khan2705

22 May 2012

an average drama movie.

Set in New York City, Last Night is the story of a married couple thatwhile apart for one night, is confronted by temptation that may decidethe fate of their marriage. Joanna (Academy Award(R) nominee KeiraKnightley) and Michael Reed (Sam Worthington) are 7 years into asuccessful and happy relationship. They are moving along in their livestogether until Joanna meets Laura (Eva Mendes), the stunninglybeautiful work colleague whom Michael never mentioned. While Michael isaway with Laura on a business trip, Joanna runs into an old but neverquite forgotten love, Alex (Guillaume Canet) and agrees to have drinkswith him. As the night progresses and temptation increases for thecouple, each must confront who they are inside and outside of theirrelationship. Last Night is ultimately a film about choices - thechoice you make to be with someone, to give yourself physically andemotionally, and how to survive all three.this was the movie i didn't knew much about, i saw its trailer onYouTube and the little bit antisipation that kind of rised was just tosee one of my most favorite Hollywood actress Kiera Knightely performin this small movie and also the good looking Sam Worthington. wellthis movie belongs to just Keira. she did a fine job. this is a verysimple slow moving first feature about this couple who kind of aregoing through a low phase in their relationship. then they bothexperience a day or a night when each of them kind of make out withtheir former lovers. keira's character with a guy who she met in Parisfew years back and Sam with a girl he knew from college i guess and nowhis co-worker. Sam on a business trip get all that with her and duringthat Keira just run into this guy and they get closer too. so thismovie is based on this one night, last night as it say.well i usually like these kind of indie or off beat movies to watch atleast one every week or two because i like them and they usually hasthere own unique charm in them, they also are a change for me from theusual Hollywood flicks. this one, to be honest i didn't liked as muchas i should have or i thought i will but it was not bad or not verygood but just average. Sam worthington was looking good in thischaracter, a good choice for this role and i like him so much but ithink he could have performed better. he was just not there. keiraKnightely on the other hand performed reall well, she looked reallynice and appealing as always. she is an elegant lady. love her. wasbelow average in her role and was kind of above average, he smilesgood, i think i have seen him in some few movies.Direction of this movie is kind of not bad, an OK effort that shouldhave been better as their was this potenetial. screenplay could havebeen tighter and more even. beginning was good but towards middle itkind of gets off track but towards the end i kind of liked it. endingwas good, just adorable. cinematography was nice and other things too.this movie was slightly boring and uneven and the story was not wellwritten or well thought i would say that effected this movie so i willcall it an average off beat romantic drama that neeeded more than whatit had. characters were also not very likable or explained much. but ifyou are these actors fan or a die hard fan of these movies you willlike it.

george karpouzas

21 May 2012

Brief Encounter in a modern setting

This movie is about the dilemmas that follow the temptation ofinfidelity in a modern middle-class setting. The actresses are fine andvery much attuned to their roles, the wife played by Keira Knightley,charming, easy-going but essentially scrupulous and the temptress EvaMendes, attractive, tiger-like but essentially cold-blooded andmanipulative. To those two women, two men correspond, who in a sensecomplement them. Sam Worthington, the husband plain, common and finallyprone to temptation and Guillaume Cannet, flamboyant,charming andlecherous. Knightley and Worthington are decent middle-class peopledriven to temptation by the sinners Mendes and Cannet.It is a modern morality tale, ending in remorse and return to thefamily hearth. In that sense it is a rather conservative rendering ofthe topic. The depiction of New York and Philadelphia is striving forthe general view not detail, and in that sense it is an averageportrayal of big metropolitan centres in the U.S.There is a lot of talking but this is how civilised people sin. Theyneed to theorize in order to talk away their scruples. It is a realistnot naturalist movie.There is a couple of supporting characters, who are very light and easygoing and seem to be the model of a more bohemian lifestyle, comparedto the protagonists. Anyhow the protagonists are very much burdened bythe momentary infidelity, as all people who follow middle-classmorality, to quote Alfred Doolitle from "My Fair Lady" do.Also the way, they pay attention to detail and try to find meanings andmetaphors in gestures and movements of every-day life, is veryrealistic manifesting the obsessive tendencies of a lot of educatedpeople.Recommended.

