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GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE (2021)

7/14/21 - Gunpowder Milkshake (2021) - 4+/5-/10

Playfully dark. A live action cartoon/anime feel while it wants to marry Edgar Wright and Guy Ritchie into a female centric Kill Bill meets John Wick world - but more frolicsome and sugary sweet. I feel like this would greedily scratch some peoples’ action itch, but while it was serviceable, it felt completely derivative, unduly jovial and overly gossamery.

The music is imperious, be it a “Sherlock the show” tune, a standoff Western diddy, or a needle drop Snyderian music sync-to-slow-mo-action; there is nothing subtle at play. It also loves to slather on the panache allure of bygone days (diner of the 50s, style of the 70s, tech of the 90s), mixing time styles like John Wick or Tim Burton’s Batman did.

The painter here understands the brushstrokes but not the magic made on the canvas. It feels recycled and piecemealed. Reminds me most of the ill fated Polar; a fun story and concept but done in by its excesses and euphuism. “Cool for cool’s sake” at the expense of whole.

I appreciate some of its bits. It was certainly nice and appreciated giving some badass women, especially professional capable actresses, some overdue rub, but I feel like they missed a trick with these smaller bit parts. Our librarians here each deserved full chapters, not annoying bullet points.

It was silly, but not funny. It was a cartoon, meant for winks, chuckles and a younger audience, but retaining an inordinate amount of ultra violence. It just didn’t work for me. Not bad by any means, but lacking its owness. I would much rather watch Navot Papushado’s Big Bad Wolves.