List Price: $29.95Amazon.com's Price: $26.99 You Save: $2.96 (10%)as of 11/08/2009 22:44 EST
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
Brand: Image Entertainment
DVD Layers: 2
DVD Sides: 1
EAN: 9780780022072
Format: Color, DVD, Special Edition, NTSC
ISBN: 0780022076
Label: Criterion
Languages: EnglishOriginal LanguageDolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Manufacturer: Criterion
MPN: PMIDFIS060D
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Academy Ratio
Publisher: Criterion
Region Code: 1
Release Date: March 30, 1999
Running Time: 152 minutes
Studio: Criterion
Theatrical Release Date: 1992
Related Items:
Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display
Editorial Review:
Product Description:
John lurie knows absolutely nothing about fishing but that doesnt stop him from undertaking the adventure of a lifetime on fishing with john. Traveling with his special guests to the most exotic and dangerous places on earth john lurie battles sharks with hjim jarmusch off the top of long island and more. Studio: Image Entertainment Release Date: 04/27/1999 Run time: 152 minutes Rating: Nr Director: John Lurie
Amazon.com:
Originally produced for the Independent Film Channel, John Lurie's idiosyncratic take on the classical fishing program places the genre in entirely alien terrain--and that doesn't just refer to the strange and exotic locations. Best known to filmgoers for roles in Stranger Than Paradise and The Last Temptation of Christ, Lurie is also a composer, a saxophonist, the leader of the jazz group the Lounge Lizards, and a painter. Fisherman, however, is nowhere to be seen on his résumé, so this city-bred hipster's foray into rod and reel country is obviously another kettle of fish. Reeling in buddies Tom Waits, Matt Dillon, Willem Dafoe, Dennis Hopper, and director Jim Jarmusch to join him on his fishing trips to such faraway locales as Jamaica, Costa Rica, and Thailand, Lurie takes his show completely out of the "how to" realm: imagine a talk show defined by its contemplative silences. Fishing with John teaches nothing about fishing. Instead, John simply enjoys the company of his buddies as they venture out into unfamiliar territory and drop a line in the water, tossing in a current of absurdist commentary (dryly intoned by Roy Webb) and surreal speculation for good measure. This is the ultimate fishing show for people who could not care less about fishing. --Sean Axmaker
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
John Lurie, best known as an actor in films such as Stranger Than Paradise, Down by Law, and Permanent Vacation (all directed by Jim Jarmusch) and a founding member of the band The Lounge Lizards hosts this "fishing show" featuring a different friend and location for each episode. This is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Fishing for shark in New York State with Jim Jarmusch? What do any of his guests know about fishing? Nothing. And that's why it works. It's about the awkward moments, furthered by the narration that at times is adding nothing to what is going on in the scene. Tom Waits is like a crazy drunken uncle that had a role based on him in "Apocalypse Now". I think this might be the best role Matt Dillon has ever had. I can only hope that John and his compatriots reminisce about this experience and do it again.
Rating: -
I'd love to go fishing with John. I wouldn't have to say much, it wouldn't matter that I had no skills and no real interest in catching fish. The point is just to be there, and if you can do that anywhere, why not in exotic and dangerous places? If there's no real danger, well, that's what fishing stories are for, and life is beautiful anyhow.
I've been a fan of John Lurie ever since I came across him in Stranger Than Paradise for the first time about 15 years ago. I was fascinated by his reticent brand of cool, that makes boredom an art. I even found myself pursing my lips when bored, emulating a look only he can pull off with aplomb.
The basic schtick here is to go somewhere the fishing is legendary, with someone famous and interesting and an expert guide. Then ignore the expert. Don't ask any serious or meaningful questions of the guest. Just hang out. Futz around. Enjoy. Much better than the bland canned creamy sauce they serve up on the usual celebrity interview shows.
Rating: -
Lurie has captured something special with this project. By taking these fine actors out of their normal working environments, we are able to see past the typecast onscreen personas that we normally associate with the roles that they play. Lurie gives us a candid glimpse into the psyche of these men - who don't act a part but let their guard down and simply interact with their situation. Finely Done!
Rating: -
I remember watching this DVD with a very good friend of mine, and we were both dumbfounded. It was one of the most unique, hilarious, and endlessly watchable TV shows EVER. It's really unclassifable. It's not really a fishing show; it's not a nature show; it's not a celebrity show; it's not a talk show. It's all four of those and then some. It has some of the funniest, most out of place (deliberately) narration ever (my favorite is when the narrator says "I wish I had a corn beef sandwich" in the middle of one of the fishing expeditions). Seeing John Lurie and Willem Dafoe freeze to death in the show only to be revived next episode (without any explanation) is hysterical. The celebrities here (Dafoe, Jim Jarmusch (this show is very much like Jarmusch's early work), Tom Waits, and Dennis Hopper) are really game for this show, and their enthusiasm for the show really makes it fun to watch. John Lurie is a great musician, actor, and host here. It's a pity that only six episodes were ever made. This stuff is staggeringly funny, and I'm glad Criterion put this out on DVD. It's one of their most unique and special DVD's ever.
Rating: -
As an avid fisherman who's seen a lot of fishing shows, none come this close to putting me there. Mainstream fishing shows are akin to a prolonged Bass Pro or LL Bean commercial with more sponsor logos than NASCAR, going from one money-shot to another. Fishing with John is decidedly non-commercial, gritty and more true to life (hilarious dramatizations included). I've never seen a production that could capture and frame so well that awkward yet comfortable void that permeates human friendship, especially in male bonding. The dry wit and subliminal humor is rare, underrated and sadly lost on most people. I haven't belly laughed this hard in a long time. In one episode John asks Matt Dillon if he thinks people are really genuine when they say, "I don't care what anybody thinks", then after a brief pause the narrator states with rare enthusiasm, "I think this is John's best show". This is my style of humor and I would love to go fishing with anyone who gives it 5 stars.
|
