Rodriguez amps up the camp

Being the lesser of the two halves of "Grindhouse" isn't necessarily a bad thing. Maverick director Robert Rodriguez makes the most out of his second fiddle spot to Quentin Tarantino with "Planet Terror," a glorious exercise in pure camp that's a tip of the hat to every one of the B-grade zombie movies and horror flicks Rodriguez grew up loving.\nWhereas Tarantino's "Death Proof" successfully transcended the genres it was spoofing to create something fresh and original, Rodriguez is content simply to add another exploitation film to the canon, having wicked, indulgent fun all the while. The acting is laughable on purpose, and the script, despite being far wittier than those old movies could have ever hoped to be, is still "get us from point-A to point-B" material. Where Rodriguez hits his mark is with the entire movie's sheer ridiculousness. Thankfully, this two-disc unrated edition ups the gore factor even further, pushing NC-17 territory despite its pervasive cartoonish vibe.\nThe cast was clearly having a field day on set, with Rose McGowan and Freddy Rodriguez playing the formulaic hero and heroine and strong guest turns from Michael Parks, Michael Biehn and "Lost" actor Naveen Andrews as Abby, the testicle collector. The unbearably hot Marley Shelton is unmissable as Dr. Dakota Block, and Rodriguez's even hotter nieces Electra and Elise Avellan add a dash of insanity as the crazy Babysitter Twins.\nAs we've come to expect from Rodriguez DVDs, there's a fine commentary track (as well as a fun audience-reaction track), and another great featurette is Rob's valuable series of "film school" segments for aspiring filmmakers. Featurettes on casting and stunts are sprinkled about, and the "Machete" trailer that fans have been clamoring for is finally available on disc. Supposedly Rodriguez is considering making "Machete" into a full-length film, but I'd rather see it go down in history as a brilliant faux-trailer.\n"Planet Terror" is, in the end, a bundle of gory fun, no more and no less. As with most of Rodriguez's work, it's a jolt to the senses, and this edition will only increase the clamor of fans hungry for the ultimate "Grindhouse" edition that's sure to come.