ASTEROID CITY

Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Jeffrey Wright, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Maya Hawke, Rupert Friend

There’s no mistaking a Wes Anderson film from his centrally framed shots to his intricate choices in color palettes to the zany characters. Anderson’s style continues with his latest ensemble film Asteroid City. Bryan Cranston acts as the host and narrator of this story presenting the inner workings of the double narrative that Wes Anderson has created. As the Host, Cranston reminds us that Asteroid City does not exist. The characters are fictional. The year is 1955 and Asteroid City is a small, western town in the middle of the desert that happens to be the location of a meteor landing. Its infamy has led to a three day celebration for young star gazers and space cadets to witness and celebrate space. Off in the distance, tests are being done with the atomic bomb. Jason Schwartzman is a frequent collaborator with Wes Anderson and plays Auggie Steenbeck who arrives in Asteroid City with his three daughters and son. He’s a war-time photographer and recent widow. Tom Hanks plays his father-in-law who’s summoned to help Auggie, and then there’s Scarlett Johansson, who plays Midge an actress visiting the city while prepping for her next big role. In true Wes Anderson style, the other narrative also features Schwartzman, Hanks, and Johansson as actors in New York City starring in a play about Asteroid City under the direction of Adrien Brody’s character.

Here’s my review