TiMER (2009)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

How sad is this?

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

The acting in this movie is really good.

TIMER pretends to be forward-thinking, then "ironically" twists it so that intuitive human love is correct after all without any gadgets. This to me makes the entire premise anti-human on two levels: (1) that we as a species would actually do something this stupid, (2) that we're just monkeys without the gadgets. So, damned if we do, damned if we don't.What this does is justifies the promiscuity, the "blazing hot anonymous sex" with strangers that passes the time until you meet "the one," or else the "it doesn't matter anyway" attitude because "the one" is coming anyway. The movie is furthermore told from an upper-class perspective, so there is the usual digs at privileged living (boring for me to watch). In the same vein, there is a misanthropic anger at people the writer(s) don't particularly like, such as Mary in the nursing home, in a brief scene that really sums up the viciousness of this film.The tender music score belies this boiling anger at love and life. As many have already pointed out, the ending is a middle finger to the entire move, as well as the audience for having participated. It's like they weren't sure whether to fulfill the technological destiny of the vision or go with a complete reversal of our thoughts on Timer, period, but went for a ridiculous middle ground, "whatever turns you on." Besides hedonistic, this is against the premise, that it's NOT whatever turns you on but rather what is supposed to be long-term right for you ,as when Oona met with her father, who seemed to have some insight into destiny - but, stupidly, only because he had a timer :-/Good acting, I guess, for this nonsense. Attractive cast. Good form and pacing. But it's like a pleasant classic statue with paint splotched all over it intentionally. It's supposedly a message but it's really more like a tantrum.

TiMER has an intriguing premise that is not as sci-fi as it may initially appear. With okcupid match percentages and other forms of rating and quantifying romance, are we really that far off from our own transdermal love timers? Some reviewers criticized TiMER's plot holes and unconvincing character development, particularly in light of the unexpected and unsatisfactory ending. But really, what kind of ending did you expect? For a film that critiques the impact of technology on human agency --which extends to larger discourses regarding fate and predestination -- I found the ending to be appropriately bleak. It seems to be that Oona and Dan are trying to convince themselves that the timer is accurate...trying to reason their way into falling in love because the odds are on their side.(And by the way, I do not buy Oona's "independent woman" routine of superficial empowerment at all). If we see the ending as Oona and Dan's way of slowly fulfilling the timer's prophecy, then paradoxically they are using their new-found agency (i.e. ignoring the timer) to get closer to each other --whether by coincidence or "fate." This might be intended to make viewers question the other timer matches in the film; is love just something that you fall into because a higher power --in this case, biotechnology -- compels you to? This puts into question other ordinances of predestination and our compulsion (whether it's peer pressure, a desire for a higher purpose, etc) to put blind faith into them. TiMER is not a cinematic masterpiece, nor is it striving to be. Regardless, it really made me reflect on notions of human agency, biotechnology, fate and predestination the way any impactful film should.

I don't think I have seen a movie so thoroughly fail the Bechdel test. The women in this movie would simply vanish from existence without a man to define their lives by. Plus, as other reviewers have said, the ending is a bit of a let down. If the point of this movie was to tell us how spontaneity and romance should be stamped out and destroyed, then message received. What I will say about the ending though is that it was a bit of a surprise. I thought they would play up the irony of how Oona would get rid of her timer just as her spontaneous boyfriend got his and decided to settle down a bit. The switch was a pleasant twist. Despite this, the movie is well shot and looks beautiful and it was delightful to see Emma Caulfield again. I wish she would work more. I wish there was more of the old man in the nursing home. He was a hoot.

I was busy shaving my pubes whilST listening to my tunes. Suddenly, my hair became stuck in my razor. I became nervous, trying to remove the strand, but it was no use. I thought that if I poured oil on my penis, I would be able to slip through. It was no use. The razor went from the strand to the follicle, and off goes my dick. To make matters worse, the friction set my stump ablaze. I'm on the floor of my bathroom, bleeding out and on fire. Life Alert has short circuited; I had prank-called them too many times and they have refused to accept my calls ever since. I thought that if I could submerge my body in the water of the toilet, I may yet find salvation. I hop in and pull on the handle; it's my second fatal mistake. The force of the flush begins to suck my body down the drain. The movie was good. I decide that there's only one option. I begin to bite. I bite on my torso as hard as I can. Finally, I have peace. I may have lost a penis, natural and unburnt skin, a lower body, and my ears, I have survived. 7/10