SYNOPSIS:
Austin’s
hottest DJ, Jungle Julia (Sydney Tamiia Poitier), with two of
her closest friends, Shanna and Arlene (Jordan Ladd and Vanessa
Ferlito) set out into the night, turning heads from Guero’s
to the Texas Chili Parlor. But watching them from afar is Stuntman
Mike (Kurt Russell), a scarred, loner with mischief on his mind.
As the girls knock back shots and shoot the breeze, Mike introduces
them to a new kind of fear-white hot terror at 200 miles per
hour...
MOVIE REVIEW:
Quentin Tarantino – you either love or hate
this guy. The Oscar winning writer/ director/ producer/ actor
(Pulp Fiction, 1994) is a legend in the cult film circuit.
His body of works includes disturbingly violent Reservoir
Dogs (1992), the character driven crime thriller Jackie Brown
(1997) and the very memorable Kill Bill (Vol.1: 20003, Vol.
2: 2004). His signature style of infusing violence and chic,
well, to put it simply, has to be seen to be believed.
The
cheeky filmmaker’s latest venture with fellow cult director
Robert Rodriguez is “Grindhouse”, a collection
of two full length feature horror movies written by Tarantino
and Rodriguez put together as a two film feature. This movie
is one half of the collaborative project. (You probably won’t
be able to own this other half, “Planet Terror”
directed by Rodriguez, err, legally in Singapore because of
its R21 rating)
The
less violent of the two films, Tarantino directs Kurt Russell
(Poseidon, Sky High) as Stuntman Mike, a demented and infuriated
psychopathically mad man who takes on unknowing girls for
a long, sensual and rowdy night – on his “Death
Proof” car.
Guys
- grasp yourself for this: You can expect sex talk, a pretty
face being ripped off, a crushed head, severed legs, female
bonding and, gasp, lesbian innuendos. And before you think
you’ve got it all, we have to inform you that this M18
version you get here is edited for distribution. Do not worry
though, because your enjoyment level will not be affected
in any way, that is, if you have always been a fan of Tarantino’s
uniquely quirky filmmaking style.
This
is Tarantino’s homage to the B movies from the 1960s,
so there are intentional scratches, dirt and missing reels
(nope, nothing is wrong with the DVD you’ve purchased,
nor is there anything wrong with your player). The movie is
blatantly and audaciously enjoyable: You can almost label
it as being self indulgent. Lighten up people, just sit back
and enjoy this entertaining ride and forget all the seriousness
that bogs down a “critically acclaimed” film.
Especially when you can ogle at the flick’s cast, which
includes the luminous Rose McGowan (The Black Dahlia), the
fiery Tracie Thoms (The Devil Wears Prada), the acrobatic
Zoe Bell (she’s a real life stunt double) and the sensuous
Rosario Dawson (Sin City). There is even a director cameo
by Tarantino himself.
But
trust us, his performance in this movie is nothing compared
to his performance in “Planet Terror”, the half
of “Grindhouse”. Like his exceptionally peculiar
filmmaking style, you have to see it to believe it.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This Code 3 DVD only contains a trailer for Kelvin
Tong’s Rule #1.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Remember, there is nothing wrong with the disc or your player:
The deliberate visual and audio defects are Tarantino’s
answer to 1960s B movies.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
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