It’s supposed to be a joke, how bad his films are, but the joke is that he can’t actually do any better.
The audience is supposed to be in on the joke–ha ha, he’s doing genre, terrible genre, and he’s doing it in such a cheesy way that it’s hilarious and it’s fine to enjoy, because it’s smart and actually satirizing. Only, he’s not satirizing anything. He just enjoys making ridiculous, ultra-cheesy, star-powered films that celebrate their own lack of quality.
But this celebration for lack of quality should not be mistaken for quality. Because it isn’t.
He remains, as always, like what Tarantino would be like if he got brain damage in a car accident–Tarantino without provoking content, smart dialogue, fascinating characters, intelligent set pieces and mise-en-scene, or anything else that makes Tarantino a genius. He’s just poor ol’ Robert Rodriguez, all ham. It’s the good part of the ham, I’ll give him that, and you’ll emerge from the theater this weekend with a few extra pounds and Type 2 diabetes.
And good for you if that’s what you wanted. Personally, I CANNOT BELIEVE I’m not getting in line to see a movie with a poster like the one above (also including ROSARIO DAWSON. I MEAN, FUCK). And the rest of the cast is incredible, both with stars and little-seen actors who have still left their mark, such as Christopher Lloyd.
But I’m telling you–if you actually like noir films, this movie, like the previous, is only candy. Not a true meal. Glam-noir. This fact is kind of common knowledge–and it’s also not. The first Sin City is Rodriguez’s strongest film to date, mostly because it’s built on the shoulders of Frank Miller’s established neo-noir world, and yet it is still basically vacuous. This one will be as well, only with a grotesquely over-the-top femme fatale who, surprise surprise, is actually wicked.
I’m looking at you up there, sugar tits.
BloodlessRevelation 