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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#350: McDonagh's Discontented Duos Pt. 1 — In Bruges
#349: Conduct Unbecoming, Pt. 2 — TÁR
#348: Conduct Unbecoming, Pt. 1 — Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
#347: Internal Affairs, Pt. 2 — Decision to Leave
#346: Internal Affairs, Pt. 1 — Brief Encounter
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#344: The Unvarnished Sleuth Pt. 1: The Long Goodbye
#343: Talkin' Tolkien, Pt. 2: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
#342: Talkin' Tolkien, Pt. 1: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
#341: Djinn Expression, Pt. 2 — Three Thousand Years of Longing
#340: Djinn Expression, Pt. 1 — The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
#339: Close Encounters, Pt. 2 — Nope
#338: Close Encounters, Pt. 1 — The War of the Worlds (1953)
#337: Human/Nature, Pt. 2 — Fire of Love
#336: Human/Nature, Pt. 1 — Grizzly Man
#335: In Baz Taste, Pt. 2 — Elvis
#334: In Baz Taste, Pt. 1 — Moulin Rouge!
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#332: Life Finds a Way, Pt. 1 — Jurassic Park
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