PICK OF THE WEEK
Fish Tank
Buoyed by the remarkable central performance by Katie Jarvis as Mia, a forlorn teen who gets romantically involved with her mother’s boyfriend (Michael Fessbender), this tough slice of working-class British life is fragile and intense—just like its heroine. Writer/director Andrea Arnold rarely allows for any sentiment to creep into her story, which plays up the sinister way Connor builds up Mia’s self-esteem and how Mia responds when she realizes she has some power. Things get pretty sticky—almost to the point of crushing despair—but the film only teeters on the edge of disaster. While the characters make foolish decisions, their actions are revealing, and fascinating to watch, and the performances by Jarvis and Fessbender are absolutely fantastic.
ALSO OPENING
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Greek Gods come to life in this adaptation of the Rick Riordan novel about a teenager who learns he’s a descendant from Mt. Olympus and has to stop a war between the Gods.
Saint John of Las Vegas
John (Steve Buscemi) is a gambling addict who loves to play those instant win games at convenience store check outs. He used to live in Las Vegas, but now he ekes out a life in New Mexico, working for an insurance company. He is given a chance to move from claims to fraud by investigating an car accident. The task, of course, takes him back to Las Vegas. Accompanied by Virgil (Romany Malco), an agent who is “not good with people,” the trip is a series of humiliations, from John getting caught in the rain and sleeping in the car to asking a stripper in a wheelchair for a lap dance and being accosted by naked gun nuts. The film has a few chuckles—Sarah Silverman is quirky as John’s smiley face obsessed co-worker, and Peter Dinklage has a great scene as John’s boss—but Saint John of Las Vegas also features an unfunny set piece involving a man who keeps catching on fire asking for a cigarette. Buscemi gets a few nice moments to cut loose, such as a scene in a convenience store, where he bets $1,000 on instant win tickets, or a moment in a men’s room where he does a little dance. But mostly the bug-eyed, sad-sack actor wallows in the film’s despair. Saint John of Las Vegas could have been good but it builds slowly to no great payoff. It is the cinematic equivalent of watching a loser at the gaming tables in Las Vegas betting more and winning less. When his parking card, credit card, and office card all don’t work in the opening moments, does John really expect to beat the house playing blackjack? At least the film features a nice post-credit sequence, though it’s hardly worth the wait to see it.
Valentine’s Day
He loves it? He loves it NOT! Valentine’s Day is a cringe-inducing romantic comedy that wastes an all-star cast all playing fools for love. Reed (Ashton Kutcher) is a florist who proposes to his girlfriend Morley (Jessica Alba) even though everyone except him knows he belongs with his best friend Julia (Jennifer Garner). Julia is seeing a cardiologist (Patrick Demsey) who unbeknownst to her–spoiler alert–is married. Heartless! Meanwhile Jason (Topher Grace) is smitten with his new girlfriend Liz (Anne Hathaway) who secretly, but not privately, engages in phone sex. Other secrets are spilled in equally silly storylines, such as one involving Kara (Jessica Biel) a surprisingly single publicist who hosts an annual “I hate Valentine’s Day” party–perhaps viewers who hate this film can attend? Guess what happens? She falls in love. There is more–too much more–but it’s all painfully bad and embarrassing–from teenagers who want to lose their virginity to a precocious fifth grader determined to tell his crush how he feels. Garry Marshall (Pretty Woman) directs without an ounce of feeling or romantic inspiration. The lame script, full of platitudes like “love doesn’t exist unless you acknowledge it in front of others” hardly endears. Valentine’s Day is an exceedingly charmless affair.
The Wolfman
Benicio Del Toro takes on the hairy title role in this big screen remake of this horror classic about a man, bitten by a werewolf, who changes when the moon is full. Emily Blunt and Anthony Hopkins co-star.
AroundPhilly Staff
