Now, as everybody knows, Death Proof is only one half of the Grindhouse double feature by Quentin Tarantino & Robert Rodriguez but I'm choosing to review Death Proof & Planet Terror separately...
WARNING: I'm sorry, this blog contains SPOILERS. I must comment on the events that take place in this film. In my defense; that is a good thing. It means I get excited and want to talk about the film in detail :)
Written & Directed by: Quentin TarantinoTwo separate groups of beautiful girls are stalked at different times by a stuntman serial killer who uses his "death proof" cars to bring his murderous plans to action.
Tarantino films usually offer a range of brilliant characters. This film is no exception to that fact.
Kurt Russell is Stuntman Mike
His best lines:
1. "Hey, Pam, remember when I said this car was death proof? Well, that wasn't a lie. This car is 100% death proof. Only to get the benefit of it, honey, you really need to be sitting in my seat."
2. "I'm not a cowboy, Pam... I'm a stuntman."
3. "You know how people say "You're okay in my book" or "In my book, that's no good"? Well, I actually have a book. And everybody I ever meet goes in this book. And, now I've met you, and you're going in the book! Except, I'm afraid I must file you... under... 'chicken shit.'"
Although, Stuntman Mike is a serial killer, I do like him a lot. He is a real smooth talker with plenty of spunk. That is probably why Arlene gives him his lap dance, well, that and/or the fact that he shall file her under "chicken shit" in his book if she didn't. He's absolutely crazy for stalking those girls, but he's completely cool at the same time. But he loses his cool when the second group of girls kick his ass! He cries like a little girl! It is absolutely hilarious.Kurt Russell IS Stuntman Mike, I actually cannot picture anybody else in this role. In my opinion, Stuntman Mike is the best character Kurt Russell has played since Snake Plissken. Russell's performance should definitely get more recognition! His performance is great in my book!
First group of girls:
Sydney Poitier is Jungle Julia
Her best lines:
1. "What about "kinda cute, kinda hot, kinda sexy, hysterically funny, but not funny-looking guy who you could fuck" did you not understand?"
2. "Looking good, Cannonball Run!"
3. "For your information, Pete Townshend, at one point, almost quit The Who. And if he had, he would have ended up in this group, thus making it Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick, Tich and Pete. And if you ask me, he should have."
Jungle Julia is a local radio DJ in Austin, Texas. She's beautiful, full of surprises, up to scratch on her musical knowledge; of course, and she likes to stick her feet out of the car window. What's not to like? Personally, I love Jungle Julia. She has great taste in music and I absolutely love her hair! Her bitchy moment is when she tells Arlene she must give a random guy a lap dance if he repeats the poem Julia said on her radio show. This was all to Arlene's surprise and she got pretty annoyed. Although Julia did a bitchy thing, we still love her :)Sydney Poitier is perfect as Jungle Julia. She's got the right look [as seen in many of Jungle Julia's promotional billboards plastered all around Austin] and I love the way she delivers her lines. I would love to see Poitier in more films. I'm surprised she hasn't gotten her big break yet. She has a huge amount of potential!
Vanessa Ferlito is Arlene
Her best lines:
1. "Hold on, I gotta come up! I gotta take the world's biggest fuckin' piss!
2. "You got two jobs; kiss good, and make sure my hair don't get wet."
Arlene is really cool. She's not a Texan native, she is from Brooklyn, NY. She's also beautiful, she doesn't take any crap [most of the time] and she also has an awesome taste in music. Arlene is probably my favourite character out of the first group of gals. I really liked Vanessa Ferlito as Arlene. She really suited the part. This is probably because Tarantino actually wrote the part of Arlene specifically for Ferlito to play. Nonetheless, it worked. Ferlito also deserves kudos for the lap dance scene, she was really good!
Jordan Ladd is Shanna
Her best lines:
1. "Okay, mean girl in a high school movie. You through havin' a tantrum?"
2. "No. Now there is one thing every girl in the whole world whose name is Shanna has in common with each other - we all hate the name Shawna. And we really hate when people call us Shawna. Remember it's Shanna banana not Shawna banawna."
3. "You said "Jesus Christ Shanna". And before the sentence was over, ya threw a fuckin' in there to emphasize your irritatedness."
Shanna is very likable in my opinion. She's a total Texan party girl with the accent and everything. I would totally hang out with her, she seems like fun! :) And when I hang out with her, I would definitely make sure that I call her Shanna, not Shawna. I enjoyed watching Jordan Ladd as Shanna. I thought she did a damn good job playing her too, considering that Ladd doesn't really have a Texan accent. She's been in Cabin Fever, Hostel II, the Thanksgiving fake trailer made for Grindhouse & Death Proof. She definitely has a good-quality career on her hands!
