GRIND HOUSE

[muthagoose]

Quentin Tarantino, whose "Pulp Fiction" helped turn Miramax Films into a powerhouse, and Robert Rodriguez, whose "Spy Kids" movies have been a lucrative franchise for Miramax's genre arm Dimension, are teaming up to make a film for Bob and Harvey Weinstein's new Weinstein Co.

The film is scheduled for a spring 2006 release as part of a rapidly evolving release slate, further details of which the Weinsteins announced Wednesday. Tarantino and Rodriguez will each write and direct a 60-minute horror film, and the two films will be packaged together under the overall title "Grind House."

The film, which is planned for a spring 2006 release, also will include its own trailers, bonus materials and added extras from other filmmakers that will be packaged together between the two horror flicks in a tribute to the old, big-city movie houses like those on New York's 42nd Street that earned the moniker grindhouses for programming genre pics back to back. An aficionado of grindhouse, Tarantino sampled grindhouse genres in his recent "Kill Bill" films. He said "Grind House" could be the first in a series of films. In a statement, the Weinsteins said, "We couldn't imagine anything more exciting than a film being made together by the two godfathers of our companies, Quentin and Robert."

[muthagoose]

Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino Teaming Up For Exploitation Flick

'Grind House' to be a double feature.


BEVERLY HILLS, California — Robert Rodriguez ambled into the Four Seasons hotel wearing a black bandana, matching T-shirt with a skull on the front, and brandishing an acoustic guitar. He was there to discuss "Sin City," his comic-book


blockbuster arriving on DVD August 16. But first, he wanted to talk about a few other things.

"I'm doing an exploitation movie with Quentin [Tarantino]," the one-man film crew said of his longtime friend and "Sin City" guest director. "It's a double feature called 'Grind House.' There'll be a lot of location stuff on that, but we're shooting it really fast because it's supposed to be like an old '70s drive-in-type movie."

The Texas-born filmmaker revealed that he's currently holed up at Tarantino's Los Angeles abode, and they're working both together and separately. "I'm at his house now writing it," Rodriguez said of the film that they expect to shoot "probably in the fall ... They're two different movies, but he reads me stuff and I tell him stuff that I do."

Rodriguez reported that "Grind House" will be made for former Miramax honchos Harvey and Bob Weinstein's new company, and that the two Miramax disciples came up with the idea for the film after a coincidence that could only happen to them. "Before 'Sin City,' I had an idea to do a double feature. I had kind of forgotten about an old double-feature poster I had — it was two movie posters on the same poster: 'Two Hot Rod Flicks Together: "Dragstrip Girl" and "Rock All Night," ' and I thought that's cool, that I should do something like that. Two truncated features, each one is like an hour. I forgot about it and went to Quentin's house to show him his 'Sin City' DVD, his section, and he had the same poster on his floor.

"I said, 'Hey, I thought about doing a double feature,' " he continued. "I'll do one and you should do the other one, and he was like, 'F--- yeah, we'll call it "Grind House" and we'll do fake trailers in between for movies that don't exist!' "

When asked about the plot for his half, Rodriguez answered, "I can't say," a statement he echoed when asked about Tarantino's tale, revealing only that "my part will probably be more violent."

The former "El Mariachi" indie sensation added that he will serve as director of photography on Tarantino's half, which will most likely be shot in Austin, Texas. To return the favor, Tarantino may appear on camera in Rodriguez's half. "He said if I had a part for him, he'd love to do it. He loves to work with people, like he did with me on 'From Dusk Till Dawn,' something different from what he normally does."

Insisting that "I've got probably the best character I've ever come up with in mind" for the script, Rodriguez beamed that "Grind House" will be "done like real Roger Corman-style, where some of my cast will show up in his movie, but as the characters in his movie. It's almost like this is our troupe of actors. One of the trailers will feature someone in the cast of his movie, in another movie that doesn't exist."

