15 Till Midnight (2010) User Reviews

This movie was not good

[sexydelight · 2/10 · 12 June 2011]

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.

Great plot, terrible otherwise

[shirofox · 3 August 2011]

The plot, the story, was great. Original and creative, sadly that is all that it has going for it.

The acting was nothing short of atrocious, I can see what the director was trying to do, maybe they should have sacrificed some of the plot to build character, better yet, hire some better actors. They were amateurs, there was no "oomph" behind the performance, no emotion.

The sound editors, fire them. Do they even understand what balance is? The film crew? Do not do with a camera what you cannot do with your eyes, it breaks focus. You have a long way to go, use the dolly. It's there for a reason.

I hope someone does remake this, doing it properly. It'll be much more watchable.

Booooring!!!!

[info-955-610967 · 1/10 · 13 June 2011]

I really think whoever wrote the last review for this piece of monotonous drivel was the director's Mum!!! (and I think she gave it a 10 - way more than once) Noboby else could have such excitement and kind thoughts about this fiasco!!!

The idea behind this little flick was great, but they just failed to deliver a coherent and understandable movie that had pace, interest, suspense or any of the things that make for a semblance of entertainment.

Plot: Lost in space. Script: Drivel. Music: Contradictory and out of character to the plot - (utter excitement through the boredom). Camera: Sporadic and amateurish. Direction: Meandering and confusing. In a nutshell - don't waste your time!!

Good scifi poorly executed.

[chuck-silva · 1/10 · 16 June 2011]

The premise of the movie has the makings of a great scifi movie.

Unfortunately, this isn't it.

Amateurish acting and god-awful dialog overpower the almost acceptable photography, special effects and music and drags this film down to very pits of movie hell. And that's just the first 5 minutes.

Playing the part of the main character, Lukas Reyes, actor Brandon Slagle's delivery is totally devoid of the main ingredient that makes up even a merely good actor's repertoire--the ability to deliver up lines without appearing to be acting. The subtext of his entire delivery from the beginning to the end of this film is "I'M ACTING!!!" in capital letters and, yes, three exclamation points.

Part of Mr. Slagle's problem may have been the total lack of any character development. Not only is the main character not believable, he's pretty much devoid of any but the most rudimentary emotions making it hard to empathize or sympathize with his problems.

The rest of the cast is merely mediocre, brought on no doubt by Mr Slagle's poor performance and, again, the total lack of any character development at all.

In addition to poor acting and non-existent character development, there's the dialog. Some scenes in this movie were so long and drawn out, with no meaningful relationship to the development of the plot that I found myself wishing that someone would drive a car through the house just so I'd have something interesting see. Much like this review, this film could have been half as long as it is without any loss of context.

A couple of the previous reviews of this movie have mentioned an "intellectual storyline." If there is an intellectual storyline in this flick, it is buried under a pile of bad acting and dialog so deep that no professional well-digger or archaeologist will ever be able penetrate it.

As for becoming a cult classic. The only place this film will ever be a cult classic is in some future resurrection of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" or whatever takes its place.

I was hoping for better treatment of a concept that's been around the science fiction world for umpteen years and a plot that has been--one version or another--in at least a half dozen science fiction stories.

Summary in four words? It REALLY does suck.

Could have been better

[freezageeza1966 · 5/10 · 13 August 2015]

I love sci fi.All kinds of it from aliens blowing us,or us them to smithereens (Independence Day,Aliens),to more of the "thinking man's" sci fi (Contact,Blade Runner etc). 15 Till Midnight definitely falls into the latter category.

Seeing the budget was an estimated $27,000,I went into this with low expectations and appreciating that "low budget" doesn't automatically mean "bad movie". Apparently,this movie was shot over a seven day period.....and that I think was it's problem.

There was nothing wrong with the plot/script.

Lukas wakes up one morning to find all traces of his wife Sera's existence in his life are gone.Thinking his wife has left him during the night,he ends up in a bar later that day with a work colleague and gets slowly drunk.So drunk he brings home a girl he picks up during the night.Waking up the next morning he finds a woman in bed next to him who claims to have been in a relationship with him for some time.Something strange is obviously going on......

