Grindhouse 2 Reviews

by Chris August 22, 2009

Basterds_poster shorts_poster

Friday, August 21st 2009. AVATAR DAY. Or, at least it was supposed to be. But the truth is it turned out to be what it always was: BASTERDS DAY. The best way to describe my experience with the Basterds is to not tell you about the day I saw it, but the day after. Today, I suffered from a severe case of BFS (Basterd Flashback Syndrome).

I was just going about my day, but then, uncontrollably, I’d find myself stopping and replaying scenes in my mind over and over again. Reflecting on one of the best motion picture experiences of the year. An instant classic beyond your expectations. This afternoon I think I spent an hour on the sofa looking off into nothing watching the whole third act in my mind. I’d type more about each of the performances — most notably Shosanna Dreyfus, Christoph Waltz and, of course, Pitt in his best role since Tyler Durden as Lt. Aldo Raine — but I need to get out of here and see this again. I just cannot get it out of my head. The flashbacks in my mind are just not enough!!

Oh yes, before I leave you – I almost forgot about the second half of yesterday’s Grindhouse pairing. Rodriguez’ SHORTS. Now I know you think you have this film all figured out and you’ll most likely never have anything to do with it. And years ago I’d have been angry at you for it. But now, now all I can do is declare this a wildly original and fun family film in a time where such things are few and far in between. Is it on the level of the SPYkids trilogy? No. Is it better than Shark Boy & Lava Girl? Yes. So there you have it. Just a very fun hour and a half spent with the insanity that is the Robert Rodriguez vision.

So all in all, despite my disappointment of my visit to planet Pandora, 8-21-09 actually turned out to be 2 for 2, which is more than can be said for the original Grindhouse pairing. And this time, not only did Tarantino fulfill his end of the bargain – he serves up what I believe to be a classic for the ages.