One such phony ad will include another former "Dusk" co-collaborator. "I'll tell you one of the ideas for a trailer," Rodriguez revealed. "It's an exploitation movie starring Danny Trejo. He's a Mexican, and he's the hero, and it's really cool."

Rodriguez then moved on to news about the "Sin City" sequels he announced earlier this year, saying that while he wasn't sure if Tarantino's schedule would allow him to guest direct again, graphic novel creator Frank Miller will definitely return. "He wants to [direct again]. He loves it. He said, 'Now I can see why you want to do this all the time.' He can't wait to get back on the set."

The second film, currently being written by Rodriguez and Miller, will largely focus on another popular installment of the series. " 'A Dame to Kill For' will probably be the basis of the second one," Rodriguez stated. "Marv [Mickey Rourke] comes back, because this is before he died; Dwight [Clive Owen] is in that one, Gail [Rosario Dawson] is in that one, both Goldie and Wendy [Jaime King, twice] together, she's still alive. Miho [Devon Aoki] is in that one, and then there are a bunch of new characters."

Although none of the original actors have signed on for a sequel, Rodriguez said he isn't worried. "They would come do it; it's only two days of their life. They'd be like, I can do that in a free weekend," he laughed, adding that scene-stealer Rourke's participation was a certainty. "He'd want to come do it. He had fun.

"We're still writing the script to see if there's enough for a third one, or if we're just going to do a second one," Rodriguez concluded. "We're supposed to shoot in January, but we might do it earlier if we keep working at this clip."

Visit Movies on MTV.com for more from Hollywood, including news, interviews, trailers and more.

[muthagoose]

Tarantino talks about doing some more 'Sin' and 'Kill'ing
Posted by: Nishinshu September 21st 01:01am


Ok, so I, like many others, am a huge Tarantino mark. I love all the movies he does and am always thrilled when he gets ready for another. Well good news for us fans as apparently he is getting ready to do a few more films and perhaps a couple sequels. All I have to say is after all the speculation and wonder, its about damn time we get a straight answer on just what QT is thinking. So please read on to find out just what Quinten has up his sleeve for us all.


MTV Reports:

When filmmaker Quentin Tarantino speaks, movie lovers listen. So when he turned up in Beverly Hills recently to promote "Daltry Calhoun," the Johnny Knoxville golf comedy/drama he executive produced, MTV News took on the "Pulp Fiction" role of Jules Winnfield to his Frank Whaley, sticking him in a chair and grilling him with rapid-fire questions about his upcoming projects.

Tarantino shed some light on his upcoming double-feature film, "Grind House," which he'll soon film with friend and frequent collaborator Robert Rodriguez. Last month Rodriguez said the two were working together in Tarantino's home in Los Angeles and that his half of the movie would be more violent than Tarantino's (see "Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino Teaming Up For Exploitation Flick"). The "Reservoir Dogs" mastermind, renowned for his unapologetic carnage, agreed. "It actually might, the way it's all turning out," he said.

"His movie is called 'Planet Terror,' and mine is called 'Death Proof,' " Tarantino revealed. "Mine is sort of a slasher film, but instead of a knife, it's a car. ... His, he's dealing with zombies and all that stuff. I think his might end up being more violent, but I'm not finished with my [script] yet, so you never know."

The former video-store clerk, clad in a white button-down shirt depicting a dragon attacking a tiger, said he and Rodriguez are particularly excited about shooting fake "trailers" that will enhance the "Grind House" experience. "That's one of the things we're looking the most forward to, shooting the phony trailers that will play in between the movies. I'm working out my blaxploitation trailer, and possibly a kung-fu trailer, a sexploitation trailer, a spaghetti-western trailer. I just need to kind of work them out a little bit. I'm just getting them down there, but I think for sure I'm going to do the sexploitation trailer, which is called 'Cowgirls in Sweden.' "

Adding that the phony "Sweden" trailer will probably star some of the women already cast in "Death Proof," Tarantino said they plan to shoot their irreverent trailer-within-a-movie-within-a-movie double feature at the beginning of next year.

