Harry here with a look at THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUT. Now this review references ERASERHEAD, FORBIDDEN ZONE, A BOY AND HIS DOG and SIX STRING SAMURAI.... I'm there. That's it, put it on.
Howdy, Harry. Thought you might be interested to know that...
'The American Astronaut' is one of the most blissfully independent films I've seen in a long time. This isn't (or at least it doesn't seem like) the usual stuff that comes out of Sundance these days -- i.e. independent films that have big budgets, name actors and studios jumping to pick them up. This is a film that has been made with no regard to the mainstream, no assistance from the mainstream, and no hope of ever gaining mainstream acceptance.
It is, however, made of the stuff that cult films dream of.
Written and directed by Cory McAbee, 'The American Astronaut' is a sci-fi-western-musical that calls to mind other post apocalyptic no budget classics such as 'Forbidden Zone,' 'A Boy and His Dog,' and 'Six String Samurai.' However, it leaves all those films in the dust. It is consistently watchable, surprising, and often incredibly beautiful. Oh yeah, it's really funny too.
It's actually a pre-apocalyptic science fiction film, since it apparently takes place in the old west, but in outer space. An interplanetary trader named Samuel Curtis (played by McAbee), a real Han Solo type, is on his way to a bar on one of the moons of Jupiter to exchange a cat for a box containing a cloned human girl. He plans to take this incubating female to Jupiter, which is an-all male mining planet, and trade her to the planet's owner for The Boy Who Has Actually Seen A Woman's Breast (Gregory Russel Cook). This young man keeps the workers stimulated with daily descriptions of the fabled breast. Curtis wants to take him to Venus, which is populated entirely by asexual Southern Belles who like to keep a cute boy on hand to keep their libidos in line. Their last gent recently passed, and his family is offering a reward for the return of his body, which the Venetian women will only give up if a hot young replacement is delivered -- which is what Curtis plans to do.
There's one kink -- the villainous Professor Hess (Rocco Sisto) is in hot pursuit. He has some some grudge against Curtis, manifested primarily in his indignance that Curtis doesn't remember Hess's birthday. Hess kills everyone he comes across with his disentigration gun, without remorse or reason; indeed, he can only kill without reason. If he has a reason to kill you, Curtis explains, he finds himself unable to commit the act until his problem with you is resolved in an orderly fashion.
That's the plot, in a nutshell. It's all flimsy and paper thin, and no explanation is given for any of it, thank heavens. And oh yeah, it is indeed a musical. McAbee is the founder of a band called the Billy Nayer Show, which is responsible for the fantastic soundtrack and songs. It's all kind of punk rockabilly, and it's all wonderful. This has been a great year for musicals -- 'Moulin Rouge,' 'Hedwig And The Angry Inch,' the Buffy The Vampire Slayer musical on TV, and now this one. It would be worth buying the soundtrack just so you could have a song with the title 'The Girl With The Vagina Made Of Glass' in your collection, but as an added bonus all the music is consistently excellent, offbeat and original.
The film is shot in truly gorgeous black and white that is very reminiscent of 'Eraserhead,' which is the film's visual cousin. The scene where Hess madly scatters the ashes of his victims is so lovely that it is almost worth the price of admission alone. The low budget special effects consist of stark drawings of the space ship, entirely static, but it works far better than if cheap models were flown across a starscape on strings. It's oddly effective, and give the film a timeless feeling (you may feel at times like you are watching a tripped out Buck Rogers serial). The editing is also worth noting, done in perfect synchronization with the music.
I could go on; this film was remarkable in so many ways (I was also surprised at how sweet natured it was). I really loved it, and it really fired up the independent spirit in me. I've tried to find more information about it, but the best I could do was the film's official site. If you love the strange and unusual, if you are a champion of the weird and misunderstood, seek this film out. You'll love it.
That's it for this time. As always, you can read more reviews, support indie films (and learn how to make your own) at the proud-to-be-offbeat Road Dog Productions official website!
Goodnight...
--Ghostboy
