The Shape of Water Review

Starring: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Octavia Spencer

One of the most timeless stories is that of "Beauty and the Beast". As the proclaimed "tale as old as time" continues to be produced, new and original variations are always welcome. In The Shape of Water, a lonely, mute custodian begins a friendship, and later falls in love, with an amphibious fish-man. I distinctly remember turning my nose up at the first trailer. Who wants to see a woman have a relationship with something that is seemingly a fish? In recent weeks, buzz for The Shape of Water has been building as it continuous to collect awards and recognition. Though it may contain one of the weirdest premises of any film I have seen, The Shape of Water is a gorgeous film, full of heart and the human spirit. Somehow the bizarre story manages to feel relatable at very intimate levels. The first line in the film is spoken by Richard Jenkins' character, who says: "If spoke of it...the princess without voice, the tale of love and loss, and the monster who tried to destroy it all..." This line feels as if it is setting up a fairy tale. The whimsy is present from the first few minutes, and perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the movie. Even better, only through watching the film does one realize what this passage means. The monster that he speaks of may not be who it seems.

To say that Sally Hawkins is great in this film is an understatement. A protagonist is often the anchor of the story. Elisa Esposito is the crux of why the story works, yet Hawkins achieves this without ever speaking a single word. Her performance, and arguably the entire script, hinges on her powerful sign language and body movements to make the audience believe her character. After all, the audience must truly be behind the character attempting to have a relationship with a scaly creature, and Hawkins is able to make us believe her longing and her need to have someone lonely like her. The scene pictured above is one of my favorites in the film. Elisa is normally meek and timid. After she has successfully helped the creature escape, she is being questioned by Michael Shannon's character. As you can see, she wears a look of sheer confidence, knowing she has what he wants. Her impudence and reluctance to honor her superior is a championing moment for Elisa. As she departs his office, she slowly, and without ever breaking eye contact, signs: "F-U-C-K Y-O-U". While he lashes out at her change in behavior, he is still none the wiser as she leaves.

But it's not just Hawkins that helps the film soar. Richard Jenkins and Octavia Spencer, as her gay neighbor and black co-worker respectively, also give great Oscar-nominated performances that hammer home the film's message: this is about outcasts looking out for each other. Elisa has no purpose in life without her voice. She dreams, yet it is futile. Jenkins' Giles is an elderly gay man who was "born too early or too late for his life". In the 60's, homosexuality is still taboo so he is unable to live his life and make any connections outside of Elisa. He is reluctant to help her, but changes his mind with a beautiful speech about his loneliness, and recognizes if this creature helps Elisa escape hers, then he must help. Spencer's Zelda is African-American in the 60's, so she's similarly lonely. The race card does not distract from the film's core message, rather it is used in key moments that remind us of the unjust racism in this era. This helps us to relate the prejudice towards the three leads and sympathize with the creature. While many would look at him as a monster, these three see him as a comrade, and the relationship with Elisa as a shared antidote for the two.

It is because of the powerful and relatable themes (Who hasn't felt alone at one time or another?) that director Guillermo del Toro is able to "butter you up" for the questionable content (aka monster/woman sex) It is done very tastefully and is not too bizarre. The audience becomes completely invested in Elisa's character that the sexuality feels earned. Hawkins' powerful acting, not to mention that of the similarly voiceless fish-man, completely sells the audience on their eventual pairing. On the other side of the spectrum is a scene I felt was completely unearned. I won't spoil it, but there is a dance scene that is random and jarring. In a film completely immersive in its setting, score, and story, to have a scene completely take me out of the film was disheartening to say the least. You know it has to be weird if in a movie about a woman falling in love with a fish-man, this sequence is the one that stands out.

If you are willing to take a risk, The Shape of Water is a profoundly affecting drama. It's a love letter to loneliness and the dreamer within all of us. It also serves as a beautiful love letter to old Hollywood, evoking styles and motifs of classic monster movies (The Creature from the Black Lagoon comes to mind) and sweeping romances. At times, The Shape of Water is a pulse-pounding thriller, and in its softer moments it can be a very touching tale. It is rare for a filmmaker to move so swiftly through tones as Guillermo del Toro does in this film. Every single aspect of the human experience is laid bare in the script, and it's impossible to not feel for the characters he has created.

When I see a movie that is special, a certain feeling washes over me. When I saw Get Out, it was on the drive home that the feeling hit me. When The Shape of Water came to a close, and the last piece of the musical score (which is incredible) played as the ending titles came on the screen, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise. Indeed, the film I had just watched was very special.