In other Rodriguez-Tarantino news, the director commented on Frank Miller's recent statement that Tarantino's hectic schedule may keep him from participating in the second "Sin City" film "Well that might not be the case, actually," the enthusiastic auteur insisted. "I'll be in Austin [Texas] for a long time on 'Grind House' ... so [Rodriguez and I will] be doing a thing together, then after that he goes right into 'Sin City 2,' so they just have to offer me a scene. Maybe there's not a scene for me this time, but I can't imagine that I wouldn't make myself available if they wanted me [to]."

Beyond that, the future gets a bit fuzzy, but Tarantino was still willing to address some of the projects surrounding him. "['Inglorious Bastards'] will probably be the next thing I do after I finish 'Grind House' with Robert," he said of the long-gestating World War II film viewed by many as his "Dirty Dozen"-influenced project. "That will be my next big Mount Everest, climb-the-mountain kind of project."

"I've got a big portion of it done," the Oscar-winning screenwriter said of his "Inglorious" script. "I've been waiting for all the 'Kill Bill' stuff to be over with, and then to maybe chill on it a little bit, and then [get] ready to finish writing it. ... I have like five years of writing behind me now, and I just need to add one more year to it."

While Tarantino did confirm that longtime leading man Michael Madsen will be in "Inglorious," he denied rumors of uniting former action-film competitors Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film. "No, I never said that. I'm a big fan of both those guys, but all that is just rumors. All these casting things that everyone's been saying is just complete speculation."

What isn't speculative, however, is Tarantino's desire to someday make a third "Kill Bill" epic, this time following the story of the Bride's daughter, B.B. (actress Perla Haney-Jardine), when she becomes an adult and confronts the violence that surrounded her youth. "That would be the third one," Tarantino enthused. "I'd have to wait about 10 years. Uma's got to get 10 years older, the little girl has to grow up and everything. And then we'd do the next chapter in the 'Kill Bill' series."

Then there's another long-term project, the tentatively titled "Vega Brothers" film that would team Vincent Vega (John Travolta in "Pulp Fiction") with his brother Vic Vega (Madsen in "Reservoir Dogs") in a prequel-ish story featuring the original actors. "I could do it," Tarantino said. "I've actually figured out a way, even though the characters have gotten older, to do it. I just have to have the ambition to write it."

Asked what this ingenious twist would be, Tarantino would only flash his famously mischievous grin: "If I told you that, then I would never write it at all."

[muthagoose]

'Grind House' Companion Book Coming this Summer

Trademark Publishing announced today a book based on Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriquez' upcoming horror pic "Grind House".

This 250 page hardcover companion book to GRIND HOUSE offers fans an insider’s look into the making of the hotly anticipated double feature by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez.

The book is to be filled with cast and crew interviews, hundreds of full-color photographs, never-before-seen conceptual art and an in-depth history of the grindhouse genre by the directors themselves, GRIND HOUSE: THE SLEAZE FILLED SAGA OF AN EXPLOITATION DOUBLE FEATURE is the essential fan’s guide to the two-fisted bloodbath of the year."

[stallion]

And here I was thinking this was a movie about MTV's "The Grind".

[muthagoose]

So was he...



"Yo Yo Yo, I'm talkin' about "The Grind"! Kicking the best of old school, new school, R&B and Hip-Hop!!!" - Eric Nies

[muthagoose]

"GRIND HOUSE" goes into production...

The Weinstein Co.'s highly anticipated experimental pic -- for which Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez are each set to helm a 60-minute horror tale -- is headed into production in the coming weeks, with Rodriguez readying to shoot his segment on his home turf of Austin, Texas.

Rodriguez's part, "Planet Terror," will be a zombie pic, while Tarantino's section, "Death Proof," will a slasher seg.