The problem I had with this movie is that the dialog could have been a bit more snappy.Often the actors seemed to take an age to deliver their lines which for me made some of the scenes appear unnecessarily long.And often the dialog was drowned out by overly loud and possibly unnecessary music. The special effects also for me also detracted from the movie,coming across as quite psychedelic at times and I believe the movie could have done without them entirely.

Maybe the seven day shoot was responsible for the above or not.Whatever the reason if only a bit more time and care was taken,this could have been a much better movie.The potential was obviously there.

That said this is far from being a bad movie.Just a bit more spit and polish would have put this one above the norm.

Nice idea though.

Nothing good about this film

[jfenski-1 · 1/10 · 16 June 2011]

This was an awful movie. To some that may seem intriguing, but this movie is not even awful in a way that one should be curious about.

The acting was horrible by everyone. The actors seemed to be working with a minimal script (very poorly written) and took to ad libbing the rest. This left almost every scene feeling awkward and unbelievable. The only relief is that the musical soundtrack drowned out much of the dialogue throughout the film.

Which brings me to the overall production. Everything was amateurish at best. I've seen teenagers make more professional looking youtube videos. Weird camera angles and inappropriately executed effects, hacked editing, it all further contributed to the pain of watching this movie.

The story, on its face, is creative and may have been interesting, but was ruined by the lack of any discernible plot. Every scifi seems to have its holes, but the expansive voids in this film were too much to ignore.

Finally, what really blows my mind is the 9 or even 10 star reviews on here. I can only reason that they are paid-for confederates of the movies producers or the producers themselves. To liken this film to any recent big budget sci-fi is moronic and one review even seems to beg for a "hollywood producer" to pick up the story for a remake. It was because of these reviews that I gave the film a shot and now it's also due to those reviews that I feel so betrayed as to write my own.

Don't make the same mistake I did. Take this advice and spend the time you would've taken to watch this film on something more productive like observing the drying of paint on a wall.

Just Don't

[ryan-1144 · 1/10 · 19 September 2021]

There are smart, interesting, well-directed, thought-provoking, low-budget science fiction indie films in the world and (other than low-budget) this is none of the above. Nothing about this movie is even marginally competent or enjoyable to experience. Just don't.

decent sci-fi effort

[terraformer · 9/10 · 22 June 2011]

This seems to be becoming one of those love it or hate it kind of films. It has either vicious haters or passionate admirers. I'm closer to the admirers. While I do understand some of the criticisms I am reading here (long, drawn out scenes, loud music mix, etc), the good far outweighs the bad.

Brandon Slagle (who also wrote the film) is Lukas Reyes, and everyman who had just celebrated his wedding anniversay with his young (almost too young looking) bride, Sera (Andrea Chen).

The next morning, all evidence of their life together...is gone. The rest of his life, however, seems to be the same.

Lukas's best friend, Damon (Dee Martin) has the perfect solution...get his friend crazy drunk...and he does. The next morning Lukas wakes up, seemingly married to another woman, Nara (Devanny Pinn). He has no memory of this life and upon her claims they've been married for two years, he threatens to call the police on her and throws her out.

Sera soon appears, but not before Lukas finds himself attached by a group of mysterious men calling themselves "The Knowers", who "police and fix" any rifts in the "symbiotic relationship" between parallel worlds, which states that each world must maintain a balance, which I assume means that multiple versions of the same person cannot occupy the same world at the same time, or that world destroys itself.

It is an interesting, if slightly convoluted, storyline indeed, and quite ambitious for an independent film with no instantly marketable names in it. A lot of similar indie films rely on gore or sex to market themselves, but this one trusts its subject matter to sell it.

Does it work? For the most part, yes.

