BY MIKEY MIGO
I wanted to see this movie for awhile, but never got around to it. So I’m late on this one, but within minutes it’s confirmed that it was worth the wait. First, let’s get into what had me a bit nervous. I didn’t like “Planet Terror” at all. It wasn’t entertaining or amusing. I typically like Robert Rodriguez movies, but that movie just didn’t do it for me. “Death Proof” was great, but the “Planet Terror” portion of the “Grindhouse” double header drug it down. I bring this up because one bright spot was the fake trailers between the movies. One was “Machete”, where this movie came from. The hype built and people started wanting more. Rodriguez would come through for the fans. The movie is awesome. It has over the top violence, horribly awesome one liners, great cameo roles, and makes for a great time. If you’re looking for a great throw back to the old and gritty grindhouse B-movies then this is what you want to watch. Actually, not just “watch”, but a proper wording would be “watch over and over again”. The movie is about a guy who’s family is murdered and is forced to fight off “the man”, so to speak. I don’t want to get too into it because going into with a clean slate made for a great time. We have Danny Trejo as “Machete”. Trejo is one of the most consistent actors out there. I have yet to see a movie that he didn’t do great in. His supporting roles have been remarkable, but this is a great movie for him to be the star of. With him, we have Steven Seagal and Don Johnson showing up and doing awesome. The female side of things has Michelle Rodriguez doing great and Jessica Alba being B-movie bad, but I don’t think on purpose. Of course we have Cheech Marin as a priest and Lindsay Lohan eventually as a nun with a gun. I think the only thing that bothered me was Robert De Niro being in this. He’s a great actor, one of the best, but seeing him in this B-like-movie made it hard to dispend belief. He does a great job, as expected, but he’s just too A-list for a movie like this in this tone and style. I’m nit picking because I wanted to find one complaint to make this review seem a bit more balanced. The whole glamorization of B-movies has become a genre within itself as of late. “Black Dynamite” is still my favorite of this new revision of genre, but this is a close second. I never found myself bored with what was going on. Movies like this is why nobodies like myself attempt to make no budget movies. There were times I shouted at the screen, laughed loudly, rolled my eyes, and drooled. If every movie could get that response out of me the world would be a better place. B+
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