Enter Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, who aim to emulate that formula. Which of course brings us to the question: if a person intentionally makes a "bad" movie, does that make it good? Critics and fans will debate that until the end of time, and unless we're talking about Uwe Boll, I doubt they will ever answer that. 'Grindhouse', the double feature from two of moviedom's most off center golden childs

succeeds in being a very different take on the medium at large, even whilst it stumbles over itself time and time again.

    The film is done a la the old school grindhouse: cut it into two films, with lots of trailers for movies that sound way more exciting spliced in between. The first offering is Rodriguez's 'Planet Terror' which feels far more eighties actioner than anything underground. Sure, it's nothing cinematically amazing and it falls back on most plot points one would expect, but it is still good for a surprise, especially those of us who are glutted on the zombie movie genre. Basically, some bad guys in the military release a toxin into the air in Texas, and it's up to a scrappy band of misfits, led by Wray (Freddy Rodriguez) to stop them and save the world, or at least not die to a bunch of hideous mutants.

    'Planet Terror' works as an action movie, but as a grindhouse film, it feels a little too good. Every actor can deliver lines, the pacing is well-timed and god damn, the effects are too good. Grindhouse films are done on shoestring budgets, but the double feature 'Grindhouse' cost upwards of 65 million, with arguably the largest part of that going to Rodriguez's endeavour. It just feels too polished. Rodriguez employs film scratches, dropped frames and even an entire missing reel, but no tricks detract from the movie. I'm a stickler for print perfection, and the

    And the action and gore is top notch. Guts explode. There are ripped off limbs. Girls get brained. Everything, and you never go 'Huh, that looks fake.' It's like Rodriguez saw a bunch of grindhouse/exploitation flicks from the 80s right before he wrote it and then took everything he 'thought' he knew about them and crafted this gory, oftentimes witty, little tale, completely missing what being "grindhouse" was all about.

    Now Tarantino knows the real deal and it's hard to tell if his half of 'Grindhouse', called 'Death Proof' is better or worse because of it. Taken as two movies, Terror easily trumps Death, but in going for the feel of what made these kind of movies special, then Tarantino wins hands down.

    After the merciless bloodbath that was 'Planet Terror', 'Death Proof' is looking like the best thing in the world, or perhaps the worst depending on the person. Somewhere in the middle lies the truth of what Death is all about. Firstly, those expecting Kurt Russell to kill everybody (like he did when he escaped L.A that one time), look away now. Oh yeah, Kurt's in it, and he adds another memorable character to his resume, but for not nearly as long as you might hope.

    'Death Proof' is chopped up just like all of 'Grindhouse', it really is two movies, it just so happens that each feature a crazy guy named Stuntman Mike who kills women in his souped up car. Take the opening conversation of 'Reservoir Dogs' and drag that out for about thirty or forty minutes. With any other film-maker, this would be a huge problem, as it is nothing but conversation, however, because it's Tarantino, at least what they say is interesting. The man may be called out for a lot of things, but writing amazing dialogue sure as hell ain't one of them. Also, because of what we know about the film (it's called 'Death Proof' for a reason), we

    After a devastatingly brutal car wreck, the film resets and we follow another set of girls, in no way related to the previous set, as they embark on a little break from their shooting schedule. As it just so happens, two of the women are stuntdrivers themselves, and when push comes to shove, they dole it out to Stuntman Mike a la Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! A car chase occupies the last half hour of their story, but it feels old really quick. The main thing it had going for it was that Zoe Bell, who is one of the girls, is a professional stunt-driver, so when she's on top of that roof gunning down the highway, you bet your ass she's on top of that roof gunning down the highway. You don't always need a big budget and the destruction of a lot of cars when making a chase, but it sure helps.

    Tarantino employs a more flat, seventies era look and does away with the film-scratches, though he does keep the missing reel, which while certainly short-changes the audience (as similar sexual content was cut out of 'Planet Terror') gives us a chuckle and in no way hinders our belief in the story being told, as oddly paced as it may be. He even hires out Rose McGowan, who also appeared in 'Terror', a tactic often used when filming grindhouse movies. You only need to pay one actress instead of two.

    They say grindhouse movies are better seen in short form, and the two boys have enlisted the aide of allies in cinema to provide just that. Four trailers, one before Terror and three before Death, are shown in all their grimy, gritty grindhouse glory. Directors Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead) and Eli Roth contribute trailers to movies that I really would like to see. Edgar Wright's 'Don't', in particular, looked like a brilliant take on the haunted house genre, and even Eli Roth, a director I am no fan of, brought out a little old school magic with his 'Thanksgiving', which if rumor has it, is being turned into a movie. Rodriguez provides the first, and probably one of the funniest, trailers in 'Machete' a fictional, Mexican 'Shooter' starring Danny Trejo and Cheech Marin. It is a perfect usher into the wild, crazy world of 'Grindhouse'.

    Each movie gets two shots, as they are wildly different beasts and united only under the banner of 'Grindhouse'. If anything, the films acts an eye opener to often overlooked "classics" of the film director days. At this house, you come for Planet Terror, and stay for Death Proof.

    On a personal note, I would like to see 'Grindhouse', like 'Sin City', become a running franchise, where new directors are brought on each time to tell their own stories.

scratches never bothered me and I barely noticed the frames missing. Even the missing reel is perfectly timed, as it teases you with vague answers to questions you may not have even known you had.

get this sense of underlying dread as these five women go through their days, completely oblivious to the plans a madman has cooked up for them.