An absolute masterclass in what cinema, theatrics and performance can be, and Cinemaphile isn't even talking about it.
ASTEROID CITY
An absolute masterclass in what cinema, theatrics and performance can be, and Cinemaphile isn't even talking about it.
because it was astonishingly mediocre and also only just came put so nobody’s seen it yet (except me)
I bet you're looking forward to the next Fast and Furious movie too. Some great acting chops in that franchise
I love how you think Wes Anderson movies are above F&F movies.
They're in the same category.
If you want to watch a movie with actual depth watch some Fellini
>Fellini
way to out yourself as a poser
the subject is not old movies of dead people but comparison of current movies, my low IQ midwit friend
NTA and I like Wes Anderson a lot but Fellini is based too.
This. He should've used a more contemporary example, such as an honest modern auteur like Nicolas Winding Refn rather than Fellini.
>Refn
>honest
Nta but you sound full of yourself, it doesn't matter if a movie is old or current, Wes Anderson is in creative bankruptcy and is no different than any other franchise in hollywood, he is the McDonalds of art films
sling blade has more depth than anything you can name so frick you
take it easy Wes
>Oh you didn't like thing I like? You're probably an enjoyer of films!
>Cinemaphile
>watching and discussing kino
Pick one
Also
>getting warned for replying in off topic threads
Janny, if you're reading this I'd like to speak to your manager
it’s such bullshit, if they did their job we wouldn’t have a chance to reply
>getting warned for replying in off topic threads
It just happened to me too. Part and parcel of being an off-topic replier :^)
It's highly dishonest. You're better off saving your ticket and concession money for Oppenheimer.
>getting warned for replying in off topic threads
got a 3 day ban for making a thread about boat movies
i guess they finally ran out of homosexuals so they hire women now
how big is sophs part?
I saw it last night and quite enjoyed it. Certainly not his best but much better than most people are claiming.
She's barely in it, like less than a minutes worth of dialogue.
>Certainly not his best but much better than most people are claiming.
That is a low fricking bar, his movies are shit
Aw you liked the other guy's edit over mine.
i saved both!
Frick off i know it will be gay
Do they really perform this live for every viewing? How?
They live in-studio for the entire duration of the screenings and live in their costumes. A buzzer goes off when a showing is about to start, and they all get in place to act.
This is why most theaters generally have the same showtimes for this movie, and if not, the broadcast is delayed to make up for the time difference.
>Fellini
>Frenchoid
why are chuds so fricking dumb
I enjoyed it, especially the break out scene when the president cancelled the cancellation of lockdown and everyone pulled out Thompsons, a laser rifle and a jet pack. Funny as shit.
spoilers:
The fun I think is understanding the playwright's original written play. This is different from the play that was actually produced which is what we see in color. As they say in the balcony conversation between Auggie's actor and the woman actor the scene she recalled was cut due to running time. That scene was Auggie's dream encounter with his wife which is transformative and allows him to move forward by accepting her death/ accepting infinity.
Based on this information and other scenes, we can infer that in the playwright's original script involves all the characters having a transformative dream. The transformative nature of dreams can be interpreted as an encountering, wrestling with and integration of our deepest questions about existence. These problems cannot be resolved only on the surface in the waking mind as they are much more deeply rooted in our subconscious. These existentially transformative dreams are triggered by the cosmic mystery of the alien which is just a psychological catalyst.
Auggie's transformation cannot be more literal as his wife's ashes are physically left behind in Asteroid city.
hah, funny you posted the explanation I needed just before I made my post, this pretty much clears it all up for me thanks, what a great movie
It was really good, I enjoyed the visuals, it made me laugh a few times and it wasn't boring.
I just have one question that is spoilers.
What was the "You can't wake up if you don't go to sleep" part about? I feel like I missed the overall message of the movie despite managing to follow what was happening, made me feel a bit moronic but I did notice a chunk of reveiws outright called the movie incoherent, I don't agree with that like I said I followed what was happening, just feel like I don't understand it.
Oh also the special/practical effects where awesome, I loved the alien and ship design
NTA but
describes it pretty well.
SPOILERS
I see it as allowing your beliefs to be challenged. Some of the characters were atheist, some were Episcopalians but the alien and the asteroid challenges those beliefs about death that afterlife, and that we're not the only ones out there even in the solar system.
