Do you ever watch a movie that you think was made just for you? Well this is one of those movies for me. From the 70s era, to the late night TV setting, and some other things I won’t spoil here, I couldn’t have been more interested. Despite an exhausting week, I got enough energy to meet up with Adriana and Nick at Cinéma Moderne, which just so happened to be the only theatre showing this movie in Montreal apparently, and we had another memorable night out at the movies!
But was it the friends and the unique experience of Cinéma Moderne that made it memorable or was the movie good too?
My Thoughts
Written and directed by people that don’t even have a Wikipedia page (Colin and Cameron Cairnes), I wouldn’t be surprised if you haven’t heard of this movie. What brought this movie to my attention was not the 70s aesthetic or the late-night TV setting, though that certainly helped, it was that this was the first real big lead role for David Dastmalchian. I wouldn’t expect you to recognize that name but I would be surprised if you didn’t recognize him from the image above. Dastmalchian has been in some phenomenal movies including The Dark Knight, Prisoners, Dune: Part One, Oppenheimer, Blade Runner 2049, and was also a supporting player in big blockbuster movies like Ant-Man and The Suicide Squad. That’s an impressive filmography for anyone, but this is the first real chance to see him carry a movie himself and boy does he manage to do that with ease. He’s absolutely captivating as Jack Delroy and you’ll find yourself seamlessly transitioning between pity and horror for his character throughout the course of the movie.
Dastmalchian’s Jack Delroy is the host of ‘Night Owls’, the fictional late night TV competitor to the very real ‘Tonight Show with Johnny Carson’. The movie sets itself up as a documentary/found footage film as we get a bit of a background of the circumstances surrounding Jack, the show, and what was happening at the time of this fateful Halloween night episode of ‘Night Owls’. What unfolds is not so much a traditional horror movie with plenty of jump scares or constant spooky goings on, but effectively you’re watching an episode of ‘Night Owls’. Fear not though, pun intended, there are some great horror elements to experience here!
This is what I think I liked most about the movie. It’s at times graphic, but also intriguing and funny throughout. As a horror veteran, I’m getting tired of the same old ghost movies being done over and over again. This was able to take familiar elements that we’ve seen before but package them up in completely new and interesting ways.
Even with some pretty minimal setup, I was really invested in Jack’s story and I was interested in the rest of the characters too, from the producer, to the sidekick, and even the guests of the show. The supporting cast was so great that I was surprised to learn afterwards that they were almost all Australian actors with very few acting credits to their names. This wasn’t a case of “Oh they were good for an indie movie” either, they were just really good, full stop.
Outside of the performances, the set and the way they captured the spirit of old school late-night TV was impeccable. I’m a huge fan of the late-night format, and have watched tons of episodes with hosts including Johnny Carson, David Letterman, and Conan O’Brien. This didn’t try to adapt to what audiences today would recognize as late-night TV, but it really was true to the era it existed in and felt believable as an alternative to Carson’s ‘Tonight Show’.
I also want to commend the practical effects as well. I will almost always prefer practical effects like this to CGI, especially when it comes to basic horror and gore effects in movies. There were some digital effects to be sure, but the big set pieces included a lot of practicality which not only fit the vibe of the movie but was something I could appreciate as a fan of the genre.
As for things I didn’t like, there wasn’t much! I felt that the movie struggled a bit with the ending. It was a bit more scattered compared to the tight and focused movie that it was throughout. I felt like it could’ve ended with a little less going on that caused it to fill a little too rushed and full. I can’t say anything much without spoiling it, but I think you’ll understand what I mean when you see it yourself.
I also have to mention, even if I think it’s overblown, that there were some concerns raised (and even a boycott suggested from some) about the use of AI in the movie. There are transition images used within the context of the show that were AI generated and later touched up by artists and the images account for probably 20 seconds or less of total screen time. I’ve had a lot of conversations with Nick and Adriana about this and my personal take is that the reaction I’ve seen online is very overblown. Now listen, I’m a big film lover and I don’t like the use of generative AI used in movies at all. However, I think there is some important context to consider here. This movie first debuted in March 2023 at SXSW and would’ve been submitted to the festival much earlier than that. ChatGPT, a catalyst for the resurgence of the AI discussion, wasn’t publicly released until November 2022 and the big conversations that have happened in the last year or so all happened after this movie was already made.
With that said, I don’t want to excuse this behaviour either because I don’t want it to catch on, especially when there are plenty of talented artists available for work like this at incredibly affordable rates. Beyond the moral or ethical concerns over AI though, I think filmmakers that use generative AI in their movies or TV shows will do so at their own peril. Nothing I’ve seen so far has convinced me that AI is anywhere close to being able to compete with human contributions in the creative process. We notice it when we read it, we can see it in AI generated videos and pictures, and even if we can’t exactly explain why, we still get that feeling that something isn’t right about what we’re watching or reading.
Another article for another time perhaps, but don’t be worried about the use of AI in this movie in particular. It’s incredibly minimal but I hope the filmmakers avoid its use in their future projects because they deserve a lot of credit for what they accomplished here and I’m disappointed this will distract from the great work the cast and crew put into this movie.
Verdict
This was about as close as a movie can get to a double heart rating without getting there. I really loved this movie, I just wish they were able to stick the landing a little better. Despite this minor stumble, I can enthusiastically recommend this movie to you. Check your local theatres to see if you’re lucky enough to see it there, but otherwise I’m sure it will be available to watch at home soon. I expect that David Dastmalchian will have plenty of bigger roles after his killer performance in this movie and after seeing what he is capable of in a lead role, he definitely deserves it!
Adriana Wiszniewska