The Astronaut's Wife

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popUp(URL,NAME) { amznwin=window.open(URL,NAME,'location=yes,scrollbars=yes,status=yes,toolbar=yes,resizable=yes,width=380,height=450,screenX=10,screenY=10,top=10,left=10'); amznwin.focus();} document.open(); document.write("<a href=javascript:popUp('http://buybox.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=reelmoviecriticc&link_code=xsc&creative=23424&camp=2025&path=/dt/assoc/tg/aa/xml/assoc/-/0780628551/reelmoviecriticc/ref=ac_bb1_,_amazon')><img src=http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/associates/remote-buy-box/buy1.gif border=0 alt='Buy from Amazon.com' ></a>"); document.close(); </script> <noscript> <form method="POST" action="http://buybox.amazon.com/o/dt/assoc/handle-buy-box=0780628551"> <input type="hidden" name="asin.0780628551" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="tag-value" value="reelmoviecriticc"> <input type="hidden" name="tag_value" value="reelmoviecriticc"> <input type="image" name="submit.add-to-cart" value="Buy from Amazon.com" border="0" alt="Buy from Amazon.com" src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/associates/add-to-cart.gif"> </form> </noscript>  <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="592" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="588"><div> <B>The Astronaut's Wife * (R)</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="588"><div> <B>Review by George O. Singleton</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="588"><div> <B>Cast</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="588"><div> <B>Johnny Depp: Spencer Armacost</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="588"><div> <B>Charlize Theron: Jillian Armacost</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="588"><div> <B>oe Morton: Sherman Reese</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="588"><div> <B>Directed by Rand Ravich     </B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 ><NOBR><div> <B>Good take off, great space flight, makes crash landing</B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> <B>Bottom Line:</B> During a space walk, two astronauts are out of radio communications for two minutes. Aliens invade their bodies and when the astronauts return to Earth, they impregnate their wives. The wives fight back against the aliens when they realize their children will not be normal humans.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Story Line:</B> Jillian (Charlize Theron) is the beautiful schoolteacher wife of astronaut Spencer Armacost (Johnny Depp). She becomes alarmed when NASA loses radio contact with the astronauts but they return safely and are welcomed as heroes. The first two signs that Spencer has changed are his resignation from NASA and acceptance of a corporate job in New York City. That hits two biggies on his "don't do, don't like list," a desk job instead of flying and living in a big northern city.</div> <bR> <div> Jill agrees to relocate to NYC and feels almost like a non-swimmer in the deep end of an Olympic pool. Spencer's lovemaking changes from hot and passionate to intensely physical and emotionally distant. Her intuition tells her that something is wrong and it's confirmed when Sherman Reese (Joe Morton), a fired NASA analyst, contacts her. He shows Jill a recording from space, that has the voices of the two astronauts, as well as a third recording, which he is convinced is an alien rather than a spurious radio signal. </div> <bR> <div> As Jill aggressively searches out the truth, she has the inevitable confrontation with Spencer. "The Astronaut's Wife" has the same problem of many science fiction films that try to blend modern day life into the story and still have some type of reasonable conclusion that the viewer can accept. Jill must find a way to be victorious over the alien in both the human and non-human form. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell Me More: </B>Whenever you see movie trailers, posters and newspaper advertising, particularly featuring well known actors, yet there are no reviews on Friday by film critics, place a big bet that the picture's a dog. In that situation, the studio senses (and really knows) that the critics will "across the board" boo, hiss and use whatever negative indicator they have to tell you to skip it. What the studios justifiably want to do is recover whatever sunken money they have and run. Such was the case with this film. Widespread, critical "thumbs down" is free advertising no studio wants.</div> <bR> <div> Although I don't have a major problem with profanity, sex or violence, I do when it is gratuitous. By that I mean it's there to get an "R" rating, hoping to pull in the young adults over 18. The "f" word was used here almost as much as common phrases like "he said" and "she said" for no special reason.  I probably noticed it more mid-way through the film, after it started to implode with a plot that found itself on a slippery slope…starting out great and going downhill fast.  </div> <bR> <div> The look of the film is great, I like the actors, and the plot is essentially sound and quite interesting. Probably the best way to sum up "The Astronaut's Wife" is that it tantalizes with the expectation of a prime cut porterhouse steak but delivers meat so tough that when you chew it you get a headache. When I left the theater I was spinning so much I could barely get to my car.</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="592" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="588"><div> R (language; sexual; violence)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="588"><div> George O. Singleton © 1999</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="588"><div> <A HREF="mailto:george@reelmoviecritic.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:george@reelmoviecritic.com"><U><U>George@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> Mini Filmography</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="593" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="293"><div> Johnny Depp: <I><B>From Hell</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="293"><div> Joe Morton: "<I><B>Lone Star"</B></I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="293"><div> Charlize Theron: <I><B>Trapped</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="293"><div> Rand Ravich: The Maker</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>