That's why it was so interesting when the Alien took the asteroid back. Only the people in asteroid city saw what took place in that town so their entire perception of what life is changed permanently and that's why the US government didn't want anybody to know about it.
Or atleast that what I got out of it.
has there ever been a cuter alien
Was it just my theater or was there something off about the sound mixing in the film? Whenever that tingly bells music was playing it was painfully loud compared to the dialogue.
I think something was off with your theater
This was undoubtedly Wes Anderson at his absolute worst. It felt like another director was attempting to replicate Anderson’s style from scratch. Like a shell of his typical work.
>too many characters: didn’t get the typical grandiose type introductions that Anderson is known for
>humour was forced: overtly dry - often to the point of cringe
>tried sooooo hard to be meta: I understand the premise of the film was that we were aware of the fourth wall, but this concept just increased the level of confusion surrounding the storyline
> israelite kid actor fricking sucked: this kid couldn’t act. And not in the quirky endearing way that young actors often bring to films. It felt like this kid was literally just picked off the street for the part. My friend described him as bad copy of Michael Cera. In order to be a believably awkward character you also have to be able to act.
Scarlett Johannson: she annoying as frick in this. I don’t know why really. Think her accents were shit and her character a bit bland. Not entirely her fault.
>Editing was off: I feel like Anderson has tried to further add quirkiness to this film by leaving certain scenes unedited to a large extent. There were scenes where I noticed some of the actors (notably Johansson) fumbled their lines or two actors would be speaking at the same time. Was just strange to me. It’s like trying to add a sense realism to a style of film that does not require it.
>Matt Dillon has one of the most underwhelming parts in the film. Great actor who deserves more recognition in the way of screen time. Perhaps he in post edit Anderson realised he wasn’t a good fit. It wasn’t just Dillon. There were plenty of unnecessary roles in this film that felt like they existed simply as a means to include more top-of-the-like actors.
I could go on, but I’ve listed some of the glaringly negative aspects of the film that I believe ruined it.
Easily Wes Anderson’s worst piece of art to date that I am aware of.
>I understand the premise of the film was that we were aware of the fourth wall, but this concept just increased the level of confusion surrounding the storyline
>Gets filtered by Brechtian stories
I think the israelite kid actor can act. The train scene when he was reading the letters to SJ was pretty good
>I understand the premise of the film
easily his worse film. looked good, but astonishingly boring. the entire b plot of the theater, particularly the end, was creepy and off putting. found myself constantly checking my watch during those bits. overall I wont watch it again which is a huge departure from his other films ive seen multiple times.
yeah by the end of it i realized it was actually pretty good. it's just a schtick about existentialism through the lens of playwright and player, actors on a stage
How come Sophia Lillis isn't on this poster?
Because she has 3 minutes of screentime and her character is irrelevant
Most of the characters are irrelevant. It could have been a stronger movie without >the teacher
>the young students
>the cowboys
>half of the brainiacs
Hardly any meaningful time was devoted to Edward Norton's character or Tom Hanks.
90% of the movie is written by Ed Norton's character and in his voice what are you talking about
That fricking staircase doesn't work in the perspective they are trying to pull off. It's driving me crazy.
maybe it's just a really shitty steep staircase (a ladder)
I think it's a ladder. Also I think Ethan hawke's daughter should be nude more.
>Cinemaphile isnt talking about a film being shown in 2 theaters.... TWO
gee i wonder why
It's being shown in 4 in my city alone anon.
painful color grading
I'm going to see it tonight.
Me personally, I have Wes Ander-slop fatigue.
>Tom Hanks
pass
And here I thought it was just another Wes Anderson movie.
I just saw it and I'm going to say, it is very complex and mediocre at the same time. I'm having a hard time outright saying it was good, but it was by no means bad. I think my favorite line was delivered by Jeff Goldblum, and the man is barely in the movie at all. Blink and you miss him. What I'm trying to make sense of was what was the whole point of jumping back and forth between stage and dream? What did that really add?
Contrast, of course. Necessary for perception you see.
This movie was Wes Anderson at his most whatever, and framing the movie as a play was a great way to make me not care about any of the characters or plot
Watching actors play actors in a play while also watching a film version of the same play was fricking stupid. Should have been one or the other.
