The Decay Of A Dream.
Chapter 2.
Extracting the Past, growing the Future.
Days Past when Sabaru casted her seemingly innocent Sycamore like seeds onto the Planet Earth, but these seeds from the Hope Message in the night Sky Above will bring Terror. Including one outside Joe-Jack's House, slap dab in the Cemetery that was his front Garden
Piercing the Ground below, the Propellers aligned to become an Archimedes Screw. As the shaft turned, rubble, Topsoil, gravestones, wood and organic material, Nothing was Safe from the Industrious Aliens, and it wasn't just here.
All over the world each continent, had a seed each.
New York City was in a state of panic, Skyscrapers smacked by the Rotating Devices, Machu Picchu toppled after Centuries, Africa was going through a mass Extinction Event, as animals too were swept away or slaughtered before making their way to the top of the drilling Apparatus, as it slowly descended to Ground Level. In Asia, the Ring of Fire was made more volatile, as seawater and Lava, was Extracted. A stone throws away, all of Sydney, was Crushed by the Sycamore Seed. Contact to the Ground Zero was made Impossible by the media, who presumed that all were Dead! More Disheartening one was Tearing up the Ice floes of the Antarctic!
When all was over and done with, The 7 seeds had rooted pardon the Pun with a stalk/ hilt on ground level, that lead to the most Surreal thing yet!
Pffffft!
That Sound heralded from the stalks, what could only be described as Giant Lungs, that was undulating in a steady Rhythm. What will be the end result of the contents, I wonder?
AND NOW! OUR FEATURE PRESENTATION!
WARNING!
DUE TO THE GRAPHIC NATURE OF THIS REVIEW, PLEASE DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18! EVEN SO, READER'S DISCRETION IS ADVISED!
This has being the year of Cover art on this site, we have had our Share of the worst and Best in the year of 2022.
This is just Gorgeous!
Thomasin McKenzie's Shocked Face, Bathed in The red and Blue Seedy Light's of the Eponymous London District, Looks Ethereal and Otherworldly. Underneath, Anya Taylor-Joy's Blue Toned Platinum Blonde Hair, Contrasts with the Red of her Lipstick and Bra Strap, giving her a lively appearance, as opposed to The Blue Tone of a Sharply dressed, Seemingly cold-blooded Matt Smith, a contrast to the smiling Figure of him walking Down a Flight of Stairs with a Transformed Thomasin, While on the left staircase, Thomasin and Anya are standing next to each other as Negatives of themselves are placed further up the stairs to denote how both Women will slowly lose themselves. And finally Anya Dancing in a Cobalt Blue Dress Under a Harsh White Spotlight makes her presence seem Ghostly!
We Start in Quirky Fashion, With Eloise Turner (McKenzie), Dancing in a Newspaper Print Dress to Sixties Records, Entering Her Bedroom, which is a Shrine to The Swinging Decade. Eloise has Dreams of Being a Designer as she imagines herself being interviewed on the red Carpet, in her Silliness she knocks over a Picture of her and her Late Mother, In the Mirror, the spirit of the woman stands behind her and she asks it, "DO YOU HAVE GOOD NEWS?" Before a voice tells her that she has Post. Her Grandmother hands her a letter and Nervously, Eloise Opens it. And it's good news, She has Being Accepted to a Fashion Course in London.
Ellie packs everything but the Kitchen Sink, Eloise's Nanny wants her to have a Picture of Her and her Ellie's Mother from their Trip to London, she Implies Eloise's Mam died in London and that all the Turner Women can see Beyond! But Eloise Lies to her Nanny about seeing Her mother's Spirit recently.
On her Long Trip from Cornwall to London, Eloise takes a Cab, to Charlotte Street, Passing London monuments like Eros and the Red Light District of Soho
The Cab Driver asks what she does for a living, when she say Fashion Student, her Driver Turns Lecherous by saying she could pass off as a model with her Shapely Legs, as she gets Uncomfortable!
Well, as a man, I would always take a lecherous cabby over a Racist one, since a lecherous cabby would not talk to you about their Racist Diatribes or Tinfoil hat Ramblings! Or at all if you are a man!
But the Driver Just Doesn't read the room-Car-WHATEVER! And continues to make Eloise squirm, So she asks to be dropped at a shop to buy a single can of Coke to get away from him, who parks before giving up!
