Late Night with the Devil trailer:
Synopsis:
Johnny Carson rival Jack Delroy hosts a syndicated talk show ‘Night Owls’ that has long been a trusted companion to insomniacs around the country. However, ratings for the show have plummeted since the tragic death of Jack’s beloved wife. Desperate to turn his fortunes around, on October 31st, 1977, Jack plans a Halloween special like no other- unaware he is about to unleash evil into the living rooms of America. (Synopsis taken from the film’s official website).
Written and Directed by: Cameron Cairnes Colin Cairnes
Starring: David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Ingrid Torelli
Award Nominations/Wins:
2023 Nominee Official Fantàstic Competition
- Best Motion Picture
2023 Winner Official Fantàstic Competition
- Best Screenplay
My Edition:
Theater
My Thoughts:
First I’m going to talk about the movie itself, and then I’ll get into the controversy surrounding it a bit – I won’t dwell on it, because it’s very much not my area of expertise, but I have a feeling you all are going to want to talk about it, so I’ll state my piece for the record at the end of this thing.
If it is nothing else, Late Night with the Devil is certainly a masterclass in creating an effective period piece. The late 70s are so present in every aspect of the movie that it’s almost aggressive. It’s perfect. The palette, the costuming, the dialogue…
But luckily, Late Night with the Devil is so much more than an immaculate vibe. It is the type of movie that is going to deliver exactly what you want from it, even when you don’t know you want it until it’s already happening. Assuming that you are me, that is. I seriously loved every moment of this thing. Even the one where I had to lean over and ask the people next to me to kindly shut their fucking cakeholes because I paid money to see a movie, not to watch them attempt to get in each other’s pants. Okay, that moment I definitely loved less.
The story is really good though! Found footage can be a tough sell for me (unless it’s Lake Mungo), but this one really did it for me. I loved that it started with documentary footage, then went directly into the taping of the episode of Night Owls in question. It was seamlessly done. And the way that the aspect ratios changed depending on the content was really wonderful – it could have been incredibly distracting, but it wasn’t.
And David Dastmalchian fucking ate. He devoured every single scene. I legit don’t understand why he isn’t in everything. Jack Delroy is an absolutely arresting (alliteration…kill me now) character. Dastmalchian will make you feel for this character, even though he’s not the greatest guy who ever lived. His ambitions outpace just about everything else about him, but somehow he makes you understand and empathize regardless. Can he be a grossly overpaid Hollywood leading man now, please? Actually, idk if that’s what any of us want, but…I want him to make enough money to be happy/live comfortably, and I want to see him in more lead roles.
I also feel that Ingrid Torelli’s performance bears mentioning. Her is she/isn’t she (definitely is) portrayal of the possessed child Lily D’Abo is pretty spectacular. She nails the transition from innocent juvenile human person to hell beast near picture-perfectly. Her Mr. Wiggles performances are on. fucking. point. She’s wonderfully creepy. And also wonderfully sweet.
And the references to The Grove (based on the very real and definitely totally normal Bohemian Grove)! Satanic Panic meets gross men in power conspiracy theories?
I wanted to find a gif of Jeff from Naked and Afraid for this, but the internet is a fickle mistress.
And I promise I’m not spoiling anything by saying what I’m about to say, but I can’t…not say it. So I am gonna say it. Saaayyyyinnnng it now (ok, I’ll stop).
This is the type of movie that you think has ended, but then it doesn’t. And normally that makes me borderline apoplectic. But Late Night with the Devil somehow managed to land the fake-out ending. It’s really artfully done. I never want another ending, except this time I really, really did. But I didn’t know I did until it was for real done. Like, I almost hate-watched that actual ending, but when it truly ended I was left damn near speechless. That ending was exactly what I didn’t know I needed.
Now to the annoying part: The AI controversy.
I’d like to start by saying that I am so fucking tired of talking about AI. But I know we have to. And I am definitely part of the school that believes that using AI to create “art” is an impossibility. But I also feel like there should be some accessibility-related wiggle room (as in due to things like physical limitations, not lack of talent limitations). But, I also don’t think the way AI is “trained” (implausibly heavy grain of salt here) is unethical. But, I’m not an ethicist so pay only as much attention to my opinion as you want to.
I’ll just include the quoted statement on the use of AI in Late Night with the Devil from the Cairnes siblings for your perusal.
“In conjunction with our amazing graphics and production design team, all of whom worked tirelessly to give this film the 70s aesthetic we had always imagined, we experimented with AI for three still images which we edited further and ultimately appear as very brief interstitials in the film. We feel incredibly fortunate to have had such a talented and passionate cast, crew and producing team go above and beyond to help bring this film to life. We can’t wait for everyone to see it for themselves this weekend.”
To give a wee bit of an idea of what that all means, those three still images flash on screen briefly at three points in the movie. I hate that they are there, but I didn’t know that was the case until after I saw the movie. And while I wish they hadn’t used AI for anything, I’d be lying if I said it ruined the movie for me. It sucks, but the movie was great in spite of it. And it may be worth noting that the film was made prior to the strikes, so while it is sucky, it does probably escape some blame on that count. But again, I don’t know. I’m not an ethicist or whatever. But it’s inclusion does suck, for sure.
I dunno, folks – I think that’s really all I can say about that. AI is crap. Computers lack the capacity to create actual art, because art is an expression of the human experience. Maybe if we start jacking computers into human brains to help facilitate the creation of artistic expression by those who would otherwise have been physically incapable of expressing we can talk about it further, but until then, I just don’t see the point in calling anything created by AI “art,” nor do I personally feel that it has any place in the current creation or expression of art.
Rating:
I’m going to be that guy and knock off a half-star because I hate that AI had a place in this, no matter how small. But it is otherwise a thoroughly fantastic movie. Late Night with the Devil hits Shudder on April 19, and I highly suggest that if you don’t catch it in theaters, that you do watch it there. It really is a fantastic bit of film-making. And honestly, the vibes might be even vibe-ier if you watch it late at night on your own tv.
Late Night with the Devil Directed by: Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes US Release Date: March 22, 2024 IFC Films Rated R 93 Minutes
