Last Days (2005)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writer (WGA):

Gus Van Sant (written by)

Release Date:

13 May 2005 (France)

Genre:

Music | Drama

Tagline:

Rock and roll will never die.

Plot:

A Seattle-set rock & roll drama about a musician whose life and career is reminiscent of Kurt Cobain's.

Plot Keywords:

House | Musician | Private Investigator | Suicide | Old Dark House

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Michael Pitt	...	Blake
Lukas Haas	...	Luke
Asia Argento	...	Asia
Scott Patrick Green	...	Scott (as Scott Green)
Nicole Vicius	...	Nicole
Ricky Jay	...	Detective
Ryan Orion	...	Donovan
Harmony Korine	...	Guy in Club
Rodrigo Lopresti	...	Band in Club (as The Hermitt)
Kim Gordon	...	Record Executive
Adam Friberg	...	Elder Friberg #1
Andy Friberg	...	Elder Friberg #2
Thadeus A. Thomas	...	Yellow Book Salesman
Chip Marks	...	Tree Trimmer
Kurt Loder	...	TV Voiceover (voice)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

97 min | Argentina:97 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Portugal:M/16 | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Nova Scotia) | Argentina:16 | Germany:12 | Finland:K-7 | South Korea:15 | Singapore:M18 | Brazil:12 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Canada:G (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Garrison, New York, USA

Company:

HBO Films

Trivia:

The "long dolly shot" in which the camera slowly pulls away from the window while Blake plays inside took seven takes to successfully complete. As the crew only had three pieces of dolly track, crew members had to take track from the front and run it around to the back while the dolly moved backward.

Goofs:

Factual errors: One of the LDS missionaries that visits the house is wearing a light blue shirt. LDS missionaries are only permitted to wear non-decorative white shirts with dark pants/suits, and a conservative tie. The missionaries also carried no pamphlets, visual aids, appointment books, or their own complete sets of scriptures, which is highly unlikely for door-to-door proselytizing.

Quotes:

Record Executive: Have you uh, talked to your daughter? Hmm.
Blake: Hmm. Yeah I've been talking to her on the phone.
Record Executive: What do you say to her?
Blake: Hmm-mm. I do the voices she likes. I don't know. I tell her I miss her.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 2006 Independent Spirit Awards (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Fetus

Smells like...

It's always difficult to recommend a movie like this. I don't think my friends would let me pick a movie again if I took them to this. Is it a good movie? Yes it is. Am I telling everyone I know about it? No, I'm telling everyone about the 40-Year-Old Virgin.

This film is similar in tone and mood to Van Sants previous film "Elephant" about a Columbine like massacre. This one is about the final days of Kurt Cobaine. I saw a review that used the word "careen", as in crooning toward your final destiny. Careening is a good word for a drug abuse movie like "Requiem for a Dream" but in this film, the tone is much more relaxed and observant. Nobody is careening in this film. In both films there is not much plot or characterization. It is shot in a documentary style where we simply observe what this character is doing. Both "Elephant" and "Final Days" remind me of those films in elementary school where you watch a film about people going about their normal daily routines. You watch with wide eyed curiosity about why the people are doing this. This doesn't mean the film is boring, it just means you have to be in a different mood. It did spark my curiosity.

I think "Elephant" is a superior movie to this one but I admire Van Sant for making these two unique films. Elephant simply has a more serine quality to it but if you loved "Elephant" then you will like "Last Days".