Non ci resta che piangere

Literal: We just have to cry

by Roberto Benigni, Giuseppe Bertolucci, and Massimo Troisi, directed by Roberto Benigni and Massimo Troisi

While stranded in a thunderstorm in Tuscany, lifelong friends Mario and Saverrio find themselves unexpectedly in 1492, whereupon they fall in love a few times, pretend to be the composer of “Yesterday” and other modern-day hits, and come to the conclusion that they must stop Columbus from discovering America (either to prevent the genocide of the Native Americans or to prevent Mario’s sister from having her heart broken, depending on who you believe), and try rather pitifully to explain trains and other modern marvels to da Vinci, including a proposal to split the proceeds “thirty-three, thirty-three, and thirty-three!”

An extended director’s cut also expands the story of one of their heartthrob-esse, an Amazon named Astriaha[/ex], but we don’t know the details of its release or whether an English-subtitled release of the film exists.

— based on Wikipedia

Trentatré, trentatré e trentatré!

Thirty-three, thirty-three, and thirty-three.

English

Non ci resta che piangere by Roberto Benigni, Giuseppe Bertolucci, and Massimo Troisi, directed by Roberto Benigni and Massimo Troisi (at movie theaters, Italy, 20 December 1984).

Back to the Future I

Back to the Future

by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, directed by Robert Zemeckis

Typical skateboarding teenager Marty McFly meets Doc Brown for the first test of his DeLorean time machine, but when Libyan terrorists strike, things go awry, Marty and the DeLorean end up in 1955 where his parents are teens, and the Doc of 1955 must now send Marty back to the future.

— Michael Main

Next Saturday night, we’re sending you . . . back to the future!

Back to the Future by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, directed by Robert Zemeckis (at movie theaters, USA, 3 July 1985).

Quantum Leap (s01e08)

Camikazi Kid

by Paul Brown, directed by Alan J. Levi

It seeems that the only way Sam can fulfill his mission of stopping 17-year-old Cam Wilson’s older sister from marrying shithead Bob is to race Bob “for pinks” in hopes that Bob will lose his cool and show his true self, but that’ll only work if Sam (as Cam) and his buddy Jill can soup up Cam’s pink mommobile with a blast of nitrous oxide at exactly the right moment of the race.

— Michael Main

Older Brother: Come on, Mikey, we gotta rehearse.

Mikey: [waving] Bye-bye!

Quantum Leap (s01e08), “Camikazi Kid” by Paul Brown, directed by Alan J. Levi (NBC-TV, USA, 10 May 1989).

Quantum Leap (s02e06)

Good Morning, Peoria

by Chris Ruppenthal, directed by Michael Zinberg

Somewhat disoriented Sam—as Howlin’ Chic Howell at a 50’s radio station—must help station owner Rachel Powell defend rock’n’roll from the town elders and mobs of pitchfork-carrying, record-burning hayseeds.

— Michael Main

Fred, I appreciate your opinion, but no matter how many editorials you publish, I am not gonna stop playing rock’n’roll.

Quantum Leap (s02e06), “Good Morning, Peoria” by Chris Ruppenthal, directed by Michael Zinberg (NBC-TV, USA, 8 November 1989).

Back to the Future II

by Bob Gale, directed by Robert Zemeckis

Doc Brown takes Marty and Jennifer from 1985 to 2015 to save their children from a bad fate, but the consequences pile up when Biff also gets in on the time-travel action.

— Michael Main

The time-traveling is just too dangerous. Better that I devote myself to study the other great mystery of the universe—women!

Back to the Future II by Bob Gale, directed by Robert Zemeckis (at movie theaters, USA, 22 November 1989).

From Time to Time

by Jack Finney

Finney’s sequel to Time and Again initially finds Si Morley living a happy life in the 19th century with his 19th century family, while The Project in the future never even got started because he prevented the inventor’s parents from ever meeting. But vague memories linger in some of the Project member’s minds, and Morley can’t stay put.

— Michael Main

They’re back there in the past, trampling around, changing things, aren’t they? They don’t know it. They’re just living their happy lives, but changing small events. Mostly trivial, with no important effects. But every once in a while the effect of some small changed event moves on down to the—

From Time to Time by Jack Finney (Simon and Shuster, February 1995).

