MOVIE.RttP{Grindhouse.. before Tarantino did it}

Will I Be Watching Tarantino's Grindhouse? No.

Quentin Tarantino is a thieving piece of shit and he knows it. He stole Grindhouse from a bunch of kids who were just asking for his help and he helped them by stealing their title and concept.

Let me explain. For those who don't know, I made a film called Grindhouse in 2003. We actually started shooting it in 2002, but went to the festivals and got reviews in 2003, winning BEST HORROR FILM in the New York International Film and Video Festival. We also got many favorable mentions from established publications such as Fangoria and Rue Morgue. The movie was low, low, low budget. Which made sense, because that's what Grindhouse films were – really low budget movies that had little artistic merit. Most of the reviewers got that. They realized what we realized – if you're going to make a horror movie with $4,000 – the smart bet is to redo a Grindhouse film where the low budget and all that comes with it are celebrated.

We approached Tarantino twice during the life of Grindhouse. The first time is when producer Lenny Shteynberg and I were at the premier after party for Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back in Westwood. Tarantino was there, and to his credit, he was very approachable. I told him that we were going to shoot a new kind of Grindhouse movie, and asked if we could show it to him when we were finished. He politely declined, and
we parted friends.

It would be two years later – November 2003- after we finished production (and won our award), that we again approached Tarantino. We knew the movie was too tiny for a theatrical run, but thought maybe we could get a direct to DVD deal. Through industry contacts, I found the business address for his production company, and Fed Ex'd a copy of the film and the poster. It was signed for by a "C. Hill." or Chill. I knew he received it, and just hoped that got what we were trying to do. Kill Bill was on the radar, so I thought it was good timing for us. We never heard from Tarantino or anyone in his production company.

Cut to 2005. I was now working for a production company as a Post Coordinator. I picked up an issue of the trade publication Variety, announcing: Tarantino was making a film called GRINDHOUSE. Not our Grindhouse, something he was teaming up with Robert Rodriguez on.

I was heartbroken. One of my heroes had ripped us off. And it wasn't like we were anybody. We were nobodies, trying to get ahead with our tiny film like he had almost a decade before. I had our entertainment attorney call Dimension Films, where Tarantino was setting the film up. I tried to stop them from using the title Grindhouse because I own it. I am the only person with the title Grindhouse registered with the copyright office. Dimension came back and said that Tarantino's was called Death Proof, not Grindhouse. Yes, we retorted, but you're not releasing it as Death Proof, you're releasing it as Grindhouse. They came back with, essentially, take us to court and see what happens to you. I didn't want to take them to court; I wanted them not to use the title.

It sucks, because now I'm that guy. I'm that guy stating that a big Hollywood player ripped off my idea. We all know how that looks. But, a. I made the movie – anyone can see it. and b. he's constantly referenced the day in 2003 when he got the idea to make a movie called Grindhouse. My bet is that it was the day he opened my Fed Ex. Maybe he didn't even watch the movie, but he had to have seen the poster, and maybe that was all it took.

Tarantino has fucked over people before – just ask his old writing buddy Roger Avary, whom he destroyed and left for dead in his post-Pulp Fiction rise. But I never thought he would turn on other indie filmmakers. And what's sad is, there were sacrifices on our end, too. My Grindhouse cost me two long-standing friendships over a business dispute. That was a regrettable situation, and one that burns me even more now that we really have nothing to show for it, and probably won't be able to. It takes away from their hard work, as well as everyone who sweated out weekends and endless time to try and make our little movie work.

People could say that there have been numerous movies with the same title. Gladiator comes to mind. To me, there's no way on God's green earth, that two movies called Grindhouse devoted to the idea of those old films, could be released. And it's weird that it happened after our film was released and got a fair amount of press in the genre circles.

So am I going to see it? No. Do I want you to not go see it? No. If you want to see it, please do. I knew someone who worked post on that show, and for what they went through to deliver Tarantino's film, I hope the movie does well. They deserve it. What Tarantino deserves is to be called out for the thief that he is. He's a complete piece of shit with no code of ethics for the industry that gave him his start – the indie industry.

If there's any justice in the world, he'll fall out of favor and have to watch as his long, long-gestating World War 2 epic, Inglorious Bastards, gets handed over to Lloyd Kauffman to produce and Uwe Boll to direct.

-Stephen Tramontana
~~~
posted that bcause it's easier for me to read on text.