Rivertown Reviews

‘Asteroid City’

In theaters

Anderson Templeton

Are you ready for some Wes Anderson?

“Asteroid City” is the new Anderson-written (with help from Roman Coppola) and Anderson-directed film crashing into theaters this summer, and one thing I can say for sure, it is extremely Wes Anderson.

Sometimes, as with his early film “Rushmore,” Anderson’s films are slightly more palatable for mainstream audiences. “Asteroid City,” however, exists very much in the style of Wes Anderson.

For one thing, it’s got the same nesting-doll structure as his last two films, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “The French Dispatch.” “Asteroid City,” he learn early on, is a play within a TV show/documentary. Starting off in black-and-white, resembling 1960s “Twilight Zone” meets PBS theater night, we follow the journey of a group of artists to bring a play called “Asteroid City” to life.

However, instead of seeing the actors perform on stage, Anderson cleverly utilizes cinematic conventions, and shows all of the “action” as if it were the real thing, using ral, full-color sets, etc. When going back to the black-and-white TV show, we actually see cheesy painted backdrops.

He definitely doesn't hand-hold and over-explain what is happening, which is pretty much a signature of Anderson. You pretty much have to follow along with his eccentric genius or get lost in all the details.

The “story” of the play “Asteroid City” displays less of a strong plot and more of a let's-just-follow-characters-around-and-see-what-they-do kind of a thing. The central through-line focuses on a family attending a young astronomers award ceremony in the tiny desert town of Asteroid City. The patriarch (Jason Swartzman) is avoiding revealing the recent death of his wife to his four children, and avoids grieving by forming an interesting relationship with movie star Midge (Scarlett Johansson), who is obsessed with playing depressed characters, sporting fake black eyes all throughout the film.

Also in town are numerous awkward teen geniuses, who have all invented some sort of sci-fi invention, plus a class field trip of young kids, and a bunch of scientists and government officials. At one point, something big happens, and all of these characters are forced to stay in Asteroid City until it’s all sorted out. It feels like the writer-director has created a cinematic sandbox and “Asteroid City” is just Anderson moving different characters around and playing with different scenarios with a star packed cast including Tom Hanks, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Brian Cranston, Margot Robbie, Adrien Brody, Steve Carell, Maya Hawke and the funniest blink-and-you-miss-it cameo by Jeffrey Goldblum.

Once I let go of the idea that everybody was going to get a satisfying conclusion, and that this film was more about the exploration of themes of alienation, grief and what quarantining does to people, then I could properly enjoy it.

So, if you have struggled to understand or enjoy Wes Anderson films in the past, most likely, "Asteroid City" will be no different. But if you're a fan, buckle up for a very interesting, enjoyable, sometimes silly and decidedly alien-centric ride.

‘The Blackening’

In theaters

Katie Wigglesworth

Clever, funny, and delightfully satirical, “The Blackening” is an excellent watch and a great way to kick off the summer horror movie season.

Directed by Tim Story, the movie follows a group of old college friends who meet up for a reunion getaway over Juneteenth weekend. The cabin they've rented has it all: re-purposed hardwood interiors, walkable proximity to a lake, dense woods surrounding the property on all sides, and a killer who forces the group to participate in the trivia game night from hell.

Get an answer right, and they advance as a team. Get an answer wrong, and there will be deadly consequences.

I liked it a lot.

Skewing more toward satire than horror, Story nails the comedy aspects of “The Blackening.” Co-scripted by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins (who also acts in the movie), the writing is funny, interesting and craftily subversive. The strongest facet of “The Blackening” is the genuine friendships of the core characters.

Regardless of any tensions or interpersonal drama, these people genuinely care for one another, and steadfastly strive not to let each other down. The cast is excellent, and their chemistry and talent make an already interesting dynamic truly shine under Story’s direction.

Across the board, they’re a fantastic group of actors.

“The Blackening” is a wild, deftly entertaining ride. Well crafted, funny and fascinatingly layered, it’s a definite must see movie of the summer.

‘Take Care of Maya’

Netflix

Katie Wigglesworth

In 2016, 9-year-old Maya Kowalski was hospitalized at John's Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in Florida for stomach pain. When attending physicians take issue with Maya's preexisting diagnosis of PRCS – a relatively rare and debilitating pain disorder she was being treated for with a legal Ketamine prescription – allegations by staff start the wheels in motion for social services to investigate the possibility of medical child abuse.

What was supposed to be a fairly straightforward (and hopefully short) trip to the Emergency Room quickly devolves into a ceaseless nightmare for the Kowalski family when Maya is placed into state custody. No explanation or chance to say goodbye was offered to Maya as she was isolated from her family and her established medical care team.

In her own words, she described the ordeal as being “medically abducted,” effectively held captive in the hospital for three months while her distraught parents were locked into a debilitating legal battle, all the while trying desperately to continue to advocate for their daughter's medical needs. Throughout all of this, Maya is told by her swarm of new doctors, hospital staff, and case workers that her mother simply made her think she was sick. 9 years old, alone and in pain, Maya is accused of faking her illness and told she and her family are all liars.

But none of those allegations were true.

Heartbreaking and often difficult to witness, “Take Care of Maya” catalogs how and why the Kowalskis fell victim to a predatory practice unfairly weighted against families of sick kids when they're at the most vulnerable. It's one of the most impacting and viscerally upsetting documentaries I've seen, not only exposing a harmful systemic failing but highlighting the degree to which children aren't afforded any real agency or bodily autonomy.

Though Maya would eventually be reunited with her family, the traumatic months-long separation would exact a devastating toll on the entire Kowalski family, and their story is a painfully familiar one to many.

Streaming on Netflix, “Take Care of Maya” is a disturbing, but deeply important film that should be seen.