cowpie182 Reviews

Shaolin Grandma (2008)

You'll only know if you watch it.

[9/10 · 17 March 2014]

This movie is so odd that I cannot figure anyway to communicate what type of person might like it. Perhaps if you liked "Shaun of the Dead" BUT wanted to see what is would be like if the production budget was about $100, this might be for you. I can't figure if the acting was deliberately terrible or just totally amateurish. It almost looks like all shots are first take and let the manure fall where it may. That being said we loved it!!!! The plot is laid out in other reviews so I'll skip that.

If you admire cheese in all it's forms, if you think movies like "Dolomite" have artistic value in spite of themselves, if you are unlikely to shut down a DVD once it's been popped in because you think it's below your intellect level,....well this one's for you Bud! I hope this character is part of a series. I enjoy "Downton Abbey", thought "In Brugges" was great. I NEVER turn off "Jaws" when it's on if there's a chance to see Robert Shaw do his speech about the Indianapolis sinking. I love Shakespeare and Bel Canto Opera, the Three Stooges, past & present incarnations of "Cosmos". Not bragging, just saying my tastes are wide ranging. If you are an alien life form like me,...give Grannie a try, she might get to you.

The Limits of Control (2009)

Flashback to Alphaville NOTE: Possible Spoiler I guess.

[8/10 · 20 January 2011]

As I watched this I began to have a feeling of familiarity though I really couldn't figure out what was going on. Then it came to me that the pace and sparseness were reminding me of Alphaville (Goddard???). I thought the ending especially mirrored this older film.

I had seen Alphaville many years back and didn't really like it. I rented it again about two years ago as I thought maybe I had missed something but still didn't care for it in the end. I just never got over the high esteem it seems to be held in. Now that I have seen "Limits" and find I quite like it, I think I'll go back for a third take. It just seems to be an Jarmusch take on the old French movie. In the bonus section he states that there are no new stories, just new ways to tell them. Would like to see them as a double bill I see some parallels with Ghost Dog here too what with the attitude of the protagonist and use of martial arts/Tai Chi practices of each. They also both seem to be outsiders who very effectively penetrate, operate in & then drift out of another world.

I certainly see how a lot of viewers would not like this film. It vibrated well for me. As I age I find my opinion shifts regarding likes & dislikes & revisits can be enlightening. Alphaville here I come.

BTW this is the first movie "review" I have ever written. Hope it doesn't get too many PO'd!