This week we’re taking a look at all sorts of movies that involve time travel, time loops, and other oddities of the space-time continuum.
Harr Pick: TIMECRIMES (2007)
Where to watch: Available to rent on Apple iTunes, Amazon Prime, & Google Play
Category: Weird & Wild
TIMECRIMES is a fantastic little thriller movie that does a lot with a small cast and a smaller budget. It is exceedingly clever and inventive with how it handles the concept of a time loop. I love, love, love watching low budget indie movies that deliver on big concepts. It feels like a small miracle when that happens. —Harrison
Harr Pick: HAPPY DEATH DAY (2017)
Where to watch: Available to rent on Apple iTunes, Amazon Prime, & Google Play
Category: Comedy
I had zero expectations for this one and it ended up being a super funny, cute, and clever GROUNDHOG DAY style movie mashed up with a corny 80s slasher flick. Lead actress Jessica Rothe is a legit star and easily carries the whole movie on her shoulders. Lotta laughs and fun times with this one. Unfortunately I did not like the sequel that much, but I know it has its defenders. —Harrison
Harr Pick: EDGE OF TOMORROW (2014)
Where to watch: Available to rent on Apple iTunes, Amazon Prime, & Google Play
Category: Exciting!
Tommy Cruise, babayyyyy. EDGE OF TOMORROW has so much going for it that it’s almost tough to fit it into one paragraph. It features Tom Cruise in one of his most fun roles to date, a super badass Emily Blunt, an exceedingly clever script, and is kind of/sort of one of the best video game movies of all time. This is S+ tier big budget sci-fi action. —Harrison
The best part of the movie is watching Tom Cruise get run over again and again by a bus. Nothing against him, but there’s something satisfying in watching him screw up those maneuvers that seem so effortless in his other films. —Ben
Ben Pick: 12 MONKEYS (1995)
Where to watch: HBO MAX
Category: Drama / Weird & Wild
With amazing performances by both Willis and Pitt, 12 MONKEYS does a great job doing a time-travel movie without making it all about time travel, if that makes sense. I mean the whole premise of the movie is Bruce going back in time to stop a world-ending virus (preposterous, I know...). But the real draw of the movie is trying to find out who the hell started the 12 MONKEYS. Every time I see it, I know how’s it’s going to end, but I still get sucked in every time. Super well done movie. —Ben
I still don’t think I know what happens in 12 MONKEYS. So, in other words, it’s a Terry Gilliam movie. I love that this is one of Brad Pitt’s first out there character roles. He just goes for it as a demented character. —Harrison
Ben Pick: PAYCHECK (2003)
Where to watch: HULU
Category: Exciting!
If you can suspend your disbelief that Affleck is this uber genius reverse-engineering type guy, PAYCHECK is great action/thriller that doesn’t take itself too seriously. My one semi-major gripe with the movie is that it it applies the “infinite mulligan” attitude towards time-travel where it’s like, “ok, that didn’t work, but next time we should make sure this door isn’t locked.” Then they check the door and it’s unlocked because they presumably went through the whole movie again and made sure the dumb door was unlocked. Ugh. Anyway, if you can get past the time-travel rules and genius Affleck (I mean, I guess he did watch Matt Damon write GOOD WILL HUNTING?) then you should check it out—it is a deceptively good movie —Ben
Part of me is pained that the first official John Woo movie on Movienaux is PAYCHECK. Other than that, this one is an entertaining romp. There’s a playful tone to the whole picture. There are some clever set pieces. And it’s got Uma Thurman fresh off of KILL BILL. Fun movie. —Harrison
Ben Pick: TIMECOP (1994)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Category: Exciting
This is probably my favorite Van Damme movie. It also has has the most unnecessary split of all time. Those two sentences are unrelated. It’s 90’s action to the max with relatively easy-to-follow time travel thrown into the mix. What more could you want? Below is more or less how the movie starts, if you want 90 more minutes of that (plus or minus more Wolverine product placement) you won’t be disappointed. —Ben
Question of the Week
If you were caught in a time loop, what would be the first skill you would master?
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I would learn an instrument (guitar or piano) or a language (Spanish).