The performances are rather understated. A lot of them seem more like improvised conversations sans a few longer passages of dialogue. While this is on one hand a good thing, it also offsets the tone on occasion. Sometimes the film feels like a grandiose epic and sometimes it feels like a small "mumblecore" drama. The editing and cinematography is above average and the music, while it IS loud, is quite well done. A few licensed songs pop up here and there, and in appropriate places.

Overall this is an enjoyable effort, with room to expand upon the storyline. A film called "15 Past Midnight" is listed as in-development on IMDb, and I can only assume that is a sequel. If the right tools are given, that could very well be something to look forward to.

Ambitious film, not for viewers with short attention spans

[skorponok · 8/10 · 13 June 2011]

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.

A pleasure!

[Falls_media · 10/10 · 8 July 2011]

I'm not a professional reviewer, so I'm not going to get into all the fine details, but felt I needed to give this film a fair shake after seeing all the negative reviews. I can only guess they are expecting some multi-million dollar blockbuster with city destroying explosions, robots, and half naked chicks. This film was filmed on a shoestring budget, over a very tight shooting window, by guys that are "semi-pro" (for lack of a better word...)

Anyways, with that in mind, I thought the movie was excellent. First of all, it has a plot line, that's solid, and thought provoking. More than I can say for those robot films... The acting isn't bad at all, absolutely no worse than Shia's, so don't see that argument either. Yes, I will agree the soundtrack was a bit overbearing at times, so audio I would consider the weakest part of the film, the actors didn't seem mic'd properly a few times, but no where near killed the movie for me. Camera work was solid, and effects felt appropriate to the situation.

Overall, I enjoyed the film, felt the story was intriguing and deep. Which I what I watch movies for, not from eye candy. It held me through the entire film. People just need to watch it as an indie production and stop expecting a $200 million dollar budget.

Mindbending Sci-Fi on a budget

[davidandersjr · 9/10 · 14 June 2011]

15 Till Midnight

The phrase "High Concept Sci-Fi" is tossed around quite a bit these days, and usually directed at big budget films like Christopher Nolan's Inception or Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men, films that take the science fiction genre into strange new worlds beyond the typical "Space Opera" genre.

15 Till Midnight is just such a film, breaking down the walls of the big budget Sci-Fi extravaganza and stripping it down to its core, proving that you don't need a multimillion dollar budget, excessive special effects or A-list actors to tell a powerful story of a man thrust into unbelievable circumstances.

The first half hour of the film is pure build up, introducing us to Lukas Reyes (Brandon Slagle) and his wife Sera (Andrea Chen), and laying the first bricks of the bizarre into the story. Lukas wakes up one morning to find that Sera has seemingly disappeared into thin air, everything she owned is gone, along with the photos of the couple together. Lukas is distraught, but heads out to a bar that night with a friend to drink away his problems, and meets the lovely Nara (Devanny Pinn) who he takes home.

The next morning Lukas wakes up to find that Nara has seemingly moved in overnight, even going so far as to claim that they've been married for two years. Lukas and the audience are left to wonder what the hell is going on, and from here on out, the film pulls out all the stops, pulling us through a mind bending, reality warping nightmare of secrets, lies and men in gas masks.

To put it bluntly, I loved 15 Till Midnight from start to finish. The story kept me engaged, the characters felt real and the dialog never felt wasted or forced in any situation. Brandon Slagle's performance as Lukas was captivating, giving the viewer a solid anchor to the ever shifting and changing world of the film. To his credit, Slagle not only portrays Lukas, but also the "Evil" Reverse Lukas who makes periodic appearances throughout the film but doesn't really get a chance to shine until the last twenty or so minutes of the film. Devanny Pinn's Nara is an intriguing character, unfortunately she's out of the story nearly as quickly as she arrives, and giving us little time to truly grow attached to her as a character. However, the raw emotion that Pinn brings to her final scenes is so heartbreakingly honest that I found myself relating to her character despite her brief screen time. The other stand out moment of the film comes near the end when Andrew Roth gives one of the most moving speeches I've heard in a sci-fi film in a long time, bringing a human element to what could be a one dimensional villain.

