Tonight there was a special CMU Alumni screening and reception for fellow alum Greg Marcks, where they screened his feature film debut, 11:14. Told in reverse-chronological order, the film is a black comedy that tells multiple stories about different people in a small town whose lives all converge through a car accident that happens at 11:14pm.
The film has a small ensemble cast, featuring Patrick Swayze, Barbara Hershey, Hilary Swank, Shawn Hatosy, Henry Thomas, Ben Foster, Rachael Leigh Cook, and more. It’s a rather fresh cast, and everyone plays characters are actually kinda dark and not what you would expect. I thought the pacing (and reverse-chronological presentation) worked really well, and it runs a tight 90 minutes or so. The opening titles are pretty cool, and the music by Clint Mansell was really fun – he even used a theremin!
After the screening, I got a chance to catch up with Greg (who was my key grip and an extra in Escape From CMU), as well as mingle with a few other alumnus. It was a fun evening, and I look forward to seeing how 11:14 does when it’s released later this fall. (They’re working on a distribution deal right now!)