[IT the Traveler]

BATTLE ROYALE IV - RESULTS OF THE FINAL CHALLENGE

Welcome Weapon X and Zero, to your 15TH & FINAL Battle Royale Results Meeting.

The Challenge was :-

If you had to choose *ONE* film from the 2000s (the year 2000 - now) as a true modern classic in the veins of the mighty horror classics from the late 60s, 70s & early 80s, which one would it be and why?

The first entry came from WEAPON X.

My choice would be the explosive double feature, Grindhouse (2007).

Now why would I choose a film that tanked at the BO and came under criticism from genre fans of being too long and slow?

Simply because, films from that golden era of horror moviemaking (late 60s, 70s and early 80s) represented freedom - freedom from the bondage of conventional, repetitive cinema dictated by studios and churned out by loyal studio honchos year in and year out. Although studios such as Hammer in the UK had already set the independent trend about 10 years ago than those times, but Hollywood got it's young, independent and film-loving horror film makers/fans from the time Night of the Living Dead released. A young George A. Romero lead the pack with his minimalistic budget, superbly innovative film which showed a lot of societal trends of those times in his film. Symbolism was very much present throughout NotLD, and was it's single biggest draw.

The Grindhouse movement of the 70s emerged from the shadows of such films as NotLD, The Exorcist, Jaws, etc., which were made by major studios but their driving force were fierce, young filmmakers who dared to go beyond conventional norms with their independent thinking and beyond-conventional execution, which established horror as a strong genre in it's own right. Independent filmmakers with modest budgets came out to make films in the way they pleased, and although they were raw in their execution and editing, appealed to a section of the audiences who frequented the smaller, dirty, smelly theaters who played them with their damaged, used projectors and scratchy prints.

Grindhouse is a tribute to that era of independence in the horror genre. It has everything which viewers of those times used to sit and watch in their down-trodden, cheap films - nudity, sex, extreme violence, weird and bizarre ideas, complete campy entertainment at it's cheapest best, which existed beyond the boundaries of traditional society of those times. Although the 2007 film was made on a much, much bigger budget than those films from the 70s, the makers ensured that the audiences had a complete Grindhouse-esque experience by inserting a whole bunch of fake trailers, the infamous "missing-reel", cheap-looking production values, and outlandish costumes/characters with eye-rolling names - Cherry Darling, El Wray, Muldoon, Hague, Stuntman Mike, Jungle Julia, etc. etc. To their credit, most of the fake trailers turned out to be exceptional - Werewolf Women of the SS and Thanksgiving being the best of the lot. This was supposed to be an event, creating the magic of an era long gone by. That's why the makers had rightly highlighted Grindhouse as "an experience, a sleaze-filled saga of an exploitative double feature."

The two features themselves, Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror and Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof, are near-perfect examples of the 70's Grindhouse cinema, although being contrasting examples of each other. Rodriguez's Planet Terror defies any sort of explanation by having a female lead with a machine gun for a leg. Sample this - Biochemical weapon infects a town – turning its citizens into flesh-eating zombies – and it can only be saved by a vigilante Go-Go poledancer. It is a series of relentless action sequences which border on being absurd, yuckily gorific and maniacal which make it a sheer delight to watch. In a moment of perfect timing when the two leads are ready to scorch the screen with their burning hot sexual chemistry, the infamous "missing reel" is inserted, as if the reel itself has been completely worn out by being played over and over again in those nights of the 70s by horny projectionists and audiences alike. Planet Terror is a perfect example of a raw film project affected by outlandish ideas galore, yet somehow manages to bring it all together nicely and actually clicks!

The second feature, Tarantino's Death Proof, starts off really slowly. And this is where the whole "event" gets affected. After the superbly pacy Planet Terror with it's waves of explosive violence, Death Proof breaks the pace and brings in a bit of monotonous slowness to the proceedings. By the time Stuntman Mike arrives on the scene to take over from Planet Terror's mad dashes, the momentum of the "event" has been dashed. Tarantino is guilty of bringing in seriousness to a plate which had, till then, been a long sequence of outlandish, screaming delights onscreen. Still, Mike injects his own version of maniacal madness by introducing his weapon of killing, his "death proof" car.

