Rating: 
Summary: This one is a keeper
Review: So unfortunate for me since I had to see this movie when I was back home on leave since it never came overseas where I am stationed. This a great simple tale told with our entire humanity in mind. Fun characters, a very imaginitive plot and some really funny subject matter which makes you realize how enigmatic and how ridiculously hilarious the end of the world really would be. The end of this movie will most certainly leave you misty eyed but it's such a tender film you are happy, sad, scared and frustrated all at once you simply feel the appreciation for this stuff and you wish there was more. For this being an indie film, I salute it big time! Don't wait, order it now! Go on, click that order button! Keep smilin:)
Rating: 
Summary: Comic moments and sober reflections as the world ends
Review: The century is ending and so is the world in six more hours in this feature directorial debut from Canadian actor/screenwriter Don McKellar. But as the apocalypse approaches, the characters in this comically morose film spend their "Last Night" on Earth in rather low-keyed reflection about loneliness, relationships and sex. McKellar plays architect Patrick Wheeler who plans to spend his final moments alone, enjoying a last meal. Sandra Oh and David Cronenberg are a couple (named Sandra and David) who have made a suicide pact, but are separated by circumstances as the end draws night and Callum Keith Rennie plays Craig Zwiller, who goes after his final sexual conquests. This film also features Tracy Wright, Sarah Polley and Genevieve Bujold. After having seen Hollywood blockbusters about the Earth colliding with some huge heavenly body, it is certainly refreshing to go back and discover this quiet little independent film. Ultimately the end of the world is a contrivance that compels these characters to get real and what you will remember is the honesty of their thoughts and emotions rather than whether the world ends with a bang or a whimper. McKellar constructs an excellent mood shift as the straight-faced comic style gives way to a more somber tone at the end. This is one of those nice little films that you tell your friends about. "Last Night" is definitely worth an evening of your time and I would not be surprised if you found it provocative enough to compel some deep thoughts on your part after you screen it.
Rating:
Summary: What a gem of a movie!
Review: The first time I watched this was on terrestrial TV, at about 2am (why I was up so late I have no idea!) tucked away in the late night schedules with no fanfares, but found myself still awake at the end, (now 4am! What WAS I doing up that late!?) totally dumbstruck by this amazing film - ...in a way it reflects the way the movie is - it quietly goes about it's business not causing any trouble, then you suddenly realise how amazingly profound and important it is, by which time it's 4am and you need to catch up on some Z's! My wife totally disinterested fell asleep, and I made her watch it when I bought on DVD and of course she loved it!I am not going to go into plot, because it's well covered by other reviews here, but anyone who thinks this little unassuming movie is not worth seeing seriously needs their head testing - buy this DVD - you will not be disappointed! It would have got 5 stars but for the fact that the DVD contains worthless extras - a very very great shame!
Rating:
Summary: Six hours until the end of the world...
Review: The world is coming to an end in a few hours but the cause is never revealed. In Toronto, families sit down for one final meal together, the radio station counts down the 500 greatest songs of all time while crowds mingle in a city square to count down the seconds. In the streets looters steal for the sheer thrill, and vandals destroy property because no one cares anymore. This dark character drama covers a range of people that are tied together in some way, whether they are fulfilling sexual fantasises or lifelong dreams. Characters are so resigned to death that they are almost non-chalant about it. They accept their fate and do not waste their last hours. This movie's glaring faults could well be it's strengths; the tedious moments involving awkward stares and silences are annoying, but they build tension in ways words would struggle to do. These indie, art-house stylings are not out of place in a McKellar film, who has had a hand in other langorous and underplayed dramas such as Exotica and the Red Violin. This is a refreshing alternative to the mindless asteroid and alien end-of-the-world films out there. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: This is THE END. What do you do ?