21 May 2012

it's a dud

The story had potential, but ultimately I found it extremely slow and unconvincing. I kept looking at the clock to see when the end would come. If you are looking for great relationship films, try Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.

supadude2004

21 May 2012

Extremely Underrated Movie. Brilliant Performances From Knightley, et al

OK, what is going on please? Here is an excellent, skilfully crafted,intelligently paced and well structured movie with a most complimentaryscreenplay, and it should of course be rated at 8.x out of 10. Yet, asI write it is barely rated above average. Sorry, but I have to knockmyself on the head a couple of times just to check that I am now indeedonly seeing 6.7 out of ten for a most excellent relationship themedmovie.I am not at all sure what is wrong with most people who've rated thismovie "a notch above so so", save for the usual obvious problems whenit comes to matters of 'most people'... Nonetheless, I am reminded thatmost people often get it right: Matchpoint was correctly rated, TwoLovers was fairly rated, Before Sunrise also got the high rating it sodeserved. However, here is a movie which is every bit as excellent asthose named movies, albeit being in its own inimitable way different,yet it is still currently (Spring 2011) faced with the travesty ofbeing so unjustly under-appreciated.Please watch this movie if the themes of modern relationships, loyalty,trust, and betrayal are of any interest to you, and you should find, asI did, that its insanely 'above average rating' is well short of themark. For this movie is a near masterpiece as a study of such themes.The performances of the lead actors/actresses, its screenplay,direction, score, production are all first rate. Don't miss this movieif you've a brain in your head, and if themes concerning relationshipsare of any interest to you at all. I also rated Matchpoint, BeforeSunrise, & Two Lovers very highly, in case you're wondering if my wordis worth following. Then you should also find it to be worth a far morerealistic 9/10

impactplayas0

19 May 2012

this was a decent movie

this was a decent movie about a topic that probably isn't talked aboutenough between couples......I enjoyed the acting and such, but I'veseen this movie done better in Stanley Kubricks Eyes Wide Shut .... avery powerful movie about the same issues in this one.....it seems likethey even kind of use one of the scenes from Eyes Wide Shut ... whenNicole Kidmans character tries to pick a fight with Tom Cruise.... samething here but to a lesser extent, and less extreme (Kiera picks afight with Sam Worthington). Its still a good movie... i enjoyed it alot. Of course there are diffences between the two movies.... but thetopic remains the same

19 May 2012

Boring and slow movie!

This movie focused on the consumption of alcohol at every opportunity and the temptations of cheating on your spouse. It was a slow story line that was very predictable and it barely kept me awake and then when it was finally over I just couldn't imagine what the point was and why I has wasted my time and money on the movie. DON'T WASTE YOURS!!!

gradyharp

13 May 2012

Bonds and Commitment and Temptation

LAST NIGHT is a tightly woven tale that explores the psyches of fourpeople in one fascinating evening. This is the initial directing outingfor Iranian-American writer Massy Tadjedin ('The Jacket', 'Leo') whoalso created the story and the script: the film is so fine that wedoubtless will be hearing more about her. Joanna Reed (Keira Knightley) is a beautiful young writer married tocommercial real estate developer Michael Reed (Sam Worthington) in whatappears to be a happy marriage despite the struggle between twocareers. Michael takes Joanna to a company party and there she observesthe soft spoken Michael paying attention to one of his co-workers, thesensuous Laura (Eva Mendes), an act that Joanna feels indicatesunfaithfulness or at least suspicious behavior on Michael's part. Theseed of doubt is planted, Michael is leaving for a business trip toPhiladelphia the next morning with his coworkers Andy (Anson Mount) andLaura, and there is friction between Joanna and Michael that Michael'sreassurance cannot overcome. The next day as Joanna sops for coffee sheencounters an old flame from her time spent writing in Paris - AlexMann (Guillaume Cadet) - and they agree to meet that evening. Chemistryresurges and that evening as Alex and Joanna dine with Alex's publisherTruman (Griffin Dunne), both are questioned by Truman about their pastaffair, Joanna admits she is now married, and Alex is in a relationshipin Paris. The couple leaves and circumstances lead them to return toJoanna's apartment where they face their feelings. At the same time asthis evening is developing Michael and Laura enter a seduction dance:Michael is faithful to Joanna but the emotionally bruised Laurapersists in her attempt to pull Michael into her web. The manner inwhich each of these temptations resolves and the aftermath is thebrilliance of Massy's writing and direction: this is a story writtenvery much form a women's vantage and that fact allows each of thecharacters to become very well defined and credible. The quartet of actors is well matched: Knightley continues to mature asa fine actress, Sam Worthington breaks out of his stodgy shell to allowus to see a man driven by fidelity and tempted by lust, Eva Mendestakes Laura to a higher dimension of being, and Guillaume Cadet isundeniably an Alex who few women could resist: he has true star power.The method of pairing the development of the one night by flashing backand forth between the progress of the two couples in the dance ofseduction vs fidelity is extremely successful. This is a thinkingperson's movie and an introduction of a writer/director who already hasshaped the beginnings of a successful career. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp

