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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#331: Once Upon a Toon In Hollywood, Pt. 2 – Chip 'n' Dale: Rescue Rangers
#330: Once Upon a Toon in Hollywood Pt. 1 — Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
#329: Into the Raimiverse, Pt. 2: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
#328: Into the Raimiverse, Pt. 1: Army of Darkness
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#325: Multiple Choice, Pt. 2 — Everything Everywhere All At Once
#324: Multiple Choice, Pt. 1 — Blind Chance
#323: Tex-Mess, Pt. 2 — X (2022)
#322: Tex-Mess, Pt. 1 — The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
#321: Bye, Robot Pt. 2 — After Yang
#320: Bye, Robot Pt. 1 — A.I. Artificial Intelligence
#319: No Time to Dye, Pt. 2 — Kimi
#318: No Time to Dye, Pt. 1 — Run Lola Run
#317: Star Crossed Pt. 2 — Marry Me
#316: Star Crossed, Pt. 1 — Notting Hill
#315: Toil and Trouble Pt. 2 — The Tragedy of Macbeth (2022)
#314: Toil and Trouble Pt. 1 — Throne of Blood
#313: Tales as Old as Time, Pt. 2 — Belle (2021)
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