Trundling her luggage up some Steps, she is stopped by a man eating an orange, the other character from the cover, so of course he is important! He offers to take her Bag, but Eloise Refuses his help! She meets her Roommate, a pretentious Snobby Cow called Jocasta, who, given the medium we are in, and since she is both the first person we meet, and a Snobby Bitch, is Either Gonna be the Sakaya or the Togami of this film.
And if you get that Reference, you are a Legend!
So Jocasta is a real Brown Noser, only Befriending People to learn their Weaknesses, almost comparing Lifes, like someone Would play a game of Top Trumps, with Eloise having a more tragic childhood than Jocasta, Eloise never knew her father, and her mother committed suicide when she was seven. I think Jocasta may use that fact against her if and when she is doing better than her.
Because Jocasta has Marked all the Food in the Fridge as hers, The Students go into town, Eloise is hit on by a Stupid Haircut influencer looking Motherfucker, as the Man Eating An Orange looks on, Eloise leaves as The Floppy Fringed Fuckwit Fabricates Frigidity Falsehoods!
As she goes Downstairs to a pub, she is Followed by Terrance Stamp, who at first she thinks is a Ghost in a Mirror. She Collects her Thoughts in a Toilet Cubicle, Jocasta enters the other cubicle with the others and talks smack about her.
On the way Home, Eloise sees that she is being followed by Terrence Stamp, who smiles at her and leaves.
Eloise's Sleep is interrupted by Jocasta having a one night stand, as the other students host a house party as Eloise covered in her duvet sits in disbelief with her headphones, another millennial pissant gets in her personal space, takes off her headphones and calls her taste in Music "Granny Shit"
This coming from the Generation that had a Fishlipped Collegen Disaster who couldn't wait for Elton John to DIE TO RUIN HIS SONGS!
 |
| Also, i didn't know what POO-POO LUPUS Called her Rip off! i just Googled "Dua Lipa Elton John Rip-off!" And found it! |
So the man eating an Orange Runs him off and finally introduces himself as John (Michael Ajao), But he has took her can of coke by accident, and she just tells him to have it!
The next morning and Ellie is late for class, turns out John is taking the same course as her. She has had enough so she finds an ad for a bedsit in Soho, but it has being dropped on the floor. NEVER A GOOD SIGN!
The Bedsit is a Former Flophouse, owned by a Mrs Collins (Diana Rigg, one of her last roles before her death, an Icon of the Sixties in her own right!) Exposits that she use to be a cleaner here in its Glory days (Though, that might be the wrong word!), Ellie tells her what she would give to be there first hand, but Mrs Collins, seems to know better.
After making a Midnight Flit from the dorm, Eloise moves in that night, she has Trouble sleeping with the French Bistro lights on, so she puts on a record and returns to bed, and into a dream Sequence of London's Swinging Past.
She Enters the French Bistro and a Maitre D asks to take "her cloak" And we now see in the Mirror, Not Eloise, But Sandie,(Taylor-Joy) A Platinum Blonde Woman on a Mission, As Eloise had Put on a Cilla Black Record as she fell asleep, She in the Mirror is seeing Sandie attending a Concert by the very woman.
After Blowing off a Creep (Which, in a Nice Touch, played by the same actor who was the Taxi Driver!) Sandie Goes to the Bar to apply as a Singer here at the Bistro De Paris, the Barman tells Sandie it's Jack (Matt Smith) that does the hiring!
Sandie turns on the Charm, And when Jack Asks her If she can Dance, she leads him to the floor and more and less Seduces him. Because Eloise is having this vision, the dance is shot in close to Matt Smith, Meaning every time Anya Steps out of Frame, Thomasin dances in to take her place and Vice Versa. When the Creep arrives for a dance and Jack tells him to take a hike, He calls Sandie a Whore, which Jack responses by punching him so hard, the Cabby in the Future probably felt it!
Jack and Sandie make Out next to a Mirror Where even Jack's reflection is making out with Eloise, Both women look at each like they aware of the other, as Cohorts of the Creep chase the two as they roll into a Black Cab.
So Sandie is Driven home which happens to be the The House and the room Eloise now Resides in.
Inspired by the very vivid vision she just had, The next morning at design class, Eloise Draws Sandie and the dress she was wearing. John sees the Drawing and asks her if it's a "Self Portrait"
Jocasta being the character in a horror film you wish would die, sees her art book full of Pictures of the vision. Implying Eloise is a lesbian, when she finds a hickey on her neck, clearly Inspiration was not the only thing she got last night!
