Title: The Last Showing
Year: 2014
Genre:Thriller
Director: Phil Hawkins
Writer: Phil Hawkins
Runtime: 89min
Cast: Robert Englund, Finn Jones, Emily Berrington, Malachi Kirby, Keith Allen
Produc.: The Philm Company, Little Fish Films
Budget: $2 million aprox.
Long ago, Robert Rodriguez walked into a classroom to talk to some kids about movie-making, in a speech that would only last, believe it or not, less than 8 minutes. Anybody would have think this sounded crazy, but having seen the video I must confess that what he did was a mixture between giving good tips, very clear, and to encourage them to be creative and intelligent, and not think so much about the money. What I, however, most take from it, was the part where he says "Take stock in what you have. Your father owns a liquor store? Make a movie about a liquor store." That day Robert was sincere, and we may or may not like his work, but the truth is that with his formula he´s made himself a place in modern industry.
Changing celebrities, just now I´ve finished watching another movie, but of his namesake Robert Englund, of whom actually I haven´t seen a thing since his last personification of Freddy Kruger. But, why do I jump from one filmmaker to another? Because seeing Englund impersonating an old deranged man and the situation in question, was also as to wonder if he himself might have being inspired by "El Mariachi´s” director.
In The Last Showing, a couple attends a special showing, only for them, of Wes Craven's classic The Hills Have Eyes 2 (1984), to see that the projection is cut and then they find themselves trapped in the multiplex. The culprit of all is the projectionist itself, Stuart (Robert Englund), who manages to drug Allie (Emily Berrington) and separate her from Martin (Finn Jones), forcing him to follow his commands to the letter, if he wants to get her back alive. So far nothing´s unusual, right? Well, it turns out that this multiplex is full of security cameras and monitors, and Stuart intends to record everything while using the monitors for his messages, plus also recording with a handheld camera. Still, all quiet ordinary, right? Well, it turns out that, just as before has Rodriguez said, the filmmaker without any money must contrive with what he has, and Stuart, with 25 years of experience in this place, knows by heart how to operate the cameras and the electrical system, as every inch of the place, and has had sufficient time to make a big film set out of his workplace, devise a strategy to attract his actors and even write his script. Stuart aims to make the first film with non actors and real deaths.
Phil Hawkins creates a character that unlike Rodriguez´s students, is out of his mind, apart from having diverse knowledges in cinema, including audio and video montage and data transfer.
Although it looks as the typical movie of "if you want to live, abide by my rules," the director is clever in the use of resources, handling all the possibilities of a multiplex and in sufficient credibility, while forces his characters to act for him his wanted twists, without not knowing it at all. Furthermore, Stuart keeps on expressing out loud his clear understandings of clichés and narrative structure, while he "directs" his forced cast, one that does not even know the script, nor wants to play it.
As to the end, I´d say it has very interesting things, when deepening a little more into Stuart´s artistic view. But there are unintelligible attitudes of both the projectionist and the policeman called to the scene, but that doesn´t interfere with the rest. It´s worth watching.
My rating: 7/10
