Customer Reviews

Video Aquarium [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Director Steve Siporin brings us reality TV at it's finest. I especially appreciated how this film subtly highlights the undercurrents of tension between each of the characters. A less sophisticated director might have overplayed the rivalry between the under-achieving porkfish and his longtime friend the Blue Surgeon, turning it into a vicous bloodbath at the expense of a more sensitive probing into the deeper personal conflicts each fish faces.

I fell in love with all of the characters, from the proud lionfish who dreams of dancing in the Joffrey Ballet to the Moorish Idol struggling with her sexual identity. Unlike some of Sopirin's copycats (Survivor, Big Brother etc) there is no voting each fish out of the Tank, no arbitrary tests of fish-hood. We are left with only the raw, uncensored emotions of this rag-tag group's co-existence, eloquently captured in the seemingly tranquil waters of the Tank.

This tour de force left this critic wondering about the meaning of life, asking the important questions; what are we all doing here, really? Who is feeding us? There's a lesson here. And yet, I felt oddly calm at the close of the film, even with all the unanswered questions - will this continue? Will the Blue Surgeon and Porky ever reconcile? All things in their own time, I suppose. Such is Life. Such is Video Aquarium.

I originally bought this video for my home theater and it looked really cool on the 84" screen! Then we got a new boat with a built in flat screen DVD so the DVD actually makes people do a double take. Definately a fun video to play during a cocktail party on the boat!! My neighbor coveted it so much I am buying her one too!

I found Video Aquarium barely adequate--filmed in the early '80s--now 2005 where the poor (sloppy?) focus and reflected lighting (a foggy smear on the tank's front glass at 2/5ths top left fading out about 2/3rds across the top to the right in an unchanging vaguely triangular pattern) with better cameras and "professional" versus "ad hoc" attention to the lighting could resolve those problems. [I'm using a JCV 27" monitor so I KNOW it's not the TV's problem.] That it has the sound of a working aquarium rather than music (which most of the others mistakenly feature) is a plus, BUT...if you're going to make a video of this nature, make a GOOD one, price it accordingly--or none at all!

On sundays my husband goes into his room to watch football, I cannot change the station. So I view this video. I relax and my husband lives!

I bought it and enjoyed it for a short time. Then my dog ate the corners off it so it won't play. Therefore I'm buying a new one. I enjoyed it, but I hope my dog had some stomach pains. (He didn't seem to)

i didn't actually view this title, but i'll bet it stinks like a skunk... HA!