Last Night in Soho (2021) ✦ Full-Length Watchalong Reaction
Added 2024-10-01 16:00:20 +0000 UTCOkay so... normally I know the genre of a movie before I react to it. I have no idea why I didn't know what genre this movie was before I started watching it, but wowee I'm so glad that I didn't know. 😂 That definitely affected my viewing experience and how I was digesting this film and it affected what predictions and theories I was thinking in my head. So safe to say, I had a great time. [Direct link here.]
This was a Reactr request that came through from Nathan Jasper here on Patreon - thank you! I'm looking forward to your comments. Please enjoy!
✦ KL
PS. I'm not going to be putting this in the editing queue for YouTube, but it will go in the "might be edited one day" pile of reactions.
Comments
As with many recent releases, it was affected by COVID. It was meant to open in September 2020, if I remember correctly, and ended up being delayed a whole year.
Tyler Foster
2024-10-02 18:52:49 +0000 UTCGlad you enjoyed it! As for Scott Pilgrim, I forget enough about the movie that I could do a rewatch reaction, but not going to schedule that at any point soon.
kaiielle
2024-10-02 17:17:05 +0000 UTCAs for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, I would definitely be into a rewatch for the channel. I don't think the movie is completely successful -- it was shot with an outrageously wrong-headed ending and then patched, and even though it was patched there's still some frustrating evidence of that wrong ending in the movie. That said, I think it's about as well-directed as this and I definitely think you'd have a much different reaction to a bunch of the cast at this point.
Tyler Foster
2024-10-02 16:49:56 +0000 UTCWorth noting that while Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End are not literally connected through characters and plot, they form the "Cornetto Trilogy" of movies that were all genre pictures, directed by Wright, were co-written by Wright and Simon Pegg, and star the same two leads, as well as some other recurring cast members. As there are running gags throughout the three of them, I'd be sure to watch them in the above order, which is the order they were made. (Also, a Cornetto is a British ice cream cone -- in America we have Drumsticks, which are essentially the same thing; no idea if there is a Canadian equivalent or if Drumsticks are available up there.) Many of the same people also collaborated on the two-season sitcom "Spaced," which is a show I have been dying to see on a veteran reaction channel since I started watching them. The show is packed full of pop culture references and nods, and so its short 14-episode run would honestly be perfect for a viewer who had just taken a crash course in all of those pop culture landmarks (there's a couple more that you could probably see, like American Werewolf in London, but I think you've covered the vast majority of the show's references). It's a small role, but I'm still a little surprised that nobody mentioned Terrence Stamp, who played the eerie mystery man that Ellie mistakenly identifies as Jack, was in Star Wars Episode I as Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum, and he had an almost equally-brief cameo in Superman as the villainous General Zod, who gets sent to the Phantom Zone with two co-conspirators before Krypton gets blown to bits. There are definitely some other great movies I hope you see him in for the channel in the future, including a drag classic with two other leads you know, like you've never seen them before (which was also announced as getting a 30-years-later sequel earlier this year), and a ferocious Los Angeles gangster movie by the director of Ocean's Eleven. I watched this for the first time last night with you and mostly enjoyed it, although my one hesitation is that the first two-thirds of the movie are such a clear-headed and sharp thematic evisceration of how young women are often treated in Hollywood -- taken in, surrounded by people who want a piece of them, often forced into compromising situations and then tossed aside for someone else, all while the memories surround and haunt them at every turn -- and then it feels like the last third totally muddles that thematic arc. I personally would've taken out that moment of sympathy for the dead, and maybe adjusted the motivation for the killer turning on Ellie as well. Still, it was visually stunning and both ATJ and Thomasin McKenzie (who was in a great movie that I put in your form at some point -- and probably not the one people are widely familiar with) were fantastic. As I listened to your outro, the extras on my 4K UHD started playing automatically, albeit on mute, and one cool trick I saw was that the "mirrors" were actually like windows, so instead of shooting McKenzie on a green screen completely separately and at a different time from ATJ, she was always actually there on the "other side" of the "mirror," and the effect is adding in the rest of the mirror around her, allowing the two actors to actually be there together to look at and react to one another.
Tyler Foster
2024-10-02 16:45:57 +0000 UTCThank you!! I totally forgot to Google that when I was done the movie.
kaiielle
2024-10-02 15:15:19 +0000 UTCI've only seen Scott Pilgrim, although it's been so long that I'm due for a rewatch. Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead are definitely on My List ™️.
kaiielle
2024-10-02 15:12:36 +0000 UTCGreat reaction. Such a well-crafted film with impeccable style. The Vesper Martini is a boozy monster... invented by Ian Fleming... the drink of choice of Daniel Craig's James Bond... named for his Casino Royale love interest, Vesper Lynd... and with 4.5 oz of liquor, it'll quickly squash your perception of reality. lol 3 oz - Gin 1 oz - Vodka 1/2 oz Lillet Blanc Aperitif Garnish with a strip of lemon peel
Crimson Ace
2024-10-01 23:10:56 +0000 UTCOh, very cool...I'm personally a huge fan of of Edgar Wright's movie (Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, Hut Fuzz, and Shaun of the Dead are all easily on my top...I don't know...let's say 30 thirty movies list). Wasn't the biggest fan of Baby Driver; but, I really enjoyed this one. Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy are both spectacular in this...but then, they tend to be in pretty much everything they do. And, though I'm not the biggest Dr. Who fan, I've always like Matt Smith, and thought he turned in really solid performance here. Good shit.
