'Dream With The Fishes' 'Kiss Me, Guido'
T
David Arquette in Dream with the Fishes.
Rated R
keeps the audience off balance as
he leaves many questions hang-
ing and credible twists coming
ream with the Fishes is a right up to the end.
buddy film about two un-
The performances in this
likely companions whose re- movie are all excellent. Arquette's
lationship is built on the poi trayal of Terry, the lonely and
shaky foundation of suspicion, pathetic lost soul who's forced to
anger and desperation. This first connect with another human be-
feature by screenwriter Finn ing, is amazingly subtle. Hunt
Taylor (Pontiac Moon) is an off- also does a great job as the more
beat and refreshing comedy most charismatic and erratic Nick.
welcome in a summer full of Supporting work is equally
mainstream fare.
strong with roles by Kathryn
David Arquette stars as Ter- Erbe as Nick's long-suffering girl-
ry, a voyeur so socially discon- friend, and an appearance by
nected that he's decided to end it Cathy Moriarty (Raging Bull), as
all with a leap from the Oakland his ex-stripper Aunt Elise.
Bay Bridge. There he is dis- Dream With the Fishes pays
tracted by Nick (Brad Hunt), who homage to '70s films (Dealing,
steps forth not to stop him, but California Split, Easy Rider) with
to tell him that pills would be a unapologetic substance abuse,
better way to go. Nick, who is ter- retro costumes, and characters
minally ill, offers to help fulfill who drop out of the mainstream
Terry's death wish if Terry will on their way to enlightenment.
finance Nick's final days and Taylor gives the picture a stark
some of his lifelong fantasies.
and distinctive visual style and
Terry agrees to this arrange- the film stock itself was processed
ment and together they embark to further imitate the grainy, col-
in search of adventure. Among or-saturated look of '70s cinema.
Nick's many aspirations are a The film also makes good use of
nude bowling game with hook- many '70s songs (Patti Smith,
ers; dropping acid while dri-
Nick Drake, etc.).
ving; a visit to an
At times funny and
aquarium; naked armed
MOVIES
other times heartrend-
robbery; and a trip to
ing, Dream With the Fish-
Nick's hometown, where he
es is ultimately a tale of unlikely
has some unfinished business friendship held together by a
with an old girlfriend and an abu- shared humanity. As a small film
sive father.
with a lot of heart, this picture
Eventually, Nick and Terry be- might just turn out to be the
gin to lend each other moral sup- sleeper hit of the summer. In any
port as their relationship grows, case, it's the perfect alternative
but never in the way that we're to all the big-budget Hollywood
accustomed to seeing with main- blockbusters out there.
stream films. Taylor always
Beth Fhaner is an editor I writer
DETR OI T JE WIS H
D
w
90
shot; Terry (Craig Chester), War-
ren's neighbor, is the swishy gay;
Frankie's family is the "typical"
le farce as an art form is alive Old-World Italian Catholic group
and well and on the screen in right down to the live-in little old
Kiss Me, Guido.
grandma.
The story involves a naive
Yes, there are overtones of ac-
would-be actor named
ceptance and not having to
Frankie (Nick Scotti) who
apologize for who you are
MOVIES
answers an ad for a
or for sexual preference.
GWM roommate thinking
But the strong point of the
it means "guy with money." (I said film is that it creates laughs, not
he was naive!) The new roommate, that it moralizes.
Warren, a gay actor/choreog-
rapher, is getting over being
dumped by his ex-roommate
and lover (played by Peter
Lawford's son Christopher)
and is under pressure from
his landlord to pay overdue
rent. This is the beginning of
the clash of cultures that fill
the story with funny lines and
situations.
The outrageousness is ac-
centuated by director Tony Vi-
tale's use of every stereotype
in the book: Frankie is charm-
ing both in looks and his sense
of wonder of the world outside
the Bronx; Pino, the older
brother (Anthony DeSandro),
is the macho, strutting hot-
at Visible Ink Press. She is the
editor of Magill's Cinema
Annual, a comprehensive film
reference book.
— Beth Fhaner
Sy Manello is The DJN
editorial assistant.
The situations brought about
by the collisions between the
straight and gay characters pro-
vide the comedic chaos that makes
the film a fun experience. No so-
cial commentary, no symbolic mes-
sage — just some smiles and
laughs.
' (!) Q0,-) 1/2
— Sy Manello
COU RTESY OF PARAMOU NT PI CTURES
COURTESY OF SO NY PICTU RES CLASSICS
Rated R
Anthony Barrile and Nick Scotti in Kiss Me, Guido.
'Free Willy 3: The Rescue'
Rated G
Free Willy 3 has an engaging script
and some lovely underwater cin-
ematography.
ales are universally at-
This time out, the story focuses
tractive animals, like pup- on 10-year-old Max, who sets off
pies or horses, so it's no on his first "fishing trip" with his
surprise that a movie star- father, a black-market whaler pos-
ring three tons of a cute, playful, ing as a salmon dealer. Dad is
lifesaving creature might be ap- ready to show his son the tricks of
pealing. It also doesn't hurt that the centuries-old family trade, but
Max is horrified to learn what his
Liz Lent has a fondness for
father really does, especially after
whales.
a close encounter with Willy, who
rescues the young boy when he
falls overboard.
The film parallels Max's tu-
multuous journey with that of
Jesse, the young man from the
earlier Free Willy movies, now as-
sisting researchers as they study
the dwindling killer-whale popu-
lations. After coming across a
wounded Willy in a
Jason James scene which elicits a
laugh or two for its
Richter and
Lassie-esque qualities,
his friend
Willy have a Jesse and his partners
whale of a
realize that Max's fa-
time in Free ther is the culprit, and
Willy 3: The the race is on to stop
Rescue.
him.
Free Willy 3 is solid family en-
tertainment with some nice mes-
sages about loyalty and
understanding. It's no Citizen
Kane, but still it's a simple and fun
movie which parents and kids can
enjoy together.
Director Sam Pillsbury keeps
the story moving along at a brisk
pace, pausing every once in a while
for some gorgeous footage of killer
whales gliding through the sea.
John Mattson's script is pleasant
enough and keeps the viewer's in-
terest, especially with the rela-
tionship between Max and his
father.
Max's disappointment in his fa-
ther's work unfolds nicely and be-
lievably and we're left feeling
sympathy, or at least empathy, for
all involved. And the environ-
mental message is woven effec-
tively into the script without any
heavy-handedness.
Free Willy 3, respects its audi-
ence, sends an admirable message
and is entertaining to boot.
— Liz Lent