Stingray Sam (2009)

I love Corys work, The American Astronaut being one of my all time favourites, and Stingray Sam is just as good. The story, such as it is, follows the same dreamlike logic of TAA and one gets the feeling that its where the original inspiration came from. There are huge gaps in the plot and we are expected to take a lot for granted, but thats OK. I'm happy to sacrifice a little character development in favour of moving the story forward, in this case to the next episode. The six episodes that make up the film are perfect little movie-ettes in their own right, reminiscent of the old western series from the 60's and 70's, the ones that used to get shown on a Saturday afternoon.The ridiculous characters and absurd situations Sam and his companion, the never reliable Crugie, find themselves in can often only be resolved by song and dance, neither of which make any sense or are in any way appropriate to the circumstances, hence the dreamlike quality to his films. If you wan't plot led big bangs then look elsewhere. If you want storytelling from an entirely unique perspective them this is the film for you. An absolute gem.

I,m giving S.S. a 9 so I can dole out the tens for future projects by this Actor/director/singer etc. Very slick, episodic art film, great characters with a simple premise. Sam is a modern grind-house piece that hooks the viewer from the first GO-GO dance to the finale. This is the kind of film that will have novice film makers running crazy in the streets(or it should)with lines like "You got olive juice on my asking stick" and the longest secret handshake in cinematic history how can you go wrong. Whether staged or naturally charming, the latter I think, S.S.deserves the highest accolades for being tacky and fun in the best way.

Stingray Sam is great reflection on North American culture through the ages. Presented in a series of episodes (it was never supposed to be a feature, but more of an ol' fashion serial - it's even shot in black and white), each segment contains a good series of jokes and gags in a different location and a unique song for each (which, for the most part, are really catchy). The framework of the story involves two outlaws, Stingray Sam and the Quazar Kid, who are sent to on a mission to rescue the daughter of a famous carpenter (in this reality everyone can become famous if they're good at what they do, even carpenters). That's basically it. And it's great. The special effects are campy, but they're supposed to be. It's all part of the charm and it never takes away from how clever the whole thing is (the story of how The Quazar Kid and Stingray Sam become outlaws is top-notch satire). I really think some of the people commenting on Stingray Sam just aren't familiar enough with the references to understand its aim. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a catchy song and seeing golden-age pop culture skewered.

This film plays with American culture. It is filled with singing cowboys, an old-time Hollywood serial framework, sci-fi adventures, glam rock, and throws in some social commentary.It would be for naught however, if the film did not have an interesting story and characters with whom one could empathize.The music was also interesting, enjoyable, and fun. The Billy Nayer Show provides the music. Wikipedia describes the band as "of questionable genre." I have to agree but it is in a very good way.It is an odd film, with some odd characters and odd music. And that is quite wonderful.