NEW 11:14 (DVD)

Its a shame that I never even heard of this movie except by chance on amazon.com's list of "best movies you've never even heard of" (or something like that). As I read the list of actors in the film, I was surprised how this one fell through the cracks. It has Henry Thomas, Patrick Swayze, Barbara Hershey, Hilary Swank, Colin Hanks, Rachel Leigh Cook, and the always good Sean Hatosy. With a cast like that, how did it not get the kind of media attention that "Crash" got?

Maybe because it was made by a debut "Generation X" director, Greg Marcks. Like "Donnie Darko" director Richard Kelly before him, Marcks got shafted on the publicity machine. I saw "Crash" in theaters and really liked it. But for all its clever coincidences, I found the story quite unbelievably contrived (as the film characters are connected in surprising ways, which takes place in the huge megatropolis of Los Angeles). When I read the description for "11:14", it sounded a lot like "Crash" but came out a year or two earlier. After watching it, let me tell you...I have never had such a mind-blowing experience watching a film before. This film had me riveted as I watched how all the story segments fall into place. By the end of the movie, I was like "whoa!" Brilliant, man. Absolutely brilliant!

Like the movie "Crash", this one involves a couple car accidents and the ways the people involved are all connected to one another. To reveal any more is to ruin the film experience. All I can say is that the performances were really good. I've been a fan of Henry Thomas since "E.T.", since he is the same age as me and I related to his Elliot character back then. He's a good actor who deserves to be in more films. Patrick Swayze in this reminds me of the small but pivotal role he played in "Donnie Darko", which leads me to wonder why he's playing in such minor roles, being directed by Generation X director. Barbara Hershey, another actress I like from the 1980s, seems to reprise her role in the film "Lantana", but this role is simply too small, but she manages it well. However, I think this film showcases the talents of Sean Hatosy, who is becoming one of my favorite actors by how well he makes his facial expressions. From "Soldier Girl" to "Faith of My Fathers" to "11:14", I really hope his career launches into more leading man status or at least a buddy film. He is definitely the actor to watch.

When the final scene occurs and all the pieces fall together, I was so amazed by its brilliance that I had to watch it again, and then again with the director's commentary track. This is a film that I would've seen in theaters had it been better publicized and distributed. As far as first films go, you can't get better than this. Like director Richard Kelly, I believe Greg Marcks is another one to watch. If you enjoyed "Crash" and "Memento", you'll probably love this film as well. And memo to Hollywood...don't be afraid to take risks on unconventional storylines. This movie far exceeds the formulaic action/romantic-comedy/suspense films you dish out to audiences year after year. This film leaves a lasting impression and really blows your mind away with its implication. Its what every viewer wants to experience when they watch a movie.

"11:14" is writer/director Greg Marcks' first feature film, and it is a unique and riveting look at the randomness of life, and how our lives interconnect amid the chaos of it. Starting with the imaginative titles, it's keeps one's interest for all of its 85 minute length. All the action takes place on a single night in "Middletown", which represents any small USA town, the kind that closes up by 9 PM. Only 10 characters (as well as an overworked policeman and 2 paramedics) are left to create a plot so clever one can see this film several times, and be entertained by it.

The ensemble cast is fantastic, with Patrick Swayze (wearing a "fat suit" to hide his athletic physique) as Frank, the father of devious wench Cheri (Rachael Leigh Cook) and husband of Norma (Barbara Hershey). There is marvelous interaction between Buzzy and Duffy, 2 convenience store clerks, superbly played by Hilary Swank and Shawn Hatosy. Others in the fine cast include Henry Thomas as Jack, Clark Gregg as the beleaguered cop, and Stark Sands, Colin Hanks, and Ben Foster, as 3 kids out for a night of fun and mayhem.

Filmed on a shoestring in 26 nights in Altadena, California, Marcks was only 24 when he wrote the script, and filmed it a year later. He is very articulate, and the excellent DVD extras include informative commentary by him, as well as a "making of" featurette, deleted scenes (the final one is terrific), and more. The music by Clint Mansell is also great and adds much to the film. Marcks says about the randomness of life that "perhaps there is a larger design...but we're incapable of seeing it", and the film is also about choices, whether or not one takes responsibility for those choices, and how they affect other people. Though some may find this film too bizarre, it is is a brilliant debut for Marcks, and I eagerly look forward to seeing his future work.

Greg Marcks offers us in '11:14' that rare breed of film that keeps us on the edge of our seats for the entire 95 minutes running time. This strangely wonderful tale embraces the ideas of consequences and serendipity by unraveling a story of two deaths that affect the lives of eight kids and two parents, each with separate perceptions of shared incidents, and all of those perceptions intertwine in the most unique way imaginable. This is not a teen horror flick, not an attempt to do an imitation cheap movie like 'Blair Witch Project' look-alikes. '11:14' is simply a fine script played with comedy and tragedy and wide-eyed wonderment by a top notch cast of actors.

To relate the tale would to defray the anxiety Marcks creates in his writing. It is sufficient to say that little nerdy people in a small town somewhere are all caught up in two deaths, a thwarted robbery, a case of missing bodies, and a final core explanation of how the whole foolish mess got started. Along the way there are hilarious moments of accidental death during intercourse in a grave yard, a severed penis and its impact on hit and run kids, a rather randy and hormone driven trashy girl whose parents get caught up in the scheme of things... and that is only starters.

The exceptional cast includes Hilary Swank (with braces), Patrick Swayze (with body padding), Barbara Hershey obsessed with opera, Rachel Leigh Cook as the promiscuous round robin girl, Henry Thomas as a drunk driver, Ben Foster as the genital loser, Blake Heron, Shawn Hatosy, Blake Heron, Stark Sands, Colin Hanks, and Gregg Clark as the revolving police officer who tries to keep up and make sense of the mess.

The cinematography is beautifully handled by Shane Hurlbut who manages to keep the nighttime ambience all centered on the 11:14 PM restrictions of the action. But above all it is the brilliant script and tight direction by Marcks that makes this the strong, grossly overlooked sleeper of a movie that it is. It just has everything! Grady Harp, October 05