Casting hasn't been announced.

The two filmmakers are hammering out concepts for some of the faux trailers and ads that will run between the two pics as an intermission. (The "Pulp Fiction" helmer has always peppered his pics with made up product placement, from Big Kahuna Burgers to Red Apple cigarettes.)

Tarantino is keen this time on shooting a fake trailer for a sexploitation movie titled "Cowgirls in Sweden." Other possibilities include a blaxploitation pic and a kung-fu movie.

"Grind" will be shot in the tradition of the '70s exploitation films that influences both helmers. Variety coined the phrase "grindhouse" to describe the seedy, downtown movie theaters that ran double or triple-features with only brief intermissions.

Rodriguez will likely be the cinematographer on both segments.

The Weinstein Co. plans on releasing "Grind" later this year.

[stallion]

Will Eric Nies be in it? I'm sure Mason would love that. That fucker used to dance around in his living room when The Grind was on.

[Stomper]

It appears that "Grindhouse" will now be simply called "Grind." Thanks to Bloody Digusting for supplying the info. Don't worry, this movie won't be anything like the skater comedy of the same name!

[muthagoose]

BIEHN IS BACK!

Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez have remained remarkably tight-lipped when it comes to announcing cast members for their horror hybrid Grind House, and until we hear some official word we'll have to settle for rumors like this.

Robert Rodriguez is currently shooting his segment Project Terror down in Austin, and it seems as though he'll have none other than Terminator-hater Michael Biehn among his live humans. Sure it's not exactly an A-list catch, but both Rodriguez and Tarantino are renowned for reviving veteran genre actors, and tossing Biehn in the mix is a minor thrill for those of us who spent the 90s wearing out VHS copies of Aliens. And Hog Wild.

Rodriguez's half of the exploitation-style double-feature is a zombie tale (or "sickos" as they're apparently being called), and should provide plenty of messy bloodshed. Which is surprising, since it comes from the guy who demonstrated the subtleties of vampirism with From Dusk Til Dawn.

[muthagoose]

GRIND HOUSE - Casting News

Film Ick reports:

"Not only will Rose McGowan be appearing in Robert Rodriguez' Project Terror, she'll also be popping up in Death Proof, Tarantino's half of the Grind House package. She joins Zoe Bell, Rosario Dawson, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

No idea yet what role Ms. McGowan has, but trust me, she's in there, it's a fact. The gossips amongst you are bound to spell out exactly how and why she's getting this double-duty in the comments section below.

Project Terror has pretty much wrapped, with no "first unit-style" work to be done, while Death Proof is yet to really get moving.

The original script for Death Proof, some details of which have leaked, and the dialogue from which has been regulalry criticised, has apparently just undergone a bout of rewriting. I hear that there have been a number changes made to the dialogue - and now, reportedly, not only is Tarantino happier, so are his confidants and colleagues. I don't know, yet, just how much has changed, or if, in fact, there have also been any plot or structural changes.

Death Proof has a fairly radical structure, shifting emphasis quite suddenly part way through in a way that has brought a lot of comparison to Psycho. I think that conceit is quite safe.

[And here comes that update...]

There's also a part, I have just been informed, for one Quentin Tarantino. He's playing a character called, simply, The Rapist. Wonder what he's like, then?

After this and Richie Gecko in From Dusk Til Dawn, you could be excused for thinking Rodriguez wasn't trying to tell us something about his chum. Tarantino might not be the best actor in the world but I reckon he can pull this one off in fine style - he certainly knows the pitch of these films perfectly."

Then they continue with more:

"I can now report, and sadly, that Mickey Rourke will apparently NOT be playing Stuntman Mike in Death Proof. The role seemed tailor made for him, but then so did Bill for Warren Beatty.

Also note that Rose McGowan's character in Death Proof now appears to be, as a matter of fact, her character from Project Terror, Cherry. Depending on which plotline is supposed to take place first, you can expect to see her with both of her original legs, or just one, and a weird kind of spare. Trust me - that'll make sense when you see the movie(s).