Spurred by her new Muse, Eloise Blows off John's plans of a date, so she could lose her virginity via Ghost Sex! Actually it's to live vicariously in the 60s through Sandie, but you know the score, really!
But she is not so Lucky, (And Neither are the Audience!) the next dream/vision is Jack hiring an entire Theatre out after opening hours so His boss could audition her! Jack's Boss is not impressed, not that Jack cares. As soon as the two attempt to get it on, Eloise's Alarm goes off! Feeling Sandie's Confidence well in her, Ellie Dyes her Hair Blonde and Wears it like Sandie,As her Grandmother video calls her, feeling worried that she didn't recognize her! She Continues to work on the dress Sandie wore, getting her passing Marks, While Buying a White Jacket, She finds the Building that was the Theatre in her Dream still exists. The shop tells her how much the Jacket is, so to afford anything in the Future, Eloise applies for a job at a pub, including a cameo by Pauline Mclynn,
Oh look!
The only Irish Person in a film about London and she owns a Pub!
I never would have guessed(!)
(Sigh)
You are lucky this film has this rep, or the Racist Alarm would automatically fail this film.
....Which the Audience is shown ahead of time that it's The regular Haunt of Terrance Stamp's Character! Who Stares at the girl like he recognizes her!
Stamp Follows her, Asking her who her Mother was, No Doubt thinking she's related to Sandie in someway. When Eloise tells him she's dead, his response of "Women Like HER, usually are!" Unnerves her to the point she is nearly ran over!
It's Night Again and Eloise goes to bed Putting on a Record to see what happened Next!
And when she Comes to, she is The only Woman in an Audience of Old Men, Jack at the Bar. The Curtain Opens and to Reveal a Floor-show, With Sandie Duped into being a Stripper and looking very Pissed about it!
The Floorshow is based on the Sandy Shaw song Puppet On A String, Sandie is dressed like a wind up doll, the Lyrics make reference to winding up and pulled Strings as Jack is Schmoozing with Dodgy looking Geezers!
With No Real Control, Eloise wants to leave, but her Vision is leading her to Sandie's Dressing room, Pissed off Further and Wanting to leave, Jack knocks on the door and Sandie smashes her Mirror, Causing Eloise to take Sandie's Place First hand to see what would happen next. And it's Not Pretty.
Jack is Pimping Sandie Out!
She/They is/are trying to escape but Eloise's/Sandie's Struggle becomes a Fever dream of Depravity, all the while Jack, repeats the Phrase "Everyone Does It!" Scrambling for an exit, we see a younger Mrs Collins pointing the way out, leading to her room back in the past, in what would be her bed, A Prone Sandie, Is Covered in Blankets as The Punter walks out Undressing, as Jack's mocking voice says this is just a taste of things to come. As Eloise wakes In a cold sweat! Only for the Punter to grab her Hand, this time she wakes for real!
After what she just witnessed, Ellie feels nothing but Repulsion for the Dress she is working on in class (With Jocasta Being a Bitch!) John and her teachers are worried, John even going to her Shift at the pub to tell her he's there if she needs Someone to talk to.
OH GOD!
He's the Confidant!
I just hope John is a Kirigiri, Not a Chiaki!
Gran Calls and she can tell that something is wrong, Gran tells her that even if she's a Country Girl in the Big City, She has nothing to prove and it's good to ask for help. She hangs up as Stamp's Character hovers over her, Eloise asks him what his deal is and he only answers it's his duty to know every pretty girl in London, he hands Eloise a Piece of Paper she had Dropped, and takes his leave. The Manager's Son tells us he has a Nickname- "Mr Handsy". Apparently he was a Ladies man back in the day.
The Manager of the Pub Doesn't believe in Ghosts, but she does believe in what is a plot point to the Visions, the idea of Latent Energy, as she believes that when the pub is empty, she still hears the Echoes of the Boisterous times in its long History, Seemingly what has being Happening to Eloise Room and the Surrounding Buildings.
With a Heavy mind and her steps full of trepidation, Eloise Goes to her Room, when her Record player Starts Playing by itself, the Door Swings Open and the Memory of Jack drags Eloise into Sandie's First Night of Turning Tricks! The Repetition of Dancing and Small talk with Punters who tell her she has a lovely name, every time she gives a false name, all of them beginning with "A"
.... put it to one side for now!
