The things they say...Fish Tank

http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/14/fish-tank-review-afi-fest/

Meanwhile, Fassbender feels destined to be a superstar, precisely because he brings such authenticity to every role he plays, and moving from an emaciated prisoner in Hunger to an avuncular film critic-turned-spy in Inglourious Basterds to this, and succeeds at creating a believable and palpable connection between himself and Jarvis that doesn't judge his behavior or more importantly suggest judgment to the audience.

http://cinemapoaching.blogspot.com/2009/11/festival-coverage-afi-fest.html

But the story of the film is Fassbender who, I suspect, will not be a secret for much longer. With soft eyes and a boyish grin, Colin lets his thoughts run away from him, relating to the insecure and feral Mia as his contemporary as opposed to the burden her mother views her as. There's a decency to Fassbender's performance in a very difficult and complicated role; Colin is unmistakably acting inappropriately in the film yet it's easy to see how both he and Mia could fall into this trap. Between his work here, in Basterds and this past winter's Hunger, Fassbender has become the break-out actor of 2009, a performer who seemingly can do anything well.

http://leblogdezazie.blogspot.com/2009/11/cinema-of-andrea-arnold.html

and the above mentioned Michael Fassbender, by far the best actor of his generation

OH YEAH!

http://notesfromthedark.blogspot.com/2009/11/fish-tank.html

...the excellent performances given by Katie Jarvis and Michael Fassbender. Two names you should hear a lot about come award season.

http://kylestamourbrennan.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/best-seen-in-09-so-far/

Following his acclaimed central performance in Hunger, Michael Fassbender stars opposite talented newcomer Katie Jarvis.

http://watchmovie12.blogspot.com/2009/11/online-free-fish-tank-watch-english.html

If Ken Loach were ever somehow called on constitutionally to nominate a successor, it would surely have to be Arnold. She's got the grit; she has Loach's humanism and optimism and she has a happy knack of getting great performances out of her cast, particularly from Michael Fassbender, who proves that he's not just sex on a stick – he's complexity and vulnerability on a stick as well.

Their torpid lives are disrupted when Mia's mother miraculously gets a new boyfriend, Connor: and Fassbender gives his best performance yet. Connor is funny, sexy, confident and utterly relaxed where everyone else appears clenched with resentment. Noticeably articulate, Connor appears to come from a marginally more middle-class world and he is also, tellingly, a breadwinner.

Jarvis has given a wonderfully honest and open performance to be compared with David Bradley in Kes, or Émilie Dequenne in the Dardenne brothers' Rosetta. Her relationship with Fassbender is what gives the film its beating heart.

http://noesland.blogspot.com/2009/10/fish-tank-mistral-of-fresh-air.html

Mia has an enormous, poignant capacity for love, but she has never received any. With zero experience, Katie Jarvis has given a wonderfully honest and open performance to be compared with Emilie Dequenne in the Dardenne brothers' Rosetta. Her relationship with Michael Fassbender is what gives the film its beating heart !

http://andrewdignan.blogspot.com/2009/11/afi-2009-coverage-bad-lieutenant.html

Much of Fish Tank's strength is derived from the ever shifting interplay between Jarvis and Fassbender, feeding off of the queasy sensuality Arnold cultivates throughout the film. Even the most tender of moments (Colin carries a pretending to be asleep to Mia to her bed, slowly removing her shoes and sweat pants before tucking her under a blanket) pulses with unease as two people, one who clearly should know better, seem destined towards transgression.

But the story of the film is Fassbender who, I suspect, will not be a secret for much longer. With soft eyes and a boyish grin, Colin lets his thoughts run away from him, relating to the insecure and feral Mia as his contemporary as opposed to the burden her mother views her as. There's a decency to Fassbender's performance in a very difficult and complicated role; Colin is unmistakably acting inappropriately in the film yet it's easy to see how both he and Mia could fall into this trap. Between his work here, in Basterds and this past winter's Hunger, Fassbender has become the break-out actor of 2009, a performer who seemingly can do anything well.

http://www.avclub.com/articles/toronto-film-festival-09-day-2,32821/

The performances are all first-rate, leading with young Katie Jarvis, who plays a hard-drinking, 15-year-old troublemaker who dreams of being a street-style dancer, but in the meantime crushes on her mother’s boyfriend, played by the excellent Michael Fassbender of Hunger and Inglourious Basterds fame. Jarvis’ relentless pursuit of her passions, however dangerous they might be, keeps the intensity high, but it’s Fassbender’s enigmatic character that holds the most intrigue. At times, he seems almost fatherly in his treatment of Jarvis—a scene where he gives her a mock-spanking is oddly heartbreaking in the way it embarrasses her desire for him—but at others it’s a little harder to tell what lines he’s capable of crossing.

http://dorkshelf.com/2009/09/17/tiff-review-fish-tank/

Mia develops a crush on her mother’s new boyfriend Connor (played by the continually amazing Michael Fassbender).

