tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post3068180635864532789..comments2024-03-24T13:26:57.317-07:00Comments on Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule: MOVIES OF THE MOMENT: GRINDHOUSEDennis Cozzaliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-77300737878487884072009-12-14T23:07:22.209-08:002009-12-14T23:07:22.209-08:00It was really very enjoyable reading Denis. You ar...It was really very enjoyable reading Denis. You are very good critic for writing about the movie. Good work !Watch Movieshttp://moviesplanet.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-67027651385518207712008-04-30T02:36:00.000-07:002008-04-30T02:36:00.000-07:00These are all nice movies of the moment grindhous ...These are all nice movies of the moment grindhous picture all the best.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-83201714026868592732007-05-08T18:53:00.000-07:002007-05-08T18:53:00.000-07:00Mat, I can't seem to find anything either. But the...Mat, I can't seem to find anything either. But the DVD is available on Netflix. Perhaps a well-placed screen grab is in order, eh? Good luck!Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-39926388199527043192007-05-08T18:39:00.000-07:002007-05-08T18:39:00.000-07:00Hi Dennis, Thanks so much for geting back to me...Hi Dennis,<BR/><BR/> Thanks so much for geting back to me as quickly as you did with the Brigitte Bardot/ The Night That Heaven Fell response. Now, I've searched and searched for a site with that same picture/poster but am unable to find it anywhere. Can you help me?Mathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16245921944346594554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-9466520536528892052007-05-08T15:59:00.000-07:002007-05-08T15:59:00.000-07:00Hey, Mat!The blonde in the poster is Brigitte Bard...Hey, Mat!<BR/>The blonde in the poster is Brigitte Bardot from a movie called <A HREF="http://tinyurl.com/22ao9d" REL="nofollow"><I>The Night Heaven Fell (Bijoutiers du Clair de Lune, Les)</I></A>, directed by Roger Vadim. I haven't seen it yet, but anything with Bardot from this period should definitely be worth a look, and it does provide a wonderful visual moment to kick-start <I>Death Proof</I>.Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-53853029793299686992007-05-08T15:53:00.000-07:002007-05-08T15:53:00.000-07:00Could someone please tell me the name of the actre...Could someone please tell me the name of the actress featured in the black and white poster above Sydney Tamilia Poitier's couch in Deathproof?Mathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16245921944346594554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-87890067963086966332007-04-25T21:43:00.000-07:002007-04-25T21:43:00.000-07:00Word up. Altho, I vote for an A's-whomever Series....Word up. Altho, I vote for an A's-whomever Series. I guess a replay or retelling of 1988 would be alright since there's no more Kirk Goddamn Gibson.Ryland Walker Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09233954424885027837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-13536320357113630132007-04-19T16:20:00.000-07:002007-04-19T16:20:00.000-07:00Thanks, Ryland. I've been kind of absorbed in the ...Thanks, Ryland. I've been kind of absorbed in the non-film world all this past week and have done little in the way of interactivity with the blog, so it was really nice to pick up on your comment and the others who have contributed to the conversation even while I have been so away. <BR/><BR/>I read "My Tarantino Problem, and Yours" with great interest, but ended up doing my commentary over at the Shamus' site (still not used to that!), so I can't say I've really kept up with what's been happening in with that post. But if it's anything like the one beneath Filmbrain's recent post on Tarantino (good-natured, well-written dumping, but lots of dumping nonetheless), then I can imagine what you're talking about. I feel like I've spent the past two weeks interacting with everyone I know who saw <I>Grindhouse</I>, and with one or two notable exceptions they all pretty much saw it as an either/or, or only really responded positively to <I>Planet Terror</I>, and actively hated <I>Death Proof</I>. To tell you the truth, I'm kinda exhausted on the subject. (And to tell a further truth, I think I'm just exhausted!)<BR/><BR/>I am with you though in the appreciation of <I>Death Proof</I>, which I felt like I understood and enjoyed more the second time, even as I found myself aligning my sympathies with the first group of girls (Hedonist Pack #1) more than I did with the second (Hedonist Pack #2). I didn't like the first group much at all the first time. Maybe it's because I was more cognizant of what was going to happen to them-- and <I>how</I>-- that I felt more like spending time with them, what little time they had left. <BR/><BR/>The second go 'round, I was more annoyed by the writing in the second half, most particularly the Tracie Thoms character, but I was still fascinated by it overall and completely taken in and dazzled by the conceptual integrity of the movie, and by what Edelstein has termed Tarantino's eloquent ambivalence toward his characters.