The Vast of Night (Andrew Patterson)

[Philip J. Fry]

Trailer:
[

Show Spoiler

]

IMDb / wiki / RT / Metacritic

[Pop Trash]

Lots of promise. Andrew Patterson is going places. I love the opening sequence which is wall to wall ground level tracking shots adhered to a cacophony of diagetic sound and dialogue centered around a high school gym. Altmanesque. New Hollywood like whoa down to the '50s period obsession. Along w/ Altman, lots of Bogdanovich, George Lucas, John Carpenter, and (of course!) Spielberg influences.

A few nitpicks:
a) the "Twilight Zone" esque interludes feel like something out of Pleasantville and don't really need to be there. At the very least, maybe keep the bookends and remove the 4:3 cutaways once the film is reeling. It's lived in enough to not need these quotation marks that take the viewer out of the moment.

b) I grew up in New Mexico and know the state very well. The film does a good job of capturing a small southern New Mexico town. There's references to Alamogordo, White Sands, and Texas border towns like El Paso. The town's name is Cayuga which sounds nothing like towns in New Mexico. I'm fine with them making up a fictional town, but at least name it something that sounds like an authentic NM town. Cayuga sounds a lot like Cuyahoga which is both a river and county in Ohio. Minor thing but it kinda bugged.

Should mention the two leads: Jake Horowitz and Sierra McCormick. Great chemistry between them.

[Pop Trash]

I'm really the only person who has seen this so far? I think a lot of people on m/c will like this. If you like Spielberg, Carpenter, The Last Picture Show, and/or American Graffiti I'd give this a gander.

[Peng]

Short little familiar sci-fi story expanded to feature length, sometimes clumsily when it's more plot-heavy later on, like the old woman's droning monologue that even the actress' lived-in aura can't sustain at that length. But Andrew Patterson really knocks it out of the park as first-time director: his specifically detailed yet relaxed evocation of milieu, fast-paced character rhythm, and directorial moves that dynamically liven up this tale in ways both showy (prowling camera close to the ground following two leads walking; that one take over town) and subtle (the long, still zoom-in of Fay at the switchboard as she's becoming aware of a noise). Looking forward to what this guy does next. 7/10

[amberlita]

I saw it too. In the first 10 minutes I was asking myself "what the hell am I watching?" and considering bailing on it. It was technically impressive in that opening, but I wasn't following any of what was being said, and I remain unconvinced that it was a good choice to keep the viewer at such a distance for such a long period of time at the start of the film. But once the switchboard scene happens, the tension really ratchets up and I was kind of thrilled at what was being accomplished with so little. I'm split on some of those showier elements (e.g., the long takes of dialogue work and create a sense of urgency; the "one take" across town seemed unnecessary and didn't establish the geography as well as it may have intended). I was genuinely unnerved at points. Like the scene in the car towards the end. In hindsight, I should've known what was going to happen, but I wasn't really thinking about it and so it creeped me the fuck out.

Very good movie and would definitely recommend checking it out.

[Rico]

I liked the beginning. While it does little to advance the plot, it does give us valuable background on the town and the two main characters. I get the sense something strange has been going on for a while, one of the other females mentions the lights would go out back when she was in high school too.

It's a slow burn and there is tons of just talking, this could be a turn-off for many. But I found myself wanting to know more about this mystery.

I do think the ending lacked a punch. I felt they were building up to something and it didn't quite deliver.

[Idioteque Stalker]

Cool little movie. Very sure-handed direction from Patterson. I'll probably watch whatever he does next. Not everything worked, but if you like The Twilight Zone or X-Files this is worth watching.

[Skitch]

I liked the 2nd half of the movie. This wouldve been better as a 30 min short film, or even better as a podcast in radio drama style.

[Dukefrukem]

Lots of promise. Andrew Patterson is going places. I love the opening sequence which is wall to wall ground level tracking shots adhered to a cacophony of diagetic sound and dialogue centered around a high school gym.

I loved this so much. Feels so organic with a scene shot inside like that.

Also totally agree with the Twilight Zone interlude feeling out of place.

Pop you gotta be more loud about this kind of thing. I would have seen this way earlier.

[Pop Trash]

Pop you gotta be more loud about this kind of thing. I would have seen this way earlier.

HAVE YOU SEEN THE VAST OF NIGHT?! IT'S A NICE LITTLE MOVIE! IT'S STREAMING WITH AN AMAZON PRIME SUBSCRIPTION! PLEASE JEFF BEZOS GIVE ME MONEY FOR SHILLING YOU BILLIONAIRE I BEG OF THEE!!!

[Yxklyx]

I can't remember how many times I've had this movie selected and ready to press play on Amazon Prime. It's easily the #1 film in that category.

[Dukefrukem]

What did Irish hate about this?

[Irish]

Not sure I hated it. But I did roll my eyes and throw up my hands a few times.

The admiration for the direction is overstated; I found it ostentatious. The director has a good eye but an amateur's instinct. The camera draws attention to itself while doing nothing to inform on the characters or story. Film is a visual medium, but this guy showboated to showboat.

A few reviews said this could have been a radio play for all its non-action action (all that absurd running around at the start). I think that's a major criticism, not a passing note. It's a f'ing movie.

Once you know the setting and period, the ending is inevitable. This is the part that kinda floored me, because the writer gives away the game in the first 10? 15? minutes. Then you're just waiting.

On the whole, it strikes me as the sorta thing that benefitted from good release timing, that people talking about enthusiastically for a coupla weeks and then forget almost completely. (See also: "Midnight Special" and "10 Cloverfield Lane," from a few years back.)

Anyway, people seemed to enjoy it, and who am I to say? It would probably bug me more if I thought it was a work with any consequence.

[megladon8]

Irish you would be a brutal teacher.

"Big words and complex analogies are good when used sparingly, but your paper was a display of showboating. This is a grade 3 book report, not a Dickensian novel of unmitigated grief.

I would be more upset if I felt your work was of any consequence. But I don't.

Look forward to seeing you again next year."

[Dukefrukem]

I definitely rolled my eyes at the end, but didn't kill the movie for me.

It also made me watch Cosmos, which is also streaming on Amazon.

Want to see an entire feature length eye-rolling extravaganza? Watch that.

https://www.amazon.com/Cosmos-Tom-En...t-video&sr=1-3

[Yxklyx]

I liked this a lot. Lots and lots of long takes. I liked all the drone filming, I think those scenes were apt based on the subject matter. Some showboating for sure but I didn't mind.

[quido8_5]

I liked this a lot. Lots and lots of long takes. I liked all the drone filming, I think those scenes were apt based on the subject matter. Some showboating for sure but I didn't mind.

Like this film quite a bit as well. I thought that it didn't get enough attention, despite many very positive reviews. Camera work is impressive, concept is really fantastic and then there's that ending!

[Idioteque Stalker]

The switchboard scene alone is enough for me to keep an eye on Patterson's future projects.