Time Freak

I just completed my yearly pilgrimage to see the Oscar-nominated Live Action Shorts--tomorrow it's the Animated Shorts. This was a very unusual crop of shorts this year, as three of the five nominees were comedies--and usually the films are mostly deadly serious. Only two films are serious this year and NONE are about death, Nazis or other sad stuff! As I said, it's an unusual year. Now I am not complaining--this might just be the most enjoyable group of films I've seen in years.

"Time Freak" is definitely a comedy--no doubt about that one. And, it's a wonderful but very slight film. In some ways, it's tone is a bit like last year's winner "God of Love" (also from the USA) but isn't quite as cinematically refined.

The film begins with a friend coming to a set that looks like a warehouse. It seems he's worried that his scientist friend has been missing for a few days. What he learns is that this missing guy has been absorbed in his project--a time machine!! What happens next? See it yourself!! By the way, if you care, the scientist appears to have an Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder--not Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Folks with OCPD differ in that they like their obsession and wonder why others aren't also as worried about just 'getting it right'!

Most of the way through I wanted to get that time machine and zap all of thise main characters into oblivion to put us all out of our misery and having to endure this painful offering. This film has an inane cast, with an inane script full of meaninless drivel that I did not find the slightest bit amusing. An intense, ugly (and I mean inside and out) young man manipulates and stalks a girl to keep her attention. There is nothing likeable about any of them. Boo.

I've just come back back from seeing this year's crop of Oscars' Live Action Short nominees. TIME FREAK seems to be this year's answer to last year's winner, GOD OF LOVE. These two movies are very much alike, as both are on the quirky, funny side of things, and - unless I missed something - TIME FREAK was also filmed in New York City. Perhaps what little TIME FREAK lacks in charm (compared to GOD OF LOVE), it makes up in what could be considered serious, maybe even philosophical questions it raises. However, the overall similarity to GOD OF LOVE may end up hurting this movie. Last year, GOD OF LOVE was the only comedy in a relatively gloomy field; this year, it is just the opposite - the funny vote might be split 3 or 4 ways, with the only completely serious film (RAJU, which was also quite good) perhaps emerging as the favorite.

Anyway, to make a short story even shorter - a neurotic genius invents a Time Machine. What will he do with it? The answer might surprise you. Without giving away too much, I will just say that traveling back in time to kill Hitler is not on the agenda.

This was probably my favorite movie of the bunch - I give it 9/10. I do think the Live Action Short field is quite strong this year, so I would not be surprised if any one of these movies were the winner.