11 Minutes Ago

This movie has lots of innovation, wit and fun with a minimum of gimmicks, other than the premise of the movie. It's made on a budget but it really does compete well with studio movies due to clever writing and production. Often smaller movies have poor sound, but the sound is nice and even throughout.

I'm really at a loss as to how it could end up with this weighted score because it was a wonderful viewing experience. It's playing tomorrow at the 'Best Of' Film Festival, and I'm going to watch it again. I highly recommend seeing it, and I have no association with the writer, director, production, etc.

It's my kind of movie and worth seeing.

I just saw this last night at Worldfest Houston (www.worldfest.org). It was an interesting premise and put together like no other movie I have ever seen. It is definitely a quality independent film and proves once again that you don't need a studio or a huge budget to make a good flick. The writer/director and many of the actors were at the showing and did an extended Q&A after the feature. He said they rehearsed extensively and shot the film in 17 hours. They shot eight 11-minute long scenes with 4 cameras and the actors used lines or actions as cues throughout. The actors likened the production to their previous stage experience. Check it out if you get the opportunity!

As for the idea and concept, brilliant! It heavily borrows from Memento, in that it is shot in short segments that largely move in reverse sequential order. This is great at first to create more mystery (as it does in Memento), only, the whole time I'm watching I can't get it out of my head that they're simply stealing someone else's idea. Now it does mix it up by changing that reverse sequential order up a bit, and it does work to the films favor. The plot itself is a touch weak, but not too bad. It's enough to keep the film moving with some remote believability.

It's weaknesses lie first and foremost in it's script. The writing feels like it's trying so hard to be intelligent, sophisticated and clever. The problem is that it only achieves that in brief moments. Most of the time, you're just aware that it seems to be trying so hard. Also, for this guy to spend month's at a time preparing his "tumbles" into the past only to spend a time in each of them trying to figure out what he's going to do next seems a touch ludicrous. sure it's plausible for the 1st & 2nd "tumble", but after that, this man should be a heat-seeking missile intent on his mission. There are a couple of moments that have that intensity, but it's largely missing. The final weakness may not be anybody's fault... It's simply the film's tiny budget. If this were a Hollywood production, we'd get much better actors, filming, etc. The acting felt B-grade at best, and was often a distraction from the film. The maid-of-honor takes the cake. She had to have been someone's relative, or someone who was owed some manor of favor.

I'm ranking it middle of the pack, in comparison to the best movie's of all time. For a cheap indie flick, it's pretty decent. It is worth a watch, just lower your expectations a bit and go with it!

Very interesting time line of events add a twist to this film. I had to make sure I paid close attention so I didn't get left behind, but this gave a depth to the movie that held my attention. Acting was very good and made me feel like I was sitting in the same room with the actors. All of the actors truly played their parts such that their characters looked very natural for them to be playing. Editing, from what I understand, left out a few pieces that left a couple of questions unanswered; but not enough to interfere with the plot. I was amazed to hear that the entire film was shot in one day. This fact is testament to how well orchestrated production was.

This is a movie for people who are tired of typical gimmick filled Hollywood drivel filled with overblown egos. Well written and excellently acted. Don't drink too much soda during this film because you don't want to miss any of the subtle details that make this film really work. It is a romantic movie, without the clichés of a chick-flick. This is a sure hit for the romantically challenged. It is hard to imagine that this was filmed all in one day. I would compare it to the year 2000 hit Memento starring Guy Pierce without the violence. 11 Minutes Ago really shows that big ideas often trump big budgets. Don't miss the opportunity to see it.