2007 / USA/ 190 minutes
Director: Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino
Screenplay: Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Rose McGowan, Kurt Russell, Freddy Rodriguez, Rosario Dawson, Michael Biehn, Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Genre: Action, horror, crime, science-fiction
This film is a homage to the world of "grindhouse" cinema. Grindhouses were cinemas that specialised in low-budget exploitation films in the 1970s. The movies they showed were usually not very good quality and often released in damaged prints, and they were often shown in double bills are all night marathons. Here we have what you might be letting yourself in for at a double feature at the grindhouse.
The program kicks off with Planet Terror, directed by Robert Rodriguez, in which the residents of a small Texan town struggle to survive against a virus which turns people into hideous, flesh-eating zombie like monsters. Next up is Death Proof, directed by Quentin Tarantino, in which women are pursued by a psychopathic stuntman who kills his victims with a customised "death proof" stunt car. To add to the fun, the films are preceded by trailers for fake movies: Machete (which did become a feature film in 2010), Werewolf Women of the SS, directed by Rob Zombie, a homage to the Nazi exploitation sub-genre, Don't, directed by Edgar Wright, a tribute to the Hammer Horror films, and Thanksgiving, directed by Eli Roth, a tribute to the holiday themed slasher movie sub-genre.
It's a very entertaining show, and certainly full of action, however the excessive violence and callousness, as well as the plot holes and bizarre quality of the films will not be to everyone's taste. The film is made to look like a grindhouse show, including scratched film, washed out colours, missing reels, out of focus images, and at several points the film seemingly burning up in the projector, which adds to the authenticity, but at times does become quite irritating.
Grindhouse underperformed at the US box office and so Planet Terror and Death Proof were released internationally in extended versions as separate stand alone movies.
Showing posts with label Eli Roth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eli Roth. Show all posts
Saturday, 8 November 2014
Saturday, 22 February 2014
Hostel
Year: 2006
Director: Eli Roth
Screenplay: Eli Roth
Starring: Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Eythor Gudjonsson, Barbara Nedeljakova, Jan Vlasak, Rick Hoffman, Jennifer Lim
Running Time: 93 minutes
Genre: Horror
American college students Paxton (Hernandez) and Josh (Richardson) are travelling across Europe with their Icelandic friend Oli (Gudjonsson) on the hunt for drugs, sex and wild times. Arriving in Amsterdam they hear a story about a hostel in Slovakia which is full of beautiful, willing women who love Americans. Needless to say, the none too bright trio are soon on their way. At first glance the hostel is everything they could have wished for, particularly when they are greeted by the beautiful Natalya (Nedeljakova) and Svetlana (Jana Kaderabkova). However, when Oli disappears, Paxton and Josh soon discovers that the hostel has a dark secret. It's run by an organisation which lures tourists and then kidnaps them, whereupon a wealthy international clientele pay for the opportunity to torture the victims to death.
The film opens with the credits playing over a scene which hints at the horrors to come, where an unseen, janitor cheerfully whistles while hosing down the blood and gore from one of the torture chambers. From there the first part of the film almost plays like a bawdy teen comedy, as our three fairly unlikable "heroes" get stoned, drink, and visit prostitutes. It comes into it's own later on, after Oli disappears and the net tightens around Josh and Paxton. The relatable fear comes from being a stranger in a strange land and very far from home. When Josh worries about Oli, Paxton reminds him that they really know nothing at all about him. Of course this is the central fear of what could be called "tourist terror" where people venture out of their safe environments and come to harm. The film does have a point to make about the ignorance of some tourists, when Paxton, Josh and Oli first hear about the hostel they are told that their are no men "because of the war", when in fact there hasn't been a war in Slovakia since 1945. It also has a point about the horrors of rampant capitalism where life itself is just a commodity to be bought and sold, and where anything is available to whoever has the money. A kind of connection is made between Paxton, Josh and Oli's treatment of prostitutes early in the film and what will later happen to them (when Paxton and Oli try to persuade Josh to hire a prostitute he replies "going into a room with someone and paying to do whatever you want to her is not my idea of a turn on".)
The film was hugely controversial on it's release for it's graphic violence and explicit gore, leading it to be referred to as "torture porn". Certainly it is not for those of a nervous disposition, but it is quite a good horror movie and at times genuinely chilling.
Director: Eli Roth
Screenplay: Eli Roth
Starring: Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Eythor Gudjonsson, Barbara Nedeljakova, Jan Vlasak, Rick Hoffman, Jennifer Lim
Running Time: 93 minutes
Genre: Horror
American college students Paxton (Hernandez) and Josh (Richardson) are travelling across Europe with their Icelandic friend Oli (Gudjonsson) on the hunt for drugs, sex and wild times. Arriving in Amsterdam they hear a story about a hostel in Slovakia which is full of beautiful, willing women who love Americans. Needless to say, the none too bright trio are soon on their way. At first glance the hostel is everything they could have wished for, particularly when they are greeted by the beautiful Natalya (Nedeljakova) and Svetlana (Jana Kaderabkova). However, when Oli disappears, Paxton and Josh soon discovers that the hostel has a dark secret. It's run by an organisation which lures tourists and then kidnaps them, whereupon a wealthy international clientele pay for the opportunity to torture the victims to death.
The film opens with the credits playing over a scene which hints at the horrors to come, where an unseen, janitor cheerfully whistles while hosing down the blood and gore from one of the torture chambers. From there the first part of the film almost plays like a bawdy teen comedy, as our three fairly unlikable "heroes" get stoned, drink, and visit prostitutes. It comes into it's own later on, after Oli disappears and the net tightens around Josh and Paxton. The relatable fear comes from being a stranger in a strange land and very far from home. When Josh worries about Oli, Paxton reminds him that they really know nothing at all about him. Of course this is the central fear of what could be called "tourist terror" where people venture out of their safe environments and come to harm. The film does have a point to make about the ignorance of some tourists, when Paxton, Josh and Oli first hear about the hostel they are told that their are no men "because of the war", when in fact there hasn't been a war in Slovakia since 1945. It also has a point about the horrors of rampant capitalism where life itself is just a commodity to be bought and sold, and where anything is available to whoever has the money. A kind of connection is made between Paxton, Josh and Oli's treatment of prostitutes early in the film and what will later happen to them (when Paxton and Oli try to persuade Josh to hire a prostitute he replies "going into a room with someone and paying to do whatever you want to her is not my idea of a turn on".)
The film was hugely controversial on it's release for it's graphic violence and explicit gore, leading it to be referred to as "torture porn". Certainly it is not for those of a nervous disposition, but it is quite a good horror movie and at times genuinely chilling.
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