I'll See You at the Grind House
By Sarah Carlson
March 13, 2007
Native Texan and former UT student Robert Rodriguez (“Desperado,” “Spy Kids,” “Sin City”) returned to his old stomping ground Sunday to give a SXSW audience a little lesson in Grindhouse 101 -- a look at the exploitation film genre and a sneak peek at “Planet Terror,” his portion of the double-feature “Grindhouse,” due in theaters April 6. Quentin Tarantino’s (“Pulp Fiction,” “Kill Bill”) offering is “Death Proof.”
He was joined by uber-film geek Harry Knowles of Ain’t It Cool News to discuss exploitation films -- B-level films that sensationalize sex, violence and gore that were often showed back-to-back in grind houses. (Let our good friend, Wikipedia, fill you in on the rest). Rodriguez brought along a few classic exploitation trailers, “They Call Her One Eye” and “The Green Slime,” as an example of what he and Tarantino are aiming at for “Grindhouse.” It’s not only a nod to a genre generally thought as having no artistic merit, but a chance for the two filmmakers and ardent film-lovers to use even less restraints in their work.
“Grind-house cinema to me means freedom,” Rodriguez said. On set, he said he’d purposefully not fix an error in the filming process so that “Planet Terror” will have the look and feel of an old grind-house film. Is there a production light visible in the scene? Did an actor go too over-the-top with a line? “Eh, it’s a grind-house film,” he’d say. “It’s OK.”
He’s played with the look of the film, adding tints in certain scenes and digitally making the film appear worn, as if it had been show hundreds of times along with the rest of the grind-house films. Expect intentional errors throughout -- “all the right accidents,” as he calls them -- and if the MPAA won’t let him keep all his gore, he’ll splice the film so the audience will know something is missing and call it a day. Eh, it’s a grind-house film.
The clip from “Planet Terror” was short and contained more blood than some war films, but was too outrageous and stylish to be disturbing. No, that honor goes to director Eli Roth (“Cabin Fever,” “Hostel”), who along with Edgar Wright and Rob Zombie filmed a fake exploitative-style trailer to be shown in between “Terror” and “Death Proof.” Roth’s ode to '80s slasher films gave us a glimpse of what Thanksgiving would be like if a Thanksgiving parade participants, and anyone else in the same town just out and about, were suddenly beheaded. A scene that included a cheerleader, a trampoline and a knife has scarred me for life. Seriously -- I drove past kids jumping on a trampoline today and shuddered.
Also shown were the top entries in a submit-your-own-"Grindhouse"-trailers contest for SXSW: The Dead Won't Die, Maiden of Death and the winner, Hobo With a Shotgun. (WARNING: These contain blood and nudity. Very not suitable for kids. You've been warned.)
We would have liked to see more "Grindhouse" footage, but considering the film is just now being submitted to the MPAA for a rating, and that, according to Rodriguez, he and Tarantino haven't seen each other's films yet, it's not surprising it's being kept under wraps. What we did see didn't disappoint, and neither did Rodriguez. After enduring several panels and post-screening Q&A’s with actors and filmmakers who came across as too smug for their own good, Rodriguez’s passion for film and eagerness to talk with fans was refreshing. Here's hoping "Grindhouse" is as well.
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Comments
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Posted by: dee on March 13, 2007 7:21 PM
I think R.R. only briefly attended UT but not the film school and didn't graduate.
Posted by: Sarah on March 13, 2007 8:46 PM
Caught and corrected. Thanks! -- Sarah