Time Lapse

Time Lapse isn't a great gen or anything but its still a fun little action thriller, the type that stocked up the shelves at your local Blockbuster video store.

I searched this one out because I'm a huge Roy Scheider fan & have been checking out his later in career low-budget B-movies & he's always great on screen. Later in Cheif Brody's career he starred in many low-budget B-movies & usually as a bad guy or as the president of the United States. Here the sun kissed-leather faced legend of Cult Cinema plays a shady government agent type who is working with a deep undercover agent played by a wired faced William Mcnamara (a guy I've never seen before) & this guy is a strange action hero, because he looks so bizarre his face lol. Anyway this guy is undercover & all of a sudden blows the situation & doesn't know why? This flick is about a loss of time & shady corrupted people. Roy Scheider is the best part of the film but 2nd is definitely having the beautiful & underrated actress DINA MEYER (Bats, Starship Troopers, D-Tox) in a decent role as our memory lost heroe's ex-wife. Anyway it's a basic memory loss action thriller made on a small budget but it's entertaining & filmed really well. As said, Time Lapse is no long lost Gem but its a fun little B-movie with action & thrills around every corner.

I like many B-movies & i liked Time Lapse & always enjoy Roy Scheider on screen.

This was very bad. Vry bad. Very bad.

The only worthwhile actor in this was Dina Meyer - and luckily for her, hopefully she got paid.

The script was stupid with too many unbelieveabilities and incompetent moves.

Very bad continuity and story structure.

It also featured a lead actor - William McNamara who looked like he was going to bust out in tears at any moment.

When your lead character looks like they are about to cry all the time, maybe it's time to get another actor who won't shed tears after they read the script.

But then, anybody reading this script would probably want to cry - it's that bad.

Dina, no doubt had bills to pay - so sadly she took it, but it is so far beneath her.

This gets two stars - just for having Dina Meyer in the film - anything aside of that is not worth the second star.

Was I the only one who saw this pile that noticed that the ending "borrowed" several shots from the ending of The Long Kiss Goodnight by Renny Harlin? Just as Imposter borrowed several effects shots from several other sci-fi movies.

Overall, the acting was flat and the action was staged poorly. Scheider and Dina Meyer are better than this stuff, but they have to eat I guess. Plot was not too bad, but very familiar. If there is nothing else on, like Court.tv or commercials, this movie may be worth watching.

Overall, I give it 3 out of 10.

Maybe Dina Meyer should give Verhoeven a call again.

I didn't notice the use of footage from Renny Harlin's movie, but I did notice the use of footage from "Narrow Margin", specifically the shootout at the cabin in the woods. The guy in the helicopter is wearing a beige suit and cowboy boots. I could swear that I have also seen another movie that used this footage as well. The movie is extremely low budget and shows it. The acting and directing are all fairly unremarkable which is strange considering the talented cast. Perhaps this just points up the importance of a good script. No matter how talented the actor or the director is the story and dialog are uninteresting, so is the movie.

Well, yes there were a lot of bangs, blasts, and flashbacks. But since it was up against the State of the Union address, it gets plus points for being more in touch with reality.

Scheider appeared infrequently in the film, telegraphing in his performance from wherever he was mentally. He has done some really incredible films in the past... its sad to see him waste his time on this one. The female lead was easy on the eyes, and probably gave the most from her reserves of acting juice. The hunk/hero had less emotion than the beer bottle I was looking at him through.

I watched it because it was the least objectionable thing on TV for that time slot, and thats not saying much.