Movie reviews: 'Last Night in Soho' an enjoyable ride through a part of town and time that no longer exists

This week, TV pop culture critic Richard Crouse reviews new movies: 'Last Night in Soho,' 'The French Dispatch,' 'Snakehead,' and 'Army of Thieves.'

“Last Night in Soho,” the new film from director Edgar Wright, now playing in theatres, is a love letter to London’s Swingin’ Sixties by way of Italian Giallo. Surreal and vibrant, it is uneven and more than a little bit silly, but enjoyable for those with a taste for both Petula Clarke and murder.

When we first meet Cornish teenager Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) she’s dressed head-to-toe in a throwback newspaper print dress of her own design, dancing to Peter and Gordon’s 1964 hit, “A World Without Love.” Several dramatic dance moves later, she makes her way down to her grandmother’s (Rita Tushingham) main floor and a letter announcing she’s been accepted to fashion school in London.

“London is not what you think it is,” granny warns. “It can be a lot.”

Eloise doesn’t heed the warning. She is obsessed with London, specifically the magical period when Julie Christie wore Mary Quant and Carnaby Street was the fashion capital of the world.