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

Massawyrm rejoices as his 2nd f avorite 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 notonly to watch my screener a dozen or so times, but to attend

both projected showings of the film and eagerly await an

American release of the film. A dozen or so viewings in and I still

tear up. Ever since I first wrote about it, and well wrote about it

again…and then put it on my Top Ten list…I’ve been receiving

mail from people all over the world discovering this brilliant gem

and thanking me for turning them on to it; something I have

been thrilled to do.

Now I get one last chance. FISH STORY is available on Netflix

Streaming today in the US. Please, for the love of all that is holy,

watch it at your earliest convenience. If you aren’t yet

convinced, here is my review from last fall, repeated in its

entirety for your reading pleasure. But seriously, after that,

enough stalling. Just go watch the film.

It is incredibly rare that you see a film that quite literally gets

better upon subsequent viewings. Most often good stories are

structured like a great joke – certain information is kept from

you, building suspense until it all becomes clear in a sudden

revelation of facts that brings everything together in one,

fantastic, emotional climax. And while it is very enjoyable to

rewatch a film like that, you can never quite duplicate your initial

viewing. But occasionally a film comes along that defies that, one

peppered with so much information that at first seems irrelevant

(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 themeof the film – when it’s not actually information you might

otherwise dismiss that serves to support all of the surprises the

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 ownweird, 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 apart 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

Got something for the Wyrm? Mail it here.

Or follow my further zany adventures on Twitter.

 

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by BringingSexyBack 

Sep 1st, 201009:44:52 AM

 Added to queueby Inexplicable_Nuclear_Balls

Sep 1st, 201009:46:21 AM

Who are the ad wizards...by wampa 1

Sep 1st, 201009:46:38 AM

WHAT DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH FISHES?by BringingSexyBack 

Sep 1st, 201009:49:15 AM

SO WE SHOULDN'T WAIT FOR THE AMERICAN REMAKEby BringingSexyBack 

Sep 1st, 201009:50:45 AM

Sounds just like 'A Bug's Story', but with fish.by DoctorZoidberg

Sep 1st, 201009:51:28 AM

BTW ... FIRSTUby BringingSexyBack 

Sep 1st, 201009:52:06 AM

Eighth!!!by Asimov_Lives

Sep 1st, 201009:57:22 AM

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