Time Lines
Sometimes, it’s best to let life pass you by…

Remember the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day? If not, shame on you. But here’s the classic tale you’ve somehow let slip away:

Groundhog’s a film about a dude forced to relive the same day over and over and over – until…. well, that would be a spoiler. So we’ll leave the final scene blank for now.

Time Lines, written by versatile scribe John Hunter, is Groundhog Day for 2016. That is, if Groundhog Day was gorier, bloodier and much… gooier, as well.

That’s no knock on the story. In fact, it’s a compliment. Only four pages long, Time Lines nails a darkly comedic tone and keeps you guessing through each scene, as you race.

Here’s the basic premise; young protagonist James goes about his daily routine – resulting in an extremely unusual (and disturbing) day. Our narrative begins as James drives to work. He runs a red light and… gets demolished by a truck. Seconds later, time seems to rewind. James misses the truck and makes it to work. That’s encouraging, right? But then he steps out of his car… and gets flattened by a speeding van. So on and so forth: the tragedies keep unfolding and reversing. Will his miserable day never end?

Which leads to the true mystery of this script: what’s the secret behind what’s happening? Time Lines’ll keep you guessing until the end. Even after you read the final words, somethings remain “open to interpretation”, as they say…

Take our recommendation to heart: if you’re an experienced director looking to make your mark, Time Lines is a special tale. One that could potentially play great on the festival circuit – especially with the right cast/crew. Grab this one while it lasts. Remember, you only live once! (Unless you’re Bill Murray, then you live 12,403 times. A special thank you to Obsessed With Film for the precise number of days Bill Murray suffered through in Groundhog Day).

Budget: Moderate to high: a couple of car accidents, one tragic equipment failure (make of that what you will). Also to be depicted: an assault rifle attack (a weapon of any sort could probably be substituted here.). But don’t let that stop you, or James – remember, there are many ways to make effects work on a budget. Don’t ask me how, I’m just a writer – but stock footage and magic may suffice. You’ll also need lots of fake blood: this one’s messy (in a good way!). As for actors, there’s only one major role. And you can probably get by with just two extras (one man and one woman) on the side.

Settings – A highway, a parking lot, an elevator, and an office building/break room.

Pages: 3

About the reviewer: Mitch Smith is an award winning screenwriter whose website (http://mitchsmithscripts.wix.com/scripts) offers notes, script editing and phone consultations. You can also reach him at Mitch.SmithScripts “AT” gmail and follow Mitch at https://twitter.com/MitchScripts.

About the writer, John Hunter: I am an award-winning and produced writer. Please visit http://www.networkisa.org/profile/1001989/John-Hunter to see a short bio and list of my scripts available for production. My email is x32792 (AT) yahoo.com

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