Michael Fassbender is amazing as always

http://philonfilm.blogspot.com/2009/10/review-fish-tank.html

One person who has such an effect on Mia is Connor (Michael Fassbender), the charming Irishman her mother brings into their home. From the way Connor looks at Mia, and the way he behaves towards her, we instantly begin to suspect some ulterior motives on his part, but Fassbender – giving the latest in a string of outstanding performances – plays the character with skilful ambiguity.

http://noordinaryfool.com/2009/09/22/fishtank/

On the acting side, Fassbender, who looks here like he has gained little weight since making Hunger, shows his range in a role that balances a sense of sincere parental concern for Mia with a worrying flash of corruptive lechery.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/film-festival-reports/707-telluride-2009-festival.html

The boyfriend is played by Michael Fassbender (Hunger, Inglorious Basterds) who is quietly becoming the best actor of his generation.

http://screenfever.blogspot.com/2009/09/fish-tank-futuremoviescouk.html

Fassbender, recently so brilliant in Inglourious Basterds, is also fantastic here in a totally different role. Initially he’s all effortless charm and knowing, but that is undercut by hints of insecurity that only become more pronounced as his character’s secrets are revealed.

http://benlambsfilmreviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/10-best-films-of-2009.html

Newcomer Katie Jarvis gives a fine performance as a lower class angst ridden teenager and plays off the ever brilliant Michael Fassbender with ease.

http://movieskickassblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/fish-tank.html

She does great work with Fassbender (quickly becoming one of the most interesting actors out there) who makes a seductive charmer out of Connor.

From the minute he appears onscreen we know he won't be good for Mia, but like her, we can't help but fall for his scheming. To the point in which we wonder how much exactly are we contributing to his plans.

Both actors have the one quality that the entire movie lacked which would've made it perfect: fearlessness.
Watch one scene where Connor puts Mia to bed. He carries her and takes off her shoes. She's awake and peeks to see what he will do next, when he takes off her pants as well she keeps quiet and we have to wonder if he knew she was conscious. This is the film's best scene and the one that encompasses its themes the best.

http://www.hmonthly.com/blog/2009/12/19/fish-tank-film-review/

In Fish Tank, there’s none of the vanity so typically associated with American films centered on teen protagonists, and the performances are something special. Acting neophyte Jarvis shines, conveying a believable spitfire mixture of teen vulnerability and anger, while the charismatic Fassbender, a star in the making, puts a good sheen on a character whose actions label him a cad.

http://michaelbayistheantichrist.wordpress.com/2009/12/29/fish-tank/

Michael Fassbender, who starred in last year’s Hunger and had a role in Inglourious Basterds, plays the new boyfriend and is also terrific (he’s quickly becoming one of my favorite actors).

http://community.livejournal.com/watercolor_days/5036.html

Katie Jarvis is amazing especially considering she’s never acted before she did this film and Michael Fassbender can honestly do no wrong for me after seeing him in this, Inglorious Basterds and Hunger. Their performances elevate what already is a fantastic script and fantastic directing.

http://blog.nicksflickpicks.com/2010/01/remembering-2009.html

if Michael Fassbender can't fight his way to a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 2010 Oscars, then the system is even more broken than we already know it is.

http://www.criticsnotebook.com/2010/01/sarah-manvels-best-of-2009-2000s.html

FISH TANK Michael Fassbender is quickly becoming the most interesting actor working in the United Kingdom. Half Northern Irish and half German, it seems he can do what he likes. In this movie, he is the device the plot rolls around, as the new boyfriend of a teenage girl's mother.

http://www.retrieverweekly.com/blog/2010/01/02/top-ten-films-of-2009/

I love the scene where Michael Fassbender talks about there being a special rung in Hell for those who waste good scotch.

http://notesfromthedark.wordpress.com/2010/01/03/10-films-of-2009/

It is always distressing to find a performance in a film that you know deserves to lauded and praised in award season but will be unfairly forgotten owing to the film’s budget and status. It is even more distressing to find two performances in the same film. That is true of Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank and the performances from the two leads Katie Jarvis and Michael Fassbender,

Fassbender is on the rise and it is owing to his strength as an actor and his intelligent choices of projects that he is also featured in another film on this list, ‘Inglourious Basterds’.