[muthagoose]

At this year's San Diego Comic Con, NECA gave out three exclusive teaser posters from Weinstein Co.'s upcoming Grind House, which easily looks like one of the best horror films ever made. Today clean scans of the one sheets finally were posted online and can be found inside. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez each will direct a feature length horror tale including fake movie trailers in between both movies. Rodriguez's part, "Project Terror," will be a zombie pic, while Tarantino's section, "Death Proof," will be a slasher seg featuring an indestructible car....

[muthagoose]

Here is a trailer for "Planet Terror", Robert Rodriguez's half of Grind House.

Take a look!

youtube.com/watch?v=bUuuBe4Glmk

[muthagoose]

Rourke refuses to talk 'Grindhouse'
The 'Sin City' star won't say why he left the Tarantino pic.[/b]

Mickey Rourke has refused to explain his reasons for leaving Quentin's Tarantino's new film 'Grindhouse', prompting speculation that the two have fallen out.

Rourke had been earmarked for the part of the film's main bad guy, Stuntman Mike, a role that would have seen him reunite with Tarantino and director Robert Rodriguez. The trio previously worked together on 'Sin City'.

Speaking to Radar Online, Rourke remained as tight-lipped over the decision: 'You know what? [Tarantino] hasn't made any comments about it. And until he makes a comment about it, I'm not going to say anything. It just didn't work out.

'And I hope that's what he has to say. I'm just going to wait.'

The actor was supposedly Tarantino's first choice for the villain, but the part will now be played by Kurt Russell.

[muthagoose]

GRIND HOUSE

If you only check out one thing on the internet that isn't pornography, make it the trailer for "Grindhouse"!

View the Trailer:

movies.yahoo.com/feature/grindhouse.html;_ylt=AlRmke0vIlFNubGE1xViRfRfVXcA


"Grind House" – noun – A downtown movie theater - in disrepair since its glory days as a movie palace of the '30s and '40s - known for "grinding out" non-stop double-bill programs of B-movies. From groundbreaking directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez comes the ultimate film experience: a double-bill of thrillers that will recall both filmmakers' favorite exploitation films. "Grind House" will be presented as one full-length feature comprised of two individual films helmed separately by each director. Tarantino's film, Death Proof, is a rip-roaring slasher flick where the killer pursues his victims with a car rather than a knife, while Rodriguez's film explores an alien world eerily familiar to ours in Planet Terror. Welcome to the grind house - it'll tear you in two.

[muthagoose]

Official GRINDHOUSE Site is now live...

www.grindhousemovie.net/

[muthagoose]

New Info on Grindhouse's "Coming Attractions"

SHAUN OF THE DEAD director Edgar Wright (pictured with DEAD friend). As Robert Rodriguez puts the finishing touches on PLANET TERROR and Quentin Tarantino pushes through postproduction on DEATH PROOF, Wright has joined the team of guest filmmakers at work on the faux trailers that’ll be sandwiched between GRINDHOUSE’s two features.

Eli Roth and Rob Zombie are creating previews for THANKSGIVING and WEREWOLF WOMEN OF THE SS (Nicolas Cage playing Fu Manchu! ), respectively, and now Rodriguez tells us that Wright is lending a coming attraction all his own.

[muthagoose]

Bill Moseley joins the cast of "Werewolf Women of the S.S." faux trailer

An addition to the cast of Rob Zombie's faux trailer that will play between Robert Rodriguez’s "Planet Terror" and Quentin Tarantino’s "Death Proof" when Dimension releases the film in theaters April 6th.

Joining the previously announced Nicolas Cage (Fu Manchu) in Zombie's "Werewolf Women of the S.S." is the infamous Bill Moseley! Moseley is best known for his roles in Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Reject, the cult fav Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and appearing at conventions worldwide.

