Every week at SiftPop.com, we challenge our writers to choose what they think is the best movie under a certain topic related to a recent release. So this week, with the highly anticipated release of Last Night In Soho, we’re counting down our favorite movies with “last” in the title! Let us know @SiftPop what your ranking is!
A very underseen and dare I say unknown movie, even though it was nominated for two Oscars? Yep, that is The Last Station, a movie about the last few days of Leo Tolstoy, starring Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer, and James McAvoy. I have only seen it once, when I was “prepping” for the 2010 Oscars, trying to watch as many nominated movies as possible, and I still remember how impressed I was with the film. On paper, it might sound like your stereotypical “Oscar bait” film, but in reality it’s anything but that. This film balances comedy and drama really well, it has great performances all around, and most importantly, it humanizes someone who seems almost untouchable, one of the literary greats. If you are into Tolstoy or you might have just heard the name at class once, give this movie a watch. It definitely doesn’t get the attention it deserves. (Luke Burian)
Dragons, martial arts, lore, and a kick-ass female lead; yup this is my sweet spot. The moment you combine fantasy with high paced action and some decent character development, you have me hook, line, and sinker, and I can guarantee that this movie will probably have the same effect on any skeptics reader here. This is Disney elevated. Think Mulan x Moana x Avatar: The Last Airbender (the animated series, NOT the movie), and that’s pretty much Raya and the Last Dragon. Also, let’s not bury the lede here, there’s also the titular ‘last dragon’, whose design is familiar, and yet entirely unique to what is normally illustrated in Western Cinema. Honestly, this is just a good time all around, and if you have been putting this off for whatever reason – trust me, don’t. (Alice-Ginevra Micheli)
The Last Samurai hits a lot of my cinematic buttons. The film stars Tom Cruise as Nathan Algren, a Civil War veteran hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, but ends up gaining a respect for the samurai way of life and fighting for their cause. I love a good war epic, and this one has the added intrigue of describing a time where technology butts heads with tradition. Cruise is fantastic, and you really buy his character arc, which finds him flipping sides. Plus, Ken Watanabe and Timothy Spall are always welcome additions to any cast. Even if you’re not generally a Cruise fan, I think it’s still worth giving a shot. I know people who are generally not Cruise fans that still enjoy this movie. Just don’t mention it to your Japanese history professor. (Jake Bourgeois)
The Last Duel will definitely be the most recent film on this list as it just hit theaters a couple of weeks ago. It tells the tale of a duel to the death in medieval France, when the king issues a judicial order to settle a conflict between a knight and a squire, after the squire rapes the knight’s wife. To say that it’s intense would be a dramatic understatement. This is one of the best movies that has come out in 2021, and it will surely be a contender at the Oscars in a few months’ time. It is powered by superb direction from Ridley Scott and intense performances from Jodie Comer, Adam Driver, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck. It showcases gorgeous costumes, terrific art direction, and superb editing as it tells a story from multiple different perspectives, allowing you as the audience to discern truth from fiction. You should definitely take the time to see The Last Duel; it’s a fantastic film. (Heath Lynch)
When it comes to sequels, you never know what you expect. But with The Last Jedi, you get a solid entry to the Skywalker Saga. We start off reuniting with Luke Skywalker almost 40 years after The Return of the Jedi, when he’s forced to help Rey find the Force, changing their lives forever. Meanwhile, Leia, Poe, and Finn take on Kylo Ren and the First Order for supremacy of the galaxy. TLJ showcases Rian Johnson’s strength as a director as he gives his take on this beloved saga. You have the galactic space battles, surprising twists, a bit of humor dashed in, bittersweet moments, mesmerizing cinematography, and one of the best lightsaber showdowns between uncle and nephew, Luke and Kylo. The cast performances stood out as usual, but for me, as always, Adam Driver as the space baddie Kylo Ren a.k.a. Ben Solo, struggling with the Force and the Dark Side stands out. Enjoying the emotional turmoil he goes through is one of my favorite parts about the film. You can just see the anguish and pain he’s going through his silence and facial expressions. He makes you feel for his character. That’s some great acting. TLJ does drag a little in the middle before picking up in the third act with the battle on the planet Crait, another scene with amazing visuals. Also, it’s the last time we see Carrie Fisher as our General, our Princess Leia Organa, since she passed away before the film came out. So when we finally got a chance to see Leia use the Force, it was definitely a bittersweet moment. I know how people speak about how TLJ is a weak entry for the saga, but I oppose. It’s one of the best. (Chantal Ashford)
