One night on the Movie News Network channel...

Announcer: This is MNN News -- all movies, all the time. Now, here's your anchor, Bob Hollywood.

Bob: Good evening, and welcome to MNN News. For tonight's top story, correspondent Stella Starlet has a report on a little film putting a very strange twist on the world of journalism. Stella?

Stella: Thanks, Bob. Tartan Films has always been best known for its library of Asian cinema. But once in a while, they venture into the realm of English-language movies. The latest one is the dramatic thriller 11:59. However, despite an intriguing premise, this film doesn't measure up to its lofty aspirations in the eyes of film scholar Pierre Le Critique, who just happens to be with us now. Pierre, will you shed some light on this movie for our viewers?

Pierre: I'll be happy to, Stella, 11:59 is a story about Aaron (played by Raymond Andrew Bailey), a cameraman for a television news station that's always hungry for ratings. The station gets its big break after Aaron chases down a murder suspect and gets the story of his capture first, putting him in line for a big promotion. But at 11:59 that night, he ends up blacking out and waking up two days later in a field, with no recollection of how he got there or what happened on that lost day. As it turns out, a lot happened, but Aaron also learns the man he pursued may be innocent of his crimes, forcing him to quickly put together the pieces of a complex puzzle before the next time warp hits him.

Stella: Oh my! That sounds a little too confusing to me, but maybe I'm not alone. Let's see what movie fan Joe Sixpack thinks about it. Hi, Joe! Thanks for coming on our show.

Joe: No problem, Stella, but what in the heck was going on in this movie? It felt like Premonition crossed with a stinkin' civics lesson! Time travel, ethics in journalism...bah, just thinking about a combo like that makes me reach for my Rolaids. Where's Marty McFly and the DeLorean when you need them? This movie is no fun at all. It's way too boring. Even that goofy Time Machine movie with Guy Pearce was better than this!

Stella: Joe, you may not be the only one with a few reservations about 11:59. Let's hear more from Pierre.

Pierre: Well, Stella, the entire film is an admirable attempt at trying something radically different and meaningful, but it ends up as a miserable failure. The time-travel device is poorly explained, very much shoehorned into a story that would have flowed more naturally had it been played out in a straightforward manner. The combination of zombies with laughter in Shaun of the Dead worked wonderfully, but I'm afraid this hybrid of Groundhog Day and Good Night, and Good Luck comes across as confounding and preachy. Aside from Bailey's passable performance, virtually the whole cast overacts, especially Liz Cunningham as the news station's almost cartoonishly antagonistic manager.

Stella: So there you have it. The verdict on 11:59 is "close, but no cigar."  Reporting for MNN News, this is Stella Starlet. Back to you, Bob.

Bob: Thanks for the report, Stella. When MNN News returns, we'll bring you another segment of our eight-part exploration into the mystery behind Tom Green's career. Stay tuned.

MY RATING: * 1/2 (out of ****)

(Released by Tartan Video; not rated by MPAA.)