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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#292: Musical Variations, Pt. 2 — Annette
#291: Musical Variations, Pt. 1 — One From The Heart
#290: Knight Visions, Pt. 2 — The Green Knight
#289: Knight Visions, Pt. 1 — Excalibur
#288: Interior Angles, Pt. 2 – Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain
#287: Interior Angles, Pt. 1 – Crumb
#286: The Summer of '69, Pt. 2: Summer of Soul
#285: The Summer of '69, Pt. 1: Woodstock (1970)
Bonus Episode: The State of Streaming Movies
#284: Immigrant Songs, Pt. 2 — In the Heights
#283: Immigrant Songs, Pt. 1 — West Side Story (1961)
#282: Survivors Down Under Pt. 2 — The Dry
#281: Survivors Down Under Pt. 1 — Picnic at Hanging Rock
#280: Window Watchers Pt. 2 — The Woman in the Window
#279: Window Watchers, Pt. 1: Rear Window
#278: Fighting Spirits, Pt. 2: Mortal Kombat (2021)
#277: Fighting Spirits, Pt. 1: Big Trouble In Little China
#276: One Wedding and a Funeral, Pt. 2 — Shiva Baby
#275: One Wedding and a Funeral, Pt. 1 — Rachel Getting Married
#274: Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Twice, Pt. 2 — Nobody
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