Joseph here with yet another case of myself watching a movie with a heavy message for the first time, this time with the 2019 film The Last Black Man in San Francisco. As the feature length directorial debut by director Joe Talbot, this semi-biographical film tackles a lot of subjects: disenfranchisement, gentrification, and implicit bias from the opening shot to the closing scenes as our main character Jimmie Fails (Jimmie Fails, who helped write this film and whom it is partially based upon) and his friend Montgomery Allen (Jonathan Majors) experience the journey of Jimmy trying to get his old family home back in modern San Francisco. What I like in this one is the artistic style that Talbot has chosen wrapped into a story that is both fairly simple, yet deeply complex, one which tackles society as a whole and the individual people within it. It has an air of subtlety that draws you in, while hitting you with a powerful message. I love what this director has done, and I love the performances in this movie and really am looking forward to anything the actors in this movie will be involved with in the future. This movie may not have the bombastic action that some of the movies on this list contain, but it transcends into areas of artistic brilliance that few of them come close to achieving, a feat that couldn’t be achieved without the story and acting provided by Jimmy Fails. (Joseph Davis)
The Last King of Scotland presents a fictionalized account of real-life Ugandan dictator Idi Amin from the point of view of his personal physician. The film is written by Peter Morgan, king of the let’s-imagine-what-historical-figures-are-like-behind-closed-doors subgenre with properties like Frost/Nixon, The Queen, Rush, and Netflix’s The Crown. Morgan wrote a perfectly decent film with The Last King of Scotland, though I would highly recommend watching it to see a magnificent lead performance from Forest Whitaker. If you are only familiar with Whitaker for his sporadic supporting appearances in films like Arrival, Rogue One, and Black Panther, then you are in for a treat. He is an absolute force of nature in this film, and he single-handedly elevates The Last King of Scotland from a competent historical drama to a must-see. Were I to rank the best film performances of all time, Whitaker’s chilling portrayal of Amin would almost certainly crack the top 10. (Foster Harlfinger)
At the tail end of the ‘80s, Indiana Jones was as exhilarating as ever in the third film in the series entitled, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In this entry, he would be accompanied by the legendary and late Sean Connery playing his father, Professor Henry Jones. In this film, Indy must once again thwart the Nazis from obtaining unfathomable power in the form of the Holy Grail, while also finding his missing father. At the start of the film, we are treated to a young Indiana keeping an artifact away from some nefarious individuals and meeting up with a man that will influence him in more than a few ways (especially aesthetically). We also get the sense that young Indiana is desperately seeking the approval of his far-too-busy father. This intro perfectly sets up the type of relationship that these two have throughout the film and the antics that ensue during this journey. As the stakes rise in this film, so does the exploration of their relationship and a stronger bond being formed between father and son. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a globe-trotting thrill ride that never forgets the core of it’s story: the loving and complex relationship between father and son. (Joe Vargas)
What kind of story would compel urban director Michael Mann to leave his comfort zone and venture off into the wilderness? It is strange to think that one of James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales would be such a work… but what audiences are treated to easily puts any skepticism away. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, The Last of the Mohicans is a sleek and raw adventure that features the brutality of war and even love at the center. Day-Lewis gives one of his most physical performances as he dual wields muskets and takes out rival tribesmen. Where romance is the simplest aspect of the film, Mann can beautifully balance politics, racial tensions, love, and action. Randy Edelman and Trevor Jones deliver a sprawling and triumphant score that is just icing on the cake for this historical drama. You will be drawn in from the start all the way through its powerful and exciting finale. (Shane Conto)
Before this week, The Last Picture Show was a film I had never heard of, let alone seen. However, seeing how this is the first film Jeff Bridges was nominated for, I knew I had to give it a chance and see what it was all about. While some parts of haven’t held up, I really like its aesthetic appeal, which takes me back to my childhood where I stayed up late at night and watched the likes of The Andy Griffith Show or Bonanza, though the subject matter in this movie is vastly different than anything you’d see on either show (look, I know I’m in my ‘20s, but before satellite TV, we got seven channels. Rural living is tough). This movie tackles living in a declining town from the perspective of high schoolers, and in many ways, it follows the story a lot of other movies involving romance tend to follow. But unlike some like American Pie, it gives more depth to these characters than many modern movies do. While this movie is best for those of an appropriate age, I would definitely look to recommend it to people who are interested in Jeff Bridges’ early work, or a movie with early film aesthetics. (Joseph Davis)
The Last Dragon
