15 Till Midnight (2010)

Let me start out first by saying that I am a science fiction nut. I grew up on it and it is the only genre which I consistently read, so naturally when I first heard of this film, I was intrigued. It's a smart scifi film set in what is relatively the real world that doesn't rely on bloated special effects or transforming robots lit by sunflares.That however, may also be its biggest detractor in this day and age of pathetic youtube videos getting 40,000,000 hits due to their banality and Snookie becoming a household name. But that's another story entirely.This is a film that deals with the Many Worlds Theory of Quantum Mechanics and mish mashes it with a romance. That too may be its detractor here (at least on IMDb) where most users seem to be teenage boys...that like robots lit by sunflares and Megan Fox's navel.Anyway, this is a film that deals with a young accountant (at least that's what I think he was) who seems to be jumping between different versions of his life. Brandon Slagle (who comes across a bit like an indie cinema Matt Damon) gives this character an array of levels. Lukas Reyes is your young everyman who really could be anyone who lives in the same building as you do. He also portrays a "Reverse" version of the character, who comes across more like a character out of a horror film (likely due to his filmography). Andrea Chen is the woman of his dreams who is lost between world. An interesting presence, she seems like an echo of a dream. Dee Martin portrays the best friend and Devanny Pinn the woman whom Lukas married in another life, who gets stuck in the version of his life which the story follows. Andrew Roth portrays a character named "Sarosta" who heads up what seems to be a task force called "the Knowers" which polices the parallel worlds and makes sure they don't overlap. If they do, he says, it creates an imbalance that could destroy time.This is a decent film, and likely due to its lack of marquee names and competition from such big budget fare as the Adjustment Bureau and Inception, your casual moviegoer may overlook this film and write it off quickly. Hopefully with time it can find its audience, because there is a multilayered story to be told here.A side note..another reviewer here posted that they didn't believe Lukas Reyes's reactions to his situation were "realistic". I found this humorous as I assume the reviewer must have also been trapped hopping different versions of their life too. Funny.

Before I start the review, I gotta say that this film is NOT for someone looking for Saturday afternoon escapist entertainment. This is a film which you can just pop some popcorn and sit back on your couch and cheer for , and it doesn't have any fast designer cars or teen pop singers who get the love of their life at the end. This film is one which you have to actually (gasp!) use your brain. Imagine that.The film is about a young man who wakes up one day to find his young wife disappeared, but also all evidence that they ever lived together. The next day he wakes up and is trapped in another version of his life with another woman who he believes he just met, but she believes they have been together for two years.From then on out, the young man is pursued by a number of men who look like they stepped out of The Matrix (which I can't hold against it, because this is pretty standard in films these days). They capture him and reveal that he is trapped between parallel worlds and living different versions of his life.This is an interesting theory. I don't think that it is specified, but basically this is the Many worlds of Quantum Mechanics theory (string theory, which a character DOES mention). The men in pursuit of the lead are basically the police for this phenomena and try to keep it in check. Basically if someone learns what is really happening, they are caught, and given the choice to become one of them, or receive a full frontal lobotomy. In the case of this film, the hero rejects becoming one of them. The film is well done. The convoluted plot is actually not. It makes perfect sense just, like I said - requires actual thought. The performances all work and each character works together well. The score is reminiscent of the Hans Zimmer score for Inception. All in all, if you like a little thought involved in your films, check it out. If you have a short attention span, then try whatever you can to change that, so you can enjoy more thoughtprovoking films.

I can see this film becoming something of a niche cult hit. While it looks like a slick Hollywood production on the outside, it has a daft, intellectual storyline hidden beneath the surface.Our story starts with Lukas (Brandon Slagle) and Sera (Andrea Chen) enjoying their second wedding anniversary. The next day Lukas awakens to find Sera missing. But not only is she missing, but all of her possessions as well as evidence of their life together is missing too. Lukas goes to work and his best friend (Dee Martin) tries to talk him through his depression, even taking him out for drinks that night. In mid barhopping, Lukas meets a young woman named Nara (Devanny Pinn). The two go home together and when they awaken the next morning, Nara believes that she and Lukas have been married for two years, and numerous items owned by her have also appeared.Lukas threatens to report her to the police so she leaves. Then at work, Lukas's friend tells him that he and Nara are expecting a child. Lukas goes home, finding himself perused by a man who resembles one of the Agents from the Matrix a bit too much, who attacks him. Lukas finds himself pursued by more agents and soon finds Sera again, who has been trapped in a paradox of her own.By the end of the film, Lukas is apprehended by a group of men calling themselves "The Knowers", explaining that he himself is trapped in a loop and jumping between different parallel versions of his life.The film takes an extremely dark turn at the end, which I won't spoil. I will say instead that this is a film that will leave you thinking for hours after you watch it. I found plot points clicking in and suddenly making sense after the credits stopped rolling, which is something many films can't and don't do these days.Aesthetically speaking, the film makes great use of many New York City locations. The music, while a bit much at times, is reminiscent of Hans Zimmer or James Newton Howard. The performances are solid across the board, each actor coming into their own throughout the film.The film may be a bit heavy handed for a lot of viewers, especially in this day when Fast Five opens to 90 million dollars. This is a film for the portion of the audience that still uses their brain, and doesn't need big stars to draw them in (for example, Inception probably wouldn't have had the audience it did had it not had a hot director and top shelf cast).If you come across this film, and you enjoy films that make you think, then this is definitely for you. If not, I'm sure you can get Beverly HIlls Chihuahua or Step Up 3 in the 5 dollar bin.

I never write review. I'm not even good at writing. I was extremely excited to see this movie. Unfortunately, after watching the movie, I was so disappointed, that I had to register an IMDb account and post a review. Maybe this will get me into writing more reviews in the future.Anyway, I'll start with the positives. The story was mildly intriguing. It definitely had some potential. The music was good. OK, that's it for the positives. Not much, eh? Well...that's the reason for a 2/10. Acting: The acting was absolutely horrible by the main character. Everyone else was mediocre. The main character did not seem believable at all. Granted, this was partially due to the things they made him say in the script, but either way, it could have been much better. Character Development: There was none. The main character was unbelievable and was impossible to sympathize with. I could not imagine anyone reacting the way he did in the same situation as he was placed. Story Progression: The scenes were too long and drawn out. It was so boring that I had to jump ahead 10-15 seconds at a time just to get through the movie.Music: Way too freakin' loud and prominent all throughout the movie. I could barely hear what the characters were saying.Overall: I thought the story was good, but could have been significantly improved. The acting needed to be improved significantly. As much as I hate to say it, I would love to see a Hollywood remake of this.