Asteroid City (2023)

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1. 

   jeroeno

   Jeff Goldblum is great in this. 9 months 1 week ago
2. 

   MrW

   This is **** magnificent.
   
   I love how almost every composition, every whip pan, and every aspect ratio change is a little joke or visual pun or running gag. No filmmaker since Tati has made such wonderful comedy out of cinematic language itself. And this is really bloody funny at times, including what may be, IMO the funniest sequence in the Anderson filmography (you'll know the one when you see it). Also, I adore the setting and how unabashedly Anderson embraces the theatricality of the piece - right up to framing it all as a 'play within a film'.
   
   Was initially not sure about the framing story here, but I think as it progresses, it becomes a genuinely moving and uplifting story about the collaborative nature of art and storytelling and how something special can emerge out of all these people coming together almost by fluke. It also feels like a post-pandemic movie, in the sense of quarantine being such a central part of the 'a-plot', but also that sense of bringing all these amazing people together to just, well, make something. There's also a lot of heart in that 'a-plot' - it's as utterly deadpan and surface-level chilly as any Anderson film, but as it goes on it becomes full of burgeoning romance, surprising kinships, and even a look at people overcoming grief. If you thought French Dispatch was too clinical, there's probably more for you here.
   
   That said, I'm not sure it'll have the extra-wide appeal of Grand Budapest, and it's an insular-looking film in some ways - there's certainly a sense of Anderson looking at and reflecting on his own creative process, and going deeper than ever on his stylistic eccentricities (it's a cliche to say it's the most Wes Anderson Wes Anderson has ever been... but the man only ever doubles down). There's a lot of film here to chew on, and it's a movie where some a-listers and brilliant character actors get only a scene (maybe even a shot) or two. Like every Anderson film, there's the sense that a rewatch is needed to full process the sheer volume of imagery and gags and - in this case - themes on display. But I for one couldn't get enough of it, and I'd easily put it in my top 3-5 Anderson joints. 10 months ago
3. 

   xianjiro

   loved the road runner 7 months 1 week ago

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