Movie Review // Fish Piss (janice.click) (CULT and CLASSIC Films)

https://cultandclassicfilms.com/

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27196614/

In the year 2024, something needs to be said about movies.  I find myself gravitating towards comedy movies more than anything else because I feel like the challenge is for them to make me laugh.  Every other genre of movie seems to be overdone, as I can watch a movie and halfway through it see how it will end.   Everything has become so formulaic in Hollywood, but it's not really their fault they've just run out of ideas because everything has already been done.*

The movie "Fish Piss" seems to break all of the traditional Hollywood rules and more importantly it shows that anyone can make a film if they have the dream to do so, which is how it should be.   We really need to level that playing field where movies don't need million dollar budgets.   I believe I found out about this movie because of the CUT and CLASSIC Films Instagram page, probably because I'm sinking deeper and deeper into the seedy underworld of VHS this year.

What's somewhat funny is that "Fish Piss", as far as I can tell, doesn't seem to be streaming any where.  Just typing into the search engine on Tubi got me a two month ban from watching movies on that particular app.   This film is available on VHS, DVD and thanks to the fine people at CULT and CLASSIC Films it is also on special edition blu ray.  

"Fish Piss" is a movie about a character named John who becomes addicted to drinking the urine of fish.  There is an elaborate and special way which one must get the piss from the fish but we won't talk about that here.  In any event, John has a few friends show up during the movie but they seem to only be there so that they can die.  That's right.  Drinking the fish piss causes John to become a stone cold killer!

One of the fun things about this movie is that there are smaller shorts put into it and one of them is about a guy who is talking about how broccoli isn't real.  It's basically like someone ranting on YouTube that you would expect and he even goes so far to say that they never talk about broccoli in the Bible so it can't be real and you shouldn't eat it.   This is how I see everyone who has any opinion and makes a front facing camera video about it and posts it to YouTube.  This is how you all sound.  (Yes, even you)

As the story unfolds, John kills people because the fish who is in this lake that he gets the pee from likes to eat them.  It becomes this sort of exchange of human flesh for fish piss.  At one point, when they're sitting in the boat together, I began to feel like the broccoli guy was just inside the mind of John and I wasn't correct in thinking that but there is a twist there I won't spoil for you.  Just watch the movie for yourself and find out.

I'm not going to be the one to get up on the soapbox and dissect this movie because I think people should watch it and get what they see out of it on their own.   But for me, it does feel like the fish piss is something toxic in your life- like alcohol or a drug but not even limited to that- and your addiction to it is ruining those relationships you have in your life with other people.  It consumes you.   And if you want to get even wider in the aspect of it, maybe the toxicity is found in the cookie cutter cut and paste movies Hollywood is currently shitting out.

One of my favorite aspects of this film is that it has moments where it can make you feel as if your VCR is glitching.   While I'm watching this on blu ray, I know that the VHS exists and so I think watching this for the first time on VHS would give it even more of a surreal feel, which I think is this added layer of genius.

From CULT and CLASSIC Films, you get the blu ray with bonus features, a signed poster (11"x17") and what are essentially POGs but don't use the trademark name.  I also really love that this film is available on blu ray from CULT and CLASSIC Films for $29.95, but for just $25 a month you can join their Patreon (which I did) and a new movie like this will ship to you every month, plus there are other benefits to being part of the Patreon.

Prior to "Fish Piss" there was a trailer for "Mooper Pastor" and that is a movie I now wish to see.  Oddly enough, being a Patreon member gets you a discount in the store as well.   CULT and CLASSIC Films say that they're "weird movies for weird people" and I like that because I'm a weird person.  But if the idea of being normal, in films, is to see the new blockbuster with George Clooney that you can predict before it's over then why would anyone want to be anything other than weird.

*Side Note: I don't fully believe this.  I believe that movie producers and studios would rather do a remake or reboot or a sequel instead of taking chances on new ideas and that is part of their decline in quality.

Random Side Note: I really wish a small brewery would make a beer based on this film called "Fish Piss".   It seems easy enough to do, knowing absolutely nothing about brewing beer, and I'd certainly buy it if I was given the chance.