Robert Rodriguez films

[Ash Plissken]

Don't ask for Those spy kids or shark boy/lava girl movies ok , haven't seen em & don't won't to.

[fearless freak]

FDTD got mine

[Names_Ash_Housewares]

Gotta be Sin City with From Dusk Till Dawn and Planet Terror 2nd and 3rd.

[elwillo]

from dusk till dawn 2 had bruce in it

[Names_Ash_Housewares]

Yeah for about 3 minutes then he got killed, not exactly a starring Role haha, plus Rodriguez didnt direct the sequels

[Joda]

Well I probably enjoyed Planet Terror the most. I used to watch The Faculty a lot when it first came out though.

[cheatingtheman]

I have a love/hate relationship with Rodriguez. It's clear that his ego is as self hyped as Tarantino's but the proclamation that his films are "cut and shot by" is such a lame attempt at cool it makes me queesy. I admit I like the majority of his output (I went to see FDTD twice leaving the first showing and immediately buying a second ticket) but as a film-maker he just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I've seen Desperado once and every viewing since has met with being switched off through boredom or zipping forward to see Salma Hayek naked again. Planet Terror was a fun exercise but in different hands it may have made an ACTUAL movie instead of a series of cliches stuck together. The big mistake was having this film first in the double bill of Grindhouse when it is the much superior film and you get left with Duff Proof to slowly bore you to tears.

I love the Faculty because it plays out in all the right ways. It doesn't feel like a RR movie just as The Frighteners doesn't feel like a Peter Jackson film. I recently rewatched Faculty and it's still a damn good film today. Sin City might have worked for me if it wasn't so brutally styled and ripped off my idea of a gun slide impaling in someones head. Clive Owen (the blandest actor on the planetTM) shouldn't have been allowed in this film. Any actor could've pulled the role off much better.

However, Spy Kids 1,2,3 are incredible. I wish I could say I watched them with my kids but I didn't. The films were clever, inventive and had Danny Trejo as a GOOD GUY! Not once did the child actors become annoying and the films seemed like the crazed bastard offspring of the live action Disney Crap that is released every year.

I did watch Sharkboy and Lavagirl with my kids though. I never want to speak of this film again...

I know you won't agree. This is all just my own opinion.

[Ash Plissken]

I can only agree with you on a couple things. I have not yet seen any of the Spy Kids or sharkboy & lavagirl movies but i would   be willing to if there were ever on t.v. But I have to say I was never disappointed with any of his films that i have seen.

[Westcroft]

You forgot "Once Upon a Time in Mexico", also to critique the quality of Planet Terror is a little silly to me. It's meant to be a satirical take on the exploitative grindhouse movies that plagued the cinemas with their cheesy plots, gratuitious nudity and gore, stereotypes of African Americans and much much more. They just tried to recreate the feeling of going to see one of those crumby movies and I felt that it was awesome.

I enjoyed Death Proof as well, but to me Planet Terror was more of a visual representation with the whole look of everything (missing frames, scratches frames, screwy colors, etc) whereas if you watch Death Proof you see that after a while the film actually stops trying to make it look like a bad transfer and it looks fine.

I do agree with cheatingtheman that with a different approach it would've been an actual movie, but they were going for an 'experience' but a movie.

As for Once Upon a time in Mexico... it's far from amazing, I can see why some critique it... but the principal photography took place just before the screen actor's strike, and he had to rush into making this movie with only a partial script. Johnny Depp steals the show, Antonio is more of a second character, but in the end it's still a fun movie.

As for the "shot and cut by" credit, it is obvious he's trying to go with a more contemporary credit style, but we can't forget the "shot, chopped and scored by" credit he had in Once Upon a Time in Mexico. That was funny.

I personally really like Robert Rodriguez, I find him to be a real jack of all trades. As he once said, you can't learn how to be creative, you're born with creativity... but you can learn to be technically trained, and if you're both creative and have the know how to make the movies you think up then you're unstoppable. He has proven that he heeded to his own advice; he knows how to run avids, mix movies, he makes his own musical scores using Gigastudios, he can use a steadicam, he storyboards, he directs, he has a band on the side (Chingon is a really good band) and he cooks. What else can you ask for?  

[cheatingtheman]

Hey we all got an opinion. As an auteur i can't deny he has skills. As an amateur film-maker his ten minute film schools are fascinating as well as informative. His mini version of Skywalker ranch and how he works outside the corporate arm of hollywood is pretty smooth too. The Spy Kids DVD's continue this and show just how much creativity he puts into his films. But SERIOUSLY sharkboy and lavagirl... BAAAAD IDEA.