[muthagoose]

SXSW and Robert Rodriguez Want 'Grindhouse' Trailers

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival is putting out a call to filmmakers who would like to submit their best 'grindhouse trailer,' in honor of the April release from Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, Grindhouse. A sample of the best submissions will be judged by Rodriguez himself, and presented during SXSW, on March 11, 2007.



Filmmakers have a deadline of February 12 to submit their 'grindhouse trailer' (no longer than two minutes in length) to SXSW. The trailer should be made for a fictional feature-film, just like those being made by celebrity directors Eli Roth and Rob Zombie for Grindhouse. From those submissions, Rodriguez will determine the best of the bunch, and it will screen during a special presentation entitled 'Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse 101' on Sunday, March 11. During the presentation, Rodriguez will share stories and footage from the making of the upcoming Dimension Films release.

Submissions must arrive no later than February 12, to: 'SXSW Grindhouse Trailers,' P.O. Box 4999, Austin, TX 78765. There is no application fee, but the trailers must be under two minutes in length, and made within the last 12 months. Films that have already been submitted to SXSW for 2007 consideration, are not eligible. The 2007 SXSW Film Festival occurs March 9-17 throughout downtown Austin, TX. Grindhouse will open nationwide on April 6, 2007.

[muthagoose]

ROB ZOMBIE: 'Werewolf Women' Trailer Is 'Quite Possibly The Greatest Motion Picture Ever Made'

Rob Zombie has completed work on "Werewolf Women of the SS", one of the series of fake trailers audiences will see between Robert Rodriguez's "Planet Terror" and Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof" when they check out "Grindhouse" beginning April 6. In a Jan. 21 posting on his MySpace page, Zombie called "Werewolf" "quite possibly . . . the greatest motion picture ever made!"

According to Fangoria, "Werewolf Women of the SS" features Nicolas Cage donning creative facial hair as Fu Manchu, as well as appearances by Udo Kier ("Blood for Dracula") and blonde knockout Sybil Danning ("The Howling II"). The director has also brought in "House of 1000 Corpses" and "The Devil's Rejects" pals Bill Moseley, Tom Towles and wife Sheri Moon Zombie. WWE wrestlers Test (a.k.a. Andrew Martin) and Vladimir Kozlov are providing the trailer some required testosterone.

Zombie told Fangoria his trailer "is the story of Hitler's plan to create a race of superhuman werewolf women" — played by Olja Hrusticand Lorielle New, among others — "to win the war — based on actual documents found in Hitler's bunker."

[muthagoose]

This afternoon Yahoo! Movies has added a interview featurette for Grindhouse double-feature featuring some new footage from Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof" and Robert Rodriguez's "Planet Terror"! Grind House will be presented as one full-length feature comprised of two individual films helmed separately by each director. Tarantino's film is a rip-roaring slasher flick where the killer pursues his victims with a car rather than a knife, while Rodriguez's film explores an alien world eerily familiar to ours.

movies.yahoo.com/mv/mf/frame?theme=minfo&lid=wmv-700-p.1553108-183184,wmv-1000-p.1553109-183184,wmv-100-p.1553106-183184,wmv-300-p.1553107-183184&id=1809264218&f=1809264218&mspid=1809810664&type=m&a=0,15

[muthagoose]

Weinsteins place big bet on retro Double dose of new pulp

The Weinstein Co.'s "Grindhouse" is a peek back to a forgotten period of cinema history. But the pic's fate could play a big role in the company's future.

On April 6, the company, via genre arm Dimension, will release the pic directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, which runs 2½ hours and costs a rumored $100 million.

The project is a study in contradictions: an ode to low-budget exploitation films that will be marketed as a mainstream tentpole, opening on some 2,500 screens.

The film started out as an offbeat salute to the blood-spattered, sex-filled indie films of the 1950s and '60s. Rodriguez and Tarantino were to each helm a 60-minute entry, which would be divided by faux trailers directed by Eli Roth, Edgar Wright and Rob Zombie, among others.

