The Last Black Man in San Francisco (Joe Talbot)

[Mal]

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[Mal]

I had not seen the trailer before I bought a ticket to see this, so the art-sy indie leanings of the film were a surprise to me (I had assumed it was a more stripped-down talkie). Thats not to say the film is necessarily overdone when it tries to be beautiful- its obvious this a debut feature since the moods and emphasized moments are somewhat unbalanced. There were a few scenes that felt more forced than natural. But I'm thankful for the chances that Talbot takes with editing and storytelling. Frankly, the flaws I found of the picture made it more real, more passionate and frustrating since this is a film about dealing with a kind of loss that is hard to convey in simplistic terms. It definitely feels less to be "A Film by Joe Talbot" and moreso an organic journey told by the lead Jimmie Fails as he tries to grapple with what has become of his life, his San Francisco. Fails himself is such a captivating screen presence that I could have sworn I've seen him in other films (obviously thats not the case!) Alongside Jonathan Majors, both men strike me as almost too pure to continue in future projects outside of this indie world, though frankly I wanted more from them when the film ended ... I can't wait to see what they do next regardless if its together or separately.

LASTLY, the use of music/score for this film is masterful. I'm so so so thankful the score is available right now and can be enjoyed by anyone.

[Pop Trash]

I wasn't entirely sold on it at first. Lots of it feels stretched thin storywise. The side plot w/ the hoodrats on the street could be dropped w/o much of a loss and you would lose 20 minutes of run time. It comes together in the second half and sticks the landing. Typical of the neo indie A24 vibe, it tends to drop story propulsion for atmosphere and tone (might be the first movie I've seen to be influenced by Barry Jenkins style, even if it's perhaps unconscious ... someone else mentioned that George Washington might be one of the most influential indie movies of the 21st century that hardly anyone brings up). I'd rather have that than an overly schematic and expository screenplay. It's also amusing -despite being a very different film overall- this ends much like The Beach Bum.

[Henry Gale]

It's also amusing -despite being a very different film overall- this ends much like The Beach Bum.

And now those are my two favourite films of the year.

On a note even more similar to The Beach Bum and due to the scene earlier in this (which I saw as potential foreshadowing) where they walk by the home that was burned up, I assumed the movie would end with Jimmie burning down the house. Luckily his character grew to be less selfish than that by the end.


Loved this immensely.

[Stay Puft]

Thats not to say the film is necessarily overdone when it tries to be beautiful- its obvious this a debut feature since the moods and emphasized moments are somewhat unbalanced. There were a few scenes that felt more forced than natural. But I'm thankful for the chances that Talbot takes with editing and storytelling. Frankly, the flaws I found of the picture made it more real, more passionate and frustrating since this is a film about dealing with a kind of loss that is hard to convey in simplistic terms.

Yeah, that echoes my sentiments perfectly. Lots of ups and downs, and like Pop Trash, not entirely sold in places, but it really came together for me by the end. Found myself thinking about it quite a bit afterwards, even tearing up a bit remembering certain parts days later. This one really stuck with me.

(And unlike Pop Trash, I wouldn't lose the Greek chorus; it's one of the most resonant threads for me.)

[Grouchy]

Well, this is a strong and unique debut feature. Like Zac Efron, I also had the feeling of having seen Jimmy Fails in some other movie - I think there's an actor with similar facial features I can't quite place.

[Ezee E]

Definitely something to check out as you're putting together the best lists of 2019. It starts off as an artpiece that you think will definitely tire out, but it never really does. In fact, there's a couple twists that I simply didn't see coming, and it's a nice story to watch play out.

Also the score might be the best of the year.

[MadMan]

I saw this back in September. Excellent film that I loved a lot. Hit me right in the feels by the end. I forgot to write an essay about it that I will get to at some point.

[Henry Gale]

This was my #1 of last year, for the record.

Feels especially worth saying since not only do I feel that it didn't get nearly enough attention, but now most people have more time to watch it.