LWLies 99: The Asteroid City issue – Out now!

Eighteen years and ninety-eight editions since The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou graced the cover of our very first issue, the stars have aligned once again, just in time for issue #99. It’s a full circle moment of sorts here at LWLies HQ, as we celebrate one of our favourite auteurs with a fourth issue dedicated to the world of Wes, this time taking inspiration from his stellar eleventh feature: Asteroid City.

Set in 1955 in a fictional, space-obsessed desert town somewhere between Parched Gulch and Arid Plains, the film sees a crew of astro-enthusiasts from across America flocking to the town’s Junior Stargazers/Space Cadet convention for Asteroid Day. It’s another star-studded ensemble piece boasting regular collaborators Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Liev Schreiber, Edward Norton, Stephen Park, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum et al. They’re joined by an impressive lineup of Wes newcomers including Steve Carell, Margot Robbie, Maya Hawke, Tom Hanks, Matt Dillon and Hong Chau. Our esteemed Editor in Chief David Jenkins calls it his “most complete, rich and surprising film to date, and perhaps his most autobiographical in some obscure, allegorical way”.

For this issue, we’ve embraced Wes’ love for colour, texture and hand-made craft by going all out on all things hand-made. Contact was made with the filmmaker himself, who let us in on some personal insights regarding the making of this wonderful new feature. We speak to some of his longtime collaborators including cinematographer Robert Yeoman and leading man Jason Schwartzman, as well as brand new inductee Maya Hawke. And as a special side-project, we put together a carefully curated itinerary of items for a special intergalactic capsule to be blasted into space as a way to educate alien species on the Wes Anderson canon.

On the cover

Ali Mac’s incredible portrait of Jason Schwartzman’s widowed war photographer, Augie Steenbeck, made entirely out of felt, adorns the cover of this issue. Explore her work at alimacdoodle.com. Elsewhere in the issue we have new artwork from Oriane Dufort, Becki Gill, Claudia Mandagie, Molly Kirk, Lorena Spurio and Lucas Burtin.

In this issue

Lead Review: Asteroid City
David Jenkins lauds a possible magnum opus from filmmaker Wes Anderson, a weekend of wonder in 1955 that picks apart the very essence of creativity.

Memo Re. The Sudden Receipt of ‘New Recording 674.m4a’
A recorded missive from Wes Anderson, answering a series of questions sent to him by Sophie Monks Kaufman.

Tripping the Daylight Fantastic
Cinematographer Robert Yeoman on why Wes Anderson remains a sucker for 35mm film.

Written in the Stars
Hannah Strong meets Jason Schwartzman, the Wes Anderson totem whose own life mysteriously overlaps with his character in Asteroid City.

Touching Down in a Strange and Beautiful New World
David Jenkins talks to Maya Hawke, who is effusive about her first-time visit to Andersonville.

Itinerary of Proposed Cargo for ‘Wesplorer 4’ Space Pod
The vital task of teaching as-yet-undiscovered intergalactic species about the films of Wes Anderson is taken-on with aplomb by a gaggle of LWLies’ finest.

In the back section

Pedro Almodóvar
The Spanish legend talks to Anna Bogutskaya about unlocking his formative passion for the western in his spellbinding new short, Strange Way of Life.

Alice Winocour
The French filmmaker speaks to Hannah Strong about the nuances of recreating a real-life terrorist attack in her reflective new film, Paris Memories.

Sydney Sweeney
Charles Bramesco meets the Euphoria star pivoting with grace to experimental cinema as she discusses her role in Tina Satter’s chamber thriller, Reality.

Annie Ernaux and David Ernaux-Briot
The Nobel Prize winner and her son explain the process of digging up memories from the attic for their diary film, The Super 8 Years.

Harris Dickinson
Hannah Strong meets one of the most promising young actors working today to discuss his turn as beach blonde club promoter/absentee father in Charlotte Regan’s Scrapper.

Patricio Guzmán
The veteran Chilean activist-filmmaker speaks to Marina Ashioti and picks apart the political layers of his vital new film, My Imaginary Country.

In review

Pedro Almodóvar’s Strange Way of Life
James Mangold’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Alice Winocour’s Paris Memories
Claire Denis’ Stars at Noon
Riley Keough and Gina Gammell’s War Pony
Thomas Hardiman’s Medusa Deluxe
Tina Satter’s Reality
Barnaby Thompson’s Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story
D Smith’s Kokomo City
Carolina Cavalli’s Amanda
Stephen Williams’ Chevalier
Annie Ernaux and David Ernaux-Briot’s The Super 8 Years
Jean-Paul Salomé’s La Syndicaliste
Charlotte Regan’s Scrapper
Dionne Edwards’ Pretty Red Dress
Léonor Serraille’s Mother and Son
Patricio Guzmán’s My Imaginary Country
Quentin Dupieux’s Smoking Causes Coughing
Shamira Raphaëla’s Shabu
Danny and Michael Philippou’s Talk To Me
Fyzal Boulifa’s The Damned Don’t Cry

Plus, Matt Turner selects six key home ents releases for your consideration.

The second edition of Marina Ashioti’s column Sticky Gold Stars, explores the queer undertow in the films of giallo maestro, Dario Argento.

Finally, team LWLies report their findings from the 2023 Cannes Film Festival with a round-up of gems and new discoveries.

LWLies 99 is available to order now from our online shop. Become a LWLies Gold Member or subscribe today to make sure you never miss an issue.

Published 6 Jun 2023

Tags: Asteroid City Wes Anderson