GRINDHOUSE

I saw GRINDHOUSE this afternoon. I went alone. Strangely--okay, not at all strangely really--snippy was utterly uninterested in accompanying me to this film. In fact while watching tv one night, we were skipping through commercials (the joy of Tivo) when I backed up to watch a trailer for Grindhouse. Snippy was curious why. I was interested in the movie. I opened my mouth...and words failed me.

I couldn't articulate why I wanted to see it. I just knew that I did. Given a little time to think, and in writing (I am vastly better at expressing myself in writing than I am face to face), there are lots of reasons. Quentin Tarantino. Robert Rodridguez. Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Desperado, From Dusk til Dawn, Hong Kong Hustle*. Over-the-top action and violence. Kurt Russell. Rosaria Dawson. Bruce Willis. Rose McGowan. Michael Biehn. Tracy Thom**.

The film did not disappoint. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail, but I enjoyed a lot. That's not to say that I feel a desperate need to see it again, or to own it. But it was entertaining. From the scratchy 70's-style movie theatre slides and animations to the fake movie trailers to the two action-packed feature presentations to the "missing reels" gags--it was fun. And often funny. And occasional gross.

Would I recommend it? Only if you're the sort who would appreciate this sort of thing. It's definitely not for everyone.

*Yes, I know these guys had nothing to do with Kung Fu Hustle. But that film was the same sort of exaggerated homage to a variety of kung fu flick tropes that I expected from Grindhouse to apply to 70s exploitation flicks.
**Last seen (by me, anyhow) as Jaye Tyler's best friend and her brother's girlfriend in Wonderfalls.