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Lady Bird Review

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet

It's rare for a film to have 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Whether you trust the popular opinion or not, for every critic on the planet to agree on a movie's perfection is an unusual feat. I've noted that a "perfect" movie can mean one of two things. In the first scenario, there just aren't any noticeable problems with the movie, but it doesn't have the added weight or grit that makes it feel special. I can't find anything wrong, yet it doesn't excite me. Lady Bird is the second scenario. There are no problems and everything feels earned. The way in which first-time director Greta Gerwig conveys the beautifully human story of Lady Bird McPherson displays cinematic hunger that is almost unapparent. Lady Bird feels like you're watching real people with realistic problems, as if a snapshot was taken. I believe it is impossible for anyone, of any age, to watch Lady Bird and not relate to at least one character or plot point. It is likely you will relate to many. The film depicts Christine McPherson and her senior year at a Catholic high school. "Lady Bird" is her given name, in the sense that "It was given to me, by me." Forcing everyone to call her a name is just the beginning of her rebellious behavior in this coming-of-age comedy. There is a point in everyone's life where they yearn to break free of their parents' hold, yet still cling to the home that raised them. Lady Bird perfectly captures the complex feelings of someone on the cusp of adulthood, feeling trapped within the confines of her upbringing.

The heart of Lady Bird is the relationship between Lady Bird and her mother, Marion. The two often find themselves at odds. Her mother holds her to an extremely high standard, belittling her for her appearance. Lady Bird exclaims to her mother: "I'm not perfect, you know!" to which she replies "Nobody's asking you to be perfect, but it wouldn't hurt to try." The relationship between the two is toxic, like a powder keg about to blow. As a viewer, you can tell that they're nearing a breaking point. Despite the insults and anger they hurl at each other, there are moments of tenderness between the two. Lady Bird loses her virginity and feels intense shame and regret and she cries in her mother's arms. The most shocking moment comes when she asks of her mother: "Do you like me?" Marion responds that "of course" she loves her. Lady Bird presses her "But do you like me?" and her mother stands in stoic silence. This all might sound awful, but it's reminiscent of many mother / child relationships in the world. I saw parts of my mother in Marion, and their relationship reminded of instances shared between the two of us. I have a friend who saw an eerily accurate portrait of her relationship with her mom. You learn to recognize this as one of the many reflections of real-life individuals.

At the center of Lady Bird is a whirlwind of a performance by Saoirse Ronan, who looks likely to grab a third Oscar nomination (after Atonement and Brooklyn) at the age of 23, a stunning achievement. She delivers each line with fire and intensity. Ronan is able to tap into Lady Bird's unbridled passion, and is able to find her purest intents and her wickedness. There are times in which Lady Bird says awful things to the people around her, yet she never feels like an antagonizing force. Her spite comes from yearning, and a need to break free of the shackles she believes are holding her. I never once questioned Lady Bird's morality, and had faith that she would figure herself out by the film's close. I was wrong, but such is life. We never really figure it out.

Lady Bird's greatest success can be attributed to the film's writer/director Greta Gerwig. She has been acting to little fanfare in truly indie (too far even for me) films for a few years and has just transitioned to directing. Every single piece of Lady Bird comes together to form a beautiful picture, and it's Gerwig who assembled it. She partially based the story off of her upbringing in Sacramento, her studies in a Catholic high school, and her tumultuous relationship with her mother. The script that she wrote is one of the wittiest comedies I can remember. Some of the funniest lines are tinted with sorrow, and some of the saddest lines can be funny. This is the human experience. There are ups, there are downs, and somewhere in America everything gets blended together in a hot mess. That hot mess is Lady Bird.

The scene that stuck with me the most was a conversation between Lady Bird and a nun discussing her college essay. Lady Bird had described all the awful things about Sacramento in snarking specifics. The nun praised her "beautiful" essay about how much she loves her city and the world around her. Lady Bird is shocked, reaffirms her hatred, and says "I just pays attention, I guess." The nun's reply perfectly conveys the film's message, and a great takeaway from life.

"Don't you think that they are the same things? Love and attention."

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review

Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, Frank Oz, Benicio del Toro

The Last Jedi was always going to be the biggest movie of the year. $220 million in three days is good for the second-biggest opening ever, behind only previous installment The Force Awakens. Everyone went to see it, but that does not necessarily reflect its quality. In fact, if you were to look online, you would see a clear divide between critics and fans. 91% on Rotten Tomatoes ties it with The Force Awakens. Yet the audience score is a "rotten" 50%, the lowest of any Star Wