Grindhouse.....split

Rented Planet Terror at Blockbuster and just finished it. There must be two different versions they've released today, because the special features on my disc are crap. No 15 minute film school, which I always enjoy. Nothing besides a commentary with RR, and audience reaction version (stupid) and a trailer. So in another month there will be like 10 different DVD options of the two movies...Not cool, but I guess they are really milking the DVD release after their poor box-office numbers...

I didn't like the movie at all. I think I'm over Rodriguez. Unless he's paired with REALLY great material, he doesn't really have what it takes. And it wasn't the Grindhouse aspect...I really liked Deathproof.

PT was all over the place and just didn't do it for me. The world of the characters had no rhyme or reason and yes, I understand the Gindhouse vibe, but that wasn't enough to justify it for me. It was way too sloppy for too little payoff. I'd much rather watch 28 Weeks Later or the James Gunn/Zach Snyder version of Dawn of the Dead.

Disappointing. :(
 
I found Planet Terror to be pure 80's cinema and nothing like a 70's Grindhouse film; I don't really care ...

I dug it. I find it his most confident work to date as a filmmaker.
 
Just picked up PT. Won't get to watch till tomorrow night though... watchin' my Transformers DVD tonight...

And I agree with ya John, it's my fave RR flick.
 
Just watched Planet Terror. Awesome job on Rodriguez's part. I'm not a HUGE fan of his, but this and Sin City are very good pieces of cinema.

I enjoyed both films a lot, with Death Proof edging forward as my favorite of the two
 
Sorry - but I can't believe I sat through 2 hours of Grindhouse. Not good for me. It had its moments. But mostly redundant and pointless. Some good dialog though. What happened to you Q?
 
Did you sit through Planet Terror or Deathproof ?

You didn't dig Kurt Russell and hot chicks and a car chase ? The homage to the 70's/80's ?

Redundant and pointless?

I guess Hollywood needs more robot giants.
 
I enjoyed Grindhouse but I think the films have become pointless now. Sure we were sold the 'experience' but it was nothing more than a marketing gimmick. The breaking up of the films for other places around the world, the promotion of Death Proof at film fests and the separation of the films for DVD format and all of the other products like it was made by George Lucas.

Grindhouse may be rated R and has a niche audience, but those points I posted above make it as Hollywood as Transformers.
 
jpeck said:
Sure we were sold the 'experience' but it was nothing more than a marketing gimmick. The breaking up of the films for other places around the world, the promotion of Death Proof at film fests and the separation of the films for DVD format and all of the other products like it was made by George Lucas.
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Not so. You must make 158 slightly different versions of the same movie character in toy form to become Lucasque. The man's middle name is 'ancillary'.
 
Grindhouse has shoes, lunch boxes, replica car and a cluster f*** of other assorted crap. You just won't see it in stores because nobody wants it. :grin:
 
jpeck said:
Woah, it was R rated? When I watched it I thought it was PG13/14A, maybe just in Canada. It is pretty tame to be honest.

I like watching these 'apocalyptic religious good vs. evil' movies, even though modern ones tend to all suck. Anyways, this one is pretty bad and stupid. I called the ending even before I saw the movie, it is pretty predictable. Modern films like this just don't have the 'balls' that Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist or The Omen had in their time.

I think this is also one of the films that helped WB decide not to have female main characters anymore. :lipsrseal
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Not sure of what is shown in Canada, but the gore effects, the sexuality, the lanaguge, the overt violence .... that's usually enough to get an R mang. :undecided


jpeck said:
That isn't hard to do, it wasn't like it was smart or witty, RR probably just took a romantic movie script he wrote a couple years ago and plugged in some zombies and Tarantino's balls falling off.

As mentioned earlier in the thread, RR didn't seem to get the concept of a grindhouse film. With the splitting up of the two films in foreign markets, I feel saddened that neither film was about the experience, just a gimmick.
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That's too bad. From the DVD commentary, I get the perspective these guys simply wanted to make the types of films they grew up watching. RR stated he always wanted to make a Zombie film; and I think he suceeded on many levels.

I doubt either filmmaker had a gimmick agenda; look at the Hallowfest and Scifest films we get here. Are those marketing gimmicks ? It'd be hard pressed to find any filmmaker not taking whatever genre their doing seriously.

That's kind of an insulting spin you've put on it on it jpeck to the filmmakers involved, isn't it ?

-

jpeck said:
I enjoyed Grindhouse but I think the films have become pointless now. Sure we were sold the 'experience' but it was nothing more than a marketing gimmick. The breaking up of the films for other places around the world, the promotion of Death Proof at film fests and the separation of the films for DVD format and all of the other products like it was made by George Lucas.

Grindhouse may be rated R and has a niche audience, but those points I posted above make it as Hollywood as Transformers.
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Don't balme the marketing machine. And mentioning George Lucas and Grindhouse in the same breadth is laugh out loud funny. The films were broken up for the run time as I understand it; being 191 Minutes it's one of the longest films in a while.

