THE BEAST WITHIN WEEK 2 : "GRINDHOUSE / PLANET TERROR"

Ok, part two from the dastardly duo… Now, I have to admit that I may not have been able to enjoy this film in as “in depth” a way as possible. But, see above, after two hours with Mr. Tarantino my “violence meter” was already pretty severely bashed up and then Mr. Rodriguez comes along. Same filming techniques and same “line of thinking” as far as the film is concerned… Let’s get to the story you’ll see what I mean…
And this, dear friends, is a zombie movie. A small group of randomly gathered people (a one legged stripper, the owner of the best barbecue in Texas, the sheriff, his deputy, Wray – the mysterious outlaw and a doctor whose hands are momentarily paralyzed after a small “accident” with her husband among other people) in a small town in Texas is having, well, quite a night… A mysterious force is turning the rest of the residents into zombies. Whatever it is is spreading fast, the zombies are getting hungry and violent and the rather discordant little group must work together to survive , find a way out of the town and save the planet if they possibly can…
Well, the storyline is kinda short but that is simply because you all know this storyline by now. This is hardly the point of the movie… I must say though, I am impressed with both Mr. Rodriguez’s style and his sense of humor. A tad darker than Quentin Tarantino and more… Organized. You don’t have that sense of chaos you have in Tarantino movies but well calculated bazooka strikes: bam, bam, BAM! So, a word for those of sensitive stomachs : being a zombie movie there is GUNK. Gunk is in capital letters because there are liters of the stuff. And blood. But I seriously doubt you will be adversely affected by the blood – it is such a bright red in color and there is such a profusion of it, it defies anyone’s imagination to actually take it seriously… My recommendation? Save it for the end of a tiring work day when you have nothing to do and some pent up aggression to get rid of. I was just thinking actually, maybe this is why people react so badly to Tarantino and the like. Legitimizing violence – well it’s a point but maybe people find it scary because the films actually can be sorta cathartic… I mean, people watch these films because it helps them “externalize” if you will, the aggression and violence inside them… I guess realizing they sort of find the films “cathartic” sets people on edge. I can see that. And of course I agree that such films should be kept WELL away from the young and impressionable. But I reckon, once we have reached the stage in our lives where we know that, for example, attacking our boss with a stapler is not a good way to work through issues at the office, a little dose of Tarantino / Rodriguez / whatever your poison is can’t hurt.