Leroy Green is a Bruce Lee fanatic and an aspiring martial arts master, and he is on a quest to obtain the legendary Glow and happens to find love in the process. The Last Dragon is a martial arts/comedy movie starring Taimak as Leroy Green, an endearing and naive martial artist that marches to the beat of his own drum. During a faithful meeting, Leroy saves beautiful music show host Laura Charles (Vanity) from video game producer and aspiring music artist manager, Eddie Arkadian’s (Christopher Murney) henchmen. Things only get more complicated when the infamous “Shogun of Harlem,” Sho’nuff (Julius Carry), is looking to challenge the pious Leroy. The movie hits its highs when these two rivals are on screen, especially Sho’nuff and his bombastic presence. He will stop at nothing to get into a confrontation with Leroy, whether it is challenging him in the middle of a movie theater or vandalizing Leroy’s family’s pizzeria to provoke him. The epic confrontation between these two martial arts titans is entertaining to say the very least. The Last Dragon is an absurd film that isn’t afraid to just have fun, as well as provide some solid martial arts action. (Joe Vargas)
The Last Movie Star
The premise behind the indie movie The Last Movie Star is so simple, yet brilliant. One “used to big” actor gets an invite to a film festival, and not only that, they will present him with a lifetime achievement award. Little does he know, the movie festival is just couple of hardcore fans who really want to meet him, talk to him, and tell him how much his movies meant to them. The Last Movie Star manages to avoid being “too sappy” about passing stardom. Burt Reynolds (one of his last performances before he passed away) basically plays himself — a used-to-be-big-shot, who needs to get a wake up call about his “fame level.” And in the process, he needs to remember the simple fact that he had any kind of career just because of hardcore fans like these young guys. I am not going to lie, I wasn’t expecting much going into this film, but when the movie ended, I felt surprisingly uplifted. It’s definitely not a downer, even though it can be hard to watch at some places, especially knowing this is one of Burt’s last performances. (Luke Burian)
The Last Boy Scout
I’ve been on a bit of a streak lately of writing about movies that are more just movies I like but are objectively not very good. The Last Boy Scout is a movie directed by Tony Scott and written by Shane Black, both of whom later came out saying the original script was much better than the final movie. And that’s probably true. But the magic of that duo and this very specific era of action films helps make this movie very watchable. I think Tony Scott deserves more credit that he’s often given. He generally delivered pretty entertaining films, ranging in overall quality, and The Last Boy Scout was no exception. The premise is silly, but it fits the era. It follows a private investigator and a disgraced ex-quarterback on a mission to uncover a fabulously extravagant plot. We get a Die Hard-era Bruce Willis, but it’s earlier on in his career and you can tell he cares about what he’s doing. Damon Wayans plays the other lead and the other half of the unlikely buddy pairing, and they are genuinely very good together. They’re not Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, but it’s one of Willis’ better action pairings. It’s incredibly stylized but it has all the makings of a Scott/Black production, and that makes it very watchable and very entertaining. It’s not groundbreaking by any means, but you certainly could do a lot worse than this! (Nashua Doll)
Last Christmas
A Christmas movie, set in the post-Brexit UK with Khalee— I mean, Emilia Clarke in the main role? Yes, I was in from the get-go. And even though Last Christmas doesn’t break any new ground, it might surprise you at times. Plus, let’s face it — Clarke is not only a great actress, but also cuteness personified, so her playing a woman who doesn’t have her life together, while working as an elf, is just adorable. On top of it, where else would you find Emma Thompson not only playing Emilia’s mum, but also playing Emilia’s mum with Croatian roots and accent, commenting on the situation here in the UK, displaying certain changes towards Europeans? That is something I admired about this film — even though it is a good-feel Christmas movie based on music by George Michael, Paul Feig manages to squeeze some issues that unfortunately won’t get dated any time soon. But don’t worry, Last Christmas is not a political film by any means. It’s just a mix of comedy, drama, music by the immortal George Michael, and some Christmas magic set in the “good ol’” UK. With adorable Clarke, who lifts up the movie by a grade or two with her presence. (Luke Burian)
X-Men: The Last Stand
What a way to wrap up this iteration of X-Men movies! It’s hard not to get excited when you go straight from opening credits to watching Colossus launch Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine into a giant robot. The kid in me couldn’t get enough of the great mutant versus mutant battles that X-Men: The Last Stand showcased, especially when they involve the likes of Kitty Pryde taking down the walking one-liner Juggernaut, or a quippy Wolverine lamenting his last cigar mid-crisis. Meanwhile, I don’t think I will ever stop enjoying Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in their roles as perpetual frenemies. Watching Magneto move the entirety of the Golden Gate Bridge while on his crusade to once again establish mutants as superior will always be one of my favorite scenes showcasing the magnitude of his power. However, the real power in this film comes in the form of the return of Jean Grey as the Dark Phoenix. Resurrected following her sacrifice in X2, Jean/Dark Phoenix delivers some of the most intense abilities we’ve seen in an X-Men film before, and along the way doles out some of the more shocking moments of the series. A final battle culminating at Alcatraz, demonstrating the full potential of her power (come on, she is literally dusting people!), was the cherry on top that had me immediately racing to read The Dark Phoenix saga, and for that I am grateful. (Matt Lawson)
