Samâ taimu mashin burûsu (2005)

5 college boys, Takuma, Masaru, Shunsuke, Atsushi and Daigo all belong to sci-fi club, but they are not interested in science at all. They usually just hang around, play baseball or card, ... See full summary »

Director:

Katsuyuki Motohiro

Writer:

Makoto Ueda

Stars:

Eita, Yoshiaki Yoza, Daijiro Kawaoka

Cast

Cast overview:
Eita	...	Takuma Komoto
Yoshiaki Yoza	...	Masaru Niimi
Daijiro Kawaoka	...	Shunsuke Koizumi
Munenori Nagano	...	Atsushi Soga
Juri Ueno	...	Haruka Shibata
Yôko Maki	...	Yui Ito
Murotsuyoshi	...	Daigo Ishimatsu (as Tsuyoshi Muro)
Riki Honda	...	Akira Tamura
Takeshi Masu
Ichirô Mikami	...	The Theatre Maneger (as Ichiro Mikami)
Kaoru Kusumi	...	The Public Bath Clerk
Kuranosuke Sasaki	...	Professor Kohtaro Hozumi
Taiyô Kawashita	...	The Janitor

Storyline

5 college boys, Takuma, Masaru, Shunsuke, Atsushi and Daigo all belong to sci-fi club, but they are not interested in science at all. They usually just hang around, play baseball or card, or take bath at the public bath. One day, they accidentally spill Coke on the remote controller of the air-conditioner. In the sweating bath-like clubroom, suddenly a time machine appears. Eventually, they decide to go back to "yesterday" to bring the remote-controller. The mission ought to be quite easy, however, gradually they come to be worried. "What if we change the past? Aren't we going to disappear like in movies?"

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Plot Keywords:

sci fi club | air conditioner | time machine | time travel | time traveler | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

3 September 2005 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Summer Time Machine Blues

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hakuhodo DY Media Partners,Imagica Corp.,Robot Communications

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

The end credits run with a collage of photographs taken by Tamura and the two girls in the background.

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Connections

References Back to the Future (1985)

User Reviews

My favorite movie of all time

It's pretty much a fact that if a movie has a lovable cast, everyone loves it. Even if it has gaping plot holes. Lovable cast comes first. This one has a lovable cast.

Any movie that has a compelling story usually gets the critics gushing. Kids using a time machine to recover an air conditioning remote control is questionable, but it is laid out from the beginning that this story is about that remote control. Good or bad, it's pretty balanced in my opinion. So we can rule out this element.

Film editing is the defining factor. Never have I seen, in all my life, a film with such a well thought-out filming strategy that utilized editing to create a puzzle of a movie. You watch it once, it's a fun comedy with lovable characters. Second viewing, you may notice the things in the background. Further viewings, you wonder just how hard did the film crew think to plan such an elaborate film? During the beginning baseball scene, you probably won't notice the background action. Second viewing, you probably will see some of it. Further viewing, you will realize how precise the filming was. Then it makes you wonder, how long did it take to actually set this all up? It's just amazing, because you don't find this level of background action in any other film in history, in any country, period. I'd be shocked if someone could point out, 'Oh, I have seen this technique in THIS movie.' I think this film, STMB, is singularly unique in its multi-layered storytelling, only appreciated in multiple viewings, that reveals the genius behind the scenes.

Sadly, this is probably the only film by this director that has this quality. I've watched many of his other films. It's nothing like this. Probably a fluke. But this is my all-time favorite film. Who cares if he never makes anything else like this? STMB is perfect.

For a casual mainstream viewer, this film is a fun comedy that's a little confusing, but in the end, they'll say it was funny. For the thinking person, this could come off as a silly sci-fi romp and nothing more. But for the real cinema buffs, this is a FEAST.

Filming and editing is top-notch. Multiple viewings will be rewarded. Pay attention to the background in the early scenes. Actors are young, but seasoned comedians, and it shows. You cannot help but love the characters. That's not a fluke. The actors have a lot of background before this film.

In the end, it's about a group of kids just wanting to keep cool in the summer. But the journey to get there is the best ride I have EVER seen on film. This trumps any of the old films like Casablanca, Citizen Kane and so on. It's up in the highest echelons of filmmaking. Why it's not in everyone's top 2 or 3 films of all time, is a mystery to me. This is my number one. Number two for me is Casablanca.

At any rate, it is worth your hard-earned money to get this movie. Even if it's not your favorite, I promise you won't regret buying it.

Highly recommended!