Editor Reviews:

Description:
Written, directed, and starring Cory McAbee of The Billy Nayer Show, this space western musical uses flinty black-and-white photography, rugged Lo-Fi sets and the spirit of the final frontier to bring the film, set in the dirty, isolated vastness of outer space, to life. The film also stars Rocco Sisto and Gregory Russell Cook. THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUT follows the adventures of an interplanetary trader (McAbee) through his Homeric intergalactic journey to provide the all-female population of Venus with a suitable singular male, all the while being pursued by the cold-blooded and childish killer, Professor Hess (Sisto), an enigmatic figure from his past. The film features an original soundtrack by the The Billy Nayer Show.

Amazon.com:
Literally out-of-this-world, The American Astronaut is a post-Eraserhead, black-and-white comedy set on an asteroid that serves as an outpost for desperadoes, mad scientists, and paranoid travelers. Director Cory McAbee, frontman for the dynamic, experimental rock band the Billy Nayer Show, has constructed a seedy, surreal vision of conquered space that includes rocket ships operated by junkyard parts, barflies with a increasingly pathological sense of humor, and handguns that reduce people to a bucket's worth of sand. In this nightmarish, sometimes funny, sometimes tedious fantasy noir, a distressed astronaut (McAbee) agrees to swap a caged, embryonic female for a captive male on one planet and deliver the latter to the man-hungry (if peculiarly antebellum) women of Venus. The film doesn't necessarily hold up as a singular work, but there are several remarkable sequences, including a dance number in a scummy restroom and an unsettling comedy routine. Special features include an interesting interview with McAbee. --Tom Keogh

Rating : - One of my all time favorite films!
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.