The story is almost entirely built around the strange life of Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio Del Toro) and he features in nearly every scene. He is a rich and powerful industrialist with a bent moral compass. Through a lifetime of questionable dealings with friends and foes alike, he has acquired a large number of enemies whose attempts to assassinate him drive the film’s comic overview.

Most of these attempts happen while in flight so it’s a given you wouldn’t want to find yourself in an aeroplane with him. After so many attempts on his life, he considers his mortality and seeks an heir. He ignores his nine sons and names his only daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton), who happens to be a nun to be his sole heir. After spending most of their lives completely apart, their reunion underlines most of the plot points. Michael Cera as the mysterious Bjørn Lund also features prominently.

With Anderson’s ever-growing filmography, most fans develop favourites and rate any new work against them. In that respect, The Phoenician Scheme fits solidly in the middle. In the Wes World, it’s a comforting addition and while it offers few outright surprises, it still takes a unique look at family dynamics and the acceptance of the quirks that underline almost every clan. It’s a worthy addition to an eclectic canon.
Rob Hudson
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Join us as we journey back through the incredible career of one of cinema’s greatest auteurs with our special one-day-only screenings of six whimsical gems from Anderson’s back catalogue including: –
FANTASTIC MR. FOX (PG) | 10:30AM
THE DARJEELING LIMITED (M) | 12:30PM
THE FRENCH DISPATCH (M) | 2:00PM
THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (MA15+) | 4:15PM
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (M) | 6:30PM
ISLE OF DOGS (PG) | 8:40PM
Tickets sold separately for each session.

WHERE’S WES?
Find Wes on your cinema seat and you could win a $100 Voucher to the whimsical Wes Anderson-inspired Henley’s Cocktail Bar & Kitchen in Teneriffe (session and seat chosen at random so keep your eyes peeled).

Wes Day
Saturday 17 May 2025
Dendy Portside
www.dendy.com.au

Starring Benicio del Toro as Zsa-zsa Korda, one of the richest men in Europe; Mia Threapleton as Liesl, his daughter/a nun; Michael Cera as Bjorn, their tutor.

With Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Mathieu Amalric, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis.
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That idiosyncratic nature plays out in the look of the sets and costumes, the colour palette and lighting, the dialogue and performance of the actors and the whimsical nature of the stories they tell. Seldom laugh-out-loud funny, the humour is too dexterous for that, this is the kind of mirth that builds most in remembrance.

Trying to reduce Asteroid City to a mere synopsis does it a disservice as it is a work filled with subtext, subversion and subliminal cues that emerge in retrospection. Anderson’s movies almost always grow in stature the more you think about them. They are uniquely memorable.

It’s those memories that power avid fan’s desire to have so many of his works on high rotation at home. Asteroid City will have the power to be either the most or least favourite of his films and that distinction will only come into focus after many visits to his deep well of weirdness.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/UniversalPicturesAU/

From the beautiful mind of Wes Anderson, starring an all-star cast comes ASTEROID CITY, a wonderfully colourful and hilarious cosmic tale about a family and their travel to a remote American town aptly titled Asteroid City.

The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.

“…it’s beautiful to look at, surreal, nostalgic and funny in a weird, distanced way.” – San Francisco Chronicle

“Wes Anderson returns with one of his most dazzling, rich and playfully self-reflexive films to date.” – Little White Lies

“Asteroid City, the latest from Wes Anderson, is a true achievement from one of America’s most unique cinematic voices.” – Chicago Reader
www.coorparoo.dendy.com.au

To enter this great competition, just fill out the entry form below:

Asteroid City Opening Night Competition

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Competition will be drawn August 1, winners will be notified by email.

The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.

Starring Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, Jeff Goldblum, Asteroid City will be released this coming June!
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Made up of several chapters all told under the guise of being included on the pages of a fictitious publication called The French Dispatch, Wes gets to satisfy his stated claim of always wanting to do a series of short stories. He also gets to include another of his favourite storytelling mediums, animation, this time a hilarious car chase scene.

Not a single frame goes by without a look or feel of his unique art and it fills the screen with amusement even when the story being told loses its focus slightly. Not every story hits its mark completely and one, in particular, could have used some judicious editing as it runs a bit long.

Transporting one to a unique environment is one of cinema’s greatest charms and Wes Anderson is one of the industry’s most assured partitioners. As the final credits roll you are left with the feelings of having just visited a wonderful and enchanting world. One that pales in comparison to the reality we almost all live in.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/20thCenturyStudiosAUNZ/

There are a number of technical things that make up this wonderful landscape, not the least of which is Anderson’s ability to elicit a style of performance from his actors that rounds the rough edges off. There is still human emotion, even sorry, it’s just filtered through a prism that reflects more than just human angst.

In his latest film, Wes has assembled a few of his usual suspects like Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman but has added a number of new entrants. Bruce Willis and Edward Norton take to this new understated world with aplomb and deliver performances that are so opposite their usual mega heroic presence, it’s a revelation. Frances McDormand is also fantastic and her bravery in allowing her age to show through gives hope.

The story behind Moonrise Kingdom is one of Anderson’s more slight tales but this just places more emphasis on the interpersonal dynamics and that is an area he has always excelled at. When the final credits roll you leave the theatre with not a care in the world and looking forward to utilizing your home DVD collection to its advantage by screening any one of his other works.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/UniversalPicturesAU

Returning to the stop-motion animation technique he used so successfully in The Fantastic Mr. Fox had not limited him in any way. In fact just the opposite has taken place as this film is his most imaginative work yet.

It’s also so lovely to look at. The beauty is everywhere, the sets are amazing, the storyline is rich and the characters that make up the cast ring emotionally true. Wes even manages a completely satisfying ending, never that easy with a film of this type.

Setting a relevant story, with nods to events of concern throughout the world in land of animated dogs with more humanity than almost any politician was a master stroke. The life’s lessons go down easy amid an experience with a generosity of whim and an abundance of relevance.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/isleofdogsmovie

The movie is set in a futuristic Japan, where an outbreak of “dog flu” has necessitated a mass canine quarantine by the government. A young boy pilot named Atari Kobayashi flies to the island to find his sequestered dog, while the evil Mayor Kobayashi tries to stop him. You can also expect to see a raggedy one-eyed pup whose heart will presumably grow by the end of the movie, a teenage crush, and at least a few sniffing jokes.

There’s also a massive number of famous people voicing characters in the movie, including Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Tilda Swinton, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Liev Schreiber, F. Murray Abraham, Courtney B. Vance, Bob Balaban, and Yoko Ono.

Isle of Dogs comes out on March 23rd, 2018.
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