<BR/><BR/>But I just wanted to also take a moment before I have to shut down tonight to thank you for stopping by and leaving this comment. For reasons I'll have to leave unelaborated upon for now, this has been an overwhelming week for me, and to read your kind words, and truthfully, all the comments dropped here and under "Project Projectionist" in the last week, has been a great source of energy and support for me. All the comments have been very much appreciated. I was interested in your comment too beause I often wonder if I <I>want</I> to like a movie too much before I see it, and whether that colors my perceptions of it, good or bad. But in considering what you had to say, I realized that, yes, I <I>do</I> want to enjoy every movie-- it's not, to me, an unreasonable hope. Why else would I spend my time and/or money on a movie? Believe me, I rarely say to myself, "Gee, I hope I dislike this next movie as much as I disliked <I>Turistas</I>!" That said, I write most often on this site about movies I like or love or otherwise find fascinating, so that might tilt the perception windmill a bit too.<BR/><BR/>On the other hand, I hardly think you come off like a crank for not liking a movie endorsed by so many others. Your writing has a natural enthusiasm that doesn't seem to harbor any bitter me-against-the-world notions or, even more annoying, taking the opposite stand on the apparent consensus just for the contrarian thrill of it, or just to keep readers off balance as to what to expect. I'm glad to have made your virtual acquaintance here on this page, on Matt's , and on <A HREF="http://tinyurl.com/355ou9" REL="nofollow">Vinyl is Heavy</A>. Here's hoping for a Sox-Dodgers World Series!Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-86209410978406322712007-04-18T11:33:00.000-07:002007-04-18T11:33:00.000-07:00Dennis, as ever, this is a detailed and exhaustive...Dennis, as ever, this is a detailed and exhaustive entry I enjoyed reading. It's kind of refreshing as an antidote to the heaps of narrow hate going on in the comments on "My Tarantino Problem, and Yours". I always enjoy your site because you seem like you WANT to enjoy every movie. I worry sometimes I come off as a stuffy grump who goes in trying to NOT like a movie (like <I>Pan's Labyrinth</I>), even though there's been mostly good reviews coming from me recently. I, too, want to enjoy every film. I wanted to like Rodriguez's film but it plays a little too long and smirky for my tastes, as Matt said on, uh, The Shamus' blog. Maybe in time I can appreciate it for what it is but I was so blown away by <I>Death Proof</I>'s audacity that I had a hard time going backwards in my brain to parse out the first feature, which, in contrast, just kind of happened. Tarantino's film, though, took me by surprise in how excellent it was.Ryland Walker Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09233954424885027837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-5492745489430807812007-04-10T22:16:00.000-07:002007-04-10T22:16:00.000-07:00Great write-up, Dennis. Especially the Hellman-Tar...Great write-up, Dennis. Especially the Hellman-Tarantino stuff, though I still think the first half of Death Proof is (interesting formal/thematic issues aside) pretty dull.<BR/><BR/>And btw, thanks for the defense over at my own review. Always nice to be reminded that some people remain interested in thinking/writing critically about movies, even ones as "B" as Grindhouse...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-30065529804436908012007-04-10T21:52:00.000-07:002007-04-10T21:52:00.000-07:00It really seems the perfect drive-in movie, coming...It really seems the perfect drive-in movie, coming on the heels of "Kill Bill" and "From Dusk Til Dawn" ... and the Mariachi trilogy. Heck, I remember seeing Skulduggery, Bonnie and Clyde and Night of the Living Dead at drive-ins as a kid, and it didn't warp me one bit... so glad you got to experience this new one in its natural element, Dennis.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-32426232335037886962007-04-10T21:26:00.000-07:002007-04-10T21:26:00.000-07:00Dennis,Oh man, seeing GRINDHOUSE and then having c...Dennis,<BR/><BR/>Oh man, seeing GRINDHOUSE and then having coffee afterwards in order to parse out the particulars sounds like one hell of a good time to me! My trip is tentatively set for August, but I'll be sure to let you know the dates a couple of months from now, so we can work something out.<BR/><BR/>And the following passage from your review...<BR/><BR/>"You get the sense that Rodriguez makes movies primarily so he can sit around on the set with his legs kicked up, strumming a guitar and hiding underneath a cowboy hat between takes, conjuring an image of cool and movies of insistently facile and hollow imagery."