It's like Groundhog Day, but different. What is it?
It's like
Groundhog Day, but it isn't
Groundhog Day. What is it? And more movie answers!
Send your movie questions to
FlickChick.
Question: I have spent hours using IMDB and keywords but I cannot find this movie. It involved a time loop -- living the same day over -- and I think it preceded Groundhog Day (1993).
It seemed to be made-for-TV. A young guy wakes up goes to work at an office, gets in trouble with the boss, spills something on himself, sees something bad happen to a young lady he likes. He wakes up and thinks he's experiencing deja vu, but it's the same day again and he changes stuff. The time loop is caused by a machine that the heroes must stop. -- MLane
FlickChick: It's
12:01, which was directed by
Jack Sholder and based on a 1973 short story "12:01 P," by veteran sci-fi writer Richard A. Lupoff. In one of those weird "something was in the air" coincidences, it first aired on TV the same year
Groundhog Day debuted in theaters: 1993.
Ordinary office drone Barry Thomas (Jonathan Silverman) is forced to relive the worst day of his miserable life, which includes the murder of co-worker Lisa Fredericks (
Helen Slater), whom he secretly loves but who hardly knows he exists. You're far from its only fan: The movie has a devoted cult following and is available on DVD from Image Entertainment.
Interestingly, the same original story was also filmed three years earlier as a live-action short called
12:01PM that starred
Kurtwood Smith and Jane Alden; it aired on Showtime and was nominated for an Academy Award. Director-producer-writer Jonathan Heap gets a story credit on
12:01.
This version isn't available commercially in the US, but has been included on the region 2 Cinema Collection: Vol. 5, a UK compilation of, yes, short films. Break out the multi-standard DVD player!
Question: I'm trying to remember the name of a movie musical singer from the 30's, 40's or early '50's. She was very pretty. blond hair and had a soprano voice. She made movies along the time of the Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney movies ("I know - let's put on a show"). It is not: Doris Day, Dinah Shore, Jane Russell, Betty Grable or Shirley Jones. Can you help me? Thanks!
FlickChick: Maybe petit
June Allyson (1917-2006), born Ella Geisman of the Bronx? Here's a
photo.
Allyson's hair color varied from blond to brown and she worked in musicals at the same time as the young Judy Garland; in fact, they were close friends and under contract to MGM together in the 1940s.
She was a girl next door type -- cute rather than drop-dead gorgeous -- and very popular in her heyday; her singing voice, though, is generally decribed as "raspy," modified with more or less flattering adjectives depending on whether or not the writer is a fan.
When Allyson began having trouble finding movie work, she moved to television and hosted
The June Allyson Show.
Question: I have busted my brain trying to find a television movie about the early years of Motown. It had Diana Ross and the Supremes and Smokey Robinson's stories and sort of resembled the "Temptations" movie, but touched on several of the Motown artists when they lived at the "Hitsville" house.
It was probably a four hour movie because it came on two nights...as you can tell this probably would have been about 10 years ago more or less. Please help! I am trying to find it to purchase. Thank you so much! -- Shon
FlickChick: Your question really stumps me, because everything you say points to 150 minute NBC mini-series
The Temptations, which was broadcast over two nights in 1998 -- exactly ten years ago.
The Temptations signed with Motown in 1961, two years after the company was incorporated -- the Hitsville House era -- and the film, which was directed by
Heroes executive producer
Allan Arkush (who won an Emmy for it), includes the stories of Smokey Robinson and The Supremes.
It's available on DVD from Lionsgate.
Readers, weigh in if you can think of another movie that meets these criteria.
Question: I read your column and I was wondering if you could help me remember the name of a movie I saw years ago. The two central characters -- a man and a woman -- have died and are in some sort of limbo, where they have to prove their bravery in order to make it to the better afterlife. Judges watch clips of their lives to decide if they'll make it: The couple fall in love, but she makes it to the better afterlife and he doesn't.
I hope this sounds familiar -- the details I can remember are pretty fuzzy! -- Kate
FlickChick: Very familiar. It's
Albert Brooks'
Defending Your Life (1991). It takes place in Judgment City and stars Brooks as the not so great guy and
Meryl Streep is the woman, an absolute paragon of courage and integrity.
Send your movie questions to
FlickChick.
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