The Shape of Water

Started by wilder, July 19, 2017, 05:51:10 PM

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wilder



An other-worldly fairy tale, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1963. In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is trapped in a life of silence and isolation. Elisa's life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover a secret classified experiment.

Directed by Guillermo Del Toro
Starring Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Michael Stuhlbarg and Doug Jones
Release Date - December 8, 2017



Sleepless

Looks fun/pretty. I hope this is good.
He held on. The dolphin and all the rest of its pod turned and swam out to sea, and still he held on. This is it, he thought. Then he remembered that they were air-breathers too. It was going to be all right.

Sleepless

Venice Awash With Emotion At 'The Shape Of Water' World Premiere – Photos

After wowing Venice Film Festival press this morning with his Cold War-set fairy tale, Guillermo del Toro unveiled The Shape Of Water in its official competition screening tonight. The reception inside the Sala Grande was rapturous and one of the most emotional festival debuts in recent memory. A lengthy standing ovation ended only when del Toro and his cast finally left the theater.

Shouts of "Bravo!" were accompanied by hoots and hollers. The film also elicited sobs of joy. Director John Landis, who is here chairing the VR jury, wiped away tears as he stood behind a visibly moved del Toro, also turning on the waterworks and with a huge smile on his face.

here
He held on. The dolphin and all the rest of its pod turned and swam out to sea, and still he held on. This is it, he thought. Then he remembered that they were air-breathers too. It was going to be all right.

Jeremy Blackman

Rex Reed's take is already gaining notoriety as one of the worst movie reviews of all time.

It initially credited Benicio del Toro with writing and directing the film. That has since been fixed, but it still does not credit Guillermo's co-writer. And the review still says he's a "critic's darling from Spain." (Guillermo del Toro is definitely not from Spain.)

Rex describes Sally Hawkins's character as "a mentally handicapped woman," a "pathetic girl," and a "defective creature." (Maybe someone who's seen the movie can tell me if that's accurate. From what I've gathered, it's not.)

https://twitter.com/Humanstein/status/943306934123401216

WorldForgot

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on December 20, 2017, 12:21:15 AM
Rex Reed's take is already gaining notoriety as one of the worst movie reviews of all time.

Rex describes Sally Hawkins's character as "a mentally handicapped woman," a "pathetic girl," and a "defective creature." (Maybe someone who's seen the movie can tell me if that's accurate. From what I've gathered, it's not.)

It's not. She is easily the most empathetic of all the characters, and clearly clever as well as curious and cultured.  ("A lot of alliteration from anxious anchors placed in powerful posts!")

samsong

didn't like this very much.  had high hopes that this would be the guillermo del toro movie that got through to me.  another one of his blatantly "adult" fairy tales that left me cold.  the idea of an unconventional romance told with sentimental conviction set amidst a cornucopia of genres and cinephilic hero worship still sounds like movie heaven to me, but this played it safe and erred on pretty dumb for the most part.  also so so so so so heavy handed.

Something Spanish

this is a beautiful one made lovingly with gothic hands. GDT is so good at building his worlds into a dreamlike reality, in this case a dim early 60's baltimore. liked this much more than Crimson Peak, which was good but slight. as an absurdist love story, it manages to shed beauty on the grotesque as well as showing the punch-drunk feeling people get when confronted with true love. a few of the plot mechanics felt forced, as you'd expect with any genre film, overall i was very much taken with it. i'd gladly sit through this a few more times before it leaves theaters.

ono

Third thing I saw in my first week of MoviePass.  I went to see The Post but the late showing was cancelled.  Deep cut: like 11 years ago something similar happened to me when I tried to go and see Undertow.  Dumb.  But I digress.

I guess I don't really like Guillermo Del Toro's schtick.  I've sat through it twice now (first being Pan's Labyrinth) and while I admire his artistry in the way he makes films, there's something about it that just rubs me the wrong way.  The first 15 minutes or so were perfectly enjoyable, and I felt shades of Amelie in the vibe of the film.  The style, the set design, just the way people moved through this world.  But then we're introduced to the villain and he's just a Looney Tune of a character with no shades of nuance anywhere to be found.  So I just kinda sit there, uncomfortable, while he's nasty, and it's not fun.  There's no humanity, no charisma.  At least, say, a Plainview has charisma.  And this is why Pan's Labyrinth didn't work for me, either.  It was just too bleak.  The villain there was too terrible.  There was one moment where the protagonist in this speaks... sings.  If he can reach those great heights, why does he not make that much of an effort to do this with all of his characters instead of making dumb, cookie cutter, anvil-dropping antagonists?  The protagonist is great of course, with no words, to boot.  Octavia Spencer is fine, playing a role she's played before.  Enough words about a film I didn't really care for except for to admire the craft, and one I probably won't ever see again.

There was a bit of a to-do over a short film being very similar to this.  I had watched it a few weeks ago, and honestly, I'd take the short film over this.  It was incredibly well done too (though because it was short, it saved them from messing it up here). I am surprised anyone's still interested in this trope these days, anyway.

Alexandro

I could see the problems but in the end I didn't care. The ending was moving enough for me to be won over. When I saw Pan's Labyrinth the first time I had the same reservations about the villain, but on subsequent viewings I warmed up to the treatment and found the scheme effective. I don't think that will happen with this film, but I like that it's true to it's B Movie origins in the simplicity of it's archetypes.

pete

between this, La La Land and Baby Driver, I say we give the whole edgy musical thing a fucking rest
"Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot."
- Buster Keaton