Other notable characters:
Rose McGowan is Pam
Her best lines:
1. "Is that cowboy wisdom?"
2. "So what's your name, icy?"
3. "Hey Warren. Who is this guy?"
4." And who the hell is Stuntman Mike?"
Pam starts off as a woman who simply needs a ride. Stuntman Mike then offers to give her one. Although Jungle Julia calls Pam something along the lines of a "fake, blonde bitch", I quite like her. She's smooth, cute and curious [which is a good thing].I was glad to see Rose McGowan in both of the films from the Grindhouse double feature because I like watching her very much.
Quentin Tarantino is Warren
His best lines:
1. "Is that a tasty beverage or is that a tasty be-ve-rage?"
2. "Chartreuse! The only liquor so good they named a color after it!"
3. [when asked who Stuntman Mike is] "He's a stuntman".
Warren is the bartender of a local bar in Austin, Texas. Seeing that Austin is a small place, Warren knows many of the Austin natives and regulars such as Stuntman Mike.I love to see Quentin Tarantino acting in his own films as well as other films such as From Dusk Till Dawn, Sleep With Me and Planet Terror. Regardless of what people say, I think Tarantino is a fine actor.
Eli Roth is Dov
His best lines:
1. "Dude, check it out. I wonder if BJ brought the bear with him."
2. "Dude fucking cut himself falling out of his time machine."
3. "Hi, could I get a chicken suit for "Stroker Ace", please?"
4. "Dude, as long as a guy's buyin' the booze, a fuckin' bitch'll drink anything."
5. "And I know I can at least get Shanna "Suck My" Banana to do a fucking Buttery Nipple shot."
6. "So is it Shawna and the girls at lake house this weekend?"
Dov! Dov is a legend! Eli Roth has described Dov as a Jewish guy that cannot get laid, which is very true. Dov is hilarious, witty, persistent, so gorgeous(!); of course, and a bit of a dufus, but that makes us love him even more :) Okay, why didn't Shanna make out with him again? Silly girl.Well, I think it's safe to say that it is quite obvious that I love to watch Eli Roth act in films, especially Quentin Tarantino ones. I think he is definitely good value and should be in more films! Although it is a small part, I always look forward to seeing Dov.
Second group of girls:
Tracie Thoms is Kim
Her best lines:
1. "Fuck that! I wanna do my laundry whenever the fuck I wanna do my laundry."
2. "You redneck, lunatic bastard!"
3. "Look, I don't know what futuristic utopia you live in, but the world I live in, a bitch need a gun."
4. "Uh, yeah... they gave it to me after I became a Secret Service Agent..."
5. "Whatever with your however."
Kim is a professional stunt-woman. Stuntman Mike chose the wrong girl to mess with in the second half of the film! She's ruthless, hilarious, crazy and cool. Kim is an absolute hoot! She too seems like a fun gal to hang out with. I know Tracie Thoms from Cold Case, but I've never seen her in any other film. She is a really good actress. I really enjoyed watching her in Death Proof and I hope to see her in something else soon :)
Mary Elizabeth Winstead is Lee
Her best lines:
1. "I can't believe a fucking Circle A clerk carries Italian Vogue."
2. "Okay, but if anyone tears out any sheets that I want, you gotta make color Xerox copies of those pages, and I'm not talkin' fuckin' Kinko's here either. You take it to the art department and have them do it fucking right."
3. "He made you a tape? Wait, he didn't burn you a CD, he made you a tape? Oh, it's so romantic."
Lee is an actress. She's adorable, sweet, has a beautiful singing voice and she's so clueless. Now, there is much speculation as to what happened to Lee when she was left by Abernathy, Zoe and Kim with Jasper (a really sleazy guy who's selling his car) who thought she was a porn star. My theory on this issue is that the girls left their own car with Lee, so if Lee was in any kind of trouble she could simply drive off. But Tarantino has obviously left it to anybody's interpretation, so anything could have happened.Winstead is good in her role as Lee and I'd like to see her in more films as well.
Zoe Bell is Herself
Her best lines:
1. "I'm sorry I called you black bitch!"
2. "I'm okay!"
3. "So where's the maniac?"
Zoe too is a stunt-woman. She is one cool, crazy cat! Her favourite game is called Ship's Mast; a crazy-ass game that involves her riding on the hood of the car while Kim drives really(!) fast. Yes, crazy, I know. Now, Zoe Bell is a real life stunt-woman who has doubled for Uma Thurman in the Kill Bill films & Melanie Laurent and Diane Kruger in Inglourious Basterds. She had never really acted before her role in Death Proof, so considering that; I thought she was pretty damn good. She's a natural!