And worse still as the weeks go on, Sandie is becoming desensitized by it all, in the end she is just flopping on the dancefloor, not that putting effort into dancing will change the outcome!
In a moment of Clarity, she sees Mrs Collins shaking her head in Disgust. At a Booth, A man asks for her Real Name, Sandie reckons her new "Client" is a copper, who implores "Alex" to get out while she can, but the young woman is defeated, so the Policeman tells her if she can look in the mirror she will know what to do, that's when Eloise in the Reflection bangs on the mirror, she has some control of what happens so if she would reach her, she may change the Future, as she bangs repeatedly on the mirror to tell her to look at her, the Mirror Shatters as Eloise reaches her arms out to Hug her!
...But The Dream ends there!
And into an Nightmare, As the Collective Spirits Of the Faceless Punters Shifting from Shape and Size, Undress, all Featureless, all Repulsive, All repeating the Phrase "That's A lovely Name!" Eloise is Momentarily Transfixed, Before Running out of the room, and Checking if the Faceless Man are still there, only to see A Legion of them when she turns around!
Desperate for a Release, Eloise Jumps at the chance to go as John's Date at the Student Union Halloween Party.
It's Halloween Party in A Horror Film, the hero is Bullied and the Bullies are dressed as the Craft Girls.
All that's Missing is A Bucket Of Pig's Blood and Margaret White screaming "THERE GONNA LAUGH AT YOU!"
Sure Enough, Jocasta has Slipped LSD into their Drinks and Drugs and Psychic Powers go together like Oil and Water , causing her to see Ghosts more Vividly, as she runs out in the rain, John catches Up to her! In a Right State, Ellie, Just Breaks Down about hating being like this, But John likes Ellie, they Kiss and he Proposes to take this somewhere else, But Mrs Collins Doesn't allow Male Visitors....SO THEY HAVE TO BE EXTRA QUIET!
As they Make out Eloise sees in a Ceiling Mirror which is no longer there, what happens next, Jack Killing Sandie. As She Starts Screaming, "GET OFF HER!" Mrs Collins is Awakened and Suspicious of John as he runs Past! Seeing the Vicious Memory of Jack Stabbing Sandie Repeatedly, while on the Come down from LSD, Mrs Collins grabs John and Throws him out! Eloise does see one thing in the frenzied attack, Sandie got one hit in, scarring Jack's Face.
Mrs Collins, tells her they will talk about this in the morning!
Yeah I'm Sure you have a lot of explaining to do!
...Except Mr Collins is still too Coy about the History of the house, even when that History includes Rape and Murder! Though the fact that she is not kicking Eloise out means she will be more Forthcoming in the future
(Nervous Laughter)
But Ellie is now at a low, Jocasta is still a Bitch, John is keeping a wide Berth, and after seeing a Murder, she see Sandie Everywhere, covered in blood, she runs into the streets seeing only the Faceless men, Hundreds of them, Thousands! She Bumps into "Mr Handsy" but she sees Jack! She goes into a Police Station to report an Unsolved Crime, 60 years ago of a women, who she never learned her Surname, Because of a Psychic Dream
The Police's Reaction?
However, a Police Psychologist, does tell her that if the murder was real, they need Evidence, something more Concrete. So Sandie goes to the Archives to uncover 6 decades of Missing Persons. Only to find that More MEN than women were reported missing, but even then, no mention of a Sandie! John is More Supportive, after Ellie tells him everything, (John Explaining that coming from a Devout Jamaican family, has made him open minded to such things!), As he tracks down more files, the faceless men Attack Sandie and it now causes Physical pain, So Eloise Gets the courage to stand up for herself, Grabs A scissors to Stab her Attacker!, but John stops her, only for Ellie to now see Jocasta Bricking It!
THERE'S YOUR RESOLUTION, FOLKS!
But Being the Bitch she is, Jocasta Pulls a Do you Know Who I Am? That opens a more Violent Can of Worms, Eloise Following Sandie, and grabbing her, only to reveal a second Scared Eloise that Pushes her into a Puddle!