I think it would've made a better movie if it was JUST the quirky 1950s desert city experience and not the hyper meta Dream within a Play angle. However, that said, I don't believe Wes was interested in making this a traditional movie. Like he has grown super bored of the formula and desperately wanted to shake things up.
My question is what does he think this adds to the experience? Like what is the point of this process and what message can viewers take away at all from this movie? I watched as a theater full of people (max occupancy 74) walked out in pure silence. No one asking what anyone thought, they didn't comment on what they liked, they just shuffled out of the theater and back to their cars. I started laughing as we were walking away because I have never seen a film have this kind of affect on people's enjoyment of the theater experience. Was he wanting to leave everyone gobsmacked going "that's it?" What do you want from us, Wes?
smooth brained morons
Once the dozen and a half retrospective youtube video essays drop in 10 years, they'll claim it was the best movie ever
>resorting to childish namecalling
lmao just close the thread bro
More of his movies use meta framing devices than you've noticed
theres a big difference
With both this and French Dispatch the framing device is the actual plot
The 2nd worst WA film by a large margin. French Dispatch is his worst film.
Schwartzman dropping his pants to frick Norton just set me up to think it was going to happen again. I assumed Scarlett Johansson and Tilda Swinton were both going to frick that little boy.
I thought it was cute the kids were the only ones who cared about the alien cause they don’t have any adult problems on their minds
>lived long enough to see Wes Anderson make a pleb filter
His other movies are so breezy, I didn’t expect this to be an enigma beyond its surface-level setting. I mean, it’s still really entertaining, but I’m not going to pretend YOU CAN’T WAKE UP IF YOU NEVER FALL ASLEEP YOU CAN’T WAKE UP IF YOU NEVER FALL ASLEEP didn’t take me by surprise. Now that’s a mic drop way to end a movie.
Why do ya'll homies hate French Dispatch so much. Easily my second favorite film from him
Liked the first segment and the wrap-around premise. Second segment was ok. Third segment was a little dry until the animation part which looked unappealingly cheap imo.
I like it quite a bit but the meta-ness makes it hard for me to have it really emotionally resonate with me like it is with others.
I really wanted more of June and Montana.
There was a tragic lack of everything in this film. They put nice thing in front of us and then barely utilized them before scooping them off the table, like action figures and a sixty dollar playset.
That's because the movie isn't about the things you want it to be about, and the things you think are important are not important to the movie.
Everything about the film was purposeful, it is you who is lacking.
Somehow I agree with both of you? I think it could have used maybe another two scenes, but every device was used to great effect and didn't really need anything else
Tennessee Norton committed suicide and Asteroid City was meant to be his swan song
What was the message?
>Wes Anderson: "Why am I doing this, really?"
You can’t wake up if you don’t go to sleep.
it was okay. held my attention better than french dispatch. will never see it again. reminded me of moonrise kingdom.
Even mid Wes is better than the majority of the slop to hit screens today
>majority white cast
>Cinemaphile doesn't discuss
>jews
>white
Tragically low standards from an ailing industry.
So what did the alien represent?
I dunno, lol
>the way he looked at us, it was like we were all doomed
I think this was all just meta commentary on the 1950s idyllic lifestyle.
a metaphor
Different things to different people.
I don't typically find tilda swinton attractive but she was really cute in this movie
Will I like it if I love every Wes Anderson film except Bottle Rocket because I haven't seen it yet and French Dispatch which I hated and made me fall asleep because I wasn't in the slightest engaged with it?
I haven't seen French Dispatch but I've loved every Wes film I've seen and I liked Asteroid City too. I don't think it's near his strongest (either Royal Tenenbaums or Life Aquatic probably for me) but quality all the same
Watched The French Dispatch because I had never seen it.
Liked quite a bit, though I don't think anything matches to be as interesting as story 1 compared to the others. 2 was ok and 3 I thought dragged just a little.
Crazy nobody is talking about Scarlett's nude scene.
Approved.
It wasn't her body.
pointless trolling
When she takes her clothes off Augie says they have "stunt doubles" for nude scenes in movies and there's a woman credited as "stunt double" in the end credits, including the quotation marks
Was it a body double when she was wearing that open robe? she has big boobies...
