THE WINDOW INTO TIME

THE WINDOW INTO TIME (2011)
US
Directed by Thomas Nicol

CAST:
William Kephart - Dr. Schenker
Stephanie Swearingen - Lana Green
Michael Kilcullen - Dr. Morrison

PLOT:
     Dr. Lawrence Schenker, Man of Science, is contacted by an old classmate with an intriguing problem, setting him on a mission to recreate a substance described in an ancient manuscript with no thought to the possible consequences.

REVIEW:
      Well here I am, back after almost a month off, and I feel refreshed and ready to go with more reviews. This time I contacted director Thomas Nicol about his film after I found out it was playing at film festivals, and since where I live can be considered a black hole for culture unless you like country music, I knew I wasn't going able to see it here He was kind enough to send me link to view the short it in it's entirety. So without further waiting, on to the review.

           I must admit I was relatively surprised by the acting in this all the way through. William Kephart does a good job as Dr. Schenker, a scientist possessed  trying to break a ancient mystery that bridges dimensions while not realizing the consequences though warned about them. Kephart also does a decent job as the one voice that is heard in the short. Michael Kilcullen (love the last name for some reason!), though only on screen for a short amount of time,  does well as Dr. Morrison, a colleague of Dr. Schenker, who at first wants help then tries to warn him off of trying to solve the chemical riddle. Stephanie Swearingen also does well as the spurned assistant Lana Green, who winds up as a conduit to something else after being to close to the  mysterious substance.

     The one draw back I have with this short is the audio. It's nothing to big, but when Dr. Schenker is shown talking into the reel to reel recorder it sounds as if you're hearing the actual recording, and when the flash backs are shown it sounds as if he's in the room talking and not the recorded voice. Other than that small gripe the short was a very fun watch and well put together with some great shots and interesting angles. One of the highlights for me was the stop motion animation when used, as it gave the film a otherworldly feel when it was used. The Window Into Time does a great job of capturing the feel of H.P. Lovecraft stories as the short does end, yet it leaves it up to the viewer to decide what happens. I look forward to seeing what Thomas Nicol does next after watching this, and I'm hoping that he gets a full length feature soon to see what he can do with more time to spend on the story.

BEST DEATH:
     Dr. Morrison's header out of a window of not his choosing.

BEST LINE:
     But its scientific and historic significance alone were enough to take possession of my mind.

FUN FACTS:
     Director Thomas Nicol has his short he co-directed with Becky Griesheimer, the animated Bedtime For Timmy, at Fantastic Fest 2011.