Quentin is Cannes darling; him taking Deathproof to it is common sense.

Niche audience ? Perhaps; but between RT's 82% Fresh Meter and the 43,000 IMDB users that have rated it and 8.2 ... your generalized assesments seem waaay off.

I hope you never have to produce or distro one of your own films; it'd never see the light of day with your fear of marketing.
 
J.R. Hudson, it never surprises me you can't make a comment about somebody's opinion without it being an ad hominen.

J.R. Hudson said:
From the DVD commentary, I get the perspective these guys simply wanted to make the types of films they grew up watching. RR stated he always wanted to make a Zombie film; and I think he suceeded on many levels.
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Most fans of either QT or RR are pretty familair with the stuff they grew up on and love. But what happened to the experience? Is there even an option to watch the film in its original theatrical cut? This again is like Star Wars, when GL only offered digitally remaster versions of the 1997 versions of the original trilogy. Hell, even to today, there are only DVDs of the original trilogy based on the Laserdisc copies.

J.R. Hudson said:
I doubt either filmmaker had a gimmick agenda; look at the Hallowfest and Scifest films we get here. Are those marketing gimmicks ? It'd be hard pressed to find any filmmaker not taking whatever genre their doing seriously.
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I don't doubt that the films started off all about the experience. But once you throw the economics into the mix, I believe everything got twisted and that 'experience' was all but forgotten. Why would they make the films seperate for other places around the world? Feel free to dig up the old Grindhouse thread because I was as appauled when I first heard about it as I am now. Why should only North Americans see it in that format? Back then, every interview from both of the directors was all about bringing GRINDHOUSE films back to the public and showing the younger generations something they had never seen before.

J.R. Hudson said:
That's kind of an insulting spin you've put on it on it jpeck to the filmmakers involved, isn't it ?
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From being a fanboy to making the absolute worst comments, as a paying viewer, I would say that is my right to say what I want about them or their films. I liked the films and saw it three times in the theatre, but there something was lost in what they promised in their first interviews.

J.R. Hudson said:
Don't balme the marketing machine. And mentioning George Lucas and Grindhouse in the same breadth is laugh out loud funny.
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Then tell QT to not make Death Proof Grindhouse shoes. Which is even more LOL funny.

J.R. Hudson said:
Niche audience ? Perhaps; but between RT's 82% Fresh Meter and the 43,000 IMDB users that have rated it and 8.2 ... your generalized assesments seem waaay off.
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What generalization? Check the same stats for Last Year in Marienbad, or Once or other niche films from many years. It is great to just throw out stats with no comparison, but they really don't mean anything. Hell, check out Grindhouse's gross? The film makes as much as a Kevin Smith movie. Lots of ratings on IMDB? Well, DUH, it is a modern film that got marketed non stop, of course it has lots of ratings.

J.R. Hudson said:
I hope you never have to produce or distro one of your own films; it'd never see the light of day with your fear of marketing.
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As I said above, ad hominen. I know you love QT, but there is no reason for posting those kind of attacks, especially if you are an admin.
 
J.R. Hudson, it never surprises me you can't make a comment about somebody's opinion without it being an ad hominen.
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Well.

It never surprises me when someone takes internet forum discussions with people they've never met, personal. Don't take it personal jpeck. I'm not attacking you. If you say something I disagree with or find absurd, I'll tell you.

Welcome to the sandbox. Sorry if you get sand in your eyes.

Most fans of either QT or RR are pretty familair with the stuff they grew up on and love. But what happened to the experience? Is there even an option to watch the film in its original theatrical cut? This again is like Star Wars, when GL only offered digitally remaster versions of the 1997 versions of the original trilogy. Hell, even to today, there are only DVDs of the original trilogy based on the Laserdisc copies.
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I watched it in it's theatrical cut in the theatre and the option to buy it will be coming soon according to the DVD commentary.

This is nothing like Star Wars. I'm not even following that chain of thought. No, no, no, no.

I don't doubt that the films started off all about the experience. But once you throw the economics into the mix, I believe everything got twisted and that 'experience' was all but forgotten. Why would they make the films seperate for other places around the world? Feel free to dig up the old Grindhouse thread because I was as appauled when I first heard about it as I am now. Why should only North Americans see it in that format? Back then, every interview from both of the directors was all about bringing GRINDHOUSE films back to the public and showing the younger generations something they had never seen before.
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Was it the filmmakers who made the decision ? The distributors ? The International distributors ? Something tells me that may have been out of RR and QT's hands; a hunch.

Who can we blame ?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462322/companycredits

From being a fanboy to making the absolute worst comments, as a paying viewer, I would say that is my right to say what I want about them or their films. I liked the films and saw it three times in the theatre, but there something was lost in what they promised in their first interviews.
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Of course you can say whatever you like. No one has said you can't. But don't take it personal when your comments incite a response.

