The One Where the Car is 100% Death Proof.

The 6th of January was my third viewing of this film. I chose to watch it then because it was my birthday. And what better film to watch on my birthday than Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (2007)?! This film is definitely one of my all-time favourite films and it always will be, it might even be close to my favourite.
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 Tarantino

Two 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

The One With those Bad-Ass, Legendary, Inglourious Basterds!

if you need heroes, send in the basterds!
I can now die happy! I have finally seen Inglourious Basterds! I was supposed to see this film in the cinema but sadly, I never actually got around to it. It was worth the wait to finally see it on DVD. Quentin Tarantino himself said that it would be a "big fucking night at the movies". Unfortunately, I missed that. Watching it in my own home was mind-blowing, I could only imagine what it would have been like in the cinema.
Nonetheless, I am completely in love with this film.

WARNING: This blog contains SPOILERS. I'm sorry, but I just have to comment on the brilliant events that take place in this film. I know I shouldn't but I can't help it.

Written & Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

The story begins in Nazi-occupied France where Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) witnesses her whole family being massacred by Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) and his men. She only just escapes and flees to Paris where she changes her name and is the owner of a cinema.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) puts together a group of Jewish-American soldiers, known to the enemy as "The Basterds", to brutally kill all Nazis. The Basterds then join German actress and undercover agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) in taking down the leaders of the Third Reich. Fates merge when the Basterds plan their revenge on the Nazis meanwhile Shosanna has a plan to do the same thing...in the same place...

Tarantino has absolutely out-done himself in terms of his characters. They are all so interesting & important.

Mélanie Laurent is Shosanna Dreyfus
Her best lines:
1. "Because, Marcel, my sweet, we're going to make a film. Just for the Nazis."
2. "My name is Shosanna Dreyfus and THIS is the face... of Jewish vengeance!"
3. "And I want you to look deep into the face of the Jew who's going to do it!"

Shosanna is brilliant. As stated in the plot outline, she witnesses her entire family being murdered by Nazis. She is scared out of her mind when she flees to Paris covered in her family's blood. She is an amazingly strong character also, especially when we see her with Col. Hans Landa four years later under her new French identity holding back her terrible feelings towards him.
Shosanna is truly a hero and her ultimate revenge plan was perfect. Seeing the cinema go up in flames and all those Nazis getting burnt was awesome!
It was such a shame that she got shot though. She really deserved to live to see her revenge plan in action.
Laurent was outstanding in this role. I would really love to see her in more films. She is such a great talent.

Til Schweiger is Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz
His best lines:
1. "Say "auf Wiedersehen" to your Nazi balls."
2. "And at this range, I'm a real Frederick Zoller."

Hugo Stiglitz hates Nazis. He used to kill them himself and eventually was sent to jail for that. The Basterds, who are fans of his, set him free and Stiglitz joins them on their mission to kill Nazis.
I think Stiglitz was super cool. I love how before he was apart of the Basterds, he took matters in his own hands and killed all of those Nazis. What a legend!

Daniel Brühl is Pvt. Fredrick Zoller
His best line:
- [In the film 'Nation's Pride'] "Who wants to send a message to Germany?"

He is somewhat of a likable German, but I was suspicious of him all along. We learn that he is a propaganda hero and killed hundreds of American soldiers. That makes him an asshole in my book. Also, he is the one that shoots Shosanna and I'm so glad that she shot him first! He deserved it, big time.
For me to hate Zoller so much proves that Brühl is a good actor. His character really got to me and I was happy when he died. Nice, Brühl!

Diane Kruger is Bridget Von Hammersmark
Her best line:
- [all the dialogue during the celebrity heads game]

Bridget Von Hammersmark is a German actress but she's also a double agent. Unlike any of the cast so far, she is not out to kill. As Kruger herself as stated, "She's actually quite vulnerable", which I have got to say is quite true.
I have heard of Kruger but I have not seen her in anything else. I thought she was fantastic in her role. It was a shame that Bridget died, and just as she joined the Basterds too. The dialogue between her and Col. Hans Landa during her death scene is great! We also see her feet in that scene; which is a Tarantino trademark.

Christoph Waltz is Col. Hans Landa
His best lines:
1. "Attendez la crème!"
2. "That's a bingo!"
3. "I love rumours!"
4. "Before I go, could I have another glass of your delicious milk?"

The Jew Hunter. That says it all, doesn't it?
Now, as many people know, I possess strong feelings about the holocaust and think of it as the most horrible time in history, so of course; I loathed this guy. From the moment that he started comparing Jewish people to rats and saying that they are repulsive, I couldn't wait for this guy to get hurt. The end [where Lt. Aldo Raine carves the swastika into his forehead] was brilliant, simply genius! I actually think I enjoyed that a little too much :) I hated him, but I loved watching him to see what he was up to next!
Waltz was so amazing in this role and really deserves the golden globe for best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a motion picture! If he doesn't get it, I'll eat my hat!

Michael Fassbender is Lt. Archibald Hicox
His Best Line:
- "Why do you have a Luger pointed at my testicles?"

Lt. Archibald Hicox is a British solider, a Basterd. He's smart and like a movie star. He's basically George Sanders. He's not so important to the plot but he's equally as enjoyable.
The scene with General Ed Fenech (Mike Myers) was very good, jolly good.

