Results tagged “timroth”

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend.

Every weekday of December (except for December 25, that is), Phillyist will be counting down to 2008 with our highlights from the past year and our predictions for the next. If you have a list you'd like to submit, let us know!

The best of the internet, chopped into tiny bits and grilled for your enjoyment.

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend.

This week’s quote comes from the musical . The players on a baseball team are singing that they aren’t the greatest players, but at least they play with heart. Unfortunately, we can relate. Now, on with the listings!

The answer, of course, is applause. This week's quote comes from the musical . In this scene, a group of gypsies relate how difficult their lives are, but say the payoff is in the applause. We're sure the actors in the productions below would agree. Now, on with the listings!

Each week on Phillyist, we'll bring you our takes on the best and worst of local and national films. And since we're compassionate writers here at Phillyist, we also won't torture you with titles like "Phillyist's Phriday Philm Phun!" Of course, we did consider it. You have to consider it. Dark Water

by Star C. Foster
If you go to Dark Water expecting a suspenseful, horror film a la The Ring, you'll be disappointed. What you'll get instead is a surprisingly moving story about a newly-single mother's struggle to create a home for herself and her young daughter despite her own troubled past and uncertain future. The film flirts with atmospheric tension, but overall the supernatural takes a backseat to the terrors of real life: loss, betrayal, abandonment and failure. Sadly, even Jennifer Connely's stellar performance as the disturbed Dahlia (and indeed, strong performances from the entire supporting cast - even Tim Roth in his small role as lawyer-cum-deus ex machina) cannot save Dark Water from its terrible pacing; the story doesn't build so much as it meanders towards an ending - and even once there it dawdles a bit. It simply doesn't pack the psychological punch it promises. If you're looking for a good scare, Phillyist recommends you give Walter Salles' Dark Water a pass, and instead track down the original Japanese version (which left us frightened of elevators and sinks for weeks); the only thing that made our skin crawl in this remake was listening to them discuss the rental rates on Roosevelt Island. $900 for a small one-bedroom with a continually leaking ceiling? The horror! Fantastic Four

by Jessica Haralson
It's a convenient enough popcorn movie, rife with action, a hottie, and product placement that Wayne and Garth would be proud of. But is it convincing? This is the question moviegoers will ask themselves after watching Fantastic Four, a movie that matches the grandeur of its comic-book predecessors but fails to impress in the wake of other summer offerings like Batman Begins. Starring newcomer Ioan Gruffud as the lead, with Jessica Alba and Chris Evans lending performances as the brother-sister duo and the always respectable Michael Chiklis as the Four's rocky counterpart, the actors exude charisma and perfectly toned biceps but never work their way through some of the film's glaring potholes (for instance, why can Ben Grimm, once his powers are reversed, change back to his hulking alter ego?) The verdict? Enjoyable, but not memorable. Fantastic Four, in the end, is indistinguishable from the rest of its recent brethren, but will make for a fun afternoon at the movie theater.