Dispirited at the current state of Canadian cinema, veteran Toronto director Bruce Pittman simply made one of his own. Titled the Last Movie it is a top rated film noir filled with suspense and some laughs courtesy of our flagging film industry, And the wonder is Pittman shot it mainly in his Riverdale home using nonunion crew and players. The effect is mesmerizing, a triumph of cinematography and scripting, beautifully photographed and edited so very precisely. It is compulsively watchable and is playing this week at Toronto's Royal cinema along College Street. This is what film making is all about. I give it **** 1/2 stars and I'm deeply grateful for the experience. It shows me Canadian films are not dead and buried but alive and vibrant.
14 Reviews
Smart,, stylish film noir for contemporary audience
krleckie22 March 2012
I thought it was a beautifully crafted movie, a terrific genre film. I loved the overt use of "film noir" techniques. A lovely sense of style, lighting and camera angles. I loved the homage to some of the classics. It made us all feel smart.
I saw "The Artist" a few days later and they use film noir elements as the protagonist slides into depression but I think "The Last Movie" did a better job. I was totally convinced by the "Russian film" portions. It did an amazing job with locations. Nataliya Alyexeyenko's face and eyes were totally beguiling. The camera loves her. Elizabeth Gondek is not quite as compelling but she grows on you and is believable. It's very exciting when the two of them come together.
My only criticism is that the film did seem long, both overall film and pacing within scenes, especially later scenes. It is not bad in the first half of the film as it establishes style but then it just feels too slow as we approach the climax. In spite of this, I think it was a brilliant effort and a very entertaining film. Congratulations to the filmmakers. Keith Ross Leckie
I saw "The Artist" a few days later and they use film noir elements as the protagonist slides into depression but I think "The Last Movie" did a better job. I was totally convinced by the "Russian film" portions. It did an amazing job with locations. Nataliya Alyexeyenko's face and eyes were totally beguiling. The camera loves her. Elizabeth Gondek is not quite as compelling but she grows on you and is believable. It's very exciting when the two of them come together.
My only criticism is that the film did seem long, both overall film and pacing within scenes, especially later scenes. It is not bad in the first half of the film as it establishes style but then it just feels too slow as we approach the climax. In spite of this, I think it was a brilliant effort and a very entertaining film. Congratulations to the filmmakers. Keith Ross Leckie
A unique film
kolloalex7 December 2014
A very unique little movie – at once a truly believable black and white noir film; a wonderfully entertaining drama document on remaking the noir film and finally a nifty little horror film in the vein of Polanski's Repulsion. It sounds complicated, but all these pieces fit together seamlessly in a tight view of old movies and modern filmmaking. The photography and design of the film in total keeping with the genre and beautifully done. Beyond this, it is a terrific psychological study of madness. The performance by Elizabeth Gondek as the actress is a chilling portrayal of someone falling apart piece by piece. Kudos to the whole cast and writer-director Bruce Pittman. I can only hope this is not his last movie.
Could not keep watching this - do not understand other reviews
bakerqin4 January 2014
Other reviews were so praiseworthy, decided to check out this unknown title; now suspect other reviewers were somehow attached to the making of the film.
Acting is wooden, unnatural, and flat. Script is poor - suspenseful music for lines that lack power, sometimes expressed using blocky syntax.
Sound is poor quality.
Biggest problem is cinematography - presentation of unusual angles looks amateurish, since sometimes makes action difficult to follow. The editing is choppy, so changes in camera angles and scenes distracts from what is happening. Special effects look cheap and outdated.
If you don't care much about cinematography, you might still find this film worth watching; but for me, the combination of all these negatives makes it not worth finishing.
Acting is wooden, unnatural, and flat. Script is poor - suspenseful music for lines that lack power, sometimes expressed using blocky syntax.
Sound is poor quality.
Biggest problem is cinematography - presentation of unusual angles looks amateurish, since sometimes makes action difficult to follow. The editing is choppy, so changes in camera angles and scenes distracts from what is happening. Special effects look cheap and outdated.
If you don't care much about cinematography, you might still find this film worth watching; but for me, the combination of all these negatives makes it not worth finishing.
Full of clichés about movies
humorology7 December 2014
I cannot understand all the other positive reviews. The movie was boring and seems like an exercise that some student had in a film school. This is a movie about movies and how they are made. The concept is not bad but the presentation was just boring. The pace is slow and not much is really happening most of the time, thought the acting was actually OK.
