arthousefilms-68-939717 ******************SPOILER ALERT - This movie had me from the beginning. It was a fun, high-concept, fantasy with quirky story beats and solid casting. I was along for the ride for the whole movie until Oona ends up with the wrong guy at the end, her step-sister's boyfriend. The entire movie was spent building relationship chemistry between Oona and Mikey, only to have it yanked out from us at the end. The ending felt very manipulative and forced because we were rooting for Mikey and Oona to be together.A cool way to have treated this, would have been to have Mikey's newly installed timer zero out in a past time in history when he was at the surprise party and Oona's timer was going off. It could have easily worked that Oona's timer was for Mikey and Steph's boyfriend's timer was for Steph (because she had hers removed). But, I guess if I didn't watch the movie's ending scene, I would have loved this film.

mia-manns Of course when I sign up for Netflix and start rating a few of my favourite movies, they invent for me a category called "Sci-fi Romantic Comedy". I don't even like romantic comedies so I think they just got that part from the gender on my profile. Do not be sceptical. While it seems like combining two formula genres together could only create disaster, that's only if it's not well done; TiMER proved to be well-written, well-acted, funny, thought-provoking and enjoyable. So there.The premise of a sci-fi is probably the most important piece to note in a movie review; it's also usually the most off-putting, cheesy-sounding and painful to both read and write, so let's get it over with. The premise of TiMER is that a technology has evolved that tells singles the moment that they will meet their soul mate. OK, that wasn't so bad. Let's get on to why this movie doesn't suck.First of all, good writing, including witty, sceptical characters who are simultaneously lovable. I was waiting for the clichés to pour in, but they didn't. Soon I got caught up in the dialogue enough to stop waiting for it. They also spent exactly the right amount of time devoted to the philosophical fallout of this technology without over-doing it. What would become of love if you had scientific proof that there was only one soul-mate for you? Would you ever try to connect with anyone who wasn't "the one"? Are the romantic detours in life not worth anything?I have to say, I watched this because I needed a laugh, so I was mostly looking forward to the funnies and the hilariously candid style of Emma Caufield, who can always make me smile, but right off the bat I was struck by how well the film got across that feeling of desperation and fear of being alone that so many people face. Me, I'm in a relationship and even I got upset by the end of the opening scene. But don't worry; TiMER is not a downer. You will be rofling quite a bit, especially if you're familiar with Emma's ridiculousness. Just sit back and let her do her thing!I came for the Emma Caulfield, but I left wondering where I could see more of Michelle Borth. Two very quirky and beautiful actresses that really vibed off each other. I loved it! Also look out for the child star from Butterfly Effect, John Patrick Amedori, all grown up and gorgeous. Excellent casting is another thing saving this sci-fi from possible cheesy fail.TiMER only has a 6.5 on IMDb, and I think it deserves much higher than that. So go watch it and vote. I think it needs to be up above a 7/10. As far as drama/comedies go, this one is just much better than average, and the mere 3000 voters so far have not done the film justice. Don't listen to them; listen to me!http://starlightmusing.blogspot.com/

MBunge You know that phrase "A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down"? Well, Timer is an old school sci-fi concept that's been covered in a romantic-comedy syrup. It floats along on the appealing work of the cast and the relaxed humor of the script, with an underlying bite of putting the human condition off kilter just enough to make you think about the world you live in and how you live in it.By old school sci-fi, I mean the sort of storytelling the genre was born doing. No ray guns, monsters, mad scientists or anything like that. Science fiction started out as a way of pondering the way technology is and might change human existence. For Timer, that's imagining a world of people walking around with a digital clock implanted in their wrist that counts down to the day they meet the soulmate they're going to spend the rest of their life with. What if you knew you were going to meet your one true love in 5 months? What if it wasn't going to happen for 10 years? What if your Timer was blank because your true love didn't have one implanted in his or her wrist?That last one is the case for Oona (Emma Caulfield). Staring down the barrel of her 30th birthday, her Timer remains blank no matter how many Timer-less guys she goes out with. Every time she drags them down to the Timer store and gets them to get one implanted, they're always counting down to the guys meeting someone other than Oona. That's left her in a frozen state of anticipation, unable to focus on anything except the guaranteed love who refuses to materialize. Oona's rebel-without-a-cause stepsister Steph (Michelle Borth) has got her own Timer issues. She's not scheduled to meet her true love for many years, but Steph diverts herself from that by seeking out as many disposable relationships as she can. After all, if you know it can't last, why would you want to bother with anything more than a one-night stand?Eventually overcome with frustration, Oona throws herself into a fling with a 22 year old musician (John Patrick Amedori) who's got 5 months left on his Timer. Steph finds herself falling into like with a Timer-less guy (Desmond Harrington) who radiates the sincerity she avoids like the plague. Things don't go smoothly for either sister, but you can probably figure most of that out on your own.This is a keen little film that touches on an awful lot of the implications that flow out of its interesting premise. The Timer has a different, yet equally profound, effect on so many people in this story and we don't just see the effect it has on them. We also watch the way it alternately regulates and disorders the way those people deal with each other. It's never preachy, but it will make you reconsider your own understanding of love and how you've shaped your life around it.The striking Emma Caulfield heads up an excellent troupe of performers who all have an exquisite grasp on the delicate balance of the script. They all manage to play real people, even when the characters veer off into romantic-comedy clichés. And writer/director Jac Schaeffer proves as adept at unfolding the story on screen as she was in getting down on paper.Timer's pretty restrained in all areas and could probably have used a few more random jokes in the first 30 minutes or so, but it's the sort of movie that's worth investing your time in, even if you are still waiting for your soulmate to arrive.

copperncherrio An interesting concept, in a world where everyone has a timer that tells them when they are going to meet their soul mate. It counts down and will beep once you make eye contact with them. But only when your soul mate gets a timer does yours start counting down.Our main character Uma's timer has yet to start and kind of countdown. Her sister's timer says that she won't meet her soul mate until she is 40 years old.The concept is unique and entertaining. It's a fun movie to watch when you just want something simple and pleasant, but done well. This is the movie for you. It's heavier on the Romantic side and less so on the comedy side.