But each of the director's films grew in length and the budget ballooned due to shooting delays.

Now Bob and Harvey Weinstein find themselves back in the big-budget territory of "Cold Mountain," one of the last biggies in their Miramax days.

But the brothers hope "Grindhouse" will evoke another Miramax film: "Pulp Fiction," which was an offbeat salute to pop culture that established the Weinsteins' reputation as execs who can take edgy subject matter and turn it into box office gold.

After a roller-coaster 18 months of big deals and few hit films, the company sees "Grindhouse" as the start of a fertile release period.

Scheduled to bow in the second half of '07 are Michael Moore's docu "Sicko," Sundance buy "Grace Is Gone," Todd Haynes' unorthodox "I'm Not There" (with Christian Bale, Heath Ledger and Cate Blanchett all playing Bob Dylan) and Wong Kar Wai's "Blueberry Nights."

Recent releases like "Bobby" and "Breaking and Entering" underperformed at the box office and the company delayed the wide release of "Miss Potter" (after a brief platform bow in December) in the hopes that it will catch on with upscale auds after the awards rush ends.

But at the same time, the company has been conducting a series of savvy financial deals, including acquisition of the Genius homevideo library; a co-prod agreement with Mexico's Televisa; an exclusivity pact with Blockbuster and aggressive dealmaking at Sundance.

Weinstein Co. execs hope "Grindhouse" will put the company back in the hit-making business, in the way "The Crying Game" and "Pulp Fiction" firmed the reputation of Miramax. The only difference is that Miramax was pretty much below the radar in its early days, while Weinstein Co. has had the mixed blessing of being a high-profile startup.

"Grindhouse" is produced by the Weinsteins with Tarantino's A Band Apart and Rodriguez's Troublemaker Studio shingles.

Pics, which are in post, were originally slated for a September release, but wrapped late, mainly due to issues in Rodriguez's personal life. The helmer, whose pics like "Spy Kids" established him as a family man, separated from his wife, who had co-produced several pics with him.

His segment of "Grindhouse" is a zombie horror pic (subtitled "Planet Terror"), about a woman (Rose McGowan) who has a machine gun for a prosthetic leg.

As Rodriguez tells Variety, " 'Planet Terror' is packed with exploitable elements and a killer cast. So it's the best of all worlds."

That's followed by the shorts/trailers, including the Tarantino-helmed "Cowgirls in Sweden" (which references characters in other Rodriguez films).

Tarantino's "Death Proof" is a slasher pic set at a fictional movie shoot, in which Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) plays a murderous psycho who terrorizes cast and crew.

Tarantino has described it as a slasher pic "fused with high-octane car chases."

Young audiences may have no idea what a "grindhouse" is, but the directors' names are the selling point.

The helmers have shot hours of footage that will be used online and on TV. As Rodriguez says in a promo, movies allow fans to "share an experience the privileged few get when they go to Quentin's house."

A teaser trailer has generated more than 1 million hits on Yahoo. Feb. 16 sees the release of a new trailer, in which a voice-over touts the grindhouse as a place of "uncensored sexuality and hardcore thrills." It also showcases inside jokes, like a car flipping over into a movie marquee sporting titles like "Wolf Creek" and "Scary Movie 4" (two Weinstein-Dimension pics).

Bang-for-buck is a key part of the pitch: the new trailer emphasizes "two explosive feature films for the price of one."

The company signed exclusive deals whereby Yahoo and Verizon (which aren't usually marketing platforms for genre pics) will market the film online and on the mobile platform, respectively.

It also has struck deals with a number of male-oriented nets for sponsorships and specials, including Spike; FX (where the company will sponsor the premiere episode of drama "The Riches" with limited commercial interruption); and TNT, where Tarantino will host a "Kill Bill" double feature and flog "Grindhouse."