My only problem with the film had less to do with the film itself and more to do with my screener copy. Darker scenes were blurred and everything had that slightly washed out look of a low resolution Youtube video, but in a testament to not only the script but to the actors and everyone else involved in the film, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen for the entirety of the nearly two hour running time.

15 Till Midnight is the type of independent film that you pray for as a reviewer and fan of genre cinema, a film with a solid script, acting that actually draws you into the film instead of pulling you out, and well thought out cinematography and special effects that enhance the experience instead of distracting from it.

The film in general

[adamstan · 10/10 · 16 June 2011]

It's funny how people tend to want to rip this film apart in reviews , the best part is the film was made in 7 days and on a very small budget with a crew of 4 including the director . The film is shot on red one and everyone that has been watching it is watching a stolen version which is a rough cut of the film and people have been misled to think this is the finished film. It's a shame when people steal films and throw them online.

I have to say the film stands strong for what time limit there was to shoot and to get it in done with heavy equipment and camera and limited crew . I would like to see all the people that speak such ill things about others go out and make a film . It's understandable for people to like or dislike something. It's still a good indie film and for people to compare it to 40 to 60 million dollar budgets just makes me laugh...I give the film 8 stars for the hard work that goes into the indie film making.

Most of the 1's voted here are from the adoloescent male demographic

[horrorfinder · 9/10 · 2 July 2011]

This may be a movie that is too highbrow for its own good. While a bit pretentious at times, the plotting and writing here is smart, and leaves you thinking and figuring out new plotpoints and twists long after the credits roll.

This movie isn't a rapidfire cutting roller-coaster ride but rather a somber character study in a science fiction setting. It reminded me of the scifi of the 60's and 70's (Phillip K. Dick is acknowledged as an influence and it shows).

I do agree with a comment posted that the acting fluctuates between a "mumblecore" improv style and then "Hollywood Blockbuster" style, but that's fine as it suits the film.

Worth a shot...if you sit back and don't let smart films insult you.

good movie but quite heavy-handed

[supermegacombo · 10/10 · 15 June 2011]

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.

smart independent cinema, but is that it's problem?

[primalprima · 8/10 · 2 July 2011]

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.

Amazing film!

[tomgleba · 9/10 · 26 March 2011]

I first reviewed "15 Till" for my website, and going in, I didn't expect much--I'm not much of a sci-fi fan, but I had seen some of Meyer's work before (as well as actor Brandon Slagle's) so I gave it a chance. "15 Till Midnight" totally exceeded my expectations!! It's a very well crafted and superbly acted film, Meyer's direction keeps a very deliberate pace and holds the viewer's interest, which is no small task given the "skewed reality" subject matter. Brandon Slagle is just flat out bad assed in this as Lukas as are the beautiful Andrea Chen as Sera and Devanny Pinn as Nara. Andrea Roth also turns in a powerful performance--but you really have to see this film for yourself to truly appreciate the passion and dedication that very obviously went into making this film. It's succeeds where movies with, dare I say, 100x the budget fail, it's one of those films that holds up to repeated viewings--and that's about the highest compliment this cine-phile can give it!

One of the worst crafted films ever!

[joeray6248 · 9 July 2011]

This movie is so sloooowwwllly paced that even the closing credits roll for over ten minutes, which is extreme considering that the budget must have been miniscule The acting from the lead was so bad that there is no performance that I've seen in recent memory that I can compare it to. All of the performers in this film are just as bad. I cannot remember any character that had any substantial development or who was in the least bit believable. The camera work was distracting at best and wholly amateurish at worst. There is a storyline that is so poorly fleshed out that a plot is really just an after thought. Even with all of the above working against any enjoyment derived from watching this film, the absolutely most unbearable element is the musical score. Overbearing and so loud at times that it drowns out critical dialogue, poorly emoted by the actors, that might have allowed the wafer thin plot to have some substance. Also, the does not ever fit the emotion or theme of the scenes. Low budget does not mean bad movie making in my experience, but this film is an exception. A WASTE OF TIME!!!