Review, YEAR OF THE FISH
by Larry Ratliff, San Antonio Express-News
Published: October 17, 2008
If you’re keeping up with exciting emerging filmmakers, please add New York-based David Kaplan to your list.
“Year of the Fish,” Kaplan’s provocative, animated twist on the centuries-old Cinderella story, is a must-see for anyone who appreciates innovative, quality filmmaking.
Review, YEAR OF THE FISH
by Peter Vonder Haar, Film Threat
Published: June 8, 2007
★★★1/2★
The folk tale upon which the story of “Cinderella” is based originated during China’s Tang Dynasty, some 800 years before the European version written by Charles Perrault. It has hundreds of variants and versions, though I doubt many before “Year of the Fish” included a fairy godmother who ran a brutal sweatshop and threatened to bite the heroine’s tits off.
“MOVIE REVIEW – YEAR OF THE FISH”
by Diva Velez, TheDivaReview.com
Published: August 28, 2008
As a pachyderm who grew up devouring every possible version of Disney’s Cinderella, the film, the storybook, the LP with the storybook attached, the View-Master Viewer edition, the colouring book, etc. how shocking it was to find out that the fairy tale, long believed to have been authored in seventeenth-century France by one Charles Perrault, actually hailed from Asia sometime around 800 AD (- and apparently, there earlier versions than that). It’s the Chinese tale that brings us to Year of the Fish, a modern Cinderella story with a sweet and sour twist.
“[ONE OF] OUR 20 FAVORITE FILMS FROM SUNDANCE ‘07… not only charming, it’s also amazing to look at.” – AOL Moviephone.com
“Doyer Street has never looked so poetically sun-dappled… the piquancy of a fresh slice of ginger… the thing glows.” – Ty Burr, The Boston Globe
“★★★★… [the director] finds the sweet spot where “Year of the Fish” is able to be mature and “real” enough to play to an adult audience while not losing track of the simple, hopeful idea that makes this story work in the first place.” – Jay Seavor, efilmcritic.com
“The logline for this first feature by writer-director David Kaplan says, “Cinderella set in a Chinatown massage parlor,” and he’s not kidding. Even more surprisingly, it works.” – Bruce Newman, San Jose Mercury News
“A tale of destiny and romance.” – Lisa Nesselson, Variety