Customer Reviews

The American Astronaut

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The American Astronaut is the missing link between Guy Maddin and the early films of David Lynch. Cory McAbee's movie is shot in glorious black and white film stock with unabashedly lo-tech special effects that reside at the opposite end of the spectrum of another retro-SF film, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. The American Astronaut has the same grungy, industrial look and feel as Lynch's Eraserhead with the same fierce, independent spirit.

Writer-director-star Cory McAbee has created a unique movie quite unlike anything else out there. While he shares the lo-tech retro look of Guy Maddin's films he isn't interested in recreating the silent era of cinema. McAbee does share a fascination with industrial machinery and the `50s with David Lynch, but he isn't interested in exploring the dark underbelly. McAbee is far more optimistic. The American Astronaut is a fun, off-beat film for people who like something a little different. It has more energy and inventiveness than most of the big budget Hollywood films out there proving yet again that a lot of money can't make up for a lack of ideas and how necessity truly is the mother of invention.

There are several galleries that include a series of cool, sidewalk artwork promoting the movie on various city streets all over the country by Cory McAbee; on-the-set pictures; storyboards and the corresponding stills from the movie; a collection of movie posters; and production artwork.

"Ceres Jump Test Footage" is a brief clip of McAbee hopping around a city street trying to mimic the lo-gravity depicted in the movie.

There is an audio commentary by McAbee that was shot live at a screening in a Brooklyn bar. McAbee enthusiastically answers questions and recounts production anecdotes in this engaging, entertaining track.

Finally, there is a theatrical trailer.

American Astronaut is brilliantly imaginative. If you need to read reviews or watch clips then please do, but don't find out TOO much; You'll be constantly and pleasantly amazed by the strange and nuanced ideas packed into every well composed shot.
I like eccentric films but I have never seen a movie reinvent what movies can offer in order to create its own engaging world...not to get stodgy: It's still full of Rock and Roll, Space barns, ray guns, shaving and dance contests. Unreal.
Some movies off the beaten track are cheap vehicles for bizarre humor or gimmicks. This is just simply the most Original, Innovative and Imaginative movie I saw in 2004.

Do not believe any of the reviews that state this movie is bad. This is one of the most gloriously bizzare movies you will ever see; a combination of "The Man Who Fell to Earth" and a spaghetti western, with the "7 Lives of Dr Lao" thrown in for good measure. No matter how many times you see this film, it always seems like you came in at the middle of a different movie. The camera work is as done by someone with ADD, sometimes obsessive, sometimes wandering but always mesmerizing. The plot is ... well ... loose. The acting reminds me of walking into a karioke bar. The combination will put a smile on your face and a thought in your head ... unless you are just a "spoil sport."

I saw this for the first time at the Southside Film Festival, and I loved it right away. It was so refreshingly different from the typical movies that get cranked out by the dozens every year. I just got the DVD, and I still like it just as much if not more than the first time I saw it. The humor sort of reminds me of Vonnegut's black humor. People who like the boring, unimaginitive dribble that is so typical of hollywood will hate this movie, anyone with even a tiny redeeming spark of imagination will love it to death.

Directed by Corey McAbee of the rock/performance/art/film group The Billy Nayer Show (KETCHUP & MUSTARD MAN, reviewed in CdC #9), THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUT is a cross-pollinated pastiche that plays as a science fiction/musical/comedy/western/road movie shot in beautiful black and white, with occasional low-tech animation, retro-futuristic art direction, and chocked full of catchy tunes, quirky characters, and pure originality.

Rakish pilot Samuel Curtis (McAbee) pilots his flying mobile-home spaceship through the galaxy, on several missions at once. When we first meet him, he's taking a cat to a run down bar on barren asteroid. He trades the cat for the ingredients of a "real live girl" clone. He meets up with his old dance partner, the Blueberry Pirate (producer Joshua Taylor) who proposes that Sam take the clone to Jupiter, an all male planet, in exchange for "The Boy Who Actually Saw A Woman's Breast" (Greg Russell Cook) before turning around and trading the boy for the former king of Venus, an all female planet. Corpse in tow, Sam could turn a hefty profit by bringing the deceased king back to his family on Earth. Got that? All the while, Sam is pursued by the insane Professor Hess (Rocco Sisto), a birthday boy who kills only those he has no reason to kill.

One of the things that make this film stand out among other musicals is that the songs are mere excuses for absurdity, rather than devices to progress the story. The music resembles avant-rock more than show tunes. The only exception is a song sung by a miner explaining how he and his clan ended up floating around space in a barn. Again, the song does not progress the film's story but explains the existence of some mostly insignificant characters and one minor character, and contains the only lyrics that sound specifically written for the film.

THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUT feels like it is only one episode in the many adventures of Samuel Curtis. When the ending comes, it comes abruptly, as if McAbee is saying to the audience, "You already know how this is likely to end, so let's just stop here." McAbee's version of space, though, is one that deserves further exploration.

This is a unique movie. It is not out of print. It is still for sale at the film-makers' website.

This is an easy film to watch, but hard to explain. It's sort of the moral equivalent of The Rocky Horror Show for people who listen Velvet Underground albums. It's ambiguous, ironic, danceable, never obnoxious, and always a lot of fun. It probably even means something, but you can't pin down quite what. Is it about masculinity? Gender roles? Fatherhood? Inter-male relationships? If you could pin it down, it would be a less interesting film.

But mostly it's just fun.

Forget that the setting is sci-fi. This story could have just as easily been a western or set in ancient Greece. McAbee's style of story telling is superb. One IMDB reviewer dubbed it, "Firefly the musical, directd by John Waters using Flash Gordon props..." Not quite on the John Waters, but very close to the mark. I caught this by accident, the first time, surfing one morning. Title and brief description seemed so-so. 10 minutes in as the bathroom scene unfolded, I was sitting bolt upright wondering what was coming next! To be frank, the story ended way too soon...not a plot fault, but I simply could have kept watching where McAbee took me next. I'd never heard any of the music before and was delighted by the variety. I have never witnessed such bold efforts in costume, dialogue and filmography. Some of the shots qualified as 'hall of fame' material. One shouldn't expect a riveting, life altering storyline. This is simply about telling a story. Our hero sets the tone as the lone traveler, weary and homeless. A strange barter results in an even stranger 'hello' from an old friend. An even lonelier, malevolent antagonist is introduced early (our narrator) and our hero's expliots becomes increasingly more bizarre. Special effects are accomplished through camera shifts, shadow and stop motion, a la ancient 'Flash Gordon' technology. This seeming lack of hi-tech plays perfectly into the fun feel of the film. The average viewer may have seen 2 or even 3 of the actors before. Nontheless, the acting is spot-on and the director gets the most out of every scene. For anyone who enjoys good story-telling and has the sense of humor to have enjoyed 'Firefly' or 'Grosse Pointe Blank' this movie is a must-see. Five out of five!

American Astronaut is a unique approach to a space/western/musical shot in striking high contrast black and white. The songs are by the band The Billy Nayer Show of which the Writer/Director/Star, Cory McAbee, is the lead singer and main song writer(he plays many instruments as well). The music is not genre specific and just as unique as the film. The Billy Nayer Show also temporarily went by the name American Astronaut when they made music for McAbee's next movie, Stingray Sam. This time a space/western/musical/serial with themes that interrelate to American Astronaut and yet leave you with a very different feeling.

American Astronaut is not going to be for everyone, as it is quirky and an unusual style of storytelling, but it has a cult following and it seems that people who like it, love it. The sense of humor in the movie and in McAbee's music is a little off the wall, I think it's fantastic, but there are people who wont understand where it's coming from--You always have that. If you're interested in the film, you should definitely check it out and look into some of Cory McAbees other work.

On a last note, I've noticed that people have the movie up for sale here for very high prices as it is listed as 'discontinued' but, in fact, you can purchase the film and other materials by Cory McAbee [...]. I think the movie is also still available through Netflix if you want to give it a test run.

Enjoy!

The American Astronaut played years ago at the Charles Theater in Baltimore, MD as part of a film festival. I remember seeing the poster and reading a small blurb about the film at the time which peaked my interest. I made a mental note to myself about seeing the film. Unfortunately, that mental note got buried somewhere in my brain and I forgot to go. Later I received an email from a friend telling me that the film was going to be shown again locally on the big screen to promote it's DVD release. There was no way I was going to miss out on a second chance to see this film in a theater. Lucky for me, the guy who made the film (Cory McAbee) was there in person to talk about the film and even played some tunes with his band, The Billy Nayer Show.
After watching The American Astronaut and listening to Mr. McAbee speak about making the film, I'm convinced he is a total genius. I will remember that night as one of the most inspiring times in my life.
Anyone who would complain that Cory McAbee has no talent or that The American Astronaut is boring or unwatchable is no judge of talent.