 Rating: R
Starring:
Danny Trejo, Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin,
Directed By: Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez
Robert Rodriguez is better known for his nice movies like Spy Kids. Perhaps teaming up with Quentin Tarantino has brought out his darker side. Planet Terror, one part of a double feature, collectively known as Grindhouse, is a visual challenge not to be reckoned with by the faint at heart. Mostly it is a collection of gag scenes—literally.
Done with humor in mind, Planet Terror is a violent, bloody, gory spoof on every zombie movie ever produced. The story takes place in Austin, Texas. The audience is introduced to a variety of characters from various walks of life. Every make and model of person and personality is represented. There are many subplots, including a husband/wife doctor team (Josh Brolin and Marley Shelton). The stress between them revolves around the fact that Dr. Dakota Block, the wife-half of the team, wants to... ahem.. break up the act because she's having an affair with another woman.
There's Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan), a go-go dancer/comedian wannabe, who could have been a doctor. She winds up running into her old flame, Wray (Freddy Rodriguez), who still loves her. Together they forge an alliance that contributes to the efforts of the cause. Oh yeah, speaking of the cause... The cause is a battle being waged between people-turned-zombies by some hideous military-designed nerve gas, and those who haven't been affected...yet.
In addition to Dr. Dakota Block, her son, Cherry, Wray, the twin baby sitters, the town Sheriff (Michael Biehn) and his B-B-Q grilling guru brother, JT (Jeff Fahey), are also spared from the "affliction", which, with the masterful artistry of KNB and award-winning makeup artist Greg Nicotero, turns a normal looking person into a bloody, puss-oozing, grotesquely disfigured, flesh-eating zombie.
The movie sports some stomach-churning gag scenes reminiscent of the old Saturday Night Live episodes, purposely trying to make the audience cringe and literally choke at the same time. The entire plotline is a farce, mixing humorous moments in between frightening and disturbing ones. A good example of this occurs when they find JT lying on the floor of his restaurant , while his dog licks the latest rib sauce recipe off of his body. Yum!
Stacy Ferguson does her part as Tammy, the unlucky girl who becomes the first victim and meal to the out-of-control, insatiable zombies, after her car breaks down. Bruce Willis has a cameo appearance as a gung-ho, hell-bent-on-revenge, sadistic army officer, who has been affected by the nerve gas, but his affliction is kept under control with an antidote. The entire movie from start to finish, including the previews, is cleverly directed and produced to thrill, chill and for some who enjoy demented, twisted humor—trigger an evil form of laughter.
Needless to say, this movie is not for the squeamish. As aforementioned, the visual effects are ingeniously hideous and nauseatingly vulgar—yet there's something about this movie that keeps its audience watching. As much as one wants to turn and look the other way, one can't because he or she is afraid they'll miss what happens next. Mr. Rodriguez even serves up a rather cold message about children and hand guns.
If I had to think of one word that sums up Planet Terror, it would have to be disturbing.
Death Proof, the second part of the double feature directed by Quentin Tarantino, also takes place in Austin, Texas. It is the story of a stuntman (Kurt Russell) turned serial killer, who uses his "death proof" car to kill his victims. His first group of victims are a hot D.J. known as Jungle Julia (Sydney Tamilia Poitier) and her two friends, Shanna and Arlene (Jordan Ladd and Vanessa Ferlito). Collectively they are a rather raunchy trio of pot-smoking, vulgar-language abusing, over-sexed women taking a night out on the town. They unwittingly hook up with Stuntman Mike and inadvertently play a game of chicken. The game looks more like a scene from a poorly produced driver's education movie.
Stuntman Mike moves onto the next group of unsuspecting victims, which includes real stuntwoman Zoe Bell straight from New Zealand, Kim (Tracie Thoms), another stuntwoman with driving skills that could put most NASCAR competitors to shame, and a pretty girl named Abernathy (Rosario Dawson), who's vocation is fitting for her appearance—she's a makeup artist. Lee (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) rounds out the foursome as the pretty, young tag-along, decked out in a cheerleader outfit for some reason.
The four venture out to appease Zoe's whim for stealing a car that resembles the one driven in the old classic Vanishing Point. Zoe concocts a plan with Kim where together they pretend to be potential buyers of the vintage vehicle, and while outsmarting the witless seller, Jaspar (Jonathan Loughran), go for a permanent joy ride. To aid Zoe in her nostalgic-induced fantasy, the other girls help Zoe take a fast, dangerous and pardon me for inserting my opinion, idiotic ride on the hood of the car.
Enter Stuntman Mike, unknown to the daredevil quadromaniacs, on his mission to commit vehicular homicide. A massive, action-packed, nail-biting car chase ensues. The audience watches, eyes glued to the big screen, as they anticipate Zoe's fate, while she attempts to hold on to the hood of the car with every bit of her being.
Death Proof has less gratuitous violence than Planet Terror, but what it lacks in graphic visuals of spewed, infectious body fluids, it makes up for with action, car chases, reckless endangerment, murder, and...well...that's pretty much it.
Grindhouse is a wonderful date movie for the average high school or college student raised on the video game versions of these kinds of stories. It's a disturbing reflection of a generation better suspected of its desensitization of the human condition.
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