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GRINDHOUSE DVDs (Death Proof & Planet Terror) any decent pics online from Comic-Con? (1 Viewer)

Elijah Sullivan

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The "lost reel" from Death Proof definitely exists. I've seen it traded around on message boards amongst fans but haven't watched it myself. Stills from the scene also exist. If you dig around on the internet a bit, you might find pics or video.

So far as I know, Planet Terror's missing reel was never shot.

And if you ask me, Grindhouse was a big flop, but not quite "one of the biggest disasters in the history of cinema". Try Waterworld, or Battlefield Earth -- both lost money in 9-digit sums. And stuff like Superman Returns and Jackson's King Kong might have easily lost as much, but reliable budget information is widely suppressed these days.

By releasing the two Grindhouse films as full-length features on DVD with a more focused marketing campaign, it won't be hard for the Weinsteins to turn a profit. Both of these movies could easily gross $20mil in rentals alone, and there are millions of film geeks who will complete their Rodriguez or Tarantino collections with these flicks. Gore-hounds will also be all over these on video. It's a very different market from theatrical.
 

Mark Hawley

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Is it me or does this release strategy not make any sense?

Wouldn't it be better to release Grindhouse, as it was in theatres, with the fake trailers, etc, maybe an extra disc of features, and THEN release them seperately in extended versions.

The double feature-factor would actually entice people to buy it, where two-for-one would be a sweeter deal than it was in the theatre, since you'd be under no obligation to view both in one sitting. Then a year later or so, release them seperately in extended versions, which would coax people who already bought the double feature into buying both of them again.

This way, I don't see how many people would buy the double feature if they've already bought both in seperate, extended cut release versions.

What would the double feature DVD offer? Shortened cuts? (I'm sure some people would prefer them - or even just want them to be completists - but to Joe-six-pack, they probably equate extended with better, so I doubt they'd want to shell out more money for shorter versions, regardless of whether or not they're original cuts or not). The ability to see both back to back without having to change discs? Fake trailers?

Enticing to hardcore fans maybe, but to your average DVD, probably not enough to make them buy it again.

Releasing them in seperate, extended versions puts a nail in the coffin of any chance of a releasing Grindhouse's theatrical cut on DVD and having it do well. It would be a niche DVD at best. If they were released the other way around, it would be a diffent story.

Also, with regards to the extended cuts, many (at least I'm sure that's what
 

Ruz-El

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is there a chance of grindhouse 2, with different directors, produced by Tarantino and Rodwiguez? That's the only reason I could see this stragey making sense. Put out the theatrical on DVD when the "sequel" hits the theaters.
 

42nd Street Freak

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Just picked up "The Glove" / "Search and Destroy" on Dark Sky's Drive-In double bill.

Superbly done!
Ads and trailers at the start and also between the two films. All nicely fitted on one, one sided disc with very good transfer quality....AND, above all, done with heart!

The money grabbing, sell-out 'Miramax'/QT/ Rodriguez split DVD release bad joke of their overblown 'Grindhouse' opus is shown up for what it is by this TRUE loving homage to the days of Grindhouse and Drive-in double bill packages.
Get this instead and support 'Dark Sky', and as a bonus teach 'Miramax'/QT & Rodriguez a well needed lesson in ethics, soul, heart and staying true to what you supposedly care about.
 

Nick Zbu

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You know, I really dug Grindhouse, but I'm not going to buy the uncut and unrated DVDs separately. I'm sorry, but that's just a slap in the face.

The theater experience was one of the best I had, but...no. The real grab of the entire enterprise was the experience, not necessarily the movies themselves. The more I read about it, the directors get it (if Tarantino doesn't get it completely) and the Weinsteins really don't.
 

scarabus

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I can certainly understand people wanting to 'relive' that experience at home, but it's just not going to be the same, even if you have a killer dedicated home theater...like the doubles and triples from the era, these movies rarely had anything in common, and when they eventually came to home video, they were not released together. So, it really makes sense to release these as they were made, 2 seperate films, and enjoy the memories of one of the best times had in a theater in quite awhile.

These films should be able to stand alone, that was the directors intent, much like a directors intent to have there films presented OAR! I do think it's unfortunate the trailers are not on each title, and I'm sure in the future we'll get another SE with the films presented as they were in the theater.

Later
 

42nd Street Freak

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Exactly. This double bill/trailer set-up is the whole reason why these exist in the first place.

And often the true Grndhouse double bills WERE very much linked as well.
It was not like the mainstream cinema circuits where you would have very different films together (point in fact, Hammer's "Curse of Frankenstein" in the Uk was released with....Bardot's "And God Created Woman"!!) the Grindhouse doubles were often exploitation films.

I'm not really that bothered about the films (I don't see this as the next proper Tarantino movie) I was more interested in the whole concept of releasing a double bill of pseudo-70's grindhouse flicks with the old style trailers in the middle for those ever welome 'upcoming features'.

I was a kid when they stopped double bills in the UK and have only vague memories, and was in the wrong country (and too young anyway) to experience an Exploitaion/Grindhouse night out.
As such this was a fun idea.
Take away the idea though and it's simply not that big a deal anymore because it's just two (overblown, given the stupidly big budgets) pretend Exploitation flicks that i can take or leave with little thought.

