The things they say...Fish Tank

http://movies.nytimes.com/2010/01/15/movies/15fish.html

Mr. Fassbender, who was the Irish militant Bobby Sands in Steve McQueen’s “Hunger” and the suave British film critic in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds,” is quickly establishing himself as an actor of impressive range and skill. The slightest imprecision in his portrayal of Connor — too much overt menace, or too little — would have thrown the film off balance. (It may have helped that Ms. Arnold gave the script to her cast one scene at a time, so that they did not know what was coming next.)

http://www.backstage.com/bso/reviews-movie-tv-reviews/fish-tank-1004059355.story

Fassbender, whose star has been rising with "Inglourious Basterds" and the harrowing "Hunger," is equally at home as the cagey Connor. But he never makes the guy less than human, even as we discover he is infinitely capable of unsavory actions.

http://www.praguepost.com/night-and-day/cinema/3274-the-real-in-realism.html

Arnold made the inspired choice of pairing veteran Irish method actor Michael Fassbender with the unknown and untrained Katie Jarvis. The former is one of the strongest male leads working today, while the latter, though young and inexperienced, gives the performance of the year, instantly establishing herself as a first-rate talent.

Strong writing and technical prowess aside, Fish Tank is an actor's movie, and the performances dominate the film. Fassbender is as engaging as he was in the festival of pain that was his award-winning portrayal of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands.

http://the-reel-truth.blogspot.com/2010/01/top-10-films-of-2009.html

let it be known that the performances by Katie Jarvis and Michael Fassbender (Also in Inglourious Basterds) are astonishing and should be noted as essentials for any aspiring actors.

http://kosu.org/2010/01/fish-tank-a-teen-adrift-in-a-tough-london-suburb/

Connor is played by the chameleonic Irish actor Michael Fassbender

http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Fish-Tank-4408.html

Fassbender plays the character's every ambiguous note perfectly, and Arnold shapes the film so strongly around Mia's attraction to him that we catch ourselves from time to time rooting for a hookup that we intellectually know will be disastrous.

http://tcf-fish-finders.com/Fish_Tank_Review

Fassbenders mesmerizing performance keeps this equivocation at the films prominence and adds complexity to a tale without one,some,unspecified,indiscriminate unpredictable twists. The entire cast comes to feel like a family, and though dysfunctional, their emotions always ring real,valid. Its just a family put inside extreme pressures by their economic reality and societys expectations.

http://www.thelmagazine.com/TheMeasure/archives/2010/01/15/your-weekend-at-the-movies-with-a-book

Certain developments with Connor (played wonderfully by Fassbender) will not surprise anyone, but the movie convinces us that they might surprise Mia—and lets us experience some relief that she's not surrounded by monsters, just plain old lousy human beings.

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/movie-review-fish-tank-2010

Fassbender continues to impress me as I look at him and see an actor much like Christian Bale only more talented. Had Fassbender delivered one false move in this film it would have completely crumbled. He didn't.

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/01/fish-tank.html

Fassbender’s mesmerizing performance keeps this ambivalence at the film’s forefront and adds complexity to a tale without any unforeseeable twists.

http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/dvd/Fish+Tank-6244.html

An outstanding performance from the increasingly in demand Michael Fassbender (300, Hunger, Inglourious Basterds)

http://www.movies-on-demand.tv/reviews/fish-tank-movie-review/

Aside from Jarvis, Fassbender also delivers a splendid performance by combining the unusual mix of sexuality and parental concern his character is exuding. The calm, cool, and reserved acting he displayed perfectly complements Jarvis’ wildly intense acting to create the film’s much needed balance.

http://www.puremovies.co.uk/reviews/fish-tank/

The acting was uniformly brilliant, and Fassbender in particular stood out, due to his deft handling of a morally ambiguous character.

http://www.theauteurs.com/notebook/posts/1399

[Michael] Fassbender, who was the Irish militant Bobby Sands in Steve McQueen's Hunger and the suave British film critic in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, is quickly establishing himself as an actor of impressive range and skill."

http://www.crankymonkeybutt.com/snip/archives/2010/01/big_screen_four.html

And the main dude, Michael Fassbender, was also fantastic in "Hunger" that I saw last year (and he also plays the Scottish soldier in "Inglorious Basterds"). Dude has fantastic RANGE.

http://www.cynephile.com/?p=77

The expert Michael Fassbender (Hunger, Inglourious Basterds) plays her mother’s boyfriend Connor, who turns his eye toward Mia while simultaneously filling in for her absent father.

http://www.ingobwetrust.com/?p=1549

In a film so centered on Mia, it’s hard for anyone to steal the spotlight but Michael Fassbender knows exactly how to do that. Playing her Mia’s mother’s love interest who seems to have a bit too keen an eye on Mia herself, Fassbender feels almost as much of a victim of circumstance as he is of being a real prick. Fassbender has seen his stock soar of late after starring in the brilliant film Hunger and this year playing the roguish Archie in Inglorious Basterds. This is another great turn from an actor that I can’t wait to see what will do next.

This movie is the latest installment in what I truly believe is British cinema catching up to the Hollywood machine. With such great works like Bronson, Hunger, and An Education. I really love the way that these films are being held in high regard and putting England back on the map.

http://allthemoviesiwatch.blogspot.com/2010/01/fish-tank-saturday-january-16-2010-4.html

The acting throughout is very solid. Mia is played by Katie Jarvis who seems to be a non-actor, or a new actor. She is very good and very believable. Connor is played beautifully by the Irish-German Michael Fassbender. This is a really great performance. Connor is a cool, nice happy guy who seems to not see the terrible world that surround him. It is easy to see why Mia is excited by him - he's a really dynamic guy.

http://peneflix.blogspot.com/2010/01/fellow-movie-lovers_19.html

Added to this menacing mix is the ragingly sensual Connor (adroitly played by Michael Fassbender, Inglorious Basterds)

http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/fish-tank/4630

As will the prospect of a romantic relationship with her mother's new boyfriend Connor, played by acting chameleon Michael Fassbender.

http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/27810097/review/31791541/fish_tank

The electrifying Fassbender, so good in Hunger and Inglourious Basterds, nails every nuance in a complex role. His scenes with Jarvis have a hypnotic sexual energy.

http://www.moviefilmreview.com/fish-tank-2009.php

Connor, who is played delicately by the fast growing phenomenon that is Michael Fassbender, confirms this idea more than any other character. He is charming and he engages with Mia with a breathy humility that she has never experienced in a man, and yet his immaturity won’t allow him to realise his desired identity as the adult in their relationship – the father.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=azkUbMlFyzTE

When her mother’s hunky new boyfriend Connor (Michael Fassbender, beefed up since playing the emaciated Bobby Sands in “Hunger”) treats her kindly and supports her dream of becoming a dancer, Mia gains confidence.

http://www.ifc.com/news/2010/01/fish-tank.php

The household dynamic changes significantly when Mom gets a new boyfriend. That's the handsome, charming Connor (an extraordinary Michael Fassbender)

http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/2008-12-6-motion-captured/posts/quickfix-fish-tank-is-one-uncomfortable-ride

From the moment he shows up, Fassbender injects an uneasy energy into the film, too focused on Mia, too interested in the one thing that seems to crack the grim facade she projects, her dancing.

Fassbender's been racking up one great performance after another in the last few years, but he still somehow retains the ability to vanish into his roles. I know it's the same guy in "Hunger" and "Inglorious Basterds" and this film, but the characters are nothing alike, not even visually. The extreme control of his craft as an actor works in perfect counterpoint to the raw unpolished nature of the work that Jarvis does.