Samâ taimu mashin burûsu

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.

If you're looking for a fun movie that will make you think a little, this is the movie for you. Reasons I can think of for watching this movie:

1) Cool storyline. Anyone who likes time travel movies will like this movie. 2) Chemistry between the cast is simply amazing. 3) It's funny yet logical.

Do not be put off by the lack of ratings/reviews. They really ought to put up a poster on IMDb for this movie. The lack of a movie poster is probably why this film is relatively unknown.

As one user already said, this is a movie you will not forget for a long time!

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!

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...

Finally getting the opportunity to view this film on the legendary cult label Third Windows Films outta the UK.

It's got so much slapstick humour. It's got time-travelling. It's got inquisitive but not-very-bright College kids. It's got bags of fun and creativity and it's just sheer entertainment.

The script is nailed. It's not intending to be a technical futuristic film with a huge budget. It's got a tiny budget for a Sci-fi genre film and the Direction and special fx for the period are perfect.

Dialogue is free-flowing and very much centricated on the main college friends and their new-found time-travelling friend who mysteriously appears from the future!

They obsess over the remote control after losing it in an accident. The friends decide that the only way to bring it back would be a time machine. Low and behold their wish comes true!

From then it's a catalogue of time zones and continuum issues. The research done by the writer before is fabulous. It's logical and it ties-in. It's just so damn fresh and fun. It's not heavy and it's extremely light-hearted.

For a low-budget flick of the era it's aged incredibly well too. It doesn't need endless CGI as it has an exceptionally strong storyline. I really loved it and will be watching 'Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes' by the same creator very soon. Amazing job!