Karen Glave in Last Night (1998)

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This one is a terrific little movie. I watch dozens of these little movies every year,and 90% of them bite the big one, but we live for the treasure in the trash, and this is the treasure. You may not know it, but Canada has its own version of Orson Welles, although the Northern Welles, Don McKellar, is quite a bit less flashy. Lacking the command presence of the original Welles, McKellar is a little soft-spoken guy who looks like he'd get kicked around the playground by Bill Gates and Woody Allen, but at age 36 he's written eight screenplays and directed three movies himself, including two of his original screenplays. Oh, yeah, and he's appeared in a couple dozen as an actor. He's best known as a writer now, for the critically-acclaimed "32 Short Films About Glenn Gould" and The Red Violin. I have mentioned before that I felt The Red Violin could have won the best screenplay Oscar, although I was less enthusiastic about the movie's execution. (McKellar didn't direct that movie).

McKellar did it all in Last Night. Wrote, directed, starred. Here's the premise: world is going to end at midnight, it's six PM now. Don't ask why. Act of God, mad scientist, who cares? Doesn't matter. Point is there's no Bruce Willis or Arnold to save the day. At midnight it's all over, everyone has accepted it, and has known for a couple months or more. Given that, what would life be like? Think about it. There won't be a lot of trash pick-up or public transportation or police on the streets. If you had a few hours left, would you spend it nabbing drug dealers or picking up trash? Hell no. Think about what you wouldn't do. Then think about what you would do. Think about how other people are different from you, and would have different approaches. What would the end of the world be like? Some bang, some whimper.

I think the most touching performance in the movie is given by eccentric director David Cronenberg, who plays a gas company executive who spends the last days calling customers to thank them, and to assure them that the gas will keep working as long as possible. Cronenberg is a lonely guy, but even with the world down to a few hours, he still can't summon the courage to conclude an office flirtation with his virginal assistant, and she doesn't know how to ask for it.

It is a strange combination of the brightest and darkest angels of our natures, all magnified in intensity as the end nears. It's coated with dark humor, filled with engaging characterizations. If it sounds interesting to you, rent it. If you like it, thank me. If not, blame it on Canada.

Written by: Scoopy...Scoopy.net