Comments on: That’s why it’s called go-go, not cry-cry http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/ Just another WordPress weblog Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:11:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1-alpha by: Heroine Content http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-491440 Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:18:55 +0000 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-491440 <strong>Grindhouse</strong> p.. In case you've been under a rock, and for, I suppose, posterity, this is the deal with Grindhouse: it's a "double feature" of two films, Robert Rodriguez's "Planet Terror" and Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof," with fake trailers at... Grindhouse

p.. In case you’ve been under a rock, and for, I suppose, posterity, this is the deal with Grindhouse: it’s a “double feature” of two films, Robert Rodriguez’s “Planet Terror” and Quentin Tarantino’s “Death Proof,” with fake trailers at…

]]> by: Eric http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-392815 Wed, 18 Apr 2007 15:44:42 +0100 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-392815 I enjoyed Grindhouse very much, but I thought that from a narrative/cinematic point of view, QT just became really self-indulgent when piling on the dialogue. I know he's all about the dialogue, and have enjoyed it in his other films, but did we really need an 8 minute long sequence explaining Julia's lapdance trick on Butterfly (complete with pointless random friend acting it out) or 15 minutes of arguing over whether Zoe should do the half mast? I exaggerate, but the dialogue could have been just as revealing, real, and witty if it had been cut down by half. Also, some of the clumsy exposition should have been smoothed over (Zoe asking, apropos of nothing, "do you still carry Roscoe?") and some of the dead-end threads should have been minimized (why so much attention to Julia's text messaging, when it results in nothing?). And whereas Rodriguez used the missing reel joke in an incredibly hilarious way, QT only used it to tweak viewers who were wanting to see a lapdance... instead of a comment on story structure, it becomes a psyche-out. I also thought the dangling thread of Lee with Jasper was annoying. I waited until the end of the credits to see if we would find out what happened to her, but no such luck. Anyway, I'm not critiquing from a feminist viewpoint, just as a moviegoer who likes well-paced screenplays. So I guess I'm actually off-topic here... I enjoyed Grindhouse very much, but I thought that from a narrative/cinematic point of view, QT just became really self-indulgent when piling on the dialogue. I know he’s all about the dialogue, and have enjoyed it in his other films, but did we really need an 8 minute long sequence explaining Julia’s lapdance trick on Butterfly (complete with pointless random friend acting it out) or 15 minutes of arguing over whether Zoe should do the half mast? I exaggerate, but the dialogue could have been just as revealing, real, and witty if it had been cut down by half.

Also, some of the clumsy exposition should have been smoothed over (Zoe asking, apropos of nothing, “do you still carry Roscoe?”) and some of the dead-end threads should have been minimized (why so much attention to Julia’s text messaging, when it results in nothing?).

And whereas Rodriguez used the missing reel joke in an incredibly hilarious way, QT only used it to tweak viewers who were wanting to see a lapdance… instead of a comment on story structure, it becomes a psyche-out.

I also thought the dangling thread of Lee with Jasper was annoying. I waited until the end of the credits to see if we would find out what happened to her, but no such luck.

Anyway, I’m not critiquing from a feminist viewpoint, just as a moviegoer who likes well-paced screenplays. So I guess I’m actually off-topic here…

]]> by: Kubaton » Grindhouse is my new favorite movie http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-392374 Tue, 17 Apr 2007 20:40:14 +0100 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-392374 [...] http://pandagon.net/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/ [...] […] http://pandagon.net/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/ […]

]]> by: Astrid http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-392349 Tue, 17 Apr 2007 19:51:01 +0100 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-392349 Anarcha-feminism: www.anarcha.org Anarcha-feminism: www.anarcha.org

]]> by: raging red http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-392191 Tue, 17 Apr 2007 13:49:30 +0100 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-392191 That's a good explanation. That’s a good explanation.

