Limited Span Time Machine

Tag Area: Time Machine
Short Story

Entropy Ranch

After surviving a close call with a moving bus, Edmond Jersey finds himself on an isolated ranch among a group of researchers who seem to have good intentions for their power to manipulate timelines and fix various wrongs that have happened within the past ten hours. —Michael Main
We are Baptists here, Mr. Jersey, not Calvinists. If you want to talk about predestination, you’ll have to find a Presbyterian.”
Possibly a gray robot with starfield emerging from her head has the rest of her body divided into sections by various styles of black lines.
  • Undetermined
  • Definite Time Travel
Feature Film

Galaxy Quest

Some TV shows (we won’t mention any names) live on for their fans decades after cancellation. The result might be that aliens think the heroes of these shows are real, in which case the aforementioned heroes could be kidnapped to rescue the aforementioned aliens (and to figure out whether the Omega 13 will destroy the universe in 13 seconds or reverse time for that aforementioned number of seconds).

Tim and I watched this at Lake Cushman during a trip to the northwest in 2003, and I was as surprised as anyone about how much we laughed at Tim Allen’s parody. —Michael Main
Larado: Your orders, sir? [pause] Sir, your orders?
Commander Taggart: Activate the Omega 13. [To be continued . . .]
The NSEA Protector starship blasts its way out of a TV screen showing Tim Allen (as Jason Nesmeth), Sigourney Weaver (as Gwen DeMarco), and Alan Rickman (as Alexander Dane).
  • Eloi Honorable Mention
  • 2000 Hugo
  • 2000 Nebula
  • Science Fiction
  • Comedy
  • Definite Time Travel
Short Film

One-Minute Time Machine

James takes his one-minute time machine to a park bench to try to pick up quantum physicist Rachel.

The gang up in the ITTDB Citadel showed this five-minute film to me on my first prime birthday of the 2010 decade. —Michael Main
Rachel: What’s that?
James: Huh? Oh, nothing.
Rachel: Sure it’s not a One-Minute Time Machine?
Erinn Hayes (as Regina) gazes skyward from a park bench while Brian Dietzen (as James) stares straight-ahead beside her.
  • Gold Medal Eloi
  • Science Fiction
  • Romance
  • Comedy
  • Definite Time Travel
Short Film

30 Second Time Machine

While trying to pick up Mackenzie, Ryan unknowning picks up a small, pink clicker that provides him with a clear path to improving his pick-up lines. —Michael Main
Okay, what are you doing with that clip?
Sitting in a library, Ryan Adams (as Ryan) closely examines a small pink-and-yellow clicker.
  • Romance
  • Comedy
  • Audience: YA and Up
  • Definite Time Travel
Feature Film

ドロステのはてで僕ら

  • Dorosute no hate de bokura
  • We at the end of the Droste
  • Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes
  • by 上田誠, directed by 山口淳太
  • (at limited theaters, Japan, 5 June 2020)
For the first sixty minutes, a perfect static timeline seemed to be emerging from Kato’s video stream from two minutes in the future. We might even get some philosophical commentary on free will! Alas, that was not to be as the final ten minutes presented a more commonplace ending, although the single-take nagamawashi was executed with perfection and garnered this fun film an Eloi Medal.

P.S. Don’t skip the end-credits! —Michael Main
In front of the entire cast, Kazunari Tosa (as Kato) holds up a monitor depicting infinitely regressing images of monitors.
  • Eloi Bronze Medal
  • Science Fiction
  • Definite Time Travel
Feature Film

An Hour

  • written and directed by Prasanth Kumar
  • (Youtube: Andhra Pradesh Channel, 2 October 2020)
Young, unemployed Nanna seems to take everything in stride, even the arrival of unexpected package containing an artistic hourglass with the power to take him back or forward one hour in time.

The audio is mostly Telugu, but there are subtitles in broken English. —Michael Main
An old clock with ornate hands and Roman numerals shows behind the words "An hour".
  • Science Fiction
  • Definite Time Travel
Novel

Time Witch 3

So You Think You Can Dance?

Essie is missing Julian, who’s in witness protection, and she’s caught a chill that simply will not go away, even though it’s summer. The Wayfarers (magical police) are avoiding her, which only makes her suspicious that they’re using him for bait. So, when her boss needs to go undercover at a dance class to investigate a possibly fraudulant insurance claim, Essie demands to join him to distract herself from her woes. —Tandy Ringoringo
‘You know if I could stop what happened to Vince, I would,’ I told her. ‘But Time Witches can’t really change things without bringing a crapstorm down on their heads. If I thought there wouldn’t be consequences, I’d do it in a heartbeat.’
A young witch in a black hat sits cross-legged beside a black cat.
  • Fantasy
  • Romance
  • Mystery and Crime
  • Definite Time Travel
Novel

Time Witch 4

So You Think You Can Dance?

Essie is missing Julian, who’s in witness protection, and she’s caught a chill that simply will not go away, even though it’s summer. The Wayfarers (magical police) are avoiding her, which only makes her suspicious that they’re using him for bait. So, when her boss needs to go undercover at a dance class to investigate a possibly fraudulant insurance claim, Essie demands to join him to distract herself from her woes. —Tandy Ringoringo
‘You know if I could stop what happened to Vince, I would,’ I told her. ‘But Time Witches can’t really change things without bringing a crapstorm down on their heads. If I thought there wouldn’t be consequences, I’d do it in a heartbeat.’
No image currently available.
  • Fantasy
  • Romance
  • Mystery and Crime
  • Definite Time Travel
Short Film

Ten Minute Time Machine

  • writer and director pending
No image currently available.
  • Science Fiction
  • Definite Time Travel