good.film
2 years ago
Get ready for blast off: Wes Anderson has set his sights on outer orbit, and his new film Asteroid City is packed with a galaxy of stars. There are literally too many to name, but here’s a taste: Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Steve Carell, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie and Jeff Goldblum all show up for a new dose of Wes quirkiness.
Over his career, the effete master of the delicate pause has taken us under the ocean (The Life Aquatic), aboard a train (The Darjeeling Limited) and inside a hotel (The Grand Budapest Hotel). This time, we’re following a writer who travels to the tiny, rural town of Asteroid City to compete in a stargazing event - only to have his world view disrupted forever.
Anderson is famed for his eccentric, vintage aesthetic, but his films are far from all style and no substance. MASHABLE summed up the film by saying “Asteroid City is not about its clever devices or even its characters, but about the connections made every day in ways large and small, remarkable and lasting”... while TRIBUNE reckons “Anderson hasn’t just delivered his best film in years - he’s also managed to capture the zeitgeist in his own unique way.”
On a different planet is Past Lives, the subtle new romantic drama from A24, the studio behind last year’s Best Picture winner, Everything Everywhere All at Once. Another Asian-American story, Past Lives focuses on two childhood sweethearts, played by Greta Lee and Teo Yoo, who are separated after emigrating, then reunited.
Decades after their first connection, they spend one week together as they confront notions of destiny, love and the choices that make a life. Poignant and moving, Past Lives screened at Sydney Film Festival and is a stunner, with rich and resonant messages about how our deepest connections to one another can sometimes be our most fleeting.
We’re always keen to spotlight the work of female directors, too, and Korean-Canadian filmmaker Celine Song is already in the frame for a Best Director Academy Award nomination for her remarkable debut that’s drawing critical raves. Keep your eyes on your inbox - we can’t wait to share our guide to Past Lives with you in a few weeks time!
Prefer your impact on the small screen this month? Our featured documentary The Last Daughter has just landed on Netflix! Powerful and inspiring, The Last Daughter follows proud Wiradjuri woman, poet and writer Brenda Matthews in her search for the white foster family she lost contact with decades ago. We believe Brenda’s vital story is a documentary every Australian should see. Here’s what we wrote in our Guide to the film:
“As the story unfolds we’re drawn in by vivid, clear emotion. The sensitive, gorgeously shot recreations carry us back to the exact moments that Brenda and her family describe. It feels as though we’re there - and by feeling it, we’re all the more astounded that the Stolen Generations were ever allowed to take place.”
Asteroid City crash lands into cinemas on August 10.
Past Lives arrives in theatres on August 31.
The Last Daughter is streaming now on Netflix.
Want to enjoy the latest in cinemas, but cheaper? Grab a Good Tix: easy eVouchers for cheaper movies with a donation to charity built in. The best bit? You choose where the donation goes. Pick up a Good Tix and save - the donation’s on us!
Physical: Season 3 lands on AppleTV+ on August 2.
Zom 100 is new to Netflix on August 3
Winning Time: Season 2 hits Binge on August 7.
Keen to know if you should accept Ethan Hunt’s latest mission? Or if Barbie is actually worth all the hype? Our Impact Guides are here to help! Get a deeper insight into the newest releases:
Keep your eyes on your inbox. Our good.film Guides to these impactful upcoming releases will be heading your way in August:
Grab a coffee, rotate that mobile and check out the latest trailers for stuff you won’t want to miss. There’s the new comedy caper from Ethan Coen, a two-man survival story with a difference, and a stunningly prescient post-apocalyptic epic starring John David Washington.
Want to see the movies first when they drop? Grab a Good Tix to beat the crowd!