On Time (2008) Poster

(I) (2008)

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8/10
Simple Yet Effective
sinemaiestas29 August 2010
When a short is well written, it goes a LONG way. And while this isn't a new idea or even a rehashing of the old idea, it's effective.

The acting is honest. The performances given do nothing to take away from the film. They're simple, yet effective.

The cinematography is good. It's not a cinematic masterpiece or a incredible work of art, but it gets the job done. It's simple, yet effective.

The score isn't something you're going to download and listen to. It doesn't move you to tears or get you out of your seat. It's simple..... you get the idea.

It's a surprisingly easy little film, that's a great watch and gives you something to think about. Well worth checking out.
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6/10
30 seconds is not enough
Horst_In_Translation29 June 2015
Warning: Spoilers
These 6 minutes are the second short film work by Ted Chung and the writer is David Bradley Halls, even slightly more experienced. A man proposed to his girlfriend, but she refuses. this is not what we see, but what we find out when said man talks to a stranger. The stranger shows him his newest invention, a suitcase that predicts the future. He encourages the man whose proposal failed to talk to another young woman at the airport and make use of the invention predicting that her cup will fall down. But wait, if he actually changes the future in these 30 seconds, isn't the suitcase useless then because really everybody else could change it too? Anyway, one thing that bothered me is why the guy would show any interest in other women so briefly after his girl did not want to marry him. Wouldn't he have to be too sad for that at this point still? Apparently not. But he somehow gets punished for it in the end, even if he doesn't know it. All the people in here are still busy in the film industry, especially Peter Farkas who just played a minor character in Melissa McCarthy's "Spy". Good short film all in all. Without the woman appearing at the airport in the end, something would have been missing, but this way it's all good. Recommended.
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9/10
Getting Ahead
ShaneOHa3 February 2014
I never have really been a fan of short films. I like my movies and I like their length - enough time to explore a new world, complete with an evolving plot, fleshed out characters, and all sorts of twists and turns. I decided to watch a few short films earlier, though, because I wanted some quick breaks in between studying.

This work was one to spark an interest in me for the art of short film. The very first shot tells an entire story in itself. I immediately found myself interested. Soon afterwards, a stranger approaches our main character with a one-of-a-kind product. It offered the sort of opportunity no one I could imagine would refuse.

I don't want to spoil any surprises here, but suffice it to say that this "mystery box", and its consequences, deliver a simple yet poignant message that we can all relate to. And that's why I've found a new appreciation for the art of short film: you don't always need two hours to tell a story, or to enjoy one, when a few minutes and the creative talent of a brilliant team of filmmakers will do.
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5/10
Buying time
johno-219 September 2008
I saw this last month at the 2008 Palm Springs International Short Fest. Arthur (Kai Albrect) is a young traveler who is devastated because his fiancé has broken off their engagement. He meets a traveling salesman Frank Martins (Peter Farkas) who offers Arthur a peek inside his suitcase a glimpse into things yet to come. also in the cast in small roles are Greta Galsih de Palma, Till Butterworth and Sabine Krause. This is a Twilight Zone style story written by David Halls and directed by Los Angeles director Ted Chang. Chang filmed this in Germany through the Berlinale Talent Campus and is his fourth short along with Mike s, Passages and A Thousand Words. This has a promising storyline and is well executed by the cast and filmmakers but it falls a little short for me. I found the story became too simplistic instead of conflicted. I would give this a 5.5 out of 10.
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