Revelation #1: I Don’t Care What You Say…Death Proof is AWESOME!
Death Proof catches a lot of flack for being saddled with the failed Grindhouse experiment last year, and ultimately gets overlooked as a Tarantino indulgence. And guess what? It totally is, but it shouldn’t be dismissed because of that. This is the most self-referential movie he’s ever made, peppered with dialogue and shots stolen straight from his earlier movies. It’s unhinged — there are 7 minute shots circling tables, there are subplots that crop up then get forgotten in the blink of an eye (or the severing of a leg, in this case), there’s an actual jukebox in the movie that changes songs at Tarantino’s whim so he can cram as many cool songs he wants with reckless abandon (according to IMDB, there are 50 songs heard on the jukebox) — and I love every minute of it. I can’t fully explain the allure of this movie, but every couple weeks, a thought will pop into my head at random times. “Man, I could really go for some Death Proof right now.” Maybe it’s the presence of Kurt Russell, who essentially takes this movie and makes it his bitch. Maybe it’s the unbelievable car chase during the back half of the movie, one of the best put on film. Or maybe it’s just because it’s fun as hell. This is Quentin Tarantino given free reign to simply shoot a collection of scenes using his best techniques, and tying it all together with a crazy stuntman who enjoys killing sexy ladies. How could that be wrong?
Revelation #2: I want to talk more about Death Proof
But I won’t.
Revelation #3: Not sure if I mentioned this last week, but…THERE WAS A BABY AT DEATH RACE!
When I went to see Death Race last week, there was a woman who brought her baby into the theater. To a movie called Death Race. And not only that, she brought the ENTIRE stroller with her. Just wheeled the infant up into Death Race and parked it in the main aisle. Seriously? A baby in Death Race? Actually, hold on a second. You know how they say playing Mozart for babies maybe, possibly helps their development? Do you think screening giant images of Statham has the same effect? Is Jason Statham today’s Mozart? That’s the first time that question has ever appeared on the internet, and I’m damn proud I could do my part to contribute.
Revelation #4: The Over/Under on De Niro/Pacino yell-acting scenes in Righteous Kill is 400.
Everyone knows Al Pacino loves to yell-act. For instance, my favorite Pacino yell-acting scene is from Heat, and it’s right here.
I do a fantastic impression of that line. Ask me to do it sometime.
Chances are when you combine these two heavyweights, they’ll want to show off a little bit. And the best way to show off (and to earn Oscar nominations) is to yell. A lot. I’m sure Pacino will yell more, as De Niro’s style is usually more subdued, but I know he’s got some anger inside, ready to be let out.
By the way, is Righteous Kill the best movie we can come up for these two legends to be in? Righteous Kill? That is simply an awful title, and the idea itself seems pretty overcooked. They’re buddy cops investigating murders and one of them is probably committing them. Or something. I guess it could be worse. It could have been a comedy. An intentional comedy.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, September 9th, 2008 at 12:55 am and is filed under Film, Weekend Revelations.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
