Fave Flix: From Dusk Till Dawn
Back in December 2005 I finally discovered the semi-cult favorite “From Dusk Till Dawn” and was greatly impressed:
I watched “From Dusk Till Dawn” last week for the first time, and was absolutely amazed. See, that’s the thing about Tarantino…until I saw “Pulp Fiction,” it never even occurred to me that I might enjoy a film about a washed-up boxer, drug-using overdosers, and wise-talking hit men. And until I saw “Jackie Brown,” it never even crossed my mind that a movie about a simple robbery, international smuggling, and small-time hoodlums might be right up my alley. And of course, until I saw the “Kill Bill” movies, I never would have imagined that I would love a martial-artsy, samurai-wielding, Yakuza-loving, blood-drenched action flick.
And so for several years, I avoided “From Dusk Till Dawn” because, well, I’ve never once enjoyed a vampire movie. Vampire movies, along with their related werewolf, mummy, and Frankenstein-monster movies, weren’t all that appealing to me. Of course, exceptions were made for large monsters, such as Godzilla. But in general, vampires suck - pun intended. And don’t get me started on the whole Ann Rice crap and sub-culture of wannabe-real vampires.
Anyway. Once I sat down and watched “From Dusk Till Dawn,” I again became a True Believer in All Things Tarantino.The scene when Tarantino (as the actor) turned into a vampire and was snuffed by his loving brother - you just know that QT had been living for that moment his whole life. And yes, I know that Rodriguez directed FDTD, but it has QT all over it, so it’s also considered a QT flick.
So now, two years later and having watched it several more times, how do I feel about it? Even better. It’s a movie that really does get better with each viewing, as you notice more details and appreciate the dialogue even more and gape at the visuals. Great movie for Halloween season: gory, scary, and funny.
Having said that…I can understand that there are probably many people who hated this movie, or simply refused to see it. Which is why one film critic, when assigning stars to it, gave it two separate ratings:
For the squeamish and/or feminists: *
For schlock horror fans and Tarantino freaks: *****
My favorite part? The human torso guitar. Heh.
Heh indeed, V-Man…for some reason I knew that bit would appeal to you. One of the funniest bits in the movie.
No matter what anyone says, I still digged “Grindhouse” when it hit theaters. It was long, but we’re talking about two movies back to back the way they used to do it in the Seventies. I thought “Death Proof” was the better of the two and will stand my ground to support it. I also won’t buy the sperate versions of the films until there is a definitive version on DVD with both films together the way they were meant to be seen, WITH commentary from both directors.
BECAUSE I WANT IT THAT WAY, DANGIT. QT RULES!
[…] To clarify: until this evening, there were only two “zombie” movies that I enjoyed. The first is the hilarious “Return Of The Living Dead” from 1985, which transcends the genre due primarily to the humor and the story involving a “Breakfast Club”-assortment of older teens. The second is “From Dusk ‘Til Dawn,” which is unlike any movie I’ve ever seen: the dichotomy between the first half and the second half, the delightful splatter, the strong performances - it is simply great. […]