Then tell QT to not make Death Proof Grindhouse shoes. Which is even more LOL funny.
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Scorsese and DeNiro are doing American Express commercials; times change. If they can recoup some cash, good for them. Where does the marketing angle stop for you ? Are T-Shirts okay ? Soundtracks ? Bumperstickers ? Is there a line drawn on this ?

What generalization? Check the same stats for Last Year in Marienbad, or Once or other niche films from many years. It is great to just throw out stats with no comparison, but they really don't mean anything. Hell, check out Grindhouse's gross? The film makes as much as a Kevin Smith movie. Lots of ratings on IMDB? Well, DUH, it is a modern film that got marketed non stop, of course it has lots of ratings.
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Not sure of your point. The film flopped financially. It happens. Sometimes the numbers speak and often times the reviews speak; they're not always symbiotic.

THE THING fell on it's ass 20 years ago and now is widely considered a masterpiece of Sci-Fi Horror.

Maybe we can get another 35,000 people to watch Last Year in Marienbad and see what happens to the Star O Meter ? I don't know, I've never seen it.

As I said above, ad hominen. I know you love QT, but there is no reason for posting those kind of attacks, especially if you are an admin.
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Because I am admin does not prevent me from having an opinion. I stand by my comments. Your disdain with the marketing machine produced by the system is without merit. How can that skew your perspective of the show itself ?

Jeeez; have you seen the pimping on Broadway ?

Really, not attacking you jpeck; just having a discussion.
 
On a liner note

The faux trailers and film wear effects I could have done without. I wanted to see PT and DP

Nothing more; the rest was fluff in my eyes. Fun, but not imperative to the film experience
 
I would post a 'cut the rhetoric' reply, but it would just get deleted by mod/admin like it did in the other thread. :furious3:


Trust me, I don't take things personal over the internet, but when people make those kind of 'attacks' this forum's standards are that of a 'political arena'. You don't know me, I don't know you. So making statements about your assumptions on my views of film, the industry or whatever, ARE IN FACT ad hominen statements, regardless if they are passive aggressive or not.


I will try and be as blunt as possible. QT and RR promised a 'grindhouse experience'. I watched it, enjoyed it, but it wasn't really a grindhouse experience. Add in them getting pimped by the industry and it takes more away from the experience. When DVDs are released not even in their theatrical format it takes more away and moves towards being Lucas-esque in money making. Toys, model cars, watches, ties, lunch boxes, shoes, socks, stickers and other stuff being made, takes away from what a grindhouse film is.

Sure it may not be their fault it ended up being this way. But the 'experience' goes beyond just them or their original ideas, it is about the final product.
 
J.R. Hudson said:
Maybe we can get another 35,000 people to watch Last Year in Marienbad and see what happens to the Star O Meter ? I don't know, I've never seen it.
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Why not? The film has been out for decades. And it is very good. I bought my DVD copy 5 years ago, and just the opening shot was worth the price.

You can follow the meter and go by imdb ratings all you like. You think people with a 'sophisticated' taste in film are all flooding the site to rate Bob Le Flambeur?

Great film, by the way...
 
jpeck said:
I would post a 'cut the rhetoric' reply, but it would just get deleted by mod/admin like it did in the other thread. :furious3:


Trust me, I don't take things personal over the internet, but when people make those kind of 'attacks' this forum's standards are that of a 'political arena'. You don't know me, I don't know you. So making statements about your assumptions on my views of film, the industry or whatever, ARE IN FACT ad hominen statements, regardless if they are passive aggressive or not.


I will try and be as blunt as possible. QT and RR promised a 'grindhouse experience'. I watched it, enjoyed it, but it wasn't really a grindhouse experience. Add in them getting pimped by the industry and it takes more away from the experience. When DVDs are released not even in their theatrical format it takes more away and moves towards being Lucas-esque in money making. Toys, model cars, watches, ties, lunch boxes, shoes, socks, stickers and other stuff being made, takes away from what a grindhouse film is.

Sure it may not be their fault it ended up being this way. But the 'experience' goes beyond just them or their original ideas, it is about the final product.
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Fair enough. I can't argue with that. Thanks for elaborating. No intended rhetoric, but thanks. I was asking questions to further understand your point of view.

I'm glad you're not taking aything personally; I personally value your Film Discussion posts, even if I don't always agree.

DeSica said:
Why not? The film has been out for decades. And it is very good. I bought my DVD copy 5 years ago, and just the opening shot was worth the price.

You can follow the meter and go by imdb ratings all you like. You think people with a 'sophisticated' taste in film are all flooding the site to rate Bob Le Flambeur?

Great film, by the way...
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I'll see what I can do about seeing it. My comments in now way were an afront on the film; just the number of votes.

I just went on a massive Lynch kick this past couple months; why ? I don;t get most of his work and wanted to watch with some clarity and willing
 
J.R. Hudson said:
I just went on a massive Lynch kick this past couple months; why ? I don;t get most of his work and wanted to watch with some clarity and willing
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I did that once. He's still not my cup of tea. I have a sneaking suspicion he's putting us on...and laughing the whole time.
 
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