SNAPSHOT
Wes Anderson’s latest film Asteroid City takes place in a fictional American desert town circa 1955. The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events. Asteroid City is directed by acclaimed American filmmaker Wes Anderson, of the films Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs, and The French Dispatch previously. (He also has The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar next.) The screenplay is written by Roman Coppola and Wes Anderson. It’s produced by Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, and Steven Rales. (courtesy First Showing)
Wes Anderson is one a small group of filmmakers for whom I will drop everything – not literally, and not quickly because LIFE, but I will make time in my busy schedule to see his films at the cinema without exception so same, same? – to see whatever he makes.
I adore quirky, clever, visually and emotionally rich storytelling and Anderson delivers on this in spades, with films like Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs and The French Dispatch making going to the movies exactly the kind of meaningful escapism it should be.
The arrival of any Wes Anderson film should be greeted with glee and delight and so it will be Asteroid City, and excitingly later on this year, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, the second of Anderson’s movies based on a Roald Dahl’s story (the first was Fantastic Mr. Fox in 2009) which comes out on Netflix.
Asteroid City opens 17 June in USA and 22 June in Australia.