Michael Ledo The film originally had the hideous title, "The Land of the Astronauts." There is a feeling of impending doom throughout the film. The music, lighting and unshaven look of our star Jack Mackenzie (David Arquette) all work in unison to give us a noir feel. Jack is a Hollywood composer who has fallen from grace. He desires to get back with his divorced wife (Carla Ortiz) and child Kate (Jacqueline Mackenzie). He attends AA meetings, was involved in an accident were someone died and now works as a limo driver.The limo he is driving was the scene of a brutal murder where a limo driver cut the throat of his wife. Hitch (David Jean Thomas) who reminds us of a creepy Morgan Freeman, shows Jack the photos. He also collects items left behind in limos. Jack is also attempting a comeback. He has issues with his landlady (Lin Shaye) who wants a part in a film. While at an AA meeting, Jack meets the noir femme fatale Erica Long (Bijou Phillips). She is a model, singer, and actress attempting to pay her bills. Ironically she appears on vodka ads. Jack is inspired by her and quickly falls in love. They hit it off and seem to become soul mates, but alas Erica is clearly a girl Jack should not love.We know something is going to happen and every tidbit clue that the film feeds us will all cleverly tie together. The goal is to figure it out before the film tells us. And then the end happens and you are suddenly tasked with trying to figure out what just happened. Enjoyable, but not for everyone.PARENTAL GUIDE: F-bomb, brief nudity (lady in window)

Kurt Vandemaele My high quotation has something to do with the ridiculously low quotation that was given to this film. I wanted to see it, because Carl Colpaert has made some very interesting films in the past. He's a filmmaker who single-handedly set up a production-company, Cineville, that specializes in alternative films. If a film has too much content to be considered commercial, then Cineville is likely to be interested to produce this film. Cineville makes films with small budgets and big ideas. And 'Land of Astronauts' is one of these films, in which David Arquette gets the opportunity to do the kind of acting all actors dream about. He's a man who had some real bad luck in life. He doesn't play the man like a down-and out loser. His character is a composer who's still trying to make it in Hollywood, but while even big name-actors believe in his talent, life isn't treating him very nice. Hollywood is a place that is really hard to people who don't have the luck of the stars. Jack MacKenzie is a composer that is played by Arquette. He wrote the excellent music for a big sci-fi film, 'Land of Astronauts', but the film flopped at the box-office, while Jack wasn't spoiled by reality before : he lost a daughter and his wife left him with his other daughter. Now he's surviving as a limo-driver, driving people around who used to be his collaborators. He remains human, and does all he can to become the man he used to be. He's on the wagon, is sober now, and regularly attends the AA-meetings. It looks like he's going to recover. The big-name actor he's driving around, Tom Bower, even seems interested in his music. Or at least, that's what he's pretending.But one can't keep trying. Sooner or later, the truth takes revenge. Living in a world of appearances and false pretenses, he doesn't seem to believe reality anymore. He's real, that's a certainty, but whether Bijou Phillips and many others are what we see, one doesn't really know. Cause in a world where everyone tries so hard to make others believe things that aren't real, one doesn't know anymore. Though 'Land of Astronauts' may not be a masterwork, it certainly is a movie that deserves to be watched.

dontbfrad Not sure what this was but I sort of like it. The director uses some weird surrealistic kind of moods and certain things don't make sense and I can't tell if it was on purpose or not. It's very awkward and unsettling. Lin Shay is very funny as the old lady and David Arquette is good and very emotional as the main character but is he crazy, depressed? Insane? Dreaming? There's murder and music and drama and comedy. The girl is very good and she has a nice voice.At times it's very cheap looking and other times it looks pretty good. Especially for the low budget this clearly had.But I kind of had fun at the screening even though I didn't fully understand it.

storyofc Land of the Astronauts is fun. It's an art film. How often does that happen? Credits rolled, lights came up... I was in a strange mood. I appreciate the fact that it had an effect on me, like one of those textured segue songs on NPR or some ambient PBS special about space, or secondhand pot smoke in a small European car. The film made me want to sit in Elysian Park and contemplate loss and reinvention while staring at the LA skyline. Maybe listen to Pink Floyd or Brian Eno for a few days. The music and talent are great. My favorites to watch were David Arquette and Bijou Phillips and Tom Bower and Lin Shaye. Yay green face Shaye! I look forward to seeing another story from Carl and his team.