Film: Timecode
Year: 2000
Rating: 2/5
Summary: An interesting novelty, but not an interesting story.
Timecode is impressive in many ways, but that doesn't matter because
the people who made it failed to remember one of the most basic rules
of filmmaking: don't tell a simple story in an interesting way; tell
an interesting story in a simple way.
It's filmed in just four shots, much like Alfred Hitchcock's Rope
appears to be filmed in just one, only you see all four shots
simultaneously, constantly watching the point of view of four separate
characters. It's impressive that four shots as long as an entire
film each were performed without mistakes, without even getting a
cameraman in shot when they intersect. At the end of the day,
however, I don't watch films to be impressed by the crew who made
them. I watch films to be entertained, and in that context, this
is nothing more than a mere novelty.
If you're an aspiring director or actor, then maybe this film will
interest you - especially as it's self referencing, set in the office
of the film company who made it - but I see it as further proof that
the screenplay writer is more important than the director when it
comes to making a good film. Unless you're really into Hollywood
itself, you'd be best off avoiding this one.