We are then treated to two wonderful scenes which should be etched in movie-making history in their own rights - an explosive car smash which results in a jaw-dropping multiple death scene, and an adrenaline-pumping car chase sequence which reminds us of films such as Vanishing Point, Death Race, et al, from the exploitative era. Sadly, it does come after long drawn-out sequences of unnecessary dialogue and characters interaction which do take out a bit from the final punch which Grindhouse tries to deliver in it's final 20-odd minutes.

What the makers could have improved on, is to shorten Tarantino's Death Proof and have it played first before Planet Terror, and in that way the rush of the car chase sequences of Death Proof could have become brilliant harbingers of the madcap, out-of-control energetic glee to arrive in Planet Terror. But ultimately, Death Proof's shortcomings are trivial, because Grindhouse works as it was intended to! It is an excellent homage to that cheapie era of the 70s, which produced trashy cinema with it's own huge cult followings, and out of those are films which we have recognised as genre giants today. What it does, is create that ultimate experience, that incredible ride which each grindhouse feature of the 70s/80s delivered. Watching it in the theaters creates that perfect atmosphere which every grindhouse era film has successfully done - create an atmosphere for it's audience. A true classic in every right, Grindhouse deserves a spot beside the genre-storming classics of the late 60s, 70s and early 80s which carved their own paths to glory in their eras.

Cheers!

Judge #1's verdict -

I give this a 37. The analysis of the film is apt, but in the end, the film itself is meant as an homage to a bygone era, and has not had a great effect on the genre.

Small advantage for this entrant.

Judge #2's verdict -

I see the Challenge as having two parts:
Select a movie from the 2000's that is a "Modern Classic"
This movie must be in the vein of the mighty horror classics from the late 60s, 70s & early 80s

So, in grading this challenge, I looked at both of those elements in my assessment and gave them 25 points a piece.

I don't believe that this contestant truly made an argument that Grindhouse is a Modern Classic in the vein of being culturally and cinematically important. In fact, he conceded that it wasn't particularly popular. I believe that there is a difference between what is considered a "Cult Classic" and a "Modern Classic" and Grindhouse falls into the former category. The contestant nods that it is an homage, but I believe that this film is only a "classic" to the genre fan, not a "Modern Classic" that can span across audiences. Grindhouse is too esoteric to be considered a "Modern Classic." The "Classic" that the entrant describes is more through the fan's perspective; this movie is "classic" because it reflects what Grindhouse movies used to be, not because it's necessarily enduring piece of modern cinema. Points were given, however, to the argument of the independent movie being the birth of to the sub-genre of Grindhouse (interesting comment about Classics like Exorcist and Jaws being the inadvertant birther of Grindhouse since this genre was to defy the popular films). I like this ascertion: "Grindhouse is a tribute to that era of independence in the horror genre," which illustrates the importance of Grindhouse, however.

---10 Points

That being said, this contestant was clearly had the latter half of the challenge in mind, "in the vein of of the mighty horror classics from the late 60s, 70s & early 80s," being that Grindhouse films were certainly a cult sub-genre during that period, but in terms of "Classics" during that period, Grindhouse doesn't come to mind (what comes to mind - Late 60's: Night of the Living Dead, Rosemary's Baby, 70's: The Exorcist, Jaws, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Carrie, Omen, Halloween and Early 80's: The Shining, The Thing, Evil Dead I and II, Nightmare on Elm Street). We're truly looking at an argument for a Cult Classic of Cult Classics, not what I would consider a "Modern Classic." However, I appreciate the mind to the challenge at hand, which did include addressing movies of that time period.

---15 Points


Total = 25 Points

Small Reward

Weapon X, in accordance with the Judge's and their scores, you received 37 + 25 = 62 points.

Both Judges have recommended small rewards for you, so you are hereby asked to choose TWO boxes out of FOUR placed in front of you, marked A, B, C & D.

Please send your PM accordingly.