Now a big deal has been made as to how this movie made very little money.  And to an extent, I kind of understand why, the advertising is all wrong.  People don't quite get the whole "Grindhouse" bit, all the emphasis is on the scratches, the missing reels, the 70s exploitation feel...
So forget all of that.  This is what you need to focus on.  You are seeing two movies, back to back, for the price of one.  One is a gross zombie movie by Robert Rodriguez (of Sin City, The Faculty, From Dusk till Dawn, Desperado fame) and one is a car chase movie by Quentin Tarentino (of Jackie Brown, that episode of Alias, that episode of CSI, and True Romance fame).  Really, that is it, a zombie movie and a car chase movie, two for the price of one.  Go.  See.  Them. 
Deathproof itself switched tone a few times pretty dramatically. Though we know what the movie will end up like, at least in parts from the trailer and the posters, the movie starts off with a whole lot of talking. Though, if you know Quentin Tarentino movies (and if you don’t, stop reading this and run out and rent Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, and Kill Bill), the talking is some of the best parts. The best parts, except for the other parts. We get a taste of the “other parts” during a car crash that in 15 seconds manages to fetishize car crashes more than the whole movie Crash (no, not that one, the other one).

This led to the most intense car chase scene I have ever seen, I was holding my breathe the whole time. That sounds like one of those stupid movie blurbs they shout out during the trailers, but damn, that long, long scene (well it took like 20 minutes) was tense as hell. Also, the fact that it was all natural stunt work, no CGI, added to the sense of realism, as it was real.  Also, and this might not be apparent until about 3/4s of the way through, but this is a HUGE girl power, female empowerment movie.  Get to the end and see if you aren't cheering.

I felt Death Proof could have stood on its own as a legitimately awesome movie, but Planet Terror not so much. If I had seen Planet Terror without all the hoopla and fake trailers, I would have felt a bit ripped off. It was a lot of fun and plenty gross, but very scattershot. Especially in the beginning of the movie, they kept on piling on odd ball characters and ill-explained subplots. Let me mention a few here…

Who was Fergie to the blonde lady doctor? Were they supposed to be secret lesbians?
What was in the suitcase under the child’s bed?
What was the deal with the evil doctor, why was his wife so afraid of him, is he actually evil, or just a dick?
What is the deal with terrorists having like a base at an old abandoned military base, how is that possible?
What was that dudes deal with balls? Just him being evil or did he need them, later on, he actually stops while killing soldiers to collect them.
“Don’t you realize, we are the cure!” What does that mean? How are they the cure?
So biting doesn’t spread the sickness? That one guy got his finger bit off, Rose McGowan got her leg bit off…so only the pus boils squirting on you does it?
Also, how do you kill them? Shots to the head? Because people don’t do that during most of the movie.
How did that old sheriff’s wife get infected? She was just sitting there.
How is Rose McGowan firing that leg gun?
So that balls guy was developing an antidote only now? What is the point of a biological weapon that can’t be controlled?
So we couldn’t get a Fergie with no brains cameo?
Was that kid shooting himself in the face necessary?
How did the zombies or whatever escape from the steel cage?
The spring loaded hypodermic needles were cute, but what possible real life application could they have?
And not one of those questions had to do with the missing reel.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the hell out of myself in Planet Terror. The leg gun, the endless gory death, El Wray’s run through the hospital, the fact that as the killing went on, the survivors consisted more and more of only partially clad ladies, the ridiculous balls fixation, the helicopter death scene, horrible things happening to horrible people, horrible things happening to good people, and every time Rose McGowan killed someone. And I don’t demand that movies make sense all the time. But the sort of endless sloppiness and sense of unanswered questions was just annoying; I can accept some things, but not an endless barrage of unbeliveablity.

Oh, and the fake trailers? Almost worth the price of admission by themselves. You know how you (by which I mean me) complain about how all the best bits are in the trailer for any movie? Well this time, that is for the best. Hilarious, disgusting stuff.