Summer Time Machine Blues

A movie about a bunch of Japanese geeks spending their summer at their sci-fi club. As the day goes on, weird things that don't make sense start to happen: things go missing, jokes and conversations that don't make any sense, etc... Then things get really weird when a time machine suddenly appears in their club and from there on it becomes a series of misadventures for these geeks.

Overall this is an excellent comedy/sci-fi movie. The movie proclaims a certain logic when it comes to time travel (ala Back to The Future) and most of the time it does not stray from this logic. The fact that this is accomplished without it turning into a lengthy physics lecture is a great bonus. In fact, the semi-satirical explanation of time travel in this movie is the funniest part of it all.

There are a few familiar faces in this movie such as Juri Ueno from Swing Girls and Yoko Maki from The Grudge. In fact, the overall acting by all of the young but talented cast is superb.

This is definitely one of those movies which has to be seen twice in order for you to connect all the little pieces. No doubt about it, it's a perfect summer flick.

This is such a fun film! I admit I'm a bit fan of time travel movies, and comedy movies, and this is both.

The movie starts out with some strange things, some of which I'm like "ah yes, this will get sorted out later" and other times I was like "did I really just see that?" Of course as the movie goes along everything gets explained.

I think this movie has it all to make it five stars in my books: comedy, fun storyline, likable characters, a bit of mystery that all comes together with no loose ties, and a little bit of romance. I highly recommend this film!

I've already seen one low budget and quirky Japanese time travel comedy in the form of BEYOND THE INFINITE TWO MINUTES, which I loved, so I knew what to expect with this one. SUMMER TIME MACHINE BLUES takes a while to get going; the early 'ordinary world' scenario feels a bit padded out and the acting isn't too hot at times, nor is the occasionally annoying direction (the heat effect being totally overused). Nonetheless once the main plot begins for real, this one picks up nicely. Like much low budget Japanese cinema, the director's love of his craft shines through, the cast give enthusiastic performances, and the time travel plot, while not huge, ties everything up very neatly. It's funny too, which helps considerably.

This is the funniest time travel movie I've ever seen. There are no big special effects, it's just a couple of bored japanese school kids during a hot summer day at their sci-fi club faced with the tragic loss of their only little bit of relief from the heat: the remote controller for their AC unit, destroyed after spilling Coke on it. But thankfully, out of thin air, a time machine appears...

As David St. Hubbins says in SPINAL TAP: "There's a fine line between stupid and clever." This movie treads that line shamelessly.

As far as time machine movies go, there's no such thing as a realistic plot. This film realizes that and takes us in the opposite direction--to the realm of utter stupidity. Oddly enough, this technique works like a charm. There's nothing about global domination, interstellar warfare or deadly viruses; these kids just use a time machine to try to fix their air conditioner. HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE IT???

I interpret it as a good-natured slap in the face of all the pseudo-intellectual scifi films about the infamous "time space continuum" and the catastrophic (but always predictable) effects of meddling in the past. This movie makes no apologies. It dives boldly into the idiotic. And yet, it somehow comes out being more intellectual and airtight than all the rest.

Now a word about technique. Fantastic. Even though this was mostly a campy romp, I was blown away by the unique & creative camera style. How exactly does one depict two concurrent timelines? Answer: split screen! I loved it. And it was amazing how, through the subtle use of sound effects, camera angles and fades-to-black, the director set up a feeling of suspense & tension long before the action kicked in. I was glued to the screen from the first 5 minutes.

And who could overlook that adorable dog? Definitely this is a fun movie to watch. As I'm learning, modern Japanese comedy is the only way to go. Also check out the movies SWING GIRLS, KAMIKAZE GIRLS, CUTIE HONEY and my personal fave, UNIVERSITY OF LAUGHS if you want a taste of solid, artistic comedy from the land of the rising sun. I'm rating this an 8/10 which is very, very high on my scale. Enjoy!

***UPDATE THE NEXT DAY*** I just watched this movie again, and I've officially upped my rating to a 9/10. Folks, if you like philosophy & logic, you've got to see this movie TWICE. I haven't thought this deeply about a story since I read my last Tolstoy novel. Truly a philosophical masterpiece disgused as a goofy comedy!