A Time Odyssey 1

Time’s Eye

by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter

And she was continually amazed at how easily everyone else accepted their situation, the blunt, apparently undeniable reality of the time slips, across a hundred and fifty years in her case, perhaps a million years or more for the wretched pithecine and her infant in their net cage.

Time’s Eye by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter (Del Rey, January 2004).

Miri and Molly 1

The Magic Half

by Annie Barrows

As a middle child stuck between two sets of twins, eleven-year-old Miri Gill feels an outsider until one day in her attic room, she slips back in time from the 21st century to 1935 where she meets Molly, another eleven-year-old who needs her help.

Also in need of some help is the model of time travel in the story, which is a mishmash of popular representations that no person at age eleven or elsewhen should be exposed to. Specifically, I would have enjoyed an attempt to square the Branching Timeline implied by the hole in floor with the single nonbranching, static timeline and Ex Nihilo paradox hinted at by the time-travel device. I truly liked that ex nihilo paradox, and wish it had been explicitly dealt with rather than swept under the carpet.

— Michael Main

If you think about it too long, you’re going to go crazy, and then I’ll never get to your time.

The Magic Half by Annie Barrows (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, January 2008).

Edelstein Trilogie, Book 2

Saphirblau

English release: Sapphire Blue Literal: Sapphire blue

by Kerstin Gier

Apart from amusing blustering from the Count during her trips to the 18th century, time travel took a back seat to Gwenny’s on-again-off-again romance with Gideon in this second book of the trilogy. Gwenny’s new pal, the ghost/demon/gargoyle Xemerius, was enjoyable, though we wish that he would be time traveller #13.

— Michael Main

Rubinrot, Begabt mit der Magie des Raben, Schließt G-Dur den Kreis, Den zwölf gebildet haben.

Ruby Red, with G-major, the magic of the raven, brings the Circle of Twelve home into safe haven.

English

[ex=bare]Saphirblau | Sapphire blue[/ex] by Kerstin Gier (Arena Verlag, January 2010).

Fiddle

by Tim Pratt

Fiddles had not yet been invented during Nero’s time. So just how did that rumor get started?

— Tandy Ringoringo

At any rate, ready your cameras and make sure your bows are rosined.

“Fiddle” by Tim Pratt, Daily Science Fiction, 6 September 2010 [webzine].

W.A.R.P. #1

The Reluctant Assassin

by Eoin Colfer

When fourteen-year-old Victorian waif Riley shows up in the 21st century on seventeen-year-old FBI Agent Chevie Savano’s watch, the two of them pair up and head back to the late 19th century to escape Riley’s evil pursuer.

Although the book involves wormholes and scientists, it’s really a quantum fantasy, wherein an ordinary fantasy has the word “quantum” scattered throughout in key places, typically before the word magic, magician, or wormhole. Nevertheless, we’ve listed it as science fiction to match its publicity material.

— Michael Main

He discovered that Einstein’s quantum theory was essentially correct and that he could stabilize a traversable wormhole through space-time using exotic matter with negative energy density.

The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer (Puffin, April 2013).

내가 이 나라의 평강공주다

Mai onri leobeusong English release: My Only Love Song Literal: My only lovesong

by 김수진, directed by 민두식

Diva actress Song Soo-jung drives off in a huff in her manager’s VW van—Boing Boing—only to find herself in the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo where she meets characters from her historical TV show including the real Princess Pyeonggang and the roguish hero On-Dal.

— Michael Main

The history changed because of me, right? That’s why I should go.

Mai onri leobeusong by 김수진, directed by 민두식 (Netflix, 9 June 2017).

The Umbrella Academy, Season 2

by multiple writers and directors

Five’s plan for the Umbrella siblings to escape the apocalypse by going into the past ends up scattering them throughout different years of Dallas in the 1960s. They manage okay on their own until shortly after 11/22/63, when secondary effects from changes to the timeline cause a nuclear holocaust that can be averted only by recently arrived Five jumping back to 11/15/63 to exert his unique charm into getting the gang to work together.

— Michael Main

Hazel to Five: If you want to live, come with me.”

The Umbrella Academy, Season 2 by multiple writers and directors, ten episodes (Netflix, USA, 31 July 2020).