As the movie progresses it becomes more and more bizarre and I couldn't wait for it to end. I suspect that movie students and critics would love this movie but for all of the rest, you could probably pick a better one.
As the movie progresses it becomes more and more bizarre and I couldn't wait for it to end. I suspect that movie students and critics would love this movie but for all of the rest, you could probably pick a better one.
A page-turner of a movie
shwadchuck-302-71451729 February 2012
I was knocked out by the power of it, by the surprising way it builds and the turn it takes once Elizabeth Seitz comes on the scene. She is a fabulous actress and she completely captivated me.
I was reminded of The Black Swan, which exploits mental illness for its revulsion factor, Darren Aronofsky's forte. The Last Movie is not exploitative, but rather points a critical finger at the professional creative community who can easily push fragile creative minds over the edge. I know this happens. When Elizabeth says, "...or too much too late" we know things aren't going well. Bruce Pittman's performance as Nick Crawley the director of the remake, adds a comic layer. All his puffy-cheeked sighs and 'Oh-boys' and bad dreams give us a peek at the ordinariness of creative work. The producer's appearances via Skype are true-to-life and specific, so we don't just see the cliché money-man ruining the precious creative vision. I love the whole discussion of female actors' beauty vs talent. And all the juicy details about movie-making, like wardrobe and lighting tests – I eat that stuff up. I found Nick's wish to make high art while doing a low-budget commercial remake of a so-so foreign film acquired for virtually no money pretty rich. This feeling works perfectly with the fact that Elizabeth is pushed towards her edge in a fairly irresponsible way by this ambitious and cynical director. The scene where Nick records his thoughts on his career is really strong. It seeds that awful flashlight-under-the-chin hallucination of Nick's face, as seen in the trailer. I like all the sort of multimedia editing and the cutting-in of the documentary-in-the-making with all the echoes and computer screen treatments that a young documentarian would use. The way Pittman has mixed together the stylish noir photography of the Russian movie, the very current special-features doc look, and the straight realism of Elizabeth's story makes for a richly layered film that left me with lots to think about. It's one of those movies, like Shutter Island, that when you watch it the second time, it's like watching a whole different film.
I was reminded of The Black Swan, which exploits mental illness for its revulsion factor, Darren Aronofsky's forte. The Last Movie is not exploitative, but rather points a critical finger at the professional creative community who can easily push fragile creative minds over the edge. I know this happens. When Elizabeth says, "...or too much too late" we know things aren't going well. Bruce Pittman's performance as Nick Crawley the director of the remake, adds a comic layer. All his puffy-cheeked sighs and 'Oh-boys' and bad dreams give us a peek at the ordinariness of creative work. The producer's appearances via Skype are true-to-life and specific, so we don't just see the cliché money-man ruining the precious creative vision. I love the whole discussion of female actors' beauty vs talent. And all the juicy details about movie-making, like wardrobe and lighting tests – I eat that stuff up. I found Nick's wish to make high art while doing a low-budget commercial remake of a so-so foreign film acquired for virtually no money pretty rich. This feeling works perfectly with the fact that Elizabeth is pushed towards her edge in a fairly irresponsible way by this ambitious and cynical director. The scene where Nick records his thoughts on his career is really strong. It seeds that awful flashlight-under-the-chin hallucination of Nick's face, as seen in the trailer. I like all the sort of multimedia editing and the cutting-in of the documentary-in-the-making with all the echoes and computer screen treatments that a young documentarian would use. The way Pittman has mixed together the stylish noir photography of the Russian movie, the very current special-features doc look, and the straight realism of Elizabeth's story makes for a richly layered film that left me with lots to think about. It's one of those movies, like Shutter Island, that when you watch it the second time, it's like watching a whole different film.
The last movie is at its very heart a film about the love of cinema and the frustrations encountered in trying to create a movie.
justin-lourenco22 March 2012
Warning: Spoilers
The last movie is at its very heart a film about the love of cinema and the frustrations encountered in trying to create a movie.
At it's very heart the last movie is a movie about movies. It pays homage to great films like the shinning, Hitchcock's psycho, and all the great noir films of the 50's. This is a film made by a man who loves cinema and is frustrated with an industry dominated by producers who know little to nothing about the art form.
A highlight is a standout performance by an unknown Aubrey Ives who lights up the screen with the magnetism of young Mark Wahlberg. Ives ignites the screen as a young documentarian.
