12:01 (1993 TV Movie) discussion - time-loop like 'Groundhog Day'

[jefferiestubes8]

I finally saw 12:01 on Netflix DVD this week. While it was a TV Movie I thought it was pretty great. It is even in 16:9 and shot on 35mm. Odd for a USA-based TV film of 1993 that the DVD is in 16:9.
Yes a ripoff of Groundhog Day but it had some good scifi elements as well as being a decent thriller.

According to the wikipedia:

It is an adaptation of Richard Lupoff's short story "12:01 PM," published in the December 1973, issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. The story had previously been adapted into an 1990 Academy Award nominated short film starring Kurtwood Smith.

It originally aired on the Fox Network in the United States.

The movie was released on DVD in the United States on November 28, 2006.

It also has a director's commentary on the DVD.

as far as the original short story by Lupoff & "Groundhog Day":

The story was also adapted—actually plagiarized—into a major theatrical film in 1993. Jonathan Heap and I were outraged and tried very hard to go after the rascals who had robbed us, but alas, the Hollywood establishment closed ranks. We were no Art Buchwald. After half a year of lawyers' conferences and emotional stress, we agreed to put the matter behind us and get on with our lives.

The music was adequate. unmemorable. It has a very early 90s feel and yet the office scenes remind me of 1989's Office Space. Some of the car chases were surprising that the actors did some of their own driving. The leading lady character Lisa I knew immediately I had seen her in The Secret of My Succe$s (1987) as the leading lady love interest.
I think Groundhog Day went very dark and explored all sorts of things for comedic effect rather than just a 90 minute movie where the plot is always moved along as in 12:01. I'd recommend it for a fun scifi movie and especially as an exercise as to how else to do the time-loop premise which I will always associate with Groundhog Day .

What did you guys think of 12:01 as a scifi comedy thriller and also the comparison to Groundhog Day?
related thread from 2010:
the time-loop ('Groundhog Day') concept in film/TV/novels

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I never saw the '93 feature film. I figured, what would be the point? It couldn't possibly be as good as the '90 short:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUGYwNzez3g[/yt]
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRVvTMSnmj8[/yt]
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bxX8Beb8Ec[/yt]

I have seen Groundhog Day and I did enjoy it. I had one problem with it though:

Spoiler: film

Somebody, think it might have been Stephen Tobolowsky, suggested that Bill Murray's character was trapped in the loop for 10,000 years. I wonder how that could be possible without driving him completely and irrevocably insane. He comes out of the loop intact, and normal. Hardly the reaction of someone who's spent 10,000 years repeating the same day!