The Last Exorcism
Found footage films and horror films are often paired together, and neither of them are genres I actively seek out. The 1973 film The Exorcist is one of my favorite movies, so when I found out about The Last Exorcism, I took the leap and watched it. This movie scared the crap out of me for a lot of reasons. Itfollows Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian), as he wrestles with his faith and profession as he feels exorcisms are fraud ceremonies. He has a documentary crews film the exorcism so he can prove to the masses that exorcisms aren’t real. Cotton is summoned to perform an exorcism on Nell (Ashley Bell), a young girl from Louisiana with a troubled family. Kudos to Bell for performing her own contortions. The scenes when she is possessed are terrifying, and it makes for a scary ending in when Cotton is actually performing the exorcism and becomes a firm believer again. The tension in this movie is super uncomfortable as the viewer starts to unravel the mystery of Nell’s possession. The scene with the armoire until the end of the movie is just non-stop terrifying and well worth the time. If you like possession movies or found footage, this is an underrated movie to check out. (Mike Hilty)
Last Vegas
Last Vegas is as formulaic as a film gets, but it’s starring four of Hollywood’s eldest legends (Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Michael Douglas, and Kevin Kline), which might be enough to get you to see this. Having been friends as kids in Brooklyn, the now senior citizens head to Vegas for the bucks weekend of one of their crew, the successful and rich one Billy (Douglas). Sure some jokes are as stale as yesterday’s bread and probably aimed at a different audience than me, but to be fair, there are quite a few jokes that land very, very well. The key positive to Last Vegas is the characters and the actors playing them. This is best seen when you just want to chill, forget about the vagaries of the world, and enjoy some charming old bastards do their thing.I found myself smiling through most of it. (Adam Ritchie)
Last Action Hero
“If God was a Villain, he’d be me.” Meta humor is one of my absolute favorite types of humor, and everyone forgets one of the best meta humor movies ever: Last Action Hero. The film is about movie lover Danny (Austin O’Brien) who loves Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger) movies and is invited to a midnight showing of Jack Slater IV by projectionist Nick (Robert Prosky). Nick gives Danny a special movie ticket, given to Nick by Harry Houdini, that allows Danny to go into the movie itself. That premise alone makes this movie absolutely and completely bonkers in the best kind of way, with the over-the-top action in the movie world and Jack coming to grips with his life as a fictional character. This movie also is what made Charles Dance a terrifying foe long before his role as Tywin Lannister. This film shines, showing Jack as a true action hero doing all the impossible things and coming away with nothing more than a flesh wound. It has since gained a cult following, and even if the special effects don’t hold up today, it’s still an excellent movie. If you haven’t seen Last Action Hero, go check it out. It is amazing. (Austen Terry)
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Growing up in the ‘90s, I Know What You Did Last Summer was a staple in slumber party conversation. As far as movies with “Last” in the title, this has to be one of the most memorable films. Coming off the success of the first two Scream movies (also written by Kevin Williamson), this was a good compliment to the new reinvigorated slasher movies. A group of friends hit a pedestrian on the road, and in their infinite wisdom, decide to throw the body into the lake instead of being responsible citizens. Teenagers: not really known for their forward thinking. The mystery is a fun ride throughout the film as the teens present at the time of the manslaughter start being killed off. The viewer is left to wonder which one of our “heroes” is responsible for this new batch of killings. There are some truly entertaining and suspenseful situations in here. In one instance, the killer murders a character in front of their significant other in a crowded room, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. In another instance, someone is killed while a parade goes by to drown out their screams. Truly terrifying shots. Introducing stars Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr, the cast is exactly what you would expect from a slasher movie in the ‘90s. The people who die probably deserve it the most, so you do not feel much sorrow, and the people who survive are the moral compass of the movie. I Know What You Did Last Summer may be a silly title, but it’s one you will never forget. (Scott Batchelor)
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