The last film 2012 is an independent work from a director who cares about cinema, and dares to tell us there's something wrong with the industry.
At it's very heart the last movie is a movie about movies. It pays homage to great films like the shinning, Hitchcock's psycho, and all the great noir films of the 50's. This is a film made by a man who loves cinema and is frustrated with an industry dominated by producers who know little to nothing about the art form.
A highlight is a standout performance by an unknown Aubrey Ives who lights up the screen with the magnetism of young Mark Wahlberg. Ives ignites the screen as a young documentarian.
The last film 2012 is an independent work from a director who cares about cinema, and dares to tell us there's something wrong with the industry.
Great to see a contemporary film noir genre done so well.
lochtaen5 March 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I have always been a big fan of film noir and I was delighted to see a modern film in this genre. It is spectacularly successful in capturing the mood through dramatic lighting and innovative camera angles. It is refreshing to see a film that has a highly developed script and excellent acting when so often movie budgets seem heavily weighted to special effects. I particularly enjoyed the movie within a movie within a movie with a special twist which I won't reveal here to create a spoiler. Additionally it gives insight into the non-creative aspects of making a motion picture. This is an excellent example of a low budget movie with high production values. As I mentioned in the first paragraph each role performed is top drawer. There is a wonderful blend with a couple of new faces along with some well- established actors. The new faces I know I will be seeing again. This film gets an enthusiastic thumbs up from me.
Living an oppressed life or living within the grasp of passion, what would throw you over the edge?
newell_beattie710 March 2012
Warning: Spoilers
The Last Movie grabs the audience and slowly pulls it in through its juxtapositions, its movie within a documentary within a movie, within, within, within layers of characters that are cast in light and shade and are brilliantly played off of the other to highlight what lurks in the psychological shadows until it is pulled to the surface and exposed to the light of day.
This ambitious movie is like nothing I have ever seen before. It artistically explores the confines which we painstakingly live within while we also, hopefully with precision, push the boundaries to reach toward our passion. For Nastya Dmitriey (played by Nataliya Alexayenko) who lives in the old world of black and white and in the confines of a stale marriage, passion is a traditional physical seduction which she finds in the arms of Pavel Volynski (played by Robert Gulassarian). For Elizabeth Seitz (played by Elizabeth Gondek), who gets cast to play Nastya, passion is being accepted as an actress in a leading role and seduction is falling under the direction of movie director, Nick Crawley (played by Bruce Pittman), who is documenting the remake of a Russian film noir. However, when passion no longer resides in the distant and the precision of balance is not met, you never know what will rise out of the dark but in this case it results in the last movie.
This ambitious movie is like nothing I have ever seen before. It artistically explores the confines which we painstakingly live within while we also, hopefully with precision, push the boundaries to reach toward our passion. For Nastya Dmitriey (played by Nataliya Alexayenko) who lives in the old world of black and white and in the confines of a stale marriage, passion is a traditional physical seduction which she finds in the arms of Pavel Volynski (played by Robert Gulassarian). For Elizabeth Seitz (played by Elizabeth Gondek), who gets cast to play Nastya, passion is being accepted as an actress in a leading role and seduction is falling under the direction of movie director, Nick Crawley (played by Bruce Pittman), who is documenting the remake of a Russian film noir. However, when passion no longer resides in the distant and the precision of balance is not met, you never know what will rise out of the dark but in this case it results in the last movie.
Well crafted and fascinating film
mallen64720 October 2014
The Last Movie is one of those rare films that gets into the heads of actors. The character of Elizabeth, who is about to play the part of a femme fatale in a remake of a Russian noir thriller, is played beautifully by Elizabeth Gondek. To play the part she must get inside the head of a murderess and apply her own life to the part. It is done with great subtlety and the results are a curious madness that kept me fascinated. The overall writing and direction by Bruce Pittman is beautifully crafted and kept me guessing with all its twists and turns. The recreation of the original Russian noir film is totally convincing. Nataliya Alyexeyenko as Nastya captures the spirit of Lana Turner in The Postman Always Rings Twice and Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity. The lighting and camera work by Rick Wincenty perfectly recreates those fabulous films of the 40's, smooth and flawless. The Last Movie is a very different kind of thriller with the visions of classic noir blended with a modern story. Hope to see more from Bruce Pittman.
