As filmmakers, Wes Anderson and Charlie Kaufman have distinct styles without a lot of obvious overlap, but Anderson’s new ASTEROID CITY and Kaufman’s 2008 directorial debut SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK share a central concern — the struggle to create art — that invites a degree of self-awareness and metatextuality that plays well with both of those distinct styles. So after attempting to pull apart the layers of ASTEROID CITY’s play-within-a-play-within-a-TV-production-within-a-movie, we return to SYNECDOCHE to compare the different ends to which these filmmakers apply their respective meta moves, the ways they deploy their sprawling ideas and even more sprawling casts, and how each navigates the overlapping worlds of theater and film. Then in Your Next Picture Show, we share a few thoughts on another film we considered for this week’s pairing.
Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK, ASTEROID CITY, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.
Next Pairing: John Carney’s ONCE and Celine Song’s PAST LIVES
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#425: Playing the Hits, Pt. 1 — The Stunt Man
#424: Mixed Doubles, Pt. 2 — Challengers
#423: Mixed Doubles, Pt. 1 — Y Tu Mamá También
#422: Alex Garland's Catastrophic Visions, Pt. 2 — Civil War
#421: Alex Garland's Catastrophic Visions, Pt. 1 — 28 Days Later
#420: Final Cuts, Pt. 2 — Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World
#419: Final Cuts, Pt. 1 — The Player
#418: Crimes of Passion, Pt. 2 — Love Lies Bleeding
#417: Crimes of Passion, Pt. 1 — Bound
#416: Ethan Coen Co-Capers, Pt. 2 — Drive-Away Dolls
#415: Ethan Coen Co-Capers, Pt. 1 — Raising Arizona
#414: Beach Bummers, Pt. 2 — How to Have Sex
#413: Beach Bummers, Pt. 1 — Where the Boys Are (1960)
#412: Road Trip Trios, Pt. 1 — The Holdovers
#411: Road Trip Trios, Pt. 1 — The Last Detail
#410: Hunting Games, Pt. 2 — Self Reliance
#409: Hunting Games, Pt. 1 — The 10th Victim
#408: Succession, Pt. 2 — The Iron Claw
#407: Succession, Pt. 1 — The Godfather
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