Review: There is no more night, the world is plunged in eternal light. Toronto, 8PM, four hours before the end of the world. The government has closed down two months ago, there is no more police, and the city is under anarchy rule. The masses have claimed the streets : car travel is hazardous at best. Some people work to report or entertain people in the last hours (such as the radio announcer who proudly announces "here at CKRT... with you... until the end"), but most services are down. This is it. This is THE END. What do you do ? Patrick Wheeler already knows the answer. He is invited to his parents' home, where his mother is preparing a Christmas dinner, even though it is not Christmas. A cynic at heart and seemingly disgusted at the "fake" of a family he never liked, he can't help disparaging his mother's efforts to give peace to her family. After he leaves, he is planning to wait until the last minutes, when he will install his radio system outside, play some good music, sit in a chair, and wait for the end. As good a way to go, I suppose. Including Patrick, we follow a group of loosely-knit people as they prepare for the end, including Sandra Oh, whose desperation to get to her husband intertwines her life with Patrick, Craig Zwiller, best friend of Patrick who decides to spend his last days in constant sex, a French teacher (played by Geneviève Bujold), a pianist, and others. In this frenzy of violence in the streets on the one hand, and the desire for a final accomplishment played out by his friends on the other hand, Patrick wants no part of all this and wants to die alone, but events conspire to derail his simple plans. He is interesting to follow, as an egoist character who spurns the superficiality and frenzy of those around him, while deeply aware of the gravity of the situation. Sort of tying the movie together is the president of the gas company (played by known sci-fi director David Cronenberg, an added plus), who has made it his job to call every customer to thank them and wish them good final hours. The masses go crazy in fear and revolt, as masses are wont to do, but that's not what concerns the movie (a Hollywood take on this plot would have concentrated on the violence, or saving the Earth, or otherwise some meaningless romance, and that's why I don't bother to watch Hollywood movies). There is only as much violence as necessary, but this is not a slow movie - in fact, if there is one thing I have against Last Night, it's that it doesn't stop. Moments of contemplation would have helped. As for how to define it, you could say it's a mix of black comedy and drama, although I'm not sure that really captures it. It all looks perfectly "natural", if you understand me - the humour and drama seem completely incidental. This is what impressed me most. Like Cube, it got moderate critical approval but few people seem to think it's a masterpiece. I guess my love for science-fiction shines through again. This is the kind of movie I love - hard science-fiction, no special effects, no more violence than necessary, paced like clockwork (in this case, I guess there was not much choice, huh ?), lots of dialogue, as natural as possible, and very moving despite - or rather, because of - the lack of Hollywood-like action and histrionics. If you have the same tastes as I do, it is highly likely that you will love Last Night. The acting is delicious, especially Don McKellar as Patrick (he really enhances the movie as its main actor), and David Cronenberg. In his review, Roger Ebert recounts the following anecdote. On a talk show in Toronto, Wayne Clarkson, the former director of the Toronto Film Festival, explained the difference between Canadian and American movies by using Last Night as example : "Sandra Oh goes into a grocery story to find a bottle of wine for dinner. The store has been looted, but she finds two bottles still on the shelf. She takes them down, evaluates them, chooses one, and puts the other one politely back on the shelf. That's how you know it's a Canadian film." Patrick Wheeler: I think maybe I should mention before you make any faux pas here, that we have a tradition in this family, that we don't kill other people.
Rating:
Summary: Very well done, but not all that original
Review: There's no escaping it - when you're making a movie about how people respond to the immenant end of the world, there's only so much ground to cover. Don McKellar's film Last Night, while delivering where other movies and books have not, rehashes a lot of cliches left over from books and movies like "On the Beach." One of the things that appeals to me about end-of-the-world and (post) holocaust media is that it depicts ordinary people in extraordinary situations, and speculates on how those people - and ourselves - might react. Do we dismiss ethics? Turn to hedonism? Try to find meaning in the few remaining aspects of our life we can cling to? On the Beach wrestled with these issues before, and Last Night does again. Don't get me wrong; McKellar allows the viewer plenty of room for interpretation, and has colored his script with a good deal more humor than Shute's downer of a novel. The thing that keeps Last Night from being a truly great piece of filmmaking, though, is that it ultimately fails to go the extra step into territory unexplored. The direction and acting is top-notch, and the cinematography is very well done. The final scene of the movie, on the rooftop, is one of the most memorable scenes in any film I've ever watched. I recommend Last Night, but you might want to rent if before you buy it. I'd also be interested to see if a widescreen version is supposed to come out, because the pan-and-scan left a little to be desired.
Rating:
Summary: "Man What a Noble Animal!"--NOT!!!
Review: This is a fine satirical horror story for your committed humanist. Here the world ends with whimper not a bang, but that not unusual. What makes this unique is that you will look in vain for quiet nobility in this small work. No Jane Alexander (as in "Testament") Here everything is debased. No one believes in heaven anymore, least of all the grieving widower who is the central character. His best friend has launched a debauched personal survey of human sexual expression. Spirituality has deteriorated to "Christmas in July" for one family. Music has evaporated to elevator music and mass "air guitar" concerts. The movie is about the last 24 hours of our planet viewed from the perspective of a grieving man in a medium size North American city. To its credit, it doesn't go down the path of "Armegeddon" and "Deep Impact" and spend its time noisily trying to save the world, but quietly inspecting how modern society might greet an inevitable Doom. In my review for "Left Behind" I suggested that this is what a Post-Rapture world might look like, shorn of truth, beauty and compassion. I also think this film's judgement of contemporary society is quite similar to that of Stephen King in "The Storm of the Century." We are as far from Hollywood's "The War of the Worlds" as Stephen King is from Huston's "The Devil and Daniel Webster." The stars are for bravery, in showing such a bitter vision to the world.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic Film - Wait for Letterbox
Review: This is one of my favorite films of all time. You find yourself mesmerized, and then asking yourself questions afterward. The performances are special, and from the heart. The cinematography is superb, WAIT FOR THE LETTERBOX VERSION. When letterbox arrives, give it to all of your best friends "before it's all over..."
Rating: 
Summary: Boring
Review: This movie was boring and contrived. I thought it would be good, but it was mostly sophomoric. I'm not saying the writer/director is talentless; I'm just saying, it coulda' been better.
Rating:
Summary: It's the details
Review: Underneath an important scene, you can hear a tv announcer tell the world that Quebec is independent. 20,000 people are being taught to play "Taking Care of Business" for their last wish. It's the little sketches like that that make this movie work.
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