A unique film combining new wave film making and classic noir
malcolmglassford-925-6596656 October 2014
The opening half of the last movie traces the efforts of an independent
filmmaker to do a remake of a Russian thriller. It seamlessly combines healthy doses
of the original Russian film with both a documentary of the making of the film and the private tribulations the director goes through to make the film.
The last half involves the casting of a new actress to play the femme fatale in the
New film. Here is where the film becomes a psychological thriller in the tradition
of Polanski's Repulsion.
Hats off to a film that tries to be a little different from the current fare.
filmmaker to do a remake of a Russian thriller. It seamlessly combines healthy doses
of the original Russian film with both a documentary of the making of the film and the private tribulations the director goes through to make the film.
The last half involves the casting of a new actress to play the femme fatale in the
New film. Here is where the film becomes a psychological thriller in the tradition
of Polanski's Repulsion.
Hats off to a film that tries to be a little different from the current fare.
Film noir about the making of a film noir.
spress-224 November 2012
Warning: Spoilers
The Last Movie is one of the most intriguing, involving, and multi-leveled films I've seen in a long time. It takes the sensibility of the noir universe and shifts it even further off center from every day life. And it took me along with it. It's haunting in every sense of the word. While it is not a ghost story, it could have been: the imagery alternates between commonplace and otherworldly; there are two houses that could be haunted. Virtually every aspect of the film serves to disorient the viewer. Plot-wise, it's about a director re-making and casting a Russian noir that's a leaner and meaner Double Indemnity. Yet nobody makes that connection. The director should know; we see his collection of books on film noir. So I was left feeling "wait, am I the only one who sees the connection?" (As in "am I the only one who sees the ghost?") Conversations between actors, crew, director, producer, characters occur simultaneously via different means (face to face, computer, phone, etc.). This auditory and visual overload keeps everything off-kilter. It's also a film about identity in the actor-merges-with-character tradition, but with a twist. The actress playing the femme fatale in the remake morphs not into her own character, but into the character in the Russian original (who appears to her like a ghostly apparition). Yet it's not without humor. There's a friendly nod to the "a little sex" scene in Sullivan's Travels. This is a film for people who love film of any type.
the last movie is terrific film noir.
motuzenko-a7 December 2014
Film Noir is an entertaining action mystery that I really enjoyed. I was in to the story from the moment it began. I really enjoyed the premise of the film, a modern day story with a heavy dose of noir. actors give excellent performances as well, great job. I hope it is not last movie of Bruce Pittman. Waiting for your new work. The last movie it's an outstanding film that deserves and needs to be seen.It shows me Canadian films are not dead and buried but alive and vibrant.All in all, if you get a chance to see "the last movie", don't miss it.
This film gets an thumbs up from me.I find it sad that so many people are so narrow-minded that they will not watch a movie that is black and white or, in this case, is subtitled. I feel sorry for people who refuse to watch a movie like The Last Movie. They have no idea what a beautifully acted and directed film this is, and they'll never know what an amazing experience they are missing.
This film gets an thumbs up from me.I find it sad that so many people are so narrow-minded that they will not watch a movie that is black and white or, in this case, is subtitled. I feel sorry for people who refuse to watch a movie like The Last Movie. They have no idea what a beautifully acted and directed film this is, and they'll never know what an amazing experience they are missing.
The Last Movie
natali-alek7 December 2014
I took a chance on this film because I love film noir. The Last Movie is so much more.
It begins as a classic black and white noir movie then becomes a film about remaking this film.
Along the way it details the creative process and frustrations of a film director trying to put it all together.
Slowly the story of the remake becomes its own horror film.
It makes for a unique and thoroughly entertaining movie with totally believable characters and performances.
I loved the black and white photography by Rick Wincenty in the old noir film. Very evocative of some of my favorites from the 1940's
Editorially, the film moves like an express train from start to finish.
If you're looking for something a little different – you can't go wrong with The Last Movie.
It begins as a classic black and white noir movie then becomes a film about remaking this film.
Along the way it details the creative process and frustrations of a film director trying to put it all together.
Slowly the story of the remake becomes its own horror film.
It makes for a unique and thoroughly entertaining movie with totally believable characters and performances.
I loved the black and white photography by Rick Wincenty in the old noir film. Very evocative of some of my favorites from the 1940's
Editorially, the film moves like an express train from start to finish.
If you're looking for something a little different – you can't go wrong with The Last Movie.
See also
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