But of course, that can't possibly happen thanks to the stupendous performances from Anya Taylor-Joy and (especially) Thomasin McKenzie. Just know that Oscar winner Steven Price (GRAVITY, 2013) provides an incredible mix of music, while Chung-Hoon Chung's cinematography, Marcus Rowland's Production Design, and Odile Dicks-Mireaux's costumes all nearly steal the show. Filmmaker Wright gives us so much to discuss, but it's crucial that the best parts not be spoiled. The nostalgia of the 60's provides a visual treat with the Café de Paris, a massive theater marquee advertising James Bond's THUNDERBALL, and Cilla Black's "You're My World". A mysterious elderly gent played by Terence Stamp may be the key to the mystery Ellie's so busy trying to solve that she is oblivious to the romantic overtures by nice guy John (Michael Ajao). The recurring dreams turn to nightmares, so that even Ellie's waking hours are surreal. Soho's glamour is matched only by its grunge. If you are struggling to keep pace, you're not alone. It's a standalone highlight of the film, and a moment that shifts the story yet again. This leads to ATJ's amazing and breathy version of Petula Clark's "Downtown". The tone shifts when Sandie meets sleazy Jack (Matt Smith), a would-be agent who promises to get Sandie the shot at stardom she desires. Sandie seems to float across the club's dance floor, and Ellie is mesmerized at first, before turning protective. The Ellie-Sandie sequences mess with your head in a wonderful way. This dream state allows Ellie to live vicariously through Sandie. Sandie is everything that Ellie wishes she was herself - confident, radiant, ambitious, and beautiful. It's here where she follows/becomes Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy), and the mirror effects are truly other-worldly. Ellie loves the room and her independence, but her dreams act as a portal back to those swinging 60's of which she's so fond. Collins (the last screen appearance for the great Diana Rigg). Rather than subject herself to the abuse, Ellie sublets an attic room from an old lady landlord named Mrs. Small town (Cornwall) Ellie with her timidity and wide-eyed innocence arrives in London and is immediately the target of 'mean girl' and fellow student Jocasta (Synnove Karlsen). Ellie does carry the burden (and visions) of her mother's mental illness, and her grandmother warns, "London can be a lot." Eloise, or Ellie as she's called, dreams of following her mother's path to London, and is thrilled beyond measure when her acceptance letter arrives from the London School of Fashion. Her room is filled with 1960's colors and memorabilia and we soon learn she's an orphan raised by her grandmother (Rita Tushingham, A TASTE OF HONEY, 1961). Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie, JOJO RABBIT, 2019) opens the film by expressively dancing to Peter & Gordon's "A World Without Love" while sporting a self-designed dress made of perfectly creased newspaper. But for those who do, I feel confident they will share my enthusiasm. I'll admit that, while also acknowledging more people will probably not enjoy this, than will. This is my kind of psychological-horror-thriller and with the exception of one sequence that went a bit too "slasher" for my tastes, I had a blast watching it. Every once in a while a movie captures that magic feeling of being swept away, and this wild film from writer-director Edgar Wright and co-writer Kristy Wilson-Cairns (1917) did just that for me.
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