napierslogs

12 May 2012

Trying to make their own choices with temptation, it just needed something more

Choices of temptation sneak their way into old loves, new loves andcurrent loves. "Last Night" is a relationship drama where one nightopens up questions and possibilities of infidelity for one marriedcouple. The couple is Joanna (Keira Knightley) and Michael (SamWorthington) and they are certainly beautiful and eye-catching buttheir relationship is not as well-defined as I think it should havebeen.It follows a very simplistic storyline and it tests not only the maincouple's loyalty to each other but also our loyalty to them as at leastone of the temptations they face is far more interesting than either ofthem. I have fallen in love with French actor Guillaume Canet as theex-boyfriend Alex. Looks aside, he was the only one who had any depthto make him more appealing. While some of the other casting, like EvaMendes as the other woman, just seemed lazy.I don't fault "Last Night" for picking a story that has been donebefore as they did try showing it in their own way. It was abeautifully realized film, performed well, and engaging enough, but itwas just missing something. I think I liked it, but I needed moresubstance, more intrigue, and more of a resolution.Follow my blog Napierslogs' Movie Expositions athttp://napierslogs.blogspot.com

Gordon-11

09 May 2012

Slow but interesting

This film follows a married couple, who spend one night apart from eachother. Their ability to resist lust and temptation is tested."Last Night" is an engaging story of a couple who separately facestemptation. The pacing is slow, which enables the psychological statesof the characters to be depicted in detail. Through their expressionsand actions, we can see what the four of them want from each other andhow they feel about each other. It is not easy to portray feelings ofguilt, jealousy and emotional intimacy in such detail, but "Last Night"succeeds in doing so for all the four main characters."Last Night" is slow, but it is worth watching for the portrayal ofinteresting characters.

08 May 2012

magnificent

This review is from: Last Night (Amazon Instant Video) Maybe it only speaks to those of us who have lost the great loves of our lives but this film captures the truth that women hold. The great secret love that we keep from everyone because we don't want the memory spoiled, or we know we can't be honest because it will hurt our current partner. Certainly, this film provides enough perspectives for everyone, but, as for me, I haven't seen anything that speaks so much to my truth as this film in years. Maybe since the first time I saw "The Way We Were" and realized it wasn't a happy ending.

collipal-1

07 May 2012

An unexpectedly excellent drama

I generally find the romantic dramas boring, because besides of thefact that they use to abuse of the same clichés over and over again,their intention of touching us or making us cry feels even more forcedand dishonest when it is not well handled, which is what happens inmost of the cases. However, I decided to watch Last Night because I hadsome free time. To my surprise, I ended up liking the movie very muchbecause of its detailed narrative, two brilliant performances and fordaring itself to raise interesting questions about the marriage, thefaithfulness, and the responsibilities from a couple.One of the things I most liked from Last Night is that the screenplaydoes not stay on the simple level of a moralistic fable, but thatinstead of that, it involves us gradually on the game of emotions,circumstances and decisions which will influence in the couple'sdestiny. The rhythm from Last Night is slow (but never boring), and thespectators who expect to find the runaway melodrama from films likeCloser and Eyes Wide Shut might feel unsatisfied with it. On theopposite, Last Night focuses its attention on the smalldetails...Joanna's expression when she imagines the road her life couldhave taken if she had stayed in Paris; the poaching looks from Michaelto Laura...what I wanna say with this is that Last Night is not acathartic soap opera melodrama, but a methodic and intelligentcharacter study with an emotional minimalism and thematic clarity.And we also have the extraordinary performances from Keira Knightleyand Sam Worthington. I think that Knightley brought her bestperformance so far in here, because of the amazing conviction andaplomb she shows in her character. As for Worthington, he shows a muchwider histrionic range than the one he displayed in the action andadventure films Terminator Salvation, Avatar and the remake of Clash ofthe Titans, and I hope to see him in more dramatic roles. Eva Mendesand Guillaume Canet also bring solid performances, but Knightley andWorthington definitely steal the show with their fantastic works.Considering that the romantic dramas generally bore me, the fact thatLast Night kept me fascinated from the beginning to the end, and leftme thinking once it was over, is something remarkable. In conclusion, Iconsider this film worthy of an enthusiastic recommendation because,leaving a few moments of a slight pretension aside, this is abrilliantly written, solidly directed and perfectly acted film.

