The Last Black Man in San Francisco

This was one of the worst movies I have seen this year and I have seen a lot. Who is rating these movies? Suddenly it seems as if the ratings are bologna. Sundance movies are often rated high because they have the "Sundance" publicity attached, but they often choose movies that are politically correct and not because the movie is actually good, in my opinion. Acting was good, although the characters boring. Did you ever think about throwing a little humor in with such a dialogue-driven (yelling) movie? Writing, editing, and directing very bad. They need to cut about an hour and 40 minutes and make it a, possibly, tolerable short.

Wow. I had high hopes for this movie when I saw the trailer, and for once in my life, my expectations were exceeded. I cannot stress enough how beautiful this film is. Try to watch it in theatres if you get the chance because the cinematography is breathtaking. The film created such a dreamy atmoshpere while simultaneously mainting a harsh realism about life in San Francisco. Meanwhile, numerous human themes are explored, including masculinity, racial stereotypes, friendship, gentrification, class, etc. I also commend both Jonathan Majors and Jimmie Smalls (hopefully I spelled correctly) on amazing performances. Smalls' displays more subtle emotion, while Majors shocks you with an Oscar-worthy performance that packs so much emotion. I just wanted to cry the entire time. Sometimes because of the sheer beauty of what was on screen. Everything is enhanced by the brilliant score. I'm done raving, but please do yourself a favor and go watch this movie.

This movie succeeds thematically, but ultimately fails dramatically and emotionally. The "point" of this film is a very important one, the cast is wonderful, the cinematography has flair, and the score is phenomenal. There's a lot to like here, but the entire film feels low energy, cold, and distant. I could often tell what the director wanted me to feel, but I rarely felt it. It's occasionally on the nose and a bit young in it's writing. This one definitely felt like a film by a fairly inexperienced filmmaker. I'm a huge supporter of A24 films and I find that they put out truly interesting and innovative work. I will say that this is a risky film about a very important topic and I thank A24 for putting forward. I'm going to rewatch it when it comes out on streaming and maybe I'll feel different them. As of right now, however, I think this is an extremely unfocused film and somewhat of a long watch.

This independent drama on the effects of gentrification in San Francisco played to strong reviews at Sundance. It's also distributed by A24, and their films are generally very high-quality. Judging from its trailer, the film looked to be a mix of understatedly beautiful aesthetics (including some extraordinary cinematography of the Bay Area,) searing character drama, and social commentary. The film is generally well-made, and some aspects of it are undeniably impressive for a directorial debut. The plot follows a man named Jimmie, whose grandfather built a house in San Francisco on land he purchased during World War II. Today, Jimmie wishes to live in this spacious Victorian house, but its market value has skyrocketed due to gentrification of the neighborhood (and nearby neighborhoods) near where it is located. He begins to develop a scheme with his best friend to move into the house. The film's cinematography is exceptional, and manages to juxtapose both realism and romanticism in terms of how it depicts both the ideals and the realities of San Francisco residents today. Some of the film's shots may remind viewers of Spike Lee's early films, but the film's aesthetic always feels wholly original at the end of the day. The film also uses a variety of other visual and narrative tricks, such as a tableaux vivant-style scene, to help convey the points it is trying to make on how gentrification is affecting relationships between people in urban areas today, much less exacerbating social inequality. The film's simple score is beautiful and almost haunting at times in terms of its elegance and emotional power. The performances in the film are generally strong, as the almost laid-back method acting of the two leads is thoughtful and impactful in its sheer simplicity. Despite the film's clear achievements on a technical and narrative level that intersects strong performances with aesthetics, "The Last Black Man in San Francisco" isn't perfect. The film doesn't have too many key plot points, which would normally be okay given the film's understated tone. However, the film does feel rather drawn-out in that the narrative doesn't always impact even scenes in which the director is trying to promote substance over style. The narrative's climax is also a bit disappointing. It lacks a clear transition both preceding it and after it, and doesn't quite pack the impact on a viewer in which a film's climax should. That said, the ending is generally satisfying. Also, the film's social commentary is a bit of a mixed bag in that it shows the ways in which gentrification has affected San Francisco--yet it manages to reduce supporting characters both benefitting from and greatly harmed by gentrification to almost caricatures. As a result, the film's messaging on the perils of gentrification in cities comes up just a little short, and clearly falls below the effectiveness of social commentary in films like "Get Out." That said, there's definitely plenty to like about this indie drama. Generally recommended. 7/10

This movie began as a joke between friends...then those friends: Director Joe Talbot and lead actor Jimmie Fails worked on this project unofficially for 10 years. Each scene is thoroughly orchestrated, nothing is rushed in this film. Nuanced themes are pervasive throughout this visually beautiful movie. I do not believe a movie based in Hollywood could acheive the things this movie has. It is a masterful portait of delusions, the transitory nature of ownership, gentrification, friendship, growth, masculinity, the growing pains of the life, the City as a whole and much more. I give it 10 stars for the fact that I do not believe there was any room for improvement. A new classic.

Jimmy (Jimmie Fails ) doesn't live in San Francisco in a four million dollar home. He lives in an area where people are shot and the environment is unhealthy. He visits the home that his grandfather built, the first black man in San Francisco. Eventually, Jimmy and his friend (Jonathan Majors) squat the place with the expected results. Reminds me of the BS stories my dad used to tell me. Jimmy can't move on like most of us, so let's make a film and toss in some social commentary without mentioning drugs or racism. There is a metaphor in this boring film disguised as art. Finn Wittrock reminded me of Leonardo DiCaprio when I could stand him. Guide: F-word. Old male nudity. No sex.