By Stephen Pytak 

     This was a lot of fun. Hard not to like, especially when 
you see the faux trailer Eli Roth made for a slasher film which 
takes place on turkey day in November.
     But I think some brilliant stylistic choices weren't carried
through, and some cameos hurt the film's pace and impact.
     I really have no complaints about "Planet Terror," 
Rodriguez's big contribution. It's a knock off of a zombie/seige 
film. And it really snaps, crackles and pops. 
     Exposure to some kind of chemical weapon is turning 
soldiers at a base out in the middle of some desert into melting 
fiends with cannibalistic tendencies. When it hits the population, 
the splatter hits the fan.
     There are shootouts at a police station, a hospital and a bbq
shack, and the hero at the climactic battle at the base is a 
go-go dancer who uses a M-16 as a peg leg, "Cherry (Rose 
McGowen)." There's something I've never seen before. McGowen
is excellent. And if there's a real star in this film, she's it.
     One thing that made this stand out over "Death Proof" was
the director's decision to make the film look aged. There are lines
through it. Sometimes the color changes. Sometime title cards 
pop up saying there are scenes missing.
     This was cool because I've been to revival houses where 
30-year old prints are screened, "Exhumed Films" in 
Philadelphia for one, and that's how it looks. It really took you 
there.
     "Death Proof" had a title card saying there was a reel 
missing, but didn't have any other interference. Picture is crystal 
clear. And since I really thought that was such a neat effect, 
not seeing it was a distraction.
     The best parts of "Death Proof" are Kurt Russell and 
Zoe Bell. Russell plays a stuntman who gets off killing pretty 
girls with his suped up black stunt car. Bell, a stunt woman in 
real life, plays herself. And the two collide in a high-impact, 
high-adrenaline muscle car chase.
     I thought some of the dialog sequences between girlfriends 
in this entry drug on and on. Some of Taratino's dialog scenes 
are good. Here, they're just filler. After the popcorn fest of 
"Planet Terror," this can really weigh you down.
     But the ending of "Death Proof" has some really good 
shocks, which I won't go into here. Let's just say you'll be glad 
you stuck around for it.
     Russell is excellent. Never saw him play a flat out psycho 
before. He looks ready to "Escape From Earth," but from what 
I understand he's not going to play "Snake" anymore. They're 
going to have some other guy "Escape from New York." What 
can I say? The more things change, the more they stay the 
same.
     This year might be the year of the cameo film. There are a 
lot of guest appearances in Rob Zombie's "Halloween" and
"Grindhouse" was packed with them. Problem was while some
worked to great effect, others...well.
     Let's start with the ones I thought weren't so hot:
     Rosario Dawson: Good actress. Very pretty lady. Love her. 
She plays "Abernathy" in "Death Proof." And while she's one 
of the main characters, she's really just riding in the back seat 
of a car the whole time. Not given much to do. It's like she's in 
this movie because either she wanted to be in whatever film 
Tarantino and Rodriguez were making next, or they wanted her. 
That's why I kind of classify her role here as a cameo. I suppose 
it was worth it for the picture of her and Rose McGowen on the 
cover of Rolling Stone to publicize the film. I bought a copy.
     Quentin Tarantino: When Hitchcock made an appearance 
in one of his films, it was cleverly crafted and quick. When 
Tarantino popped up as "Rapist No. 1" in "Planet Terror" and 
"Warren the Bartender" in "Death Proof" it felt like it was 
dropped in. Boom. And the pace kinda slowed. I think he tried 
too hard to write himself in.  
     Tom Savini: Tom has made a career out of cameos in 
horror films. Sometimes he's good. Remember he was the grave 
robber in Dario Argento's segment of "Two Evil Eyes." He was 
even really good as "Sex Machine" in the Rodriguez/Tarantino 
joint "From Dusk Till Dawn." But two years back he popped up 
in Romero's "Land of the Dead," for a few split seconds reviving
his "Dawn of the Dead" character "Blades." It didn't come off 
so hot. In "Planet Terror" he's"Deputy Tolo." He gets a few 
interesting things to do, like getting his ring finger chewed off, 
then his body torn apart. It was O.K. Nothing special. Problem 
was I guess I kind of expected him to be a cameo here. And he 
was. So, it was like a cliche. I liked him more when he was
doing the effects and popping up on screen like a jack in the 
box, there when I least expected it.
     Here are the cameos I really liked:
     Michael Parks: In both "Planet Terror" and "Death Proof" 
he plays "Earl McGraw," the same tough Texas cop he did in 
"From Dusk Till Dawn." Lot of fun.
     Michael Biehn: Heck, I haven't seen him in a while. The 
"Aliens" actor does a good comic turn as "Sheriff Hauge" in 
"Planet Terror" and the Eli Roth faux commercial 
"Thanksgiving." 
    Jeff Fahey: The "Psycho III" actor hams it up as J.T. the 
bbq chef in "Planet Terror" and some crazy government 
official in the Robert Rodriguez fake trailer "Machete." Hope 
they get him if they make that into a movie.
    Bruce Willis: This was a surprise. Didn't know he was in 
this. He's "Lt. Muldoon" in "Planet Terror," a tough military 
sort who claims he killed Bin Laden, suffers exposure to toxic 
gas and blows up. Every time Bruce does a movie with Quentin 
and Robert, seems he does another  "Die Hard." Saw the 
trailer for "4.0" before the flick. Saw Kevin Smith has a cameo 
in that. Yawn. 
    Nicholas Cage: Steals the entire movie as "Fu Manchu" 
in the Rob Zombie directed fake commercial for "Werewolf 
Women of the SS." That was better than all of "Ghost Rider."