12:01 PM

The little-seen '12.01' is a real gem, and displays the beauty of short films. Just the right length to explore the intriguing premise without over staying its welcome. I wish more feature length movies showed the subtlety and invention of this one!

Kurtwood Smith (Verhoeven's classic 'Robocop', and Jennifer Lynch's absolute stinker 'Boxing Helena') has never been better as a meek office worker who finds that the world is caught in a time loop, and that he is the only person conscious of the fact. Smith is utterly believable as the bewildered and desperate man who frantically searches for some kind of explanation/solution for his extraordinary situation.

A classic of its kind. Try and see it!

The similarities between this 30 minute "movie" from 1990 and the feature movie "Groundhog Day" from 1993 are too similar for them to not be more closely related. The latter surely must have been influenced by the earlier movie.

The stories are very similar, but even more similar is the outstanding way in which both movies are directed. Even though the "same" timeframe is being repeated, the director shifts the camera perspective and dialogue encountered each time so neither film is boring.

Following the main character through his trials and investigations you really get a feeling of the horror and turmoil the simple every man is going through.

I also came away from this film with the quote "Consciousness is an independent variable".

Of the two 12:01 movies I consider this the more impressive. As other reviewers have mentioned the film focuses on a 59 minute loop, and shows that if you only have one hour to live over and over again then you can't achieve very much.

If you've seen Groundhog day and seriously got into the time loop, wanting to know more about why the main character was stuck then this movie might appeal as you here some science.

BLOWN-AWAY.

That was the result of watching this 25 minute short film made almost 20 years ago. Obviously, I'm another one of those Groundhog Day fans that, out of curiosity, wanted to see this movie. And I thought it was absolutely fantastic. It was like a true Shakespearean play; fascinating, and original story (it was adapted from a short story, but this was the first film of many that dealt with "time-loops" and "repetition of time"), as well as a tragic and profound end.

Interestingly enough, after watching the movie, I felt it was one of the best shorts I'd ever seen, and maybe only one or two were better, including "The Lunch Date", which I found out is the same short film that beat "12:01 PM" at the Oscars in 1991.

So, for those of you who are GH fans, this is a must, and for anyone who is looking for an amazingly unique film experience in only 25 minutes or less, this movie is for you.

A more realistic portrayal of spending an eternity in a repetitious cycle, as compared to "Groundhog Day" and other films of its kind. The thought of being in this situation is absolutely horrifying. Excellent performance by Kurtwood Smith.