It was a body double
Saw threads a couple days ago, but I mean, we already got Under the Skin, and the shot in this was deliberately out of focus.
sad we had to wait 10 years for another scene, and it was so blurry :/
Like most of his films it's basically a grab bag of existentialist notions. Looking for a single point isn't really the thing to do. There are themes from the play production scenes, and there are other themes from the play too.
Probably the first Anderson I've enjoyed since Darjeeling to be honest guys. Maybe I'm a pleb.
I really liked it, my favorite part was the black and white bits and the alien
I don't understand the crazy reaction people are having. It's a really comfy movie. I've seen it 4 times already because I watch the 9:45 screening when I get off my theater shift.
It is really comfy, I was utterly blown away by just how nice the movie is, even though it covers some adult stuff, it was really good, I feel this very particular feeling with a lot of his films, he's really good at making comfy films
Wes is basically saying you should do LSD or mushrooms and go on a spirit journey to find your way in life and conquer your inner demons.
I would gladly do either of those if it wasn't hard for me to find someone who's already into that and can help me break into it.
It was bad and I love most of his movies. I liked the meta commentary and felt it should've went further with it. I liked Edward Norton's character not really giving a shit about the actual play and none of the actors knowing what it's about but it didn't feel super cohesive and made the actual Asteroid City parts feel pointless.
But I'm gay and have aids.
I heard it was fricking boring.
I figure that Wes's movies are enjoyed by people that also enjoy books.
My favorite scene was the conversation on the balcony with Margot Robbie. I feel like it was the true climax of the movie.
Great scene
Saw it last night. Levels below something like Grand Budapest. Honestly not sure if Wes knew what the frick he was doing for the ending, which is a shame as there was plenty to like in the first two acts.
I’ve only seen it once and probably have as many questions as you, but I take it as the writer of the play could have been influenced by a lot of things. Lots of stuff on the news with Russians and the Atomic Age causing a sense of fear in what should have been a peaceful post-war decade. Maybe his gay tendencies further contributed to a sense of paranoia in McCarthy America. His wife left him and he may have been suicidal (I don’t remember if they said he killed himself or not). All of this information was concentrated into a play about a desert town and an alien invader, but the thematic symbolism is so dense even the actors in it are having a tough time finding meaning. The audience may never know the specifics behind every odd inclusion in the play. Some information is lost (the wife scene being cut), some is purposely obscured (the writer thinking the hand burning scene works better without telling the audience why he does it), and some even the writer may not know consciously (the dream seminars revealing a deeper truth). The “wake up sheeple” mantra reminded me of people panicking in a 50s scifi movie, maybe that’s implying the play came across as a quirky tale about grief but the intended alarmist message was completely lost on the audience.
I don’t know. Maybe the alien landing was real and he’s hijacked the airwaves to broadcast this TV special ala They Live.
Why does she keep infantalizing herself like this? A Girl Scout uniform? Really? What's next? A cheerleaders outfit? Catholic schoolgirl? A sailor fuku?
is it the same le quirky camera angles and dialogue as grand budapest?
>Is it a Wes Anderson film
You must be at least 18 to use this site
alright but how many other directors have such a narrow schtick? once you've seen one wes anderson you've seen them all
and tbqh grand budapest had the characters and setting that best fit that type of movie
it really is a style best suited for quaint european towns with idyllic backdrops
You know, for how interesting this movie seemed while I was watching it, I can't remember much from it and I only saw it 2 days ago
you could call it dreamlike
now that you've had digestion time, why not try watching it again? you might find you get more out of it upon a second veiwing, people who insist upon only ever watching a film once confound me, how can you possibly have taken in everything in one go round? movies are multiple hours of information all at once, talk about information overload
I just saw it, it was not good.
Very meandering boring story, I think when they were loudly chanting "you can't wake up if you don't go to sleep" they were trying to wake up what would undoubtedly be a sleeping audience.
Didn't even come out in my country wth
Why did the car chase through Asteroid City keep happening? Was it a reference to Ed Norton's "catastrophic automobile accident" that the Host said he died in?
>I still don't understand the play.
>Doesn't matter. Just keep telling the story.