riot in thunder alley

I picked up both soundtracks to Grindhouse over the weekend, and I've listened to Death Proof more than Planet Terror, mostly because the Smith version of Baby it's You is damn near a perfect song. They are, however, both magnificent, and highly recommended.

I listened to them on shuffle while I walked around my neighborhood this morning, and got to thinking about Death Proof. After my mind wandered around and eventually found its way back into my skull,  thought I should clarify something about my criticism (and love) of Grindhouse.

I love Tarantino. Ever since I first saw Reservoir Dogs in the theater before the damn kids today were born, I've been a huge fan. He makes movies that never fail to entertain me, even when I'm not 100% on board with the idea. At his worst, his stuff is vastly superior to much of the complete garbage that passes for movies these days.

I especially love the way he develops his characters through his dialog, even when it's clear that they're just saying what he would say if you put the camera on him for ten minutes and said, "go!"

While I listened to Death Proof this morning, I kept thinking about the scenes in the bar where we first meet Stuntman Mike, and how much I liked them all. The dialog, the photography, and the music all work together to create something that's pretty damn awesome. I've been in a bar just like that, in the rain, drinking with my friends, or trying to score, and I could seriously relate to that whole sequence.

I guess the dialog I really didn't like, that just fell flat for me, was in the second half, where I felt like he was trying too hard to recreate Reservoir Dogs. Once they got to the stunt work, though, I was riveted until the very end.

I don't know why I felt it necessary to clarify this, but it was important enough to me to occupy my thoughts for the last mile of my walk.