Rosario Dawson is Abernathy
Her best lines:
1. "You can't get around the fact that people who carry guns, tend to get shot more than people who don't."
2. "Okay, fuck both of you and your little high five."
3. "I heard what you said. I just can't believe what you said. You know, you two got some fucking balls."
4. "You know we're supposed to be this big posse, but that's the excuse that you guys use whenever you want to exclude me from something. So, what is it that you two daredevils are doing that I'm just so uncool I couldn't possibly understand?"
Abernathy is a make-up artist to the stars. I love her, she is my favourite character in the second group of girls. She is just fabulous. She doesn't take any crap and gets into the action, eventually. And she likes Italian Vogue; she's my friend! :) Also, she kicks freaking ass! Rosario Dawson is great, totally believable, and I think this is one of her best roles yet. I'd love to see her work with Tarantino again sometime because she was amazing in this film.
Now, if you're wondering what the whole Grindhouse double feature deal is about, I'll tell you :) Quentin Tarantino & Robert Rodriguez decided to make one film each and release them together under the title of Grindhouse. These films would be homages to the 70's exploitation films they used to show in the trashy theaters called 'Grindhouses', where they would show double features for the price of one film. They would have missing reels and the film would be damaged which caused the picture of the film to seem grindy or somewhat tattered/sleazy. Up to speed?
Many people that discuss this film complain that there is too much dialogue and not enough action. If you don't enjoy scenes of dialogue then why the hell are you watching a Tarantino film?! Tarantino films are always full of dialogue! Great, interesting dialogue, definitely not drivel. I thought the conversations both the groups of girls are having concerning the "dick department" (to quote Zoe) are interesting as well as the scene where Abernathy, Zoe, Kim and Lee are having lunch talking about films such as Vanishing Point, Gone in 60 Seconds and Pretty in Pink.
The action scenes were in the right place all throughout the film. There wasn't a lack of action scenes and there weren't too many. It was exactly the right amount.
These actions scenes, of course, being the suspenseful, intense death scene of the first group of girls and the riveting car chase at the end of the film with the second group of girls and Stuntman Mike [which literally had me on the edge of my seat!]. The ways Jungle Julia, Arlene and Shanna died were incredible! We saw everything, and that's what made me happy. We saw the wheel go over Arlene's face, we saw Jungle Julia's leg break off and we saw Shanna fly out of the car no longer in one piece. My friend flipped out the first time she saw that scene, and so did I when I first saw it! Well, Jungle Julia did have it coming, with her leg hanging out of the car window all the time & everything. And let's not forget how poor Pam died...Stuntman Mike's a real asshole, but you can't help but love him and be utterly charmed by him. These scenes were utterly amazing because there was no CGI involved. That blew my mind!
I must comment on the soundtrack! Tarantino, the great man he is, has provided another kick-ass(!) soundtrack for this film. All of the tracks are amazing, but I must single out Down in Mexico by The Coasters. Wow! Now, that is a song! That song is, of course, the song played in the lap dance scene with Arlene & Stuntman Mike. And Paranoia Prima by Ennio Morricone to give it that eerie feel, and it succeeds. Also, Hold Tight by Dave Dee, Dozy Beaky, Mick & Tich is amazing! Kudos to Jungle Julia for that one :)
The ending of Death Proof was so satisfying! There are some films that I watch where I can't fully absorb the ending, I'm questioning everything and/or thought it was a stupid way to end the film. In my experience, Death Proof was nothing like that. After the film finishes I am left feeling fully satisfied and feeling good! Every time I see Abernathy, Kim and Zoe beating up Stuntman Mike, I cheer them on! I love it. And when Abernathy kicks his face in with her boot is just awesome! That's one kick-ass moment right there!
For some reason, Grindhouse bombed at the box office. Now, I have no idea why that is and I don't understand it. Maybe audiences just didn't appreciate what Tarantino & Rodriguez were paying homage to. I'm glad to say that I do understand that and I appreciate it. I love Death Proof! No matter what everybody else says, I don't think it's a weak Tarantino film at all. I think it's brilliant!
I give it 4 out of 4 stars!
Wow, I could talk about this film all day...but, don't worry, I won't :)
I actually can't wait to watch it again. This film and the film I'm reviewing next made my birthday a fantastic day! Thanks Quentin(!) and his guys...and of course his gals :)
I love this photo of the whole cast of Grindhouse as well...it actually makes me really happy :) This photo proves Eli Roth's greatness ♥
Watch the trailer here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEVyC8FByng
Rating: R
Runtime: 114 min (international version) | Japan:113 min | USA:90 min (edited version)
Taysha. x
I loved this post!! great writing and pictures :)
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