I haven't finished it, but so far it's leaning towards Elephant and away from Gerry...

That's a bad thing, btw.

I liked Elephant a lot. Except for the whole "justification of the crime" deal, I mean Van Sant just like threw everything and the kitchen sink into a reason for those kids to go nuts.

But Last Days is just tripe. "Droning" is a good word for this, although I have heard it described as pensive and hypnotic... okay whatever.

The film is essentially about-but-not-quite-about Kurt Cobain's last days. I've seen the house, I've been there, it definately looks the part (it is not *the* house). Anyway, Michael Pitt plays Kurt Blake, who in real life had just escaped from a drug treatement facility, but nevertheless Kurt Blake wanders in the woods until he finds himself back at his house. Eventually some friends freeloaders show up and do some drugs and listen to Sonic Youth. Then Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth shows up to try and talk sense into Kurt Blake. Along the way there is an awkward visit with salesman and some mormon boys as Kurt Blake walks around his house in a slip and a hunting cap.

*yawn*

There's one great shot in it (no pun intendend!) which is the final one, which is a trick of a reflection. There is a whole featurette on this other shot which is just panning out of a window. Wasn't terribly interesting.

Dave Frese of the Kansas City Star says:


And to that I say... "what-the-fuck-ever"

Avoid this film. I do understand it's experimental though. But the Psycho remake was also "experimental".

Why do you understand it's experimental?


Anyway, I don't even know why I watched it...one of my teachers said it was the best film of the year...but then described it as Van Sant taking what he did in Elephant to "a whole new extreme [or level]". So I'm not sure what I could have expected...

But yeah...it's pretty much Elephant II. Only maybe better? I'm not sure...it leaves me with the same feeling pretty much.

I don't really know what to say...it feels exactly like elephant, from the sound/crappy acting, to the crappy editing, to the visual style, to the "i dont give a fuk" everything else. it's just so...empty. not boring, really. but i'm just not sure it succeeds in anything other than "being."

Why did you visit Kurt Cobain's house, andaroo?

Also, what last shot are you talking about? The only "trick of reflection" I could think of would be with the Naked/Dead, and the ladder or whatever...but that's not the last shot...and I'm not sure I even understand the pun...(I can figure it out, I mean, because, well, duh, but I don't remember seeing anything like that. Maybe I wasn't paying attention. Oh well. Whatever.)

Common, you thought Gerry was a good movie? Common, just COMMON!!!!

I let this guy I know borrow the copy of Last Days I have ( he's big on Cobain ) I really have no interest in seeing it but when he gives it back i'll try it out, give it a shot.

A friend of mine, who's a big fan of Nirvana saw it and said it was beyond bad and the worst film of 2005.

BTW, JoBlo cured the movie as the worst of 2005 as well, heh.

It's a minimalist experimental trilogy... Elephant... Gerry... Last Days.


The thing is... Van Sant really isn't the first one who have filmed things minimalistic. And he's far from having the surreal touch that others have.


I think what makes Elephant work is Elephant keeps you interested in a couple of characters who are... doing something. Even though the acting style and the cinematography is reminisent.


I was 18 when Kurt killed himself... and I live in Seattle... it was kind of a rite of passage.


Naked/Death thing, climbing up the window grating is the last shot is it not?


Last Shot in the movie
Last Shot of the shotgun that killed Blake

So I actually kinda liked this, though I couldn't tell you why.

For some reason, it's a lot harder to grasp than Elephant or even Gerry, and it really rubbed me the wrong way at times. But when it ended, I realized that it was sorta brilliant. It's just as anti-narrative and anti-meaning as those other two films, but, for whatever reason, I had trouble grasping that throughout the film. There's no real underlying meaning to the film - or at least, I don't think Van Sant intended one - it's just a drugged-out rock star mumbling and meandering his way through his last few days. Is it a diatribe against drug abuse? I don't think so. Like Gerry, I think it escapes meaning and works merely as an artistic piece.

As such, there's a few exceptional moments. Like that brilliant solo jam session while the camera tracks out slowly. Or Blake's soul escaping his body and climbing the ladder to heaven. Stuff like that.

I don't think it's as complete as Gerry or Elephant, but it might be even more intriguing.

I hated it.

Worse than Elephant.

i poop on elephant