D.I.Y. Spies & Sci-Fi: Arts + Words: Joel Wicklund: CenterstageChicago.com

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D.I.Y. Spies & Sci-Fi

Grand visions on a budget.

Wednesday May 04, 2005. By Joel Wicklund

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With "independent film" an increasingly vague term applied equally to modestly budgeted productions from "boutique" branches of major studios (Miramax, Fox Searchlight, Focus Features, etc.) and credit card-funded films shot in your neighbors' basements, maybe we should borrow a term from the arts & crafts world to distinguish truly independent movies from simply anything smaller than "Star Wars: Episode 3."

D.I.Y., or do-it-yourself, may not be a perfect fit considering that the technical and logistical complexities of filmmaking often demand that "yourself" consist of a small army. The advent of digital video and other increasingly accessible technology has made personal filmmaking closer to the ideal of the music world, but as a working philosophy D.I.Y. can apply to any film made outside of a corporate structure and without box office consideration interfering with creative choices.

Usually, the limited budgets of D.I.Y. productions demand a modest scale, be it the intimate experimental dramas of a filmmaker like Jon Jost ("All the Vermeers in New York") or a novel entertainment like "The Blair Witch Project," a D.I.Y. production that became a surprise mainstream blockbuster. But some "handmade" films have surprisingly grand visions.

"The American Astronaut" (2001) takes the viewer to Jupiter, Venus, an asteroid saloon and a floating space barn, all on a budget that wouldn't pay for Jennifer Lopez's wardrobe. There is no special effects razzle-dazzle here, of course. Writer, director, composer and star Cory McAbee gives us a dingy, ramshackle universe, though one with a beautiful sheen thanks to the great black-and-white cinematography.

McAbee plays a space trucker for hire in a future where the genders rarely seem to mix. He's hired to take a case with cloning material that will result in a "real live girl" to the slave labor planet of Jupiter. The nerdy taskmaster in charge of Jupiter takes it in exchange for The Boy Who Actually Saw a Woman's Breast (yes, that appears to be his name as well as a description), a 16-year-old who dresses like a cross between a Roman centurion and Mercury. The Boy in turn is taken to Venus, where the female population is waiting for a replacement for their lone man and breeding tool. Complicating the astronaut's mission is the murderous Professor Hess (a scene-stealing Rocco Sisto), who disintegrates nearly everyone who crosses his path after demanding they sing "Happy Birthday" to him.

If the plot isn't crazy enough, the film is also a musical, with songs ranging from the amusingly strange to solid rockers performed by McAbee's band, the Billy Nayer Show. Taken all together, "The American Astronaut" gives off a playful vibe while demonstrating some real stylistic ambition. McAbee's influences can be spotted easily enough: David Lynch, Guy Maddin and Jim Jarmusch come immediately to mind. But while he may not be a total original, McAbee borrows with panache and does right by his offbeat inspirations.

"The American Astronaut" gets a first-rate treatment on the DVD from McAbee's own BNS label. Extras include test footage; storyboard, poster and promotional art galleries; production stills; and more. The most original bonus feature is a "live" director's commentary in which McAbee discusses the film in front of a crowd intercut with the movie itself. Unfortunately, on some DVD players this feature results in an annoying "multi-angle" icon that appears even when you watch the film without the commentary.

If "The American Astronaut" represents the edgier side of D.I.Y. film, "Redboy 13" (1997) shows the underground emulating the mainstream with delightful results. Four years before Robert Rodriguez gave us "Spy Kids," fellow Austin filmmaker Marcus van Bavel brought us a 13-year-old super-spy in this campy and endearingly cheap offering.

Redboy is a typical junior high kid until he is sent away to a military camp where he is handpicked as a secret agent by Colonel Calcan (Robert Logan, channeling Clint Eastwood in amusing fashion). Life is never the same after that as his missions pit him against the evil Dr. Heimlich Manure (van Bavel in one of three roles) and land him in the dangerous wilds of Murkinagua.

Corny? Oh yeah, and it gets much more so. But it's also quite funny at times, both in its homage to big-budget spy films (the Bond-styled opening credits are a hoot) and tossed-off lines like "That information is so classified, I'm not even allowed to think about it."

OK, it's not "Spy Kids." Aside from the tens of millions that Rodriguez had at his disposal (compared to the tens of thousands spent on "Redboy 13"), he seems to be a more talented writer and director than van Bavel. After all, Rodriguez's breakthrough film, "El Mariachi," was made for even less than "Redboy 13," so he's no slouch when it comes to D.I.Y. filmmaking either.

But there is plenty of charm in van Bavel's bargain basement action epic and considering the production's limitations, its ambition is nothing less than epic. Shot in CinemaScope, with some pretty nifty sets and a couple of crane shots for good measure, "Redboy 13" never really comes close to the big studio gloss it aims for, but that doesn't matter. Even with the occasionally sluggish pacing, some annoying supporting characters, and visual effects reminiscent of early Atari games, this goofy little spoof is impossible to dislike.

The "Redboy13" DVD comes with 23 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage, a few brief outtakes, and an audio commentary by the director. Too bad Vanguard Cinema didn't appreciate the movie enough to letterbox it so its widescreen dimensions could remain intact. Cropped for full frame, huge portions of this inventive little treasure remain unseen on the DVD. It's a crime that suggests Dr. Heimlich Manure is still at large and working at Vanguard.

Films featured in DVDetours™ may be difficult to find at many video stores but are widely available from some of the online rental services, such as Netflix, Green Cine, QwikFliks and Blockbuster Online. Inventories vary from company to company and DVDetours has no connection to any of these services.

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