<BR/><BR/>...is probably the best description I've read of Rodriguez's films. Well done, and I'll chime in with more once I see it again (though I'm seriously considering skipping PLANET TERROR this time).Aaron W. Grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11988034390125865431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-85557826811533368002007-04-10T21:21:00.000-07:002007-04-10T21:21:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Aaron W. Grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11988034390125865431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-75469457968688874932007-04-10T19:25:00.000-07:002007-04-10T19:25:00.000-07:00Fantastic review, particularly some of the best st...Fantastic review, particularly some of the best stuff I've seen about Death Proof so far. I will say that I think Rodriguez has more than just heard about Grindhouse movies--I'm sure he grew up watching Carpenter films and has probably been checked out at least a few Fulci titles--but the difference is that these films are in Tarantino's bones. Rodriguez made a Grindhouse movie and I actually enjoyed it more than any other film of his I've seen, but Tarantino was flat out dissecting what they are and what they mean to him. <BR/><BR/>Is there another movie that uses a bar-type setting where the director plays the bartender? Not Play Misty For Me--I feel like there is and I just can't think of it.Mr. Peel aka Peter Avellinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10553482286909862975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-81101897946770488772007-04-10T17:57:00.000-07:002007-04-10T17:57:00.000-07:00Dennis, I've read so many reviews of Death Proof t...Dennis, I've read so many reviews of <I>Death Proof</I> that apologize for its talkiness that I'm glad to find your review (and a few you've pointed me towards) celebrates those moments. Tarantino earned the <I>Blow Out</I> cue on the soundtrack - these scenes lend the outcome the same kind of poignance.Andrew Bemishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06097037829531087694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-62952772425634810342007-04-10T17:32:00.000-07:002007-04-10T17:32:00.000-07:00Hmmm. I think it's two different approaches, with ...Hmmm. I think it's two different approaches, with the only linkage being cars. But, what the hell, I knew I must have been listening to James Taylor for some reason this week!The 'Stachehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03426658288145524160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-29526576674218145782007-04-10T15:48:00.000-07:002007-04-10T15:48:00.000-07:00Shamus (I’m still getting used to it, but it’s com...Shamus (I’m still getting used to it, but it’s coming…!), I don’t think Tarantino references <I>Two-Lane Blacktop</I> for its sociopolitical context, but more as a template for the general strategy of pacing and attention to specifics of atmosphere and other details that he employs in <I>Death Proof</I>. <I>Blacktop</I> itself was born from the B-movie template that Aaron mentioned above, one that often found the movie dragging its feet, hanging out, cracking wise and intimating the pleasures/dangers to come until the mechanics of the plot demanded that the movie now more recognizably sit up and deliver the goods. It was a movie that found beauty in the malaise of characters who set themselves adrift on the roads of Vietnam-era America without even so much as the mission Billy and Captain America state during <I>Easy Rider</I>-- to find the country itself. The Driver and the Mechanic have found the country already, and they spend the duration of the movie trying to keep moving past it toward… something else. And thankfully <I>Two-Lane Blacktop</I> t was beholden to no genre expectations other than the deafening rumble of a tricked-up 454 Chevy with the pedal to the metal. <BR/><BR/>I think Tarantino uses the Monte Hellman movie as a precedent, a way into the eased-back manner in which he chooses to set up his movie. I didn’t mean to suggest that Tarantino was trying to place his movie in that same sociopolitical frame. The girls ride and take in the cityscape of Austin, and hang out in its various atmosphere-rich locales in much the same way the Mechanic, the Driver and the Girl make long stops in gas stations and diners, which no apparent purpose other than function and, of course, to soak in the ambience of the roadside they represent. Tarantino, of course, departs from Hellman’s free-floating approach after he’s infused it with his typically slangy, chatty personality, but the association, at least for me, stuck to the movie even as it propels itself into <I>Vanishing Point</I>-Richard Rush territory.<BR/><BR/>Flickhead: Even at the drive-in where we saw it, several cars hit their lights and sped out ther exit after the screen went dark. How do you go out to a movie like <I>Grindhouse</I> and remain blissfully ignorant of the whole concept? And you're right-- they probably thought the drive-in projectionist was really falling down on the job too! <BR/><BR/>Peet: Thanks for the kind words. I had more pure fun at this movie that I have in a long time, and I can’t wait to see it again. When you see it, we’ll definitely have to compare notes. And just remember, “This is my mecca!”<BR/><BR/>Aaron: I have to say, I thought of you often when I was watching this movie! When is your trip to Los Angeles scheduled? We definitely need to get together! Too bad we couldn't see <I>Grindhouse</I> together-- you could easily point out the 75% of references in <I>Death Proof</I> that I undoubtedly missed. As for Joseph Brenner Associates, I remember seeing <I>Torso</I> and wondering why it made no sense. Only later did I start coming across stories of his infamous scissorhands. Sounds like a good excuse to pick up a copy of <I>Fangoria</I> too, which I haven't done in about 20 years!Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-54790436558599321672007-04-10T13:46:00.000-07:002007-04-10T13:46:00.000-07:00Excellent appreciation, Dennis. I don't quite see ...Excellent appreciation, Dennis. I don't quite see the TWO-LANE BLACKTOP connection. The malaise of the characters in that film, which I always connected to Vietnam, doesn't quite connect to this film for me. Maybe some time you can explain that more.The 'Stachehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03426658288145524160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-56589767528117929492007-04-10T12:50:00.000-07:002007-04-10T12:50:00.000-07:00The reports of people leaving theatres immediately...The reports of people leaving theatres immediately following the first half indicates that the target demographic for <I>Grindhouse</I> may have never seen (nor can comprehend) a double feature. Missing reels and scratched film may also be beyond their grasp. They were born too late!Uncle Gustavhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08501032829800803300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-83161294582586546912007-04-10T12:47:00.000-07:002007-04-10T12:47:00.000-07:00That was a wonderfully detailed read, Dennis. In m...That was a wonderfully detailed read, Dennis. In many ways, you're the ideal critic to write about this movie. Thanks you for giving us so much more than a plain review. Now I'm sure I'll love it!<BR/><BR/>(I know I haven't given my answers to your latest quiz yet--I'm working on it, honestly.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-27143539692262516822007-04-10T12:45:00.000-07:002007-04-10T12:45:00.000-07:00In the screenplay, there was an additional line to...In the screenplay, there was an additional line to the scene involving Russell spouting off old television series he had worked on, as said by Tarantino’s bartender: “Mike, dropping Gary Clarke’s name doesn’t get even Gary Clarke pussy no more!”. A bit crude, but I sort of wish he had left it in.<BR/><BR/>One of the joys of DEATH PROOF, for me, was getting lost in all the ephemera of other pictures, references both oblique and more direct, from Buffy Sainte-Marie album poster for, I believe, Richard Rush’s GETTING STRAIGHT in Sydney Poitier’s apartment to my (probably crazy) notion that the first half is a reworking of Corman’s ROCK ALL NIGHT. To support the latter, there are the similarities in both the barroom settings and the initially relaxed tone of getting to know characters before the genre-specific plot must reinforce itself (a pair of criminals in the former, Stuntman Mike here). Tarantino even gives himself the plum role of the slick bartender and does a pun on the earlier film’s title on the screenplay’s first page, not to mention that RR and QT have been stating in interviews that it was a double-feature poster for DRAGSTRIP GIRL/ROCK ALL NIGHT that gave ‘em the idea in the first place.<BR/><BR/>Also, I’ll need to go back to catch more of the special thanks during the end credits, though I noticed Corman, Peckinpah, and Richard Sarafian (VANISHING POINT) amidst a whole litany of names. <BR/><BR/>Oddly, Tarantino has called this cut of the film his “Joseph Brenner Associates” version (likening it to TORSO’s truncated cut that was the only one available in North America, until the uncut DVD came out a couple of years back from Anchor Bay) in the latest issue of “Fangoria”.Aaron W. Grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11988034390125865431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-37295665068360807252007-04-10T10:54:00.000-07:002007-04-10T10:54:00.000-07:00Thanks, Chris. Fixed. I knew I wasn't getting it q...Thanks, Chris. Fixed. I knew I wasn't getting it <I>quite</I> right...!<BR/><BR/>Mark: Unfortunately, when you've got everbody's grandmother digesting box office figures and proclaiming a movie a flop after three days, including the guy who provided the money to make it, then word of mouth doesn't stand much of a chance of helping out. If Weinstein has his way, the <I>Grindhouse</I> that opened on Easter weekend (<I>Easter weekend!</I> Who thinks-- or doesn't think-- about these things?) won't even be available in another week or so. That's one of the reasons why I'm headed back this weekend-- the other being, of course, that I, like you, loved it from start to finish.Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-91102279480739820622007-04-10T09:58:00.000-07:002007-04-10T09:58:00.000-07:00I'm not a particular fan of the grindhouse genre, ...I'm not a particular fan of the grindhouse genre, but I loved <I>Grindhouse</I>. I appreciate Rodriguez's and Tarantino's ability to distill the grindhouse experience into the good parts, just as I appreciate the great clothes my wife finds for me at the thrift store. <BR/><BR/>There has been much consternation regarding the box office failure of Grindhouse. Strangely, no one seems curious about whether the people who saw the movie liked it or not. The crowd I saw it with seemed to enjoy it plenty. Isn't a word-of-mouth strategy still a viable way to make a movie successful? (Although I still don't understand how anyone could resist the first trailer)Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15698885393854345012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-76942047022857308282007-04-10T09:48:00.000-07:002007-04-10T09:48:00.000-07:00One correction, Dennis. The big line in the "Mach...One correction, Dennis. The big line in the "Machete" trailer: "They fucked with the wrong Mexican!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com