Steve Mercier
2024-10-01 20:11:53 +0000 UTCIt's surprising to me too but, as they say, you can't buy taste and you can't fix stupid 😂
Nathan Jasper, the Artist Formerly Known as Primary
2024-10-01 17:18:58 +0000 UTCThanks for all the info and I'm glad that you enjoyed it! I definitely figured that our main character being in love with the 60s was a big pull for you. I was really surprised to see how many mediocre/bad reviews this movie has on Letterboxd.
kaiielle
2024-10-01 16:55:38 +0000 UTCI watched the reaction yesterday through reactr and I am so thrilled you enjoyed the film as much as you did. I think it's safe to say you understand why I was so stunned and raving about this film! Of course, Matt Smith and Anya Taylor-Joy being in it certainly heightened my joy factor LOL I did feel ever-so-slightly guilty that I didn't warn you it had horror elements but it seems like it was a good thing I didn't! Immediately I knew I loved Ellie. She's dancing her way through her dream world, a poster of Audrey Hepburn on the wall, and wearing a newspaper dress - she's the very essence of sweet but spunky! I can't help but wonder if Ellie's mother's "mental issues" was being able to see spirits as well and it drove her insane. Maybe she committed suicide because of how overwhelming it was. We certainly saw how overwhelming it was for Ellie. "London can be a lot" is an understatement! The imagery was outstanding. I especially loved the scene between Ellie and John in her room in particular where she hallucinates the stabbing. Seeing her smoky eyes in the reflection of the blade was such a frightening and incredible choice. That's possibly my favorite imagery of the whole film. The second-guessing and trying to piece it together is what makes this so much fun. You really do get so invested in both Ellie's and Sandy's stories, even if at first Sandy seems like a dream girl in a dream world. I think perhaps the desire Ellie had for the 60s, particularly the 60s in London, was why the spirits were so strongly resonating with her. She already had that ability to see them and the desire magnified it, I think. I say again, Matt Smith is such an incredible actor. He excels at complicated and dark characters. Seeing him in this basically right after seeing him in Doctor Who was a complete 180 and a mind-blowing experience. I do believe you're right that this is your first Thomasin Mckenzie film. She's been in a few other awesome things so hopefully you'll get to those one day! She's certainly a promising actress right along the lines of Saoirse Ronan. So a few fun facts for you: The first time Ellie sees Sandy, the mirror effect is actually a practical effect! The cloak attendant is played by twins to get the illusion of mirroring! The shots of the empty streets were taken during the pandemic. No one was out and about so that gave the streets that extra gloomy feel. Anya does in fact do her own singing! The dance scene with Jack that switched between Ellie and Sandy was entirely choreographed and done in-camera aside from I think two moments. Edgar Wright excels at timing like this, it's incredible. A lot of the businesses in Soho are open 24/7 so he had to work with multiple business owners very closely in order to film there. Considering he needed 60s cars and clothing styles, it was quite the endeavor but it was pulled off so well! Thomasin McKenzie was supposed to be in Top Gun Maverick but she dropped out when she got the chance for this part. Sometimes those decisions don't work out but I believe it definitely did in this case! This film is the reason George Miller wanted Anya for Furiosa. This is also one of only a handful of movies Stephen King said he'd ever rewatch. Originally, they had planned all the flashback scenes were going to be only music and no dialogue however co-writer Krysty Wilson decided it was crucial the audience fall in love with Sandy. I'd say she was right! If you notice on the theater, Thunderball is playing. That's why a Vesper was a much-ordered drink as it was made popular by James Bond, first in the novel Casino Royale published in 1953 and then again in the Casino Royale spoof that released in 1967 and in Daniel Craig's adaptation. I'll leave you with these last two fun-facts. Ellie was based on Edgar Wright's mother and Jocasta is the name Edgar would have been given had he been a girl. I just thought that was a cute contrast there!
Nathan Jasper, the Artist Formerly Known as Primary
2024-10-01 16:53:17 +0000 UTCI'm surprised it was so under the radar! Enjoy later!
kaiielle
2024-10-01 16:40:00 +0000 UTCI really liked this film when it came out, didn’t really get the attention it deserved. Kinda went under the radar a bit but yeah, enjoyable watch indeed. Looking forward to this reaction later today hopefully 🙏🏼
boss435
2024-10-01 16:26:22 +0000 UTC
