So with the big 100 million dollar multiple-connected-storylines Cloud Atlas coming out this weekend, I decided on a whim to check out a little seen Japanese film from 2009 called "Fish Story" that had a kind of similar sounding premise, and had gotten rave reviews from online reviewers I trust.

And I fell in love it.

Enough so that I would say you should go watch it on Netflix Streaming right now, especially if you are someone who is passionate about music or the power of music.

The year is 2012, and a comet is headed for earth. The US mission to stop it (cleverly referencing Armageddon) has failed, and the earth is doomed to destruction in 5 hours. However, while the rest of the world flees for the hills, one record-store owner believes everything will be OK, and that the key to earth's survival lies in a long forgotten punk rock song from the 1970s, the titularly named "Fish Story". The movie will flash back and forward through time to show how this might be possible. Suffice it to say, though the movie cleverly leaves out key information throughout the first half, rest assured that by the end, the movie connects the dots in an extremely satisfying way that left a big smile on my face.

The key to this movie I think is the upbeat, storybook tone. In our cynical times, it's so rare for a movie to come out with such a positive, celebratory message. It feels more than anything else like a really cool fairy-tale you might tell some-one to inspire them to be creative, and the ultimate message, that even the most doomed-to-obscurity creative projects have the power to change people's lives is extremely uplifting to me.
Seeing this punk band that's ahead of their time and overlooked by the public, and the idea that fuck it, they're going to make music the way they want to, and maybe it will reach somebody one day, really resonated with me.

Also, it doesn't hurt that the titular song is pretty damned awesome, both tragic and upbeat, and with strange lyrics that become hilariously awesome once you realize their origin.

Ultimately, I can't really describe the experience of Fish Story, I suspect it'll either work for you or it won't.
All I know is it's an awesome, creative little original story that manages to feel epic despite what was probably a pretty small budget, and the message and attitude of the movie really resonated with me.
I hope people give it a chance and like it.

Also, it's twice as short as Cloud Atlas, just sayin.