Brad Pitt is Lt. Aldo Raine
His Best Lines:
1. "You probably heard we ain't in the prisoner-takin' business; we in the killin' Nazi business. And cousin, Business is a-boomin'."
2. "We got a German here who wants to die for his country! Oblige him!"
3. "Arriverderci."
4. "I'm gonna give you a little somethin' you can't take off."
5. "They're the footsoldiers of a Jew-hatin', mass-murderin' maniac, and they need to be dee-stroyed."

Lt. Aldo Raine is from Tennessee. He's the head of the guerrilla outfit in Nazi-occupied France that is out to seek ultimate revenge on the Nazis.
I loved Aldo Raine! He was hilarious. I have no idea why people say that Pitt over-acted or any of that, I thought he was amazing. When he said "Arriverderci", I just cracked up laughing! He's so laid-back and cool, Aldo definitely knows what he's doing.

Eli Roth is Sgt. Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz!
His Best Lines/Gesture:
1. "Teddy fuckin' Williams knocks it out of the park! Fenway Park on its feet for Teddy! Fuckin' ballgame! He went yardo on that one, on to fuckin' Lansdowne Street!"
2. "We punch those goons out, take their machine guns, and burst in there blasting!"
3. "You know, Lieutenant, you're getting pretty good at that."
4. "After I kill that guy, you have 30 feet to get to that guy. Can you do it?"
5. "Get the fuck up! You're on deck!"
6. [AND THAT ITALIAN HAND GESTURE, oh, that hand gesture!]

Obviously, I have saved the best 'till last. Donny, also known as 'the Bear Jew', is a Jewish guy from Boston. He is a baseball fan and beats Nazis to death with his baseball bat.
The Bear Jew is the greatest character I think I have ever seen in a film. The scene where he comes out of that cave gives me chills! When he beats Sgt. Werner Rachtman; a Nazi that refuses to give Raine information, to death with his baseball bat is brilliant.
This guy is a legend! Wanna know why? HE KILLS HITLER! He kills him with an MP-40, true Tony Montana style! That scene is truly one of the best I've seen in a film.
Roth is scary, hilarious and intense as the Bear Jew. He ought to be commended on his amazing, unforgettable performance. It was just top-notch! Sgt. Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz is my favourite character by far and I was so upset when he died.
Roth should definitely consider being in more films with bigger roles because he was so amazing in this film, as well as Death Proof; which is also by Tarantino. I mean, why shouldn't he be in more films? He's all kinds of talented and very dedicated [he put on 40 pounds of muscle for his role as the Bear Jew] and obviously, he's gorgeous!

Note: The Nation's Pride[the film-within-a-film], Goebbels's propaganda film starring Pvt. Fredrick Zoller as himself, is actually directed by Eli Roth. I have yet to see this, and it is on the special features of the DVD so I will definitely get around to watching that soon :)


The violence in this film is the best. We see scalping, we see swastikas getting carved into foreheads, strangulation, and, of course, Hitler getting blown apart by Donny with an MP-40. I love to see violence in a film. Tarantino did not hold back at all and I appreciated that.
Notably, we also see Lt. Aldo Raine stick his finger into Bridget Von Hammersmark's bullet wound. That would make audience's wince, but I thought it was really cool.
The suspense in the film is set up so well. Tarantino is a master of suspense as we all know, like Hitchcock. The scene where we are waiting for the Bear Jew to come out of that cave had me in so much suspense. My eyes were actually wide & I was completely still for the entire time! That scene is incredible. Also, the tavern scene & The Dreyfus family under the floorboards in the beginning. All of these scenes actually had me holding my breath. Tarantino knows exactly how long a scene should last.

Tarantino has selected great pieces of music to include in this film, which is always the case. David Bowie's 'Cat People (Putting Out The Fire)' is brilliant and was placed in the right scene, setting it up perfectly.

This film is also full of intelligence. Although it is obviously not based on true events, however some historical aspects of the film are correct, I really wish it was. Tarantino has re-written history. This story is better than the actual events that took place in reality during WWII! The story is fantastic!
I had high expectations for this long-awaited film and Tarantino delivered, baby! Quentin Tarantino deserves the golden globe & Oscar for best director. I say that as whole-heartedly as possible. I have never been so affected by a film before, this film deserves all the awards that it is nominated for, which is pretty much every category relevant to the film.

Originally, Tarantino was going to make Inglourious Basterds a mini-series. That certainly would have been interesting, but I love it as a film and I want to see it win all the Golden Globes and Oscars in 2010!

Inglourious Basterds received an 11 minute standing ovation after its first screening at Cannes. And that standing ovation was absolutely well deserved. Everything about this film is astounding. Bravo to an amazing cast and Mr. Tarantino!

I give it 4 out of 4 stars!
I enjoyed every single minute.
I will watch this film again and again.
I know I probably sound like a gushing Tarantino fangirl but I don't care. This film deserves such gushing! There are no words to describe this film in terms of doing it justice. 'I loved it' and 'this film is brilliant' just don't cut it. It deserves so much more. It is by far the best film of 2009, if not, the decade. Inglourious Basterds deserves all of the Oscars it's nominated for, and it will definitely be nominated for many.

The trailer of Inglourious Basterds is the most amazing trailer I've ever seen. It's got great music and the feel of it is extraordinary! It actually gives me goosebumps.
Watch it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sQhTVz5IjQ

Rating: R
Runtime: 153 mins.

Arriverderci, basterds.

Taysha. x