Last Trip

Off course this movie hasn't got the most original story. It has similarities with films like Harold and Maude, Freeway or Mad love. But despite of the fact that it isn't original, it still remains (in my opinion) a beautiful little gem. The music was great and David Arquette, Brad Hunt and Kathryn Erbe (and the others) showed some nice acting. I'm glad I had the opportunity to see this film!

Dream With The Fishes accomplishes what so many small independent films fail to do: it adheres to the reliable simplicity of storyline and character without getting bogged down in gimmickry or its own cleverness.

The casting and performances are perfect - it's a shame that David Arquette has disappeared into his wife's shadow - his performance as self-loathing/suicidal Terry is the perfect foil for Brad Hunt's desperate and free-spirited Nick. Both actors are brilliant in this film yet they've both remained relatively obscure in the years since it's release.

Perhaps Finn Taylor's direction has a lot to do with it. Aside from the performances he wrangles from his actors, Dream With The Fishes is also beautifully filmed, from the shots and camera angles to the lighting and even film stock he chooses for different moments to highlight shifts in character and story.

Add to this a haunting soundtrack (which I can thank for my introduction to Nick Drake) and you have a charming, heart-breaking, inspiring ride that serves both as an entertaining couple of hours viewing and a fine example for aspiring filmmakers.

....Which really isn't saying much, I suppose. But in this film, he actually ACTS, instead of his usual mugging. The premise of this movie intrigued me--a suicidal guy makes a strange pact with a terminally ill guy--and the first half is bizarre and wonderful. In the end, it got to be a bit drawn-out, and the marriage by the bedside was a little too contrived for my taste. But I wondered what happened to Cathy Moriarty and the girl from Rich in Love (the one with the black hair); they must be pretty picky as they don't get many roles. This film was unique enough to hold my attention and those who liked Buffalo 66 will probably eat it up. Another strange performance from character actor J.E. Freeman to boot.

I've finally had the chance to watch this lost indie gem, having wanted to do it for almost ten years, since I read a brief review about it on a Brazilian magazine. It was worth the wait, and I wish more people had at least heard about this film.

Finn Taylor (who recently directed the disappointing "The Darwin Awards") co-wrote and directed the bizarre story of Terry (David Arquette), a suicidal voyeur who's saved by Nick (Brad Hunt), a terminally ill man, as he's about to jump off a bridge. Nick offers Terry a weird deal: Terry will help him fulfill some of his fantasies before he dies, and in return, Nick will either make Terry the beneficiary of his life insurance, or... he'll kill Terry.

David Arquette is not the comic relief he usually plays, here. His Terry is pathetic, depressed and a little ditzy, but ultimately humane and believable. Brad Hunt is a delight to watch as Nick, and it makes you wonder why didn't he become a bigger name. Cathy Moriarty, as Nick's aunt, has one of her best moments since her Oscar nominated début in "Raging Bull" (and I don't even like that performance as much as most people do). The soundtrack is fantastic and eclectic. Even though we've seen similar stories before, the chemistry of Arquette and Hunt and the witty script makes "Dream with the Fishes" quite above the average. 8.5/10.

I have a special place for this movie, as my father had a bit part in the film as the bartender playing the glasses while David Arquette dances on the bar. my dad passed away exactly one year ago today from cancer, and I wanted to give him a little shout out on here, as this film is indicative of how he spent the last days of his life. Apparently the filmmakers hung out in the bar my dad worked at while they were filming this, and saw him play the glasses as such, and decided to put in the 20 sec scene on a whim. They also got his last name completely wrong in the credits. It's Engel, not Ingalls. But nonetheless, it's a wonderful and moving film that I would recommend highly.