|
 A
film shot with four digital cameras in one 93-minute take and then
synchronized on the screen in quadrants. Actors relying on digital
watches to do things like timing their earthquake
reactions to match in all four takes--all while improvising
their lines from a detailed
story outline. There goes Mike "The Loss of Sexual Innocence"
Figgis, getting all gimmicky again.
Except that
with "Time
Code," word is that Figgis and his stars have transcended the
gimmicks and given audiences something compelling to absorb--four
simultaneous storylines playing out in unison. It's a huge narrative
leap, and it's bound to tax audiences looking solely for a weekend
escape, but the film just might be compelling enough to overcome
any logistical difficulties.
 To
give themselves the best shot at getting it right, cast and crew
of "Time Code" actually shot the 93-minute piece 15
times, with Figgis picking out the best overall version to present
at the multiplexes. "If I had my druthers, I'd keep shooting forever,"
Figgis told Reel.com's Jeffrey
Wells.
The set-in-L.A.
story involves the casting of a film--"Bitch Out of Louisiana"--and
includes such delightful surprises as Jeanne Tripplehorn and Salma
Hayek steaming up the screen as jealous
lovers, and about two dozen other actors all working for scale
and the love of trying something new. As Figgis told the L.A. Times,
"This is for people who want to work a little harder at the cinema.
If you want to go on the journey, I think you'll really be rewarded."
Frank
Sennett
Newcity.com
affiliates decode "Time Code":
REEL LIFE, REAL LIFE
In "Time Code," Mike Figgis eschews one of the basic tools of cinema: editing
OUTSIDE THE BOX
Mike Figgis' four-films-in-one "Time Code" breaks the rules and gets away
with it
HEAD
TRIP
Mike Figgis' new
film is both a headache and a marvel, often eliciting simultaneous
groans of despair and sheer wonder at the director's nervy chutzpah
LEAVING
MONTAGE
"Time Code" challenge viewers with unconventional storytelling
MEETING
IN THE QUAD
Four stories unfold simultaneously in Mike Figgis' tricky "Time
Code"
MOVIE, UNINTERRUPTED
With a screen playing quarters and a talented cast, the all-digital "Time
Code" is an experiment that is sometimes moving and always entertaining
FILM SCORE
Mike Figgis is one of the most pretentious bastards ever to walk the earth, so it's a surprise and a relief that "Time Code" is a fairly successful entertainment
MOSAIC
CODE
Mike Figgis' Hollywood blasphemies
SPLIT-SCREEN
SENSATION
"Time Code," as unabashed a gimmick movie as there ever was, turns
out to be Mike Figgis' most satisfying exercise in quite some time
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