Wizard-8 I found a copy of this movie paired on the same DVD with the 1997 Gary Cole movie "Santa Fe". It was an apt pairing, because I found both movies to be extremely strange (though each was strange in its own original way.) Anyway, on to "American Strays"... As others here have pointed out, there is a strong Quentin Tarantino feeling to this movie, with its multiple stories and its quirky characters. Admittedly, with the movie jumping from one story to another every few minutes, the movie certainly never gets dull. But all the same, at the end the movie is somewhat unsatisfying. I think a big problem with the movie is that many of the characters are TOO quirky, coming across as live action cartoon characters instead of believable yet quirky people. Another problem is that while the movie tries to bring all the stories together at the end, there are two stories that don't really have a connection to the other stories that unfold during the movie. This movie really needed a few more rewrites before filming started. It's not an awful movie - as I said, it's not boring - but its unsatisfying edge will probably turn off a mass audience. In the end, the only people who will probably embrace the movie warts and all are those who are big fans of quirky low budget independent movies.

tedg Quentin Tarantino gets under my skin, where Richard Rodriguez does not. Its a corner of myself I do not quite understand. If you have QT wonder, this could help.Tarantino places the viewer as a sort of museum visitor. He has this virtual video store of references, sometimes well arranged. You are not supposed to actually experience anything; you are supposed to slowly walk by while they blast something out, coming to meet you. Its cinema by advertising, experience by push.I like it better when a filmmaker builds something I can enter; it doesn't matter whether it is an escape or not. If he builds niches for me to enter and explore, if he invites or teases me in, then I commit, I invest, I experience and am changed somehow.This apparently trivial movie does that. Its just as brutally comic as the QT school, with its faux quaintness and engineered humor. It also avoids the challenge of long form film-making by assembling numerous small stories. It similarly is a pastiche of references from other, real films, films with actual identity. But it works.Three real stories here, all love stories. The suicidal loser who gets the sexy traveler; the outresourced husband who "finds" his wife and place again; and the two serial killers who find each other and ride off together. They are stitched by common local, similar upholstery and a temporally but not spatially shared climax.Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

Jeffrey Johnson This movie is basically a satire of the American west and the crazy people who live there - here in my case.Contrary to some other reviewers - the script of this movie is a work of art - the acting nothing short of total excellence.It's the kind of movie that deserves an academy award - much like Mullholland Drive did - but the academy seldom gives awards too truly brilliant movies.I'm not writing this review to explain the plot - but just too put some words down on paper stating how really good this movie is.Perhaps if anything the movie - the script - the acting - is all too beautiful - too intelligent and too brilliant - because apparently some people - some reviewers - lack a soul or have an empty one and simply can not see outwardly what does not exist within.The mesmerizing acting of Jennifer Tilly is worth the price of admission in itself - but all the acting in this movie goes beyond just good.

insightstraight Finally got down to "American Strays" in the to-be-watched stack. And I feel as though it should have occupied more space in the stack, because it strikes me as actually being 3 films rather than one.Before proceeding, I will say that I was impressed by the cinematography/lighting throughout the work. Occasionally self-conscious, but overall creative and effective. The director has a good feel for the relation of camera to subject.I can also see how the director was able to draw together such a diverse and impressive cast. Each role held some attraction for actors who care more about acting than about money. Eric Roberts is especially noteworthy playing against type.However, the production itself is schizophrenic, with the ultimate result of distracting one from the finely done details.***SPOILERS AHEAD***"American Strays" is 3 perfectly decent short films forced together to make a feature-length film. The only relational concept is the theme of guns empowering violence (and feelings of empowerment).Film 1 involves the travelling vacuum cleaner salesman, Film 2 is the suicidal youth who hires someone to help kill him, and Film 3 is the many-threads-converging-to-a-finale. Films 1 and 2 share only the desert setting with Film 3; neither is otherwise related to the other two.If Film 1 were filtered out of the rest it would make a charming little oddball 20-30 min. film. (I would encourage the shorter length -- some of the scenes felt stretched and some trimming would add punch.)Film 2 I personally found meaningless/pointless. But it would have much cleaner effect if it stood alone.And Film 3 -- if Film 3 were trimmed a bit and played a bit broader, it would be a brilliant memorable satire which answers the question: "What would happen if you brought the genres of Pulp Fiction, gangstas, Natural Born Killers, Reservoir Dogs and average-man-pushed-too-far together?" The sort of film you share with your film-loving friends, so you can congratulate yourselves and each other for recognizing all the references.As fond as I am of Frankenstein, I still cannot wholeheartedly recommend this assemblage of parts. The sutures show too strongly.The director is obviously thoughtful and talented; the cinematography/lighting, set dressing, and characterizations are all quite effective.But I feel each of these films deserved to be seen separately and judged upon their own merits, rather than being forced to share the screen.