Planet Terror Written and directed by Robert Rodriguez U.S.A., 2007 *For the purposes of this review, the extended cut was viewed. It can be found individually on DVD and blu-ray and does not included Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof on the disc. Unbeknownst to the denizens of a small southern American town, a horrible outbreak is …
There is a strong possibility that Quentin Tarantino has forgotten more about movies than most filmbuffs will ever know. In addition to sporting an encyclopedic knowledge of all things cinema, he is one of the most talented and respected filmmakers of his generation.
Plus, Jessica Chastain adds a comedy to her upcoming slate, and Robert Rodriguez lines up his next project.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For Written by Frank Miller Directed by Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller USA, 2014 When Sin City exploded into theaters in 2005, we had never seen anything like it. It was a resounding declaration that digital filmmaking had finally arrived. The new Robert Rodriquez-Frank Miller collaboration, Sin City: …
Unlikely as it may have seemed, 2014 has emerged as the year where, among other things, Eva Green proved to be the best part of a rock-dumb green screen sequel film. First there was her turn in 300: Rise of an Empire, and now comes Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. She is the eponymous “dame,” Ava Lord, a character so rigidly crafted to the femme fatale archetype as to be a cartoon. Of course, that goes for all the characters in this series, as they are portrayed both in these films and in the comic book series on which they are based. The cast also overflows with corrupt politicians, brassy whores, and down-on-their-luck antiheroes suffering apparent vocal fry, with a towering black manservant and a mute Asian assassin thrown in for good measure. Even moreso than the original movie, A Dame to Kill For is extraordinarily broad. It’s absolutely hilarious, and only on purpose perhaps a quarter of the time.
Set in Bay Point Preparatory High School in suburban Milwaukee, Woods pays homage to several genre faves, notably Sheltered, and Revival. Fans of James Tynion IV’s (Batman Eternal, Red Hood and The Outlaws) will be eager to read his first original comic series, but they might also be somewhat letdown; Woods works as neither horror nor social commentary. The best way to describe the first issue is to imagine a blend of Stephen King’s The Mist and The Faculty written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Robert Rodriguez.
Robert Rodriquez’s 1996 cult classic From Dusk till Dawn is a flawed but ultimately surprising, fun, and witty gore-fest sendup of vampire movies. Surprisingly the TV adaptation, for Rodriquez’s channel the El Rey Network, is just as much fun as its source material.
From Dusk till Dawn: The Series, much like the movie, knows exactly what it is. This is not highbrow entertainment. This is pulpy cult gore at its best. One of the most enjoyable things about the movie was the surprising genre changeup halfway through the film. The show makes up for this lack of surprise by expanding on what we didn’t see in the movie, such as the Gecko brothers’ botched bank robbery, which we see flashes of here. All that being said, half the fun of the pilot comes from the execution. It’s an incredibly confident and tightly wound series opener.
There are just two—count ‘em, two—days until Fantastic Fest 2013 kicks off in Austin , Texas, at the Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline. In case you hadn’t been keeping track, I’ll be there for the majority of the festival covering as many movies as possible. (I will be a movie-watching/reviewing machine, just you watch.) If you’ve been …
Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez has made a name for himself over his career for a wide variety of projects, be it taking on Westerns in Desperado, vampires in From Dusk Till Dawn, or graphic novels in Sin City. For his next project, however, Rodriguez is going in another direction altogether; partnering with Blackberry, the filmmaker is …
Side By Side Written by Christopher Kenneally Directed by Christopher Kenneally USA, 2012 A reasonably comprehensive primer on the rise of digital film and its implications on every facet of filmmaking, exhibition, and conservation, Side by Side manages to corral enough of the film world’s most outspoken filmmakers, as well as a less-familiar but equally …
Tarantino is a great director and not a great actor. So, why is it that he has consistently tried his hand at performance? There doesn’t seem to be an acknowledgement of his limited talents and the consistency in which he employs himself within his films leads me (and I am sure I am not alone) …
A Priest, A Rabbi and Your Mom Walk Into a Movie Theatre… You might think that your Mom disapproves of all horror films on principle. At least that’s the stereotype: the wagging finger; the warning that horror films cause nightmares. But the truth is that this is merely a bit of parental judo, reverse psychology …
Sin City Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller Written by Frank Miller U.S.A, 2005 Every Friday during the month of June, the Friday Film Noir column will be taking a slightly offbeat look at noir in film. More specifically, films that embrace noir elements in their own fashion yet are not from the traditionally …
“Machete will more than satisfy lovers of exploitation cinema and demand it’s promise of two sequels.” Machete Directed by Robert Rodriguez and co-director Ethan Maniquis Three years after he was forced to watch the murder of his wife and is betrayed by the organization who hired him, an ex-Federale (Danny Trejo) launches a brutal rampage …
#1- Machete Directed by Robert Rodriguez and co-director Ethan Maniquis It took three years, but Machete, whose fake trailer showcased before the B-picture homage Grindhouse, finally hit the cineplex. Anyone who found themselves excited by that teasing coming attraction will no doubt be satiated by the relentless onslaught of over-the-top violence, extreme gore, unnecessary nudity …
With Grindhouse, directors Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino made a movie in the grand tradition of Umberto Lenzi and John Carpenter. Masquerading as a double bill, the homage of ’60s- and ’70s-era drive-in flicks stitched into one shambling feature also included four goofball “Coming Attractions” for nonexistent B-movies. This Frankenstein monster runs just over the …
Shorts Directed by Robert Rodriguez Breezy and entertaining while preserving its intelligence, Shorts is a rarity in this unexciting celluloid summer. The film revolves around a magical rock that allows wishes to become reality. As one would expect, chaos slowly ensues as every character who gets ahold of the rock finds his wishes backfire into …