Oh shit. I agree with "Once upon a time in Mexico". It's just i've only seen it once. I bought the boxset ages ago and have always wanted to get around to it again. For pure popcorm charm the sight of a blinded Johnny Depp and his pistols was way cool.

The whole Grindhouse experience would have worked if everybody (including myself) was in on the joke. I got the joke but couldn't join in because I'd never been to a Grindhouse though I have seen my fair share of exploitation. Planet Terror WAS enjoyable but clean it up and add that missing reel and it would've been a work of art. It has SAVINI for heavens sake! The make up was sweet and I loved how every bullet hit fired splashes of blood everywhere. But every line was trying to be uber cool and I felt zero for the characters. Even more offensive was that lingering shot of Bruce Willis at the beginning - it felt like it lingered so everyone in the audience would have time to whisper "OOH it's Bruce Willis!" as he said the single worst line in film. It also left me wondering on Sheriff Earl McGraw's timeline and I really wish someone would come up with one. The kid left in the car though... genius.

Death Proof... Seriously? I've seen a couple of similar type 70's movies but none of them had a seemingly endless story about a girl falling in a ditch or that annoying bit about a man... who'll come up to her... and say... blah blah blah. I only watched it for Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Kurt freaking Russell! Jack Burton was in this film people and I hated it?

AND I THINK YOU ARE SILLY WESTCROFT SIR AND I HAVE BEEN IMPUNED! *Throws down cyber gauntlet!*

[Westcroft]

hehe 

I have seen my fair share of Grindhouse, and I just want to point out a few things. The missing reel gag was well done in Planet Terror, but felt kinda silly in death proof. It was just like -Everything is at calm for the moment- *Missing Reel* - CHAOS!!! I laughed so hard at it...

Also on the DVD, that lingering shot of Bruce Willis was intentional and for the exact reason you said, it's a movie that wasn't meant to be taken seriously. There was a scene where Michael Biehn came up to Robert and said "Do you think I should reload my gun? I've fired more than six shots" and Robert was like "It's not that kind of movie... how does Rose fire the machine gun leg?"

He said a similar thing when casting Willem Dafoe as a Mexican Cartel in Once Upon a Time in Mexico. I love his style of filming, it's just his ideas and movies cannot be looked at too seriously, for he's a movie maker... not really a filmmaker.

I have not seen Spy Kids nor have I seen Shark Boy and Lava Girl... I do remember hearing that Shark Boy and Lava Girl were his kids' idea... I laugh at that because I imagine him high on the couch, picking up his kids notebook, he opens it and his eyes widen. "GENIUS!"

The main thing I take from him, is his approach to movies... Cheap, quick and multitasking. My gimmick to the film studios is how you can make hollywood worthy movies for a lot less then what they pay. The film industry wastes so much money, and if enough filmmakers start to change the way movies are made then we can make the whole process more profitable.

To each his own though, sir. YOU SILLY MAN! *picks up cyber gaunlet, puts it on and runs out of the room, jumping out of a 15 story building window...


"that was a mistake"*

[cheatingtheman]

"It's not that kind of movie... how does Rose fire the machine gun leg?"

Okay if this quote is real then I totally change my mind about the guy. Seriously people - Spy Kids. Go rent now. All the fun of RR but with tiny heroes and swordfighting skellingtons. Plus Marv's friend with no arms and incredible breasts play's the mum in them. Okay no breasts visible in Spy Kids but she's still cute.

And yeah. TAOSAL (in 3D!) was based on his son's (insert strange name for a child here) actual dreams. How cool of a dad are you if you can turn your kids dreams into a giant CG movie. Actually I really don't want to know what goes on in my daughters head.

And all I can think now is "I've made a huge mistake"

[Westcroft]

lol his kids names are:

Rocket Valentin (son)
Racer Maximilliano (son)
Rebel Antonio (son)
Rogue (son)
Rhiannon (daughter)


Those kids are so lucky, I wish my dad made my stupid ideas into stupid movies... well I guess I kinda don't cause then the movies would be a scar on my dad's resume. Not only does he make the movie, he also made a series of comics... CRAZY!

The quote is true, I think it's either in the Planet Terror's commentary or one of the bonus features. He seems like a guy who doesn't take himself too seriously.

I will definately check out the Spy Kids movies though... and maybe Shark boy and Lava Girl.

[cheatingtheman]

No Sharkboy and Lavagirl! You'll only blame me and then hunt me down for vengeance. Plus I want a clean conscience when I get to the pearly gates.

[Westcroft]

hahaha! Alright, just Spy Kids then.

BTW, my choice was El Mariachi, mainly because Four Rooms wasn't on the list.