Asteroid City

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.

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About Little White Lies

Little White Lies was established in 2005 as a bi-monthly print magazine committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them. Combining cutting-edge design, illustration and journalism, we’ve been described as being “at the vanguard of the independent publishing movement.” Our reviews feature a unique tripartite ranking system that captures the different aspects of the movie-going experience. We believe in Truth & Movies.

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