There are enough real Grindhouse films out there to watch come to that. Many on the kind of fun double bill set-up (with trailers, like some of the SWV DVD's, the aforementioned 'Dark Sky' releases, the BCI releases) that Miramax have given up on.
 

TravisR

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They were created as a double feature but you don't need to see Planet Terror to see Death Proof. Yes, Earl McGraw is in both movies and they mention Jungle Julia in Planet Terror but each movie is still a separate story.
 

Tim-H.

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I had fun seeing these, but to me the sum was greater than the parts. And no trailers is a shame. Best case scenario: Dimension/Weinstein Co makes some money on these versions (ideally from the same folks who weren't up to sitting through TWO WHOLE movies in theaters), then releases a nice box set with theatrical version (incl trailers), extended versions, extras, and other cool stuff (folded 1-sheets, 5 x 7 lobby cards, etc). At which point my wallet springs open, and everybody lives happily ever after.
 

Ruz-El

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I wonder how many of you complaining about this not being one film will be bitching about the AV quality or lack of some sound option if it gets released on a single disc later so as to preserve the theater experiance that well never be recreated in any type of accuracy regardless of your home theater set up as the atmosphere in the theaters was as much a part of it as the movies themselves?

Also, these well be able to be had for about $10 each previously viewed, as most of the DVD stores will be getting a bunch of them, hardly the wallet breaking screw job. I'd have more of an issue if these were coming out like every other feature in the past year, with choice of the $20 bare bones or the $30/2 disc set with 30 minutes of special features on the second disc.
 

42nd Street Freak

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Not at all! As I said above the 'Dark Sky' double bill/single sided disc is perfectly fine. Nice transfers, plus trailers and ads. Watched them on a 40" LCD TV and the quality of the films was very good, and these actually ARE 70's films, not 2007 films.
They would certainly be perfectly fine for what are meant to be, two 70's exploitation flicks.
The single releases should be the later addition, not the main.

And who said we wanted them as one movie!!?? No one. They are not one movie. But they WERE designed as pseudo 70's Trash flicks started and broken up by faux Grindhouse ads and trailers.
THAT was the point. THAT is what i for one want.
Especially on DVD as it seems that outside of America (no thanks to idiots walking out after one film) they won't even get a double cinema release either!

From what I have read neither film is that great, i certainly don't see "Death Proof" as the next proper QT movie...it was part of a a specific fan-based project. A project now aborted before it even had time to give it's second kick in Momma's ribs.
 

Ruz-El

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I'd say since QT showed Death Proof at Cannes, it's pretty safe that it's his next proper movie, what ever thats supposed to mean.

Remember, QT and RR both love this genre, this wasn't them going "let's make crappy movies, it'll be hillarious", it's them going "You know what would be cool?" I have no issue with these coming out as seperate films, as they were shown around the world, and Death Proof being seperate as it was PREMARED to the world. The GRindhouse idea was the inspiration, for sure, and one hell of a ride in the theaters, and you can pretty much replicate it with these 2 releases.
 

Bryan^H

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Actually, I'm glad that these are separate releases. Robert Rodriguez can't make a decent horror film. Planet Terror reminded me of how much I hated From Dusk Till Dawn. Honestly both of these films could be a Sci-Fi channel original movie, except slightly more graphic. A waste of time.

Death Proof was awesome. It wasn't a horror movie, but it was awesome, so I'll buy it. Just wish the fake trailers were on the disc, Probably the best part of Grindhouse, and it's not even on the dvd. What's up with that !?!
 

JeffMc

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Not really, considering every element that made GH fun (the trailers, bumpers, restaurant ads, as well as all the scratches, jump-cuts, discolored footage, burned film moment, and the hilarious moments when the reels are missing from the actual films) are basically missing from these two separate releases. Now all that's left are two mediocre B-movies like a billion others made over the last 30 years.

I don't mind that these are coming out separately, but don't fool yourself into thinking you can watch them back-to-back and it will be close to the original GRINDHOUSE cut. And since it's pretty obvious GRINDHOUSE will be released eventually (since the trailers are being held back for these releases), everyone should then be happy. So there's really no issue anymore. Everyone will get what they want.
 

BarryS

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I agree. "Double features" are a movie theater phenomenon which isn't really relevant to home video. You can always cue up to movies back to back and call it a double feature, but it's still not the same as a theatrical experience. I think Death Proof and Planet Terror will play even better as stand alone features.
 

JeffMc

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And this kind of response is exactly why GH probably bombed theatrically. GH was a unique concept that the majority of people just didn't seem to get, and even if they did get it, they just didn't seem to care. Half the audience I saw it with (on my first occasion opening day) left for the bathroom as soon as the fake trailers started. Right then and there, I knew that the general public just didn't understand what a unique project this was. Oh well.

So bring on DEATH PROOF, bring on PLANET TERROR, and then bring on GRINDHOUSE for all those who got it from the start. It's all good. Like I said before, everyone will get what they want in the end.
 

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