Asteroid City

'Anderson City' could work just as well here, perhaps even more than it's given title. In many ways his latest project is "peak Anderson," and I can sympathize with that take. It is a "visual feast" no question. His consistency, sticking to an ethos, the attention to detail, all masterful in my view. But a change in co-writer is seeming to be desperately needed, as Roman Coppola has been in that role on at least all of Anderson's live action narratives since 'The Darjeeling Limited,' and save 'Moonrise Kingdom,' they've all been rather sleep-inducing, and this is likely his biggest offender in that regard.

After 'The French Dispatch,' I was really looking forward to some great Americana, where Anderson can feel like a modern-day Norman Rockwell, and undoubtedly at his strongest. 'Asteroid City' sounded to have that great potential, and though he took a slightly different visual aesthetic than I would've hoped or expected, I appreciated where he took it all the same. The problem here is it's really, really boring. The story, the dialogue, it all lacks any real energy or purpose other than having a place for Anderson to use his knack for visuals, and that's simply not enough.

It's time to dump Coppola, Wes, and give yourself the chance at a fresh start, because even with the right ideas for subject matter, he's bringing you down where you should be excelling time and time again.