]]> by: assman http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-392115 Tue, 17 Apr 2007 11:51:12 +0100 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-392115 "But when the women kill Stuntman Mike at the end, it’s cartoon violence. They’re giving him these big punches and his head is flying back and there are cartoony sounds when they hit him and the way it’s edited reminded me of comic books. Why wasn’t his death depicted in a similarly violent and gruesome manner?" Maybe because Tarantino wanted his viewer to laugh, enjoy and feel joy for the violent revenge of the girls at the end of the movie but in contrast feel the horror, violence and disgust for the violent way in which the first group of girls is killed. You can laugh at what the girls do to Mike but not at what Stuntman Mike does to the first group of girls. “But when the women kill Stuntman Mike at the end, it’s cartoon violence. They’re giving him these big punches and his head is flying back and there are cartoony sounds when they hit him and the way it’s edited reminded me of comic books. Why wasn’t his death depicted in a similarly violent and gruesome manner?”

Maybe because Tarantino wanted his viewer to laugh, enjoy and feel joy for the violent revenge of the girls at the end of the movie but in contrast feel the horror, violence and disgust for the violent way in which the first group of girls is killed. You can laugh at what the girls do to Mike but not at what Stuntman Mike does to the first group of girls.

]]> by: elena http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-392021 Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:42:59 +0100 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-392021 Raging red: exactly! The way that death scene was edited made me feel uncomfortable and you just summed up why perfectly. There's no arguing with the fact that QT has strong female characters. But he is a fanboy and that keeps him from really getting it right. He might dress Uma in sneakers and a yellow jump suit instead of a more typical skin-tight shirt and tiny shorts a la Lara Croft, but he will still show a female body being ripped to shreds just for the fanboyish love of gore. I typically don't mind his missteps because the good usually outweighs the bad in his films, but I wouldn't go as far as call him a feminist. Raging red: exactly! The way that death scene was edited made me feel uncomfortable and you just summed up why perfectly.

There’s no arguing with the fact that QT has strong female characters. But he is a fanboy and that keeps him from really getting it right. He might dress Uma in sneakers and a yellow jump suit instead of a more typical skin-tight shirt and tiny shorts a la Lara Croft, but he will still show a female body being ripped to shreds just for the fanboyish love of gore. I typically don’t mind his missteps because the good usually outweighs the bad in his films, but I wouldn’t go as far as call him a feminist.

]]> by: Geoff http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-391989 Mon, 16 Apr 2007 23:22:12 +0100 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-391989 i would think that guys would be interested in how 'girls' (women) really talk with each other. Couldn't say how accurate it (Deathproof) really is, but it was damned entertaining. And i think it's pretty clear that Zoe Bell is a MOVIE STAR!! i would think that guys would be interested in how ‘girls’ (women) really talk with each other. Couldn’t say how accurate it (Deathproof) really is, but it was damned entertaining. And i think it’s pretty clear that Zoe Bell is a MOVIE STAR!!

]]> by: The Flickertail Journal » Grindhouse http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-391911 Mon, 16 Apr 2007 18:08:57 +0100 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-391911 [...] Oh, and Pandagon has a really interesting feminist take on parodies of exploitation films. [...] […] Oh, and Pandagon has a really interesting feminist take on parodies of exploitation films. […]

]]> by: Godmonnkey http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-391904 Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:13:01 +0100 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2007/04/15/thats-why-its-called-go-go-not-cry-cry/#comment-391904 <i>"...the money-spending teenage male audience who wants to see the perky cheerleaders pay for the high crime of making them feel the vulnerability of lust..."</i> Once again, you grossly overestimate the complexity of the male libido. The money-spending teenage male audience simply came to see some gore, and would like to get some bare tit into the bargain. In the scenario you describe, the filmmaker discharges his duty with a single stroke. Zat simple. “…the money-spending teenage male audience who wants to see the perky cheerleaders pay for the high crime of making them feel the vulnerability of lust…”

Once again, you grossly overestimate the complexity of the male libido. The money-spending teenage male audience simply came to see some gore, and would like to get some bare tit into the bargain. In the scenario you describe, the filmmaker discharges his duty with a single stroke. Zat simple.

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