Rod-Tino Tuesday: Death Proof

Hello everyone!  It’s Tuesday and it’s time to watch a movie from either director Quentin Tarantino or Robert Rodriguez.  This week, we are watching a movie by Quentin Tarantino.  It is 2007s Death Proof.  The first time I watched this movie, I was in Iraq on my first deployment.  I think this is why I have such vivid memories of this movie.  My dear friend and I went to the restaurant the ladies talk about, Guerro’s in Austin, Texas (by the way, she has a blog of her own.  Click here to go to it).  Like From Dusk til Dawn, I can spend forever talking about this movie.  Let’s get to it!

The little things

I have seen this movie a billion times.  But, because I’m writing about it, I observed some new and interesting things.  For instance, there are many parallels between the part of the movie that takes place in Austin, and the other half in Lebanon, Tennessee.  At the top of each segment, there’s conversation about dating and relationships.  Jungle Julia (Sydney Poitier) is discussing her relationship with Chris Simonson, and Arlene aka Butterfly (Vanessa Ferlito) talks about an encounter the night before.  In the Lebanon crew, Lee (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) talks about her romantic encounter with some guy that looks like The Rock, while Abernathy (Rosario Dawson) discusses her relationship (or lack thereof) with the director of the movie where the Lebanon crew works.

Another little thing is tiny and I missed it until recently.  Both Arlene and Abernathy had a bad feeling about the creepy Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell).  They see his car and appear unsettled by it.  They also blow this feeling off, much to the detriment of Arlene.

There’s also the song “Baby It’s You” by Smith.  We hear it when Arlene is outside of Guerro’s.  We hear it again while Lee is singing it on her iPod in Lebanon.  Tarantino has an amazing eye for detail.

Stuntman Mike isn’t the only creep

Is it just me or are the guys in this movie awful?  We begin with Stuntman Mike, who is a serial killer that licks his finger and puts it on women’s feet (you nasty!).  Then there are those two bros in the Austin bar that are trying to get the girls liquored up so they can get laid.  Calm down horndogs!  The Austin ranger Earl McGraw (Micahel Parks) could care less that he is letting a killer drive around.  We saw him in From Dusk til Dawn.  We will see him again a couple of times in different movies.

One of my favorite scenes in any movie

What solidified this movie as awesome in my book is when Stuntman Mike kills the Austin girls.  We get to see each individual girl’s death (by the way, watching Shanna Banana (Jordan Ladd) flying through the windshield shows why you should wear your seatbelt).  This was my first time seeing a scene in this fashion.  It was gruesome and completely unforgettable.

Overall

With its strange editing, a classic soundtrack, and an old-school feel, Death Proof is a clear homage to grindhouse films.  This is one of many Tarantino films that shows conversations that anyone could have, but the audience isn’t bored by it.  The movie takes me back to a time when I was partying in Austin and having fun girly conversations.  Luckily, I survived those times without running into a serial killer.

Wrapping it up

Well, that’s it for Death Proof.  Next week, we return to films directed by Robert Rodriguez.  The random number generator has decided on movie number five.  So, next Rod-Tino Tuesday’s feature is The Faculty.  Until then, be sure to join me on Anime Thursday, where we will return to Angels of Death.  Also, we will watch episode four of Firefly on Serenity Sunday.

“Chartreuse.  The only liquor so good they named a color after it!”- Warren (Quentin Tarantino)