Published on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 - 8:39am

Massawyrm rejoices as his 2nd favorite film of last

year FISH STORY makes its way to Netflix
Streaming!

Hola all. Massawyrm here.

I am overflowing with joy at writing this, but the movie I have

been singing about, screaming about and showing to anyone and
everyone who would give me the time is finally available for the
rest of you to watch. FISH STORY (Fishu Sutori). This played
Fantastic Fest last year and blew me away, prompting me not
KICK ASS 2 has been greenlit? Mark 272
only to watch my screener a dozen or so times, but to attend Millar says so...--272 total posts posts
both projected showings of the film and eagerly await an Capone's tough-guy status is clearly
outmatched by MESRINE's resident 254
American release of the film. A dozen or so viewings in and I still
badass Vincent Cassel!!!--1513 total posts
tear up. Ever since I first wrote about it, and well wrote about it posts
again…and then put it on my Top Ten list…I’ve been receiving Harry's DVD PICKS & PEEKS: the rest
of Aug 2010: The Square, Red Riding 197
mail from people all over the world discovering this brilliant gem
Trilogy, Shogun Assassin & much posts
and thanking me for turning them on to it; something I have more!!!--197 total posts
been thrilled to do. Is The List Of Potential W OLVERINE 2
137
Directors Narrow ing Dow n??--137
total posts
posts
Now I get one last chance. FISH STORY is available on Netflix
CLASH OF THE TITANS 2 moving
Streaming today in the US. Please, for the love of all that is holy, 102
forw ard w ith BATTLE: LOS ANGELES
watch it at your earliest convenience. If you aren’t yet director!--176 total posts
posts
convinced, here is my review from last fall, repeated in its DOCTOR W HO's 6th Season W ill
93
Actually Be Seasons 6 And 7!!--383
entirety for your reading pleasure. But seriously, after that, total posts
posts
enough stalling. Just go watch the film. So It May Not Be Called
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THE CONAN O’BRIEN SHOW ??
--83 total posts
posts
It is incredibly rare that you see a film that quite literally gets
The Behind the Scenes Pic of the Day
better upon subsequent viewings. Most often good stories are 67
has a feeling w hen Harmonica stops
structured like a great joke – certain information is kept from w hittlin’ something’s gonna happen!-- posts
you, building suspense until it all becomes clear in a sudden 67 total posts
Fatboy Roberts Calls Robert
revelation of facts that brings everything together in one, Rodriguez’ MACHETE Some 64
fantastic, emotional climax. And while it is very enjoyable to Irresponsibly Fun Wetw ork!!--123 posts
rewatch a film like that, you can never quite duplicate your initial total posts
Fox Wants Bruce W illis To Play Ben
viewing. But occasionally a film comes along that defies that, one 57
Grimm In Its Latest FANTASTIC
posts
peppered with so much information that at first seems irrelevant FOUR??--204 total posts
(but is not) that it actually pays off even stronger when seen a
second and a third time. Such is the case with FISH STORY.

FISH STORY is a great joke. It has a few key elements that it

holds back from you. But returning to the film (as I have now
three more times - two in the theater and once more on DVD),
I’ve found just how densely packed a film it is. Virtually every
line of dialog carries weight and pays off in the ending. What at
times may seem like casual conversation is actually philosophical
ruminations on the ending, its importance and the overall theme
of the film – when it’s not actually information you might
otherwise dismiss that serves to support all of the surprises the TheWildernessDowntown.com Ads by Google
film has to offer. Even the film’s bizarre opening shot – the final
moments of a 1970’s Japanese television show – pay off in
creating a vast, circular work of genius that may well become

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one of my favorite pieces of Science Fiction of all time.

I first wrote about the film in my Fantastic Fest pre-coverage,

where I named it my pick for the fest. At the time, while I loved
it, I had no idea how much my affection for it would grow, but
each viewing only made me hunger to watch it again and again,
each time dissecting it further to find more and more hidden
meanings and layers.

Based upon a novel, this dense two hours tells the story
surrounding a comet about to slam into the Earth in the year
2012. In what feels like something out of an Albee or Sartre
play, three men find themselves in a record shop moments
before the end of the world – one man shopping, one running the
store and a third trying to figure out what the hell these guys are
doing walking around like nothing is happening. When
questioned, the clerk reveals that he believes the world will be
saved…by a punk song. Thus begins the interweaving of stories
from 5 different time periods: 1975, 1982, 1999, 2009 and
2012.

Each period of time is in fact its own story, each with its own
weird, genre leanings and characters – but the film focuses
mostly upon the effect this single punk song has on history –
from the origins of the seemingly gibberish lyrics all the way up
to the stunner of a climax. It is, for all intents and purposes, a
delightful case study of the butterfly effect - the chaos theory
principle that one very small event can cause catastrophic, world
changing alterations. At the same time, we learn about the men
in that record shop and what brought them there – because all of
the characters in this movie are connected, whether they know it
or not. It is a film entirely about the interconnectivity of us all;
how each of us – even in the smallest ways sometimes – plays a
part in history. This band, this long forgotten, 37-year gone
failure, might have saved the world – or doomed it to extinction.
And only one man knows it.

FISH STORY is a warm, elegant, brilliant feel-good comedy

swimming in good nature and full of surprises that will even catch
the most jaded and observant viewers off guard. When I first
wrote about this I likened it to Richard Kelly’s interpretation of
MAGNOLIA – but in truth, after multiple viewings, I’ve found it
more to be like Kelly riffing on Vonnegut and ending up with a
sci-fi PULP FICTION. Infinitely rewatchable, the overt charm and
jokes give way to wonderful subtleties that provide the
backbone of an already impressive film.

This is the very best film I’ve seen all year and is well on its way
to becoming one of my all time favorites. It is highly intelligent
comfort food, chicken soup for the nerdy soul, an absolute delight
from beginning to end. While it never milked tears from my eyes,
there are a few moments that get me a little choked up and
force me to fight them back, even now after my 4th viewing. If
you have any chance whatsoever to view this film, do so at your
earliest convenience. While I doubt it will get any kind of
theatrical distribution here in the states (mainly due to Japan’s
self-sufficient nature and their hesitation to sell their films short
to American distributors) it will no doubt be worth your while to
go out of your way to find. I need to have this on Blu-ray ASAP
and watch it about 50 gazillion more times.

Seriously, I’m crazy retarded in love with this thing and I wish

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nothing more than every single one of you to find it and share
the love that I have for it.

Until next time friends,

Massawyrm

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Sep 1st, 2010

09:44:52 AM
by BringingSexyBack
Sep 1st, 2010
Added to queue 09:46:21 AM
by Inexplicable_Nuclear_Balls
Sep 1st, 2010
Who are the ad wizards... 09:46:38 AM
by wampa 1
Sep 1st, 2010
WHAT DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH FISHES? 09:49:15 AM
by BringingSexyBack
Sep 1st, 2010
SO WE SHOULDN'T WAIT FOR THE AMERICAN REMAKE 09:50:45 AM
by BringingSexyBack
Sep 1st, 2010
Sounds just like 'A Bug's Story', but with fish. 09:51:28 AM
by DoctorZoidberg
Sep 1st, 2010
BTW ... FIRSTU 09:52:06 AM
by BringingSexyBack
Sep 1st, 2010
Eighth!!! 09:57:22 AM
by Asimov_Lives

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