My dearest reader(s), Last weekend I had the opportunity to catch up with two hot titles: Last Night in Soho and tick...tick...BOOM!
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
First up: Edgar Wright's psychedelic fever dream Last Night in Soho.
An aspiring fashion designer is transported nightly to the London of the 1960s, but it isn't always the wonderful time she'd imagined.
Full and fair disclosure: Edgar Wright is my favorite director, in my eyes, a person whose artistic vision is 20/20 at all times. I honestly hoped to see Last Night in Soho at the cinema, but circumstances didn't allow, so I rented it when it became available for streaming last week. I don't think this is a movie that suffered for my having seen it on my pretty-big TV instead of a really-big movie screen, but be armed with the knowledge when considering my opinion.
While the idea of someone accidentally landing in another era is hardly unique, Last Night in Soho skips the Life on Mars routine; our heroine is as much observer as participant on her nightly trips. When the misdeeds of decades previous start to haunt her present-day, the movie begins to feel more like a standard thriller. It's not particularly difficult to figure out it's heading, but Last Night in Soho is a good story, well told, and it doesn't waste time. Wright's typical expertise in use and placement of music is in full effect, and the makeup and costumes are gorgeous. The movie is violent at times, but most effects are creepy and sinister, rather than gory; overall, a victory for anyone who thinks horror should be more than a gross-out.
Last Night in Soho clocks in at 116 minutes and is rated R for "bloody violence, sexual content, language, brief drug material, and brief graphic nudity."
Last Night in Soho is a stylish, well-paced thriller that's well worth the price of admission (or rental). Regular reader(s) will know that my rating scale is based on nine Weasleys, but I'm forced to give Last Night in Soho nine and a half: seven and a half for the movie, plus two bonus Weasleys for having two *actual* Weasleys (James and Oliver Phelps) in the cast. Fangirl Points for the twins, as well. Bonus points all 'round!
Last Night in Soho is still playing in cinemas worldwide, and is now available for rental via Amazon and other outlets.
Next on my weekend agenda was tick...tick...BOOM!, based on Jonathan Larson's semi-autobiographical musical of the same name.
A composer tackles life's ups and downs as he faces off with his impending 30th birthday.
Okay, more full and fair disclosure: No disrespect to Jonathan Larsen, but I barely tolerate Rent. I love theatre, and I respect Rent for all it is to so many people, but I like exactly one character (Collins) and two songs (Santa Fe and What You Own). It's basically a hipster's Wicked. Pretty much everything that irritates me about Rent is, predictably, prevalent in tick...tick...BOOM!, so it's fair to say I found it something of a slog.
Having said that, if you're looking for positives, there's Andrew Garfield, a magnificent performer who never fails to elevate any project lucky enough to have him. AGarf's tour de force performance is probably the only thing that kept me from turning off the movie before the halfway point. (He's the best Spider-Man as well. I shall hear no argument.) Also fun is a cool number that features so many Broadway legends (oh hai, Brian Stokes-Mitchell!) that you couldn't throw a rock without hitting one. (But please don't throw rocks at Broadway stars. Or at anyone.) Otherwise, tick...tick...BOOM! is a collection of mediocre songs sung by people being wayyyyyyy too dramatic about pretty much everything. If you love Rent, you'll probably love it. I do not and I did not.
tick...tick...BOOM! runs an almost insufferable 115 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some strong language, some suggestive material, and drug references."
tick...tick...BOOM! is worth watching, if only for another incredible performance by Andrew Garfield and a lively game of "Spot the Broadway Star." Of a possible nine Weasleys, tick...tick...BOOM! gets three.
tick...tick...BOOM! is now streaming on Netflix.
Until next time...
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