She sees "Mr Handsy" in her mad dash. It had lead her to the pub And inside She confronts Him, recording him on her phone, making small talk about the past, before Accusing him of Murder , he barges into the street. Indignant that he is being named in killing Sandie, he tells Eloise that "Being Alex" killed Sandie, and if she her again, tell her from him to burn in Hell, before a cab runs him over, killing him instantly! Carole (Mclynn) tells us his name is DI Lynsey, Former Vice Squad, and Not Jack: he was the copper who tried to save Sandie in the past,
Ellie Calls Gran To collect her but John has being running around trying to find her since this Afternoon. John offers to drive Ellie out of London, but she needs to ask Mrs Collins for her Down Payment back, So Mrs Collins let's Eloise in her room, and gives her tea to calm her down, but her tone becomes Colder when she tells her the Police Psychologist came over after Ellie's visit to the police Station. Turns out someone did die in that room- the old Me, she says, as Eloise's eyes dart to some letters on her side table and the Full name of Alexandria Collins
"Sandie"
Okay, so ...okay, I know what you are all thinking!
"But if Mrs Collins was Sandie, then who was the Mrs Collins in the flashbacks?"
Well I have a Theory on that. Mind you it's only that, a Theory!
Assuming that when we see Sandie's Memories we also see parts of her Psyche, Every time we see Mrs Collins, we actually see Sandie's Conscense Manifesting itself to modify her behaviour, it's the only way that could make sense when all 3 are in a scene!
So the twist is, Sandie didn't die that night, Jack did! The visions were not to save Sandie, but to make her Culpable for what she did, even if the Bastard deserved it!
But killing Jack didn't end her problems, as every Former Punter kept coming and so, they had to die too and they with Jack are buried under the floorboards!, (Including, which is why I'm using the image below, David Mitchell!)
So Mrs Collins has no Choice, She Had put Sedatives in Poor Eloise's Teacup, after all she's being listening to her, a Naive Girl in the big city, losing her mind with Stress, no wonder she slit her Throat is all what everyone will say before even she is Forgotten about like everyone else who thread this Threshold.
But John , who was told to come in after 10 minutes, comes to the rescue, but Ellie tries to takes a Butcher's Knife from Mrs Collins but she gets Bitched slapped as the Sedative Does it's nasty Work!
So let's Finish this!
John gets Stabbed, When Ellie gets out of the chair, but John survives! As Ellie crawls up the stairs, the Sedative makes her see Mrs Collins as Sandie Singing to her Menacingly, in the room where John knocked over a Cigarette tray to save Eloise has caught fire. Finding Some Strength to crawl to her room to use the landline, when zombies of the Punters smash through and grab Eloise, but they whisper "help us" to her. Mrs Collins sees the Vision as all the men as they were when they were alive including Jack who calls her a bitch and slaps her, in her clarity decides to sit on the bed as the fire spreads, killing herself!
Eloise tries to save her, but Mrs Collins now as Sandie tells her to save John instead, firefighters find them both as the two survivors are carried away in ambulances!
And So we cut to later in the year, Eloise's First Year Fashion Show Exam, With Gran and John in the Audience, Ellie has washed the Dye from her Hair, Everyone Congratulates her After suffering so much, (I guess with the fire and time lapse the bodies were found!) Gran tells Her Granddaughter her mother would be so proud and she sees her Mother's Spirit in the Mirror, and later in the scene, Sandie's.
Last Night In Soho is a Modern Masterpiece!
Thomasin McKenzie may have being wasted in Old, but here without M Shite Shittyfilm, gets to shine, McKenzie Sparkles as the Small town Girl in the big City, her delivery ranging from mousey timidity, to Commanding Presence, the tone shifting abruptly like the Jump Scares, Anya Taylor Joy oozes Sex Appeal as well as danger, as does Matt Smith, Michael Ajao injects enough Humour to lighten the mood of the grim and Gritty Settings and Topics, But it's Diana Rigg, who gives the Performance of her Career, In sadly one of her last roles ever as the Bone Chilling Mrs Collins. Combined with Edgar Wright's triple Threat of Sharp Script, Luscious Cinematography and Expertly timed Direction, then it truly doesn't get better for the new Standard of British Horror!
Yes, it doesn't get better than this....which will be very obvious when we trawl the very worst horror and Sci-fi from Sky for the Halloween Special!
CREDITS
Last Night In Soho was reviewed, Compiled and Edited, by Eamonn Bermingham @RealEnli on Twitter
With Media from:
Last Night In Soho.
The Simpsons
That Mitchell and Webb Look
All media used belong to there respective Owners!
Last Night In Soho is co-produced by Film4 and Working Title, and Distributed by Universal Studios.
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