Despite the heavy marketing, Weinstein Co. is careful not to reveal too much before the release; as an insider puts it, "The mystique is part of the marketing."

The mystique has led to some confusion. A recent New York Times piece sought to emphasize the daunting two-in-one film, but the newspaper piece made the film's central concept hard to fathom.

There have been plenty of online rumors, most of them untrue, including the notion that the company would release the pics separately, as was done with Tarantino's "Kill Bill."

And the Weinstein Co. had to ask that YouTube remove some unauthorized footage that had leaked on to the site.

As much an educational experiment as a movie release -- many members of a younger generation aren't familiar with exploitation pics -- the company has to explain the genre even as it markets the movie.

There will likely be other movies that will influence the fortunes of the company. But for now, the Weinsteins' reputation as solo entrepreneurs stands on "Grindhouse's" (machine-gun) leg.

[muthagoose]

New kickass trailer for GRINDHOUSE is now online:

movies.yahoo.com/feature/grindhouse.html;_ylt=Ah9NkP6hF7lhBgI_artxwyxfVXcA

[muthagoose]

30-Minute Making of 'Grindhouse' Feature ONLINE!

If you head on over to Rose-McGowan you can watch an incredible 30-minute "making of" feature for Dimension's upcoming Grindhouse, which features new footage from the film, along with Eli Roth, Edgar Wright and Rob Zombie's trailers!

www.rose-mcgowan.com/video/thumbnails.php?album=2

[Ponyone]

Dimension's 'Grindhouse' Looking At NC-17 Rating?!



This is either one amazing publicity stunt or a major problem developing, but word hit the web today that Dimension Films' Grindhouse just got slapped with a craptacular NC-17, just weeks away from it's April 6 release. What does this mean for the film? Well, if they pull a Kill Bill we might see some black and white - or maybe Grind will be the first ever "Hard-R" film - any takers?! Read on for the story and watch this spot for any developments.

The NY Post reports:

THE people who dole out ratings at the Motion Picture Assn. of America just might flip out when they see "Grindhouse," Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's tribute to the ultraviolent, nudity-drenched pictures that once screened 'round the clock in the grungy movie palaces of 42nd Street.

The Weinstein Company, which is releasing the picture April 6 through its Dimension Films arm, needs an R rating for the flick to get into mainstream theaters. But, "some of it is so graphic and outrageous for a major Hollywood studio, there's no question it's headed for an NC-17 without big cuts," says a Page Six operative, who got a sneak peek at the most over-the-top footage.

"Grindhouse" is actually two short movies - one directed by Tarantino, the other by Rodriguez - with an intermission between them. During the break, a series of fake trailers will be shown for such fictitious titles as "Werewolf Women of the SS," directed by Rob Zombie.

"In one scene, a cute, topless girl is roughly tied down on a table by evil female Nazi experimenters who begin draining her blood and, as she screams in agony, they brand her like livestock with a coal-hot steel swastika," our source said. "And every girl in the Nazi concentration camp is topless."

Another trailer, directed by Eli Roth, of "Hostel" fame, is called "Thanksgiving," in which a town's celebration of Turkey Day is interrupted by a mad slasher.

"There's a part where Jordan Ladd [daughter of Cheryl Ladd of 'Charlie's Angels'] is in a car with her boyfriend and giving him [oral sex] when she lovingly reaches to stroke his hair and discovers his neck is just a bloody stump - some maniac had just cut off his head while she was in the act."

Later, a frisky cheerleader climbs onto a trampoline and begins stripping naked as she jumps up and down until she does a split and her skirt blows up without panties underneath. "You get the full 'Britney Spears-getting-out-of-the-limo view,' " our source says. Another jolting scene shows a grossly obese man chewing on a baby.

How much of these moviegoers will end up seeing is anybody's guess. "Some cuts definitely will have to be made. There's no question," conceded one studio insider. A Dimension rep declined comment.