find her soulmate, but he turns out to be something she didn't bargain for. Russell pulls a perfect Ted Bundy- charming one minute, irredeemably evil the next. But then the whole process is repeated, and everything is turned on its head, with the power structure reversed.

Like most QT, I thought it was sneaky-good. Very pulpy and exploitative on the surface, but with some really interesting things to say underneath.

I can't wait to see the extended version, but I'm glad the short version will still exist, just to show the contrast.

comment #24

Craig Kennedy says ...

More is not always better, especially since Tarantino was flirting with indulgence to some minds anyway, but I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Josh Massey, I understand what you're saying about home vs. theater, but Grindhouse was a movie best seen with an appreciative audience. You may or may not have liked it either way, but something will be missing from the communal experience. It's too bad that experience is so hard to achieve without all the things you mentioned getting in the way most of the time.

comment #25

Geoff says ...

"More is not always better, especially since Tarantino was flirting with indulgence to some minds anyway..."

It's true. I mean, I personally enjoyed the dialogue. But if it's going to be more talk about obscure films like Vanishing Point, well, I can't help but understand those who think it's just indulgence and pretentiousness.

comment #26

dre says ...

Grindhouse ruled, the dialogue in Death Proof was great in it's hyper realistic way and I can't wait to see the longer cut.

comment #27

lionsfan says ...

How long will Hollywood bankroll the efforts of wildly overrated, and very creepy-looking and wired-acting, Quentin Tarantino to pick up girls? Were he not a director, for example, there is no way Mira Sorvino would have ever bothered with him, of that I am sure.

And anyone who's ever actually seen a William Smith-Sid Haig-Brion James-Michael Dudikoff-Fred Williamson-Rudy Ray Moore-Jim Brown-Dyanne Thorne-Vonetta McGee-John-Ashley et al. movie knows that the original grindhouse movies are all a hell of a lot more fun and livelier than the two that comprise "Grindhouse." Plus they have the great added benefit of not pretending to be anything other than what they are, junk to watch for a quick lift when down on your emotional or financial luck.

comment #28

christian says ...

like i said, great actors can pull off qt's dialogue -- harvey keitel has gravitas -- rosario dawson has a nice body. big diff.

if anybody thinks the "i don't tip" speech is equal to the "i fell in a ditch" speech, well, lay off the hookah. or share.

the conversations sound like those overhead at toi where qt likes to write. if there's mo' russell footage, the better.

otherwise, SOUND PROOF...

comment #29

lionsfan says ...

How long will Hollywood bankroll the efforts of wildly overrated, and very creepy-looking and wired-acting, Quentin Tarantino to pick up girls? Were he not a director, for example, there is no way Mira Sorvino would have ever bothered with him, of that I am sure.

And anyone who's ever actually seen a William Smith-Sid Haig-Brion James-Michael Dudikoff-Fred Williamson-Rudy Ray Moore-Jim Brown-Dyanne Thorne-Vonetta McGee-John-Ashley et al. movie knows that the original grindhouse movies are all a hell of a lot more fun and livelier than the two that comprise "Grindhouse." Plus they have the great added benefit of not pretending to be anything other than what they are, junk to watch for a quick lift when down on your emotional or financial luck.

comment #30

Rich S. says ...

I will agree that QT is getting kind of weird looking. In Planet Terror, he looked like a slightly paunchy Bob Hope, circa Boy! Did I Get a Wrong Number! Kinda added an interesting twist to the rape scene.

comment #31

Craig Kennedy says ...

I just rewatched Jackie Brown. Samuel L. Jackson is amazing in that movie. There's a guy who understands a thing or two about delivering QT dialogue. He's more entertaining in Pulp Fiction, but the way he veers from being kind of charming and likeable to absolutely dangerous in JB is terrific.

comment #32

le corbeau says ...

"I will agree that QT is getting kind of weird looking."

It's called middle age. He's 44. You can still dress and act like a slacker, but at some point you look like a science teacher or an insurance agent.

comment #33

Rich S. says ...

Or Bob Hope...

comment #34

jeffmcm says ...

QT was weird-looking 15 years ago when he was in Reservoir Dogs. I think now he has fewer illusions about his future as a movie star, and thankfully doesn't give himself pompous self-aggrandizing roles like M. Night does.

comment #35

D.Z. says ...

>"I was like a brutish American exploitation >distributor who cut the movie down almost to the >point of incoherence.

You mean like your boss?

>"It will be in competition, and it'll be the >first time everyone sees Death Proof by itself, >including me."

Just don't be too upset if people walk out on it like they did Southland Tales.

wayne: "That seems a bit excessive, unless all of it is the restored lapdance."

Thirty minutes of strip-teases can get old, too. If you don't believe me, watch Orgy of the Dead.

christian: "oh, DZ remembers...."

I actually never heard of Movie Movie, but I knew from the beginning that Quentin was unoriginal, even before I was aware of the City on Fire theft.
His movies are just a bunch of in-jokes, and nothing more.

Ju-Osh: "One of the first group of girls goes out to their car with Eli Roth's character to make out. He doesn't take the hint to finger fuck her (seriously), and she pushes him off and they go back inside the bar (the Grindhouse version only shows them returning inside)."

I'd give him the finger for copping out on a good nude scene.

story: "What? No anti-Tarantino screed from DZ? Even with AICN posting an article this morning about QT remaking a Chinese film?"

Didn't see Jeff's link for it yet. And QT's been saying he was going to remake a Chinese film almost as much as Inglorious Bastards. He's just desperate to appear relevant, when his 15 minutes are finally up.

"His Mom must not have woken him, yet."

Actually, it was your mom who woke me up with some head.

gatsby: "I don't understand what everyone's problem is with the "smack talkin bimbos." I think both gangs of girls are comparable to Reservoir Dogs' gang of dudes, and everyone creams all over that movie."

The guys in Reservoir Dogs sound like guys, albeit guys who use dialogue from a director who lived in a video store most of his life, but guys nonetheless. The girls unfortunately just sound like said director and not real girls.

"When's the last time you saw characters like these in a movie?"

Fried Green Tomatoes? Thelma and Louise? That traveling pants thing? Tarantino's own beloved Switchblade Sisters? Sex and the City? Every Kevin Smith movie which wasn't Jersey Girl or Jay and Silent Bob?

lionsfan: "Were he not a director, for example, there is no way Mira Sorvino would have ever bothered with him, of that I am sure."

She also ditched him pretty fast, prompting him to use a racist insult at Chow Yun Fat, because she'd rather work with him than have to take QT's bullshit. http://members.tripod.com/~Kissaki/QT.htm

comment #36

Craig Kennedy says ...

"Actually, it was your mom who woke me up with some head."

Ok, that was an easy shot, but it made me laugh.

comment #37

onlineservice3 says ...

Interesting info for the bookmarksite. I was gonna say that he needs to do something wild/crazy...so basically I agree with what actionman said. I did enjoy Black Hawk Down, but I think that owes more to Eric Bana than Josh Hartnett.
anybookmark

comment #38

dd says ...

Especially ironic given the experience it's attempting to replicate-- which I thought at times it did quite well; watching the trailers and in-between stuff, I could have been at the Pawnee Plaza in Wichita seeing Charles Bronson in The White Buffalo.

Designer Handbags

comment #39

xiaoguo says ...

Especially ironic given the experience it's attempting to replicate-- which I thought at times it did quite well; watching the trailers and in-between stuff, I could have been at the Pawnee Plaza in Wichita seeing Charles Bronson in The White Buffalo.
askedcool
studoc