Time of Day (2018) User Reviews

Pretty stylish and clever

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 22 May 2019]

"Time of Day" is a live action short film from 2018 that runs for minimally over 10 minutes and was directed by Thimios Bakatakis, who most of you probably know as the regular cinematographer on the films by Yorgos Lanthimos. That's pretty much all I will say about the crew here, there's two writers credited here one not very experienced and for another it is the first writing credit (according to imdb) like it it also the only directing credit for Bakatakis, but the script here feels pretty smart. There's 8 actors included in this one, some of them more famous, others less. One of the more famous ones is Kate Mara, who also gives the entire thing a bit of a frame as we see her right away and also at the very end turning this film basically into an infinity loop if you decide to watch it like that. I want to mention two other actors too. Lake Bell really disappointed be, her part was pretty bad and cringeworthy, but it was more the way she was written than her fiving a bad performance. She couldn't really do much with that. And then there is Mad Men's Jon Hamm obviously, probably the biggest star here and also the aspect I was most curious about in this film here, except the film itself and its popularity on imdb. His scene is okay, nothing too great to work with, but was kinda fun to see him in a barber shop and he looks so young when shaven cleanly. But still, you see that he is growing older too if you compare his looks now with his looks on Mad Men. I dare say as a straight male, he still looks pretty handsome. On the opposite end og the scale, Kate Mara is still really attractive, but she also has a good part. Not just the framework I mentioned earlier, but also how she is addressing the audience towards the end. And also how she looks into that laundrette (is that the word?) and sees somebody looking very much like her, supposed to be a twin? I don't know, but I had the feeling this is where the film takes another direction and moves forward with the character we see sleeping, but nope, it stays with Mara outside. I mostly thought that because you could say this is basically a handful of very short films put together into one movie, but there are connections between the films and the characters, even if they are very vague and random at times. But they are there, there are no clean cuts whatsoever. Overall, I think this film got better the longer it went and I give it a thumbs-up. Certainly worth checking out, especially if you like one or more of the actors in here. Guardians of the Galaxy fans will be delighted to see Pom Klementieff in here and honestly she does look more stunning than I expected in her human form. Go check it out!

Nice music, amazing cinematography but pointless and soulless

[Rodrigo_Amaro · 4/10 · 7 February 2023]

Gorgeous cinematography, some known actors appearing here and there either presenting some short monologue or just acting a small act, but final result is shallow and boring as hell. "Time of Day" follows 24-hours of a group of actors (playing themselves) while doing nothing. Really. I mean, Kate Mara enters a cab and way later we find out what happened; Boyd Holbrook exists another cab and buys a pack of cigarettes; Lakeith Stanfield has a verbal dueling while two characters at the same time on the subway; Jon Hamm has a small speech inside a barbershop; and others go through some bizarre moments and others just having a more quiet time with themselves. Point given or accomplished? None. It just goes on and on without a higher purpose. However, two great points must be made: Thom Yorke's musical creates a surreal atmosphere and it's very good to hear it; and the digital cinematography looks amazingly beautiful, it's a real spectacle to be seen. But why bother wasting ten minutes of our lives without some sort of reward for some cool actors to appear here and there out of the blue without giving a proper meaning? I've seen some comments comparing it to the works of David Lynch but trust me, there's nothing of the kind, there's no way we can't connect everybody and say that there's something good here. Is it a study on loneliness and how different people react to it? Is it a study on Hollywood and how actors deal with themselves when they're out of a movie/TV set? Is there something outside of this realm? Whatever it was, I was not impressed and I don't think most people will feel something about it. Just pointless. 4/10.