'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