Grindhouse: A double feature

A revelation came to me as I was watching Grindhouse: Planet Terror with Eric and Wendy today. Grindhouse (the two movies combined) is a well rounded formula. Well rounded as in it is the ultimate thrill ride of a movie for both men and women.

On one hand, you have Grindhouse: Death Proof, which is actually the ultimate chick movie in disguise. The dialog is much like what I would assume Sex In The City dialog would be. Hot girls talking about relationships, the competition, and the exercise of hotness (flirting) to manipulate people into doing what they want guys to do. With that involved, the girls get into some trouble. This leads to girls being bad, and ultimately kicking some serious ass.

Grindhouse: Planet Terror on the other hand is a movie for guys who like movies with zombies, guns, strippers, and a lot of gore. There is nothing in disguise about this one. So it makes sense why Tarantino made this a double feature, and why it is so well received.

The movies separately on the other hand, doesn't work well if the viewers are both male and female. Grindhouse: Planet Terror is a movie where you have a bunch of guys in the room who can laugh shamelessly at the cheesy gore/violence, and root on for the hot stripper. Grindhouse: Death Proof I would imagine would be movie girls can watch, nod their heads about, and then have a long conversation about their current relationships afterwards with the other girls.

In conclusion, the movie worked well as a double feature in the theaters for a reason, but since the movies are sold separately (and extended about 30 minutes each) they are different beasts entirely at home.