Quantum Cowboys

As an artist myself, a painter specifically, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie as a moving, literally and figuratively speaking, flowering of rich, unique, and varied animated imagery. I will include "Cosmic Cowboys" in my own personal curatorial list of works I find particularly insightful, entertaining, and strangely relevant in a world hellbent on violence and destruction. Regarding relevance or the question of why this movie is of our present time, the movie offers Hope, at least, a hint that we are not totally powerless and without agency, that we have the ability to peer beyond an authoritarian materialism, and that our mere observation, our particular focus, can indeed affect future events.

David Kwiecinski, Hatch,NM. 2023.

Super blend of animation that is fascinating to watch. Interesting and engaging from start to finish. Great and wacky cast. Strap in for this wild ride. Lily Gladstone anchors the cast along with some very strong supporting performances. Love the connection between the multiverses and the styles of animation. Who could imagine a cast that includes Kiowa Gordon, David Arquette, John Doe and Alex Cox. Add in Gary Farmer and Neko Case and John Way and you have as many acting styles as animation styles. The original music by Neko Case and Howe Gelb is great. This film really pushes into creative story telling and was super enjoyed it.

I was lucky enough to catch a screening of this film last night, and it is wonderous.

The film uses a mix of animation along with live action to create a surreal world that is always shifting and changing. This does take some getting used to, but by the end of the movie it works seamlessly. The story as well is incredibly confusing, but once you adapt the mentality of "I'm just gonna run with it," it manages to provoke deeper discussion that I love to see from films.

The animation in particular is something that I have never seen, and I doubt I will see again. The way it combines so many styles into one more or less coherent story is marvelous and incredibly impressive.

Now, is it a perfect movie? No, certainly not. Like all movies it has its flaws, but you can tell this is someone's (Geoff Marslett's, in this case) untethered vison of a film. Because of this it becomes something that is truly incredible to watch. I can't wait to watch this again.

Quantum Cowboys is a brilliant, mind and genre bending act of cinematic wizardry! Keeping the audience gleefully teetering on a time warping, paradoxical roller coaster ride through the old west. Beautifully acted and masterfully directed, and oh so clever in its scripting and storytelling.

Musical genius, Howe Gelb not only created the musical score and perfectly crafted songs, but appears as the legendary Blacky Ranchette. This character and his music are expertly woven throughout the film. My favorite thread within this film is the understated First Nations wisdom and commentary, that respectfully builds upon the ever growing cultural awareness and honoring of the Original people of North America. This film is a truly original romp through western quantum trickster medicine.

QUANTUM COWBOYS is a very challenging film yet so much fun to watch, talk about with your friends afterwards, speculate and theorize about. This movie takes such huge and ambitious swings intellectually and visually there is no way you can't applaud it. Director/writer Geoff Marslett is a true mad scientist of a filmmaker with a wild imagination.

The cast and performances are captivating. It's so easy to fall in love with the trio of Lily Gladstone, Kiowa Gordon and John Way. David Arquette and Frank Mosley as Colfax and DePew really daw you in and help bring even more scope and layers to the story. The rest of the supporting cast bring so much life, fun and intrigue. I cant believe French New Wave icon, ANNA KARINA is this movie!!!

I want all the sequels/spinoffs to QUANTUM COWBOYS so definitely tell your friends about this and check it out!