TheAstronautFarmer Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Mark and Michael Polish may not be as well-known a fraternal filmmaking pair as Joel and Ethan Coen, but they could out-weird the Coens any day of the week. Their films range from virtually inscrutable (Northfork) to very strange (Twin Falls Idaho) to merely offbeat (The Astronaut Farmer), but it's clear they won't be getting hired to direct the sequel to Alvin and the Chipmunks. So instead, they've formed their own production company, Prohibition Films, and are shooting two new projects back-to-back.

The first is entitled Manure, a title they should reconsider if only to make lazy film critics' jobs a little harder. Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Tea Leoni, and my man Kyle MacLachlan, the movie will explore the world of manure salesmen in 1960's heartland America. Upon reading that I frowned for a moment, but then realized that had you asked me who would be most likely to write and direct a movie about manure salesmen in 1960's heartland America, I would unhesitatingly have said the Polish Brothers.

The debate over the difference between mainstream and independent movies has raged for decades. The line has blurred more and more over the years as so-called independent companies began financing multi-million dollar films like The English Patient or Fargo, which were still labeled as "independents." To make things more complicated, what does one call a movie made by an independent filmmaker for a mainstream audience, say Steven Soderbergh's Out of Sight, Richard Linklater's School of Rock or Spike Lee's Inside Man? I'd argue that we could call it an acceptable compromise between personal vision and entertainment, and a case in which everybody wins.

That's also the case with Michael and Mark Polish's The Astronaut Farmer. It's the fourth film by the identical twins, who write all their screenplays together and appeared together in their debut, Twin Falls Idaho (1999). Subsequently, Michael has established himself as a director, while Mark has taken on acting roles. Their three previous films, which include Jackpot (2001) and Northfork (2003), certainly cannot be classified as "mainstream." A familiar collection of odd, beautiful wanderers and losers populate their frames, from Siamese twins, to a traveling, professional Karaoke singer and a pair of mysterious, black-suited agents charged with evacuating the site of a future lake. This time the hero of their film does not fit in with this crowd and we have the makings of an American hero: a man who launches his own rocket into space.

We have an exclusive first look at three photos from the new Billy Bob Thornton flick The Astronaut Farmer. The movie tells the tale of Charles Farmer (Thornton), a one-time aspiring astronaut who, in the face of a family crisis, dropped out of the Air Force -- effectively ending his chances of joining the NASA training program. But rather than give up on his dream, Farmer builds his own rocket in the barn of his Story, Texas, ranch, hoping to one day launch said projectile into space. Will he succeed? Or will his efforts crash and burn? Only time (the film flies into theaters Feb. 23) and a $10 movie ticket will tell. Click on the pics below for larger versions.

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GET IT: More about The Astronaut Farmer

SEE IT: Watch the trailer now

While many dog lovers pride themselves on owning a pure-bred animal, I've always been a fan of the mutt, the mongrel, the "Heinz 57 different varieties" if you will. A pure-bred has many fine qualities, but a mixed breed draws its traits from a greater pool of resources. If you've read previous installments of Trailer Park you know how we like to link the trailers together with a common theme. This week, though, I came across five truly noteworthy trailers that don't have a thing in common. Nothing. Nada. Bupkis. And it's the fact that these trailers' strengths lie in such divergent areas that makes the group so interesting as a whole. I give you Trailer Park: The Mongrel Edition.

The Astronaut Farmer
Billy Bob Thornton plays a farmer who is building a rocket in his back yard and is planning to launch himself into space. His loving and mostly supportive wife is played by Virginia Madsen. The locals think he's crazy, and he's recruited his children to help with the project, with his 15-year-old son manning mission control. This one's a head scratcher. It's either going to be an inspiring tale of a man with a can-do attitude, or a cloying pile of schmaltz. Erik Davis first told us about this one back in August of 2005.

Don't get me wrong -- I dig Billy Bob.  There's this kind of quiet attraction I have towards the roles he chooses; the bad Santa; the bad bear; the bad thief and the man who wasn't there. His latest role, in which he will play a do-it-yourself astronaut building a rocket out of his barn, is no exception. In The Astronaut Farmer, Thornton takes on a character at war with not only his wacky imagination, but also neighbors, the government and media attention.  Shooting in New Mexico beginning next month, "the film will be the 29th production to have shot in the state since it introduced its tax incentives in 2003." How about that; a film that takes place on a farm is actually being shot – on a real farm.  Two brothers, Mark and Michael Polish wrote the script with the latter attached to direct.