Movies
A cute variation on the usual time travel mumbo jumbo. It's not often you see these narratives executed as straight comedies, but Motohiro finds plenty to make fun of in the back and forth between timelines. It actually beats some of the more serious films handling the same sort of material. Motohiro's direction is light and breezy, there are some good gags and the film has that rural summery vibe, which is always a plus. The performances are a bit loud/over-the-top though, which isn't my favorite type of comedy. A deadpan version of this film would've no doubt been a lot better, but Summer Time Machine Blues was better than expected and delivers some solid entertainment.Read all
Bayside Shakedown 2
Popular TV franchise that successfully expanded into feature film territory. The films are still very much made-for-TV quality though, with a rather obscure cast, few cinematic aspirations and a plot that feels like a stretched out TV episode. A fairly typical problem with this type of production. The plot/set-up is quite predictable for a police series. When people start dying in the Bayside area, the SAT steps in and goes over the heads of the local police force. They won't have any of it, and a spirited detective takes it upon himself to solve the case. I've seen this play out countless times before, this film adds little to it. There is some intrigue that works and even though the film is quite long, it never really starts to drag. The problem is that there are hardly any real highlights either. The film just meanders from start to finish, offering the bare minimum amount of entertainment to stay engaged, but nothing more. Decent filler in other words.Read all
