The American Astronaut
2000, NR, 91 min. Directed by Cory McAbee. Starring Joshua Taylor, James Ransone, Annie Golden, Gregory Russell Cook, Rocco Sisto, Cory McAbee.
REVIEWED By Marjorie Baumgarten, Tue., Dec. 3, 2002
This black-and-white sci-fi musical is beautiful and strange. Scripted and directed by the frontman of the musical group the Billy Nayer Show, American Astronaut is an imaginative and resourceful spectacle. Although self-indulgent, the movie's fantastic set-pieces, cinematography, and performances keep this space opera highly entertaining. The storyline follows an intergalactic traveler in a futuristic universe in which women are a rarity and greatly fetishized. In addition to its sci-fi elements, the movie contains aspects of the Western and the musical (music by the Billy Nayer Show). This too-weird-for-distribution film premiered at Sundance in 2000 and has been playing the festival circuit ever since. This Cinescape screening represents its only pass through Austin.
A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.
Aug. 23, 2024
The American Astronaut, Cory McAbee, Joshua Taylor, James Ransone, Annie Golden, Gregory Russell Cook, Rocco Sisto, Cory McAbee
