Review by Fat Jack
My Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Karla Quotient: Avoid It
Now in Theaters
Rated R (very, very R)
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino
Rotten Tomatoes Critics: 82% fresh
Rotten Tomatoes Users: 90% fresh
Netflix: 4.4 stars out of 5
IMDb: 7.1 stars out of 10
This is a blood-soaked train ride that barrels down the River Styx at 200 miles per hour, and I loved every single second of it. The Rodriguez-Tarantino double feature pounds the ground from minute one with no less than flesh-eating zombies, powerhouse chicks who stomp skulls and save lives, guns, knives, blood and brains, and bad ass muscle cars. Movies do not get any better than that.
This is not for everyone. Don’t take your 10-year-old, no matter how cool or how mature. He’s not ready for it and even if he was, he shouldn’t be. This is not recommended for the likes of my sister, Karla, or grossfest thrill ride of incredible proportions. Be prepared for buckets of blood and ooze and smatterings of skull and laughs too.
Laughs you say? Yes, laughs. Maybe I shouldn’t laugh. Maybe I should be shocked and disgusted and disturbed. I did squirm a bit from time to time, and I enjoy that feeling as well. But I did laugh at parts where I think I was supposed to laugh. You may not. My friend, Brian, certainly will not. But I laughed during Tarantino’s PULP FICTION and KILL BILL. This brilliant director has this uncanny ability to bring humor to scenes that should not be funny and I tip my hat to that ability.
This is a double feature that starts with Rodriguez’s PLANET TERROR, which is a zombie flick. A good zombie flick as far as that goes – one of the best really. Then there are the fake trailers between the movies. Those are a hoot and they are directed by a host of different folks. You can get the skinny at IMDb. Afterwards, comes Tarantino’s flick, DEATH PROOF. Typical of Tarantino, this movie takes its time and develops the characters through brilliant dialogue. He doesn’t just rush into the action, but takes his time. I love that about Tarantino. In this case, we have a killer, a serial killer, whose weapon of choice is a death proof street rod.
One interesting tidbit is the actress, Zoe Bell, who plays herself in DEATH PROOF. The actor is a real-life stuntwoman who worked as the stuntwoman for Uma Thurman on the set of KILL BILL and the stuntwoman for XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS. In DEATH PROOF, she plays herself, a stuntwoman, who is a thrill seeker. She certainly gets her wish dealing with the psycho serial killer played by Kurt Russell. My wife loved this character. Tarantino and Rodriguez did a great job with creating strong, powerful female characters. That is nothing new for Tarantino who is a pro at portraying different types of great women. That is one thing I love about him. As a side note, the stunts in DEATH PROOF were done with real cars and real stunt people. I understand that Zoe Bell did her own stunts. After you see he movie, you will understand why that is so cool. CGI? I think not.
No doubt about it: Another hit for Tarantino. Rodriguez’s movie is good too, but it is nothing compared to DEATH PROOF. My only criticism is that DEATH PROOF wasn’t long enough. That is, there was so much more that could have been done to that movie. I wanted more: more of the characters, more of the story, more of the dialogue. More. But how much more could he have done with a movie that was nearly 3.5 hours long as it was?
My Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Karla Quotient: Avoid It
Now in Theaters
Rated R (very, very R)
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino
Rotten Tomatoes Critics: 82% fresh
Rotten Tomatoes Users: 90% fresh
Netflix: 4.4 stars out of 5
IMDb: 7.1 stars out of 10
This is a blood-soaked train ride that barrels down the River Styx at 200 miles per hour, and I loved every single second of it. The Rodriguez-Tarantino double feature pounds the ground from minute one with no less than flesh-eating zombies, powerhouse chicks who stomp skulls and save lives, guns, knives, blood and brains, and bad ass muscle cars. Movies do not get any better than that.
This is not for everyone. Don’t take your 10-year-old, no matter how cool or how mature. He’s not ready for it and even if he was, he shouldn’t be. This is not recommended for the likes of my sister, Karla, or grossfest thrill ride of incredible proportions. Be prepared for buckets of blood and ooze and smatterings of skull and laughs too.
Laughs you say? Yes, laughs. Maybe I shouldn’t laugh. Maybe I should be shocked and disgusted and disturbed. I did squirm a bit from time to time, and I enjoy that feeling as well. But I did laugh at parts where I think I was supposed to laugh. You may not. My friend, Brian, certainly will not. But I laughed during Tarantino’s PULP FICTION and KILL BILL. This brilliant director has this uncanny ability to bring humor to scenes that should not be funny and I tip my hat to that ability.
This is a double feature that starts with Rodriguez’s PLANET TERROR, which is a zombie flick. A good zombie flick as far as that goes – one of the best really. Then there are the fake trailers between the movies. Those are a hoot and they are directed by a host of different folks. You can get the skinny at IMDb. Afterwards, comes Tarantino’s flick, DEATH PROOF. Typical of Tarantino, this movie takes its time and develops the characters through brilliant dialogue. He doesn’t just rush into the action, but takes his time. I love that about Tarantino. In this case, we have a killer, a serial killer, whose weapon of choice is a death proof street rod.
One interesting tidbit is the actress, Zoe Bell, who plays herself in DEATH PROOF. The actor is a real-life stuntwoman who worked as the stuntwoman for Uma Thurman on the set of KILL BILL and the stuntwoman for XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS. In DEATH PROOF, she plays herself, a stuntwoman, who is a thrill seeker. She certainly gets her wish dealing with the psycho serial killer played by Kurt Russell. My wife loved this character. Tarantino and Rodriguez did a great job with creating strong, powerful female characters. That is nothing new for Tarantino who is a pro at portraying different types of great women. That is one thing I love about him. As a side note, the stunts in DEATH PROOF were done with real cars and real stunt people. I understand that Zoe Bell did her own stunts. After you see he movie, you will understand why that is so cool. CGI? I think not.
No doubt about it: Another hit for Tarantino. Rodriguez’s movie is good too, but it is nothing compared to DEATH PROOF. My only criticism is that DEATH PROOF wasn’t long enough. That is, there was so much more that could have been done to that movie. I wanted more: more of the characters, more of the story, more of the dialogue. More. But how much more could he have done with a movie that was nearly 3.5 hours long as it was?
STUNTMAN MIKE: Do I frighten you?
ARLENE: [nods]
STUNTMAN MIKE: Is it my scar?
ARLENE: It's your car
DR. DAKOTA BLOCK: If anyone comes to the door, I want you to shoot them.
DR. BLOCK’S SON: What if it’s Dad?
DR. DAKOTA BLOCK: Especially if it’s your Dad.
STUNTMAN MIKE: There are few things fetching as a bruised ego on a beautiful angel.
