Screenhead

Rather like what Hostel seemed to be suggesting, once you leave America you’re going to be hacked apart. This is what will be happening to the upcoming Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino double feature Grindhouse. According to Variety, the film will be split into two separate, individual films in non-English speaking films. While there’s no info on which will come first, the films will be separated by a few months, and split into their individual titles, Grindhouse: Death Proof, and Grindhouse: Planet Terror. There’s also no word in terms of how the fake trailers that divide the two segments (directed by Edgar Wright, Rob Zombie, etc.) will be incorporated into the split. Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing each of the film’s starting with a fake trailer.

The reason for the split, according to Glen Basner, president of Weinstein Co, is that foreign language countries are not familiar with the grindhouse double-bill system. Personally, that sounds like a load of crap. Foreign audiences lap up The Simpsons despite its U.S.-only references. And we’re living in a world of Wikipedia , where the comprehension of grindhouse showings are a simple click away. I believe the real reason for splitting the movies is to generate more profit in the foreign market. I suspect the Weinstein Co is in need of the enormous hit that Grindhouse is expected to be, and there’s no point giving any culture-friendly bull. That said, the benefit is that nations screening the separate movies will be treated to the extra footage shot to make both films feature-length.

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