Summer Time Machine Blues (2005)

Great Film overall

Best movie of this year hands down!

an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

I think the cast was excellent. This film pictures a peaceful life of a group of students but the story was smart in a way.People might easily get put off by the title of "Time machine" because most of the time machine movies were not good enough. However, the story in this movie is very different, the time machine naturally comes into to it without making us puzzled for long.I personally like Ueno Juri and Eita. Although there is no particular main character that the camera focus on in the movie, I think they still shined in the movie. If you like them Ueno and Eita too, I would like to suggest the Japanese TV series: Nodame Cantabile - an extremely entertaining series about a group of students who have passion for music.Another thing I like about Japanese movies is that there's always something surprising at the end and so did this movie.After watching this movie, I've decided to keep it in my collection because there is a high possibility that I will watch it again.

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!

I saw this movie on a flight from Taiwan to Indonesia about two and a half weeks ago (with subtitles), which is certainly not the best way to see a movie, but I found it interesting and that's why I'm writing this review.It tells the story of a carefree group of seven Japanese college students whose air conditioner has broken, leaving their summer clubhouse to roast in the heat. Much to their surprise, a time machine (and its equally surprised pilot) appear one day in the clubhouse, and they decide to use it in order to prevent their air conditioner from ever breaking. Enter the reclusive physics professor, who explains to the kids just what changing the past could do: create a paradox, and destroy the universe. And so they embark on a desperate scramble to undo the changes they've made to the timeline. Though undoubtedly made on a very low budget, the special effects are close to Hollywood- caliber and are used only as needed to advance the storyline. The time machine itself looks like a home-made imitation of the one in the 1967 version of The Time Machine, but so what? The storyline itself is one of the most intelligent (and surprisingly realistic) I've ever seen in a sci-fi film, going through a number of twists and turns without ever conflicting itself. My only complaint would be that it's occasionally a bit predictable, but overall, I found that it greatly improved my flight and is definitely worth checking out if you happen to run across it.

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.