Film Review: “Asteroid City”

Wes Anderson’s latest is a multi-layered delight

I’d like to kick off this review with a question: what makes a Wes Anderson film the “most” Wes Anderson? Perhaps, objectively speaking, any Wes Anderson film, upon its release, is the “most” Wes Anderson, since that’s the project he’s put his latest ideas, artistry, and effort into. The unfairly subjective angle of this ranking, however, would require prioritizing Wes Anderson’s trademarks: the color palette, the quirkiness, the unique characters, and the cast size. Asteroid City, Anderson’s eleventh feature film as director, is, without a doubt, the “most”…. nah, I’m just kidding. Asteroid City represents a maturation in many respects, utilizing a multi-layered framing device to tell an oddball story about artistry, but with an emotional underbelly.

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Film Review: Disconnect

Hope  Davis, Jason Bateman, and Haley Ramm in "Disconnect."
Hope Davis, Jason Bateman, and Haley Ramm in Disconnect

 

In the vein of Crash, Grand Canyon, and Babel, Disconnect, director Henry-Alex Rubin’s riveting drama that opens today, introduces us to seemingly disparate characters whose stories intersect as the film progresses. Each of the story arcs is a provocative variation on the theme of yes, disconnectedness  – both physical and emotional  – in today’s increasingly wired, technology-saturated, online world.

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