Grindhouse

Here are "Cherry Darlin'" and "El Wray" shortly before "Cherry" loses a leg to a zombie cannibal in Robert Rodriguez' Planet Terror. Grindhouse is a double feature and includes Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof.

The blu-ray presents the two films as they played in theaters in 2007 as a double feature. Intermission cards, and trailers for Werewolf Women Of The S.S., Don't, and Thanksgiving are part of the experience. A second disc includes several videos: Robert Rodriguez' ten-minute cooking school, the makeup effects of Planet Terror, the hot rods of Death Proof, and how the trailers were made.

Blu-ray.com's reviewer wrote:

[D]oes this Blu-ray accurately represent the directors' visions and the way the film actually looked in theaters? Rodriguez and, to a somewhat lesser extent, Tarantino have filled this film with scratches, flecks, pops, missing reels, missing frames and other "fun stuff" to help recreate the less than pristine screenings of second (or third, or fourth) run films back in the day. There's also intentionally overdone grain, low contrast and about everything else videophiles tend to complain about, offered here in unapologetic abundance. Death Proof, despite its "missing reel" and the kind of funny "stuttering" missing/repeated frame in the early bar sequence, looks a bit better than Planet Terror, but that is inarguably by design. Both of these films sport typically lurid color, redolent of American International's mid-60s schlockfests, and it's offered here in rich and gooey saturation. Detail is impressive, given the self-imposed limits the filmmakers were working under. Grindhouse must simply be taken on its own terms, warts (festering or otherwise) and all. This Blu-ray offers a near perfect recreation of what the film is supposed to look like, and that really should be all that matters.

There are two "missing reels." The first, in Planet Terror, is the climax of a sex scene between "Cherry Darlin'" and "El Wray." The second, in Death Proof, is "Stuntman Mike"'s lap dance. But, Hey! The director's respect our imaginations, don't they?

Schlockfest? Something to know about these directors, especially, Quentin Tarantino, is that they often allude to the movies they grew up on, but in doing so they do them better. For example, the cannibal zombies of Planet Terror are reminiscent of the zombies seen in Night of the Living Dead. Death Proof can be viewed as a tribute to Vanishing Point.

The poignant love story of "Cherry Darlin'" -- not a stripper! -- and "El Wray" -- never misses! -- runs through Planet Terror.

If you watch the credits, you'll see that Quentin Tarantino's chef was not Quentin Tarantino, but Robert Rodriguez' chef was -- you guessed it: Robert Rodriguez.

Recommended!

I'm not the greatest fan of either Robert Rodriguez or Quentin Tarantino. I only have Grindhouse, El Mariachi, Desperado, Kill Bill (both volumes!), Reservoir Dogs and Sin City. Someday I'll have Once Upon A Time In Mexico, among others, like Jackie Brown. Those will have to wait, however; Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction was just released and that comes first. It was excellent on VHS, so it's going to be wonderful on blu-ray.

Blu-ray.com's review of Grindhouse is here, where this post's screenshot was obtained.