Mad Cowgirl (2006)

Loved this awesome cult classic, starring the lovely Sarah Lassez and my man James Duval. For those of you who eat red meat, you will never look at steak the same way again after watching this, thank God I don't take beef. First time my Dad and I saw it we were completely stunned and amazed. A lot of bad reviews for this one but I don't care, haters gonna hate. This is the third time for Sarah Lassez and James Duval working together on a film. Sarah's performance is unforgettable, and amazing. A crazy and disturbing drama with awesome bloody violence, martial arts, comedy and sex!!! Cool soundtrack and I can't believe there's a Hindi song in it...

I really have no other way to describe MAD COWGIRL. There's a lot of stuff going on in this film - probably a lot of "deep" symbolism and whatnot, but it's all so jumbled together that I personally couldn't find anything of real note in this film other than it's complete "oddness"...A young female meat-inspector contracts some sort of brain-tumors from consuming tainted meat that her brother (with whom she has some sort of vague incestuous relationship with) provides for her. A pre-tumor obsession with kung-fu flicks and a local pastor (played by Chekov from the STAR TREK TV series) causes her post-tumor delusions to manifest themselves in strange ways - namely, with the obsession of knocking off a gang of kung-fu masters from some TV show that she watches on a regular basis, and having weird fantasies/nightmares involving priests...There's quite a bit more to MAD COWGIRL than what I've mentioned above, and if the film itself was very notable on any level, I'd go into more depth. As it is, this one is a collection of interesting ideas that just doesn't feel fully "realized". As for the good points: The acting, camera-work, etc...are all pretty decent for an indie film. No real complaints in the "technical" department. There's also quite a bit of campy dark-humor that works on some levels. Unfortunately (and on to the bad points): none of it amounts to anything. It seems as though MAD COWGIRL had a lot to say in terms of social-commentary - namely things to do with consumerism, perhaps the hypocrisy of religion, etc...but it was all so vague that I couldn't decide if these elements were actually intended to be in the film, or if I were just reading my own interpretations into what could really be considered just a jumble of randomosity. Also, the pacing seemed a bit off. Things would get moving for a while and then become dull and tedious for stretches, making it hard to pay attention to the total product. My overall impression with MAD COWGIRL, is that it was weird, but not really in a good way, and that nothing really stands out about it in terms of content - meaning, if you asked me anything about this film a week from now, I'll have already forgotten about it. Not terrible in terms of low-budget, odd-ball films - I just didn't get anything at all out of it (P.S. - for the sleaze fans, there's a few shots of the lead actresses tits and a little bit of gore - but nothing to write home about)...5/10

Therese, a young health inspector, breaks off her marriage and indulges herself in a variety of obsessions to take her mind off her loneliness. When she's not inspecting restaurants and butcher shops, she is erotically masticating large amounts of red meat, religiously watching a cheesy Kung-Fu show, engaging in casual sex, or having and affair with her favorite skeezy televangelist. Her compulsions spin out of control and her downward spiral turns lethal when she discovers that her meat-packing brother may have given her meat that may have been infected with mad cow disease.Whoa. Where to begin with this one?! First off, Sarah Lassez is fantastic in the lead role. She displays incredible range. She's believable when she's breaking down and hilarious when she's imitating her favorite TV Kung Fu heroine. I don't really want to know how much red meat she consumed during the shooting...but let's just say she really knows how to take meat in her mouth. The supporting cast also fares well. Cult favorite James Duvall plays Therese's brother who may or may not have a crush on big sis. Devon Odessa (Sharon from My So Called Life!) is fun as her religious best friend with problems of her own. The film is uniquely shot (think "CrazyBird KatiePerson" but with a bit more talent behind the camera...and in the editing room) and the content is thoroughly repulsive.As fascinating as it is to watch, some of the messages are muddled. It is obvious director Gregory Hatanaka is trying to draw a parallel between red meat and sex, but it's never really clear why, except to make the viewer feel icky. Perhaps I need to re-read Carol Adams' The Sexual Politics of Meat? There are some other weird situations (for example, her doctor speaks Sinhala and she responds in English) that make the film a bit difficult to get through. Still, it is worth seeing for its performances and originality. I really haven't seen anything like this out there. And if you're thinking about becoming vegetarian but are too, uh, chicken to make the transition, definitely check this one out. It'll make it easier.

This movie gets a 9 from me for the bizarre, unusual concepts portrayed throughout this film. It is one of the most unusual films I have had the opportunity to see. The plot is twisted and very entertaining. The lead actress played the part exceptionally well, and the part itself seemed to be extremely challenging. She had so many difficult scenes that were completely outrageous, and she never hesitated once to perform even the most unusual, frightening, and horrific scenes that most actors would never have the guts/balls to do.The crowd left the theater, excited, confused, and somewhat horrified. This is a true indie film that I hope people will get the opportunity to see.