# Short movies (possible spoilers, none in OP) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 7, 2004, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199 "2004-06-07T23:50:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/21 "2004-06-15T10:07:42Z")
> [@dangergene](#): > > indeed, it’s the small hours of the morning, but it also takes place across several timezomes. The military admin guys are somewhere in the US while the bombers slowly fly towards Russian airspace, so the daylight scenes can be accounted for… . Might I ask what the _fuck_ you’ve been smoking? Since when have there been US bombers flying towards Russian airspace in **Hallowe’en**? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/22 "2004-06-15T13:29:38Z")
> [@Evil Death](#): > > Might I ask what the _fuck_ you’ve been smoking? Since when have there been US bombers flying towards Russian airspace in **Hallowe’en**? Since whenever **Halloween** became **Dr. Strangelove** , I guess. Looks like he got confused as to which movie you were talking about. **Before Sunrise** isn’t realtime, but takes place over the course of an afternoon and night and ends…well, when the title suggests. I didn’t see the recent sequel, **Before Sunset** , but I believe it follows a similar structure. I haven’t seen **Dazed and Confused** either, but doesn’t it all take place on the last day of school? A movie I have seen is **Groundhog’s Day** , which except for the beginning takes place in the course of one day. It’s just a day that happens over and over again… ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/23 "2004-06-15T14:33:24Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > A movie I have seen is **Groundhog’s Day** , which except for the beginning takes place in the course of one day. It’s just a day that happens over and over again… Technically speaking that day lasts several years, mind you. I haven’t seen The 25th Hour, but from a plot description it would seem to occur over the course of one day. From Dusk Till Dawn occurs within a single 24-hour period and mostly over one night, ditto Black Christmas. Has anyone mentioned Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind yet? That’s another one-day job. ---
**Author:** ![haardvark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@haardvark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/haardvark)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/24 "2004-06-15T14:40:56Z")
There are some cheesy action flicks that take place on a pretty tight timeline: Air Force One and Con Air come to mind. Die Hard. Dog Day Afternoon. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/25 "2004-06-15T14:44:10Z")
[Run Lola Run](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0130827/) takes place in a _very_ short period of time. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/26 "2004-06-15T15:16:58Z")
> [@Evil Death](#): > > Has anyone mentioned Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind yet? That’s another one-day job. I believe you’re wrong there. ESotSM took place over a good portion of time, and involves a massive amount of flashbacks that take place over the span of decades. The real-time range is also longer than a day. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/27 "2004-06-15T15:46:10Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I believe you’re wrong there. The entire mindwipe, which comprises 90% of the movie, is performed in a single night. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/28 "2004-06-15T16:11:27Z")
> [@Evil Death](#): > > The entire mindwipe, which comprises 90% of the movie, is performed in a single night. Yes, but what about the other 10%? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/29 "2004-06-15T18:33:44Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Yes, but what about the other 10%? He asks to be fitted in for a wipe without the normal delay and the ending happens on the morning after he wakes up. So all in all, the whole film stretches over maybe 30 hours of time. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/30 "2004-06-15T18:45:59Z")
> [@Garfield226](#): > > Russian Ark (the long continuous shot thing) is one, I think, though I’ve never seen it. My understanding of this movie is that it represents 200+ years of history and not the events of one night. [This site](http://www.movie-source.com/movie_page.asp?movieID=1412) seems to support my claim. > [@](#): > > Three hundred years of Russian history are presented in a single, 90-something minute shot. I should say that I have not seen it myself, but it is on my PDR (in HD no less 🙂 ) waiting for me to have the time to watch it. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/31 "2004-06-15T20:34:52Z")
> [@Tapioca Dextrin](#): > > As does [Rashamon](http://imdb.com/title/tt0042876/). Four guys sit around and chat for two hours. With falshbacks. That’s not how I remember it. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/32 "2004-06-15T21:33:45Z")
IIRC, _American Graffiti_ takes place over a single weekend. ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/33 "2004-06-15T23:26:40Z")
Yeah, Eternal Sunshine doesn’t count. The memories may not be flashbacks, but they definitely would count as flashbacks for our purposes. Memento takes place in two or three days. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/34 "2004-06-15T23:41:48Z")
> [@Evil Death](#): > > Might I ask what the _fuck_ you’ve been smoking? Since when have there been US bombers flying towards Russian airspace in **Hallowe’en**? Since you added an apostrophe to it. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/35 "2004-06-15T23:57:33Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > I haven’t seen **Dazed and Confused** either, but doesn’t it all take place on the last day of school? It begins as school is ending (3:30ish) and ends the following morning (7:30ish). ---
**Author:** ![haardvark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@haardvark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/haardvark)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/36 "2004-06-16T00:04:31Z")
Which, in turn, has served to remind me of **3 O’clock High** , which I sadly watched all of in a hotel room the other evening. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/37 "2004-06-16T08:15:25Z")
> [@Dr. Rieux](#): > > Since you added an apostrophe to it. There’s supposed to be an apostrophe in Hallowe’en. If there isn’t one in the title of the film, this is not _my_ problem. ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/38 "2004-06-16T11:07:07Z")
_Arsenic and Old Lace_ takes place pretty much in real time. “Oh, Dr. Einstein, are you leaving?” “Yes, please.” “We put flowers on the graves every Sunday.” “Sure, I put neon lights on mine!” “I wonder what Mary’s doing now.” “I’m the son of a sea-cook!” I love that movie. ---
**Author:** ![nocturnal\_tick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3d9bf3/32.png) [@nocturnal\_tick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nocturnal_tick)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/39 "2004-06-16T13:45:44Z")
I would say [Identity](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0309698/) with John Cusack except for that darn bit at the end. A lot of horror movies that involve being trapped in a building would probably fit the category like **Resident Evil** and **House on Haunted Hill** ---
**Author:** ![Beauty\_Personified](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Beauty\_Personified](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beauty_Personified)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199/40 "2004-06-17T04:23:27Z")
> [@nocturnal\_tick](#): > > A lot of horror movies that involve being trapped in a building would probably fit the category like **Resident Evil** and **House on Haunted Hill** _Night of the Living Dead_ :rolleyes: That said, how much time passed in the original _Dawn of the Dead?_ (Which, unfortunately, I’ve yet to see.) I think they spent at least one night in the mall in the remake. How much time passed in _Day of the Dead?_ What about the other branch of _Living Dead_ sequels? Seriously though, I think we’ll find tons of one-day films. If we wanted to make a somewhat manageable list, I think we should stick to true real-time films like _Phonebooth_ with Colin Farrell. (_Run Lola Run_ is debatable unless you think of it as three different films, IMO.) Anyhoo… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-movies-possible-spoilers-none-in-op/249199.md?page=3)