06 May 2012

last Night

This review is from: Last Night (Amazon Instant Video) Kiera knightly normally has selected excellent movies to star in. I found this one very dull and boring-a complete dissapointment

06 May 2012

unimpressed

This review is from: Last Night (Amazon Instant Video) Neither good nor bad. The questions about trust and intimacy are far more interesting than the script, which is banal, boring, and without a single interesting quote. This is not enjoyable or memorable dialogue, like that in Before Sunset or Closer. The performances are not bad, but the actors have nothing to work with. The direction is uninteresting too. In this case, "indie" means simple like a basic t-shirt from The Gap. I should disclose that I'm not a fan of anybody in the cast (whereas I am a fan of most everybody in Before Sunset, Closer, and We Don't Live Here Anymore). The way Knightley smiles by sort of clenching her teeth kind of annoys me (I liked Never Let Me Go, but despite Knightley). Anyhow, the desire isn't even palpable. This may be one of the least sexy, scintilating films about infidelity ever. It's very pedestrian. Mainly, however, the problem is the writing. It's not realistic. In real life, people's speech is more lively and referential. Overall, this type of writing is an attempt to be "realistic" in a way that isn't actually realistic. Full disclosure: I turned it off after an hour. Also, I used to be an English professor, which doesn't mean I'm smarter than other people, but it does mean I've spent my life watching "deep" films, art films, and foreign films. This film is very bad, compared with all the good arthouse/indie films out there. It might seem refreshing and deep (and artistic), if you are accustomed to watching Vin Diesel movies. But it is also true that, if you eat at Burger King a lot, Olive Garden will seem like fine dining. However, If you're accustomed to eating at 3 and 4 star restaurants in NYC, Olive Garden seems like fast food. Anyway, to make the analogy, this movie is to really good arthouse/indie films what Olive Garden is to Gramercy Tavern. Nobody over thirty-five with a grad school degree will really like this movie. For the record, while Blue Valentine wasn't on the same topic, it was a better movie (even though it wasn't a masterpiece). It may all depend on how much you like Knightley. I don't understand her popularity. I like Winslett, Blanchett, and Beckinsale. I like Carey Mulligan too.

05 May 2012

Eh, not so great

If you like watching hypocritical rich people in impossibly fancy New York apartments with glamorous jobs and equally glamorous looks do nothing in particular, then this is the movie for you.

bminors18

04 May 2012

Makes you wonder....

I remember watching the preview when Eva Mendez was on the Jimmy Fallonshow. I really didn't think much of it. I stumbled on it while killingtime and found myself watching it twice in one day. It opened upavenues of topics between my husband and me. I think this movie is goodfor couples to watch. The director and actors did a wonderful job. Thebody language in the movie was so telling. The dialog was real, ittouch areas, we as couples otherwise would not talk about. Throughoutthe movie I found myself questioning myself, wondering perhaps whatwould I do? In today's world most people don't rationalize theiractions before doing them. This movie portraits what we unconsciouslythink about while consciously dismissing it. I really enjoyed thisfilm.

04 May 2012

Just Okay

This review is from: Last Night (Amazon Instant Video) I found this movie, just okay- with a sort of lame dumb ending. Its about a marriage with temptations, cheater's, and what if's ... glad I only rented & did not buy, It was okay; just not one I would care to see more than once.

01 May 2012

Last Night I stayed up to watch this and...

This review is from: Last Night (Amazon Instant Video) Well, I decided to watch a movie and because of the long, long download time to get it into my DVR, I had to watch it the next night instead. Well, well, when the movie - LAST NIGHT - started, it looked okay to me but I kept waiting for something to happen. Nothing happened! It was one of the more sleep encouraging movies I have ever sat through. You might call it The Last Night in Two Dull People's Lives! OMG, it was so boring!!!

Darwin

30 April 2012

Slow and pointless

What was the point of this movie? I found it extremely slow moving and pointless with airheaded dialogue and poor acting.

macilrae

27 April 2012

Have a good sleep after it's over, if not before

I found this film pretty boring. The main reason was the sheer lack ofpersonality, wit or individuality among the characters. We are gliblyinformed that so and so "has written a successful book" (how often dowe get this in "New York Intellectual" movies a la Woody Allen, Jesus!)and I'm sure, among the acquaintances of the author and thescreenwriter this is pretty usual but, wait: for a person to be a'successful writer' you'd think they would have a bit more personalityand wit than, say, Joanna or the obnoxious Trueman who subjects Joannato such an insulting interrogation - just nonchalantly assigning themto this profession won't do – there is a need for it to be credible!And we are expected to embrace these dull persons and care whether ornot there is carnal knowledge between them? They are so unappealing andSam appears near comatose although, admittedly, Eva is a perfect matchfor him: Guillaume is probably the better option for Keira but does shehave the spunk to go for it? If you care, watch the movie and have agood sleep immediately after, if not before.

26 April 2012

Very Good

This review is from: Last Night (Amazon Instant Video) The film keeps you thinking, wondering who is right and who is wrong. Throughout the film you'll start measuring the sins of the characters and in the end you'll judge the characters based on your moral values.