The American Astronaut

I saw the film at the Toronto Film Festival in 2001 and loved it. Just rented the DVD and it's a treat. Not only did I enjoy the film even more than the first viewing, but I immediately rewatched it via the Director's Commentary. The commentary makes you love the film exponentially more if only because it's done in a unique way: Cory McAbee narrates at a live screening, taking questions from the audience. McAbee is uniquely eloquent in his commentary. I've heard many commentaries that simply leave me numb, praying for narcolepsy to strike. Instead, the heart and mind of a true Renaissance man were revealed, imbuing the film (and the music) with new life (just when you thought you couldn't love a film more). There are some perfect cinematic scenes in this film. I watch literally hundreds of films a year and it's rare that I'm surprised by some narrative trope but to my joy, Hey Boy! is there to give me new faith in cinema. However impressed I was with Cory McAbee before, now I'm awestruck. And it's always a treat to hear Brian Eno's name a few times in a commentary. Wow. Congratulations.

...and still do.

Sure, this is at least partially a vehicle for the music of the Billy Nayer Show, but so what? If that is all it is, it is still the best music video I've ever seen. But it is much more. You can read many other reviews about the genre combining efforts, but even beyond that, the genre it becomes is something that I believe has been dreamed of but never done before with this much success. While not stooping to the lowest common denominator, it does have something for everybody, if one is patient with its refusal to engage in conventional entertainment trappings. After sitting in a screening class for a student run film festival for two years in a row, and seeing the often failed attempts at surrealism, humor, post-modern poetics, and just basic storytelling from the many entries from around the world, I have to applaud the successes in all of the above here. I look forward to more works from this talented crew, and I also recommend their early works. You can get them on this nifty DVD I just bought, which you can get on their website (no, I am not a promotor for the movie or the band... otherwise this review would be even more glowing, and probably unbelievable). The two and a half minute animated musical simply titled "Billy Nayer" is possibly my favorite, but "the Ketchup and Mustard Man" is quite an accomplishment, and stylistically anticipates "American Astronaut," while "The Man on the Moon" could almost be its prequel.

Thanks for existing, McAbee and co. And hurry up with that DVD release of this movie!!

I saw this film at the International Film Series in Boulder, Colorado, and was initially bowled over by its inventiveness. Even though this appears it's his first film, Cory McAbee plunges us into a bizarre world with supreme confidence. The budget is low but it doesn't seem like the filmmakers sweated it - they spent the money on production design and great costumes rather than trying to do convincing spaceships-flying-through-asteroids shots. It reminded me of Eraserhead more than any other movie - using lighting, props and sound effects to set the tone. But, ultimately, what is this movie other than a showcase for the band's music? The musical interludes occasionally drive the whole film to a grinding halt. They brought me out of the movie and I got very conscious of sitting in a movie theater restlessly waiting. The songs are funny but they frequently have very little to do with the action of the movie. I wonder if all of them were written for the film or if the band just wanted to put in some of their regular songs. And, the ending was very unsatisfying. I mean, I definitely feel like I got my money's worth but after sitting through an amazingly creative patchwork of sci-fi serial/western/off-off-Broadway musical you'd think they could have summed it up with one more setpiece. There seems to be a totally-unforeseen mini-revival of the musical going on nowadays and if you ask me, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is the only film that's really pushed the genre forward into new territory.

The American Astronaut is like a 60s sci-fi on acid. It's warped and doesn't make much sense. It doesn't have a strong plot and definitely isn't for everyone. But, I did find myself laughing at certain points and I enjoyed it.

There is a scene where the main character is on the toilet in the bathroom and two guys follow him in there. You're certain they're about to beat him up....until they plug in their record player and start singing to him. It's like West Side Story in another dimension. The Ceres jumping (their version of moon walking) in sync with the music makes for another great scene. This movie was born a cult classic.

A true original. I loved this film and the wild wonderful universe that McAbee was able to create on what must have been a $1.80 budget. It has a hypnotic quality, off beat characters, and even a touching father /son relationship.. what more could you want? There is a rousing scene at the beginning when the astronaut walks from his ship to the space bar. His walk goes for some time while a wonderful instrumental plays. If you don't enjoy this part for its simplicity, you probably won't like the rest of the flick. While it dosn't look like this film will get a major distributer ( I got to see it at the Washington DC Film fest with McAbee there to discuss it!) the soundtrack album is available at americanastronaut.com. I'm listening to it as I write this! This is the fist movie in a long time that I have seen that I didn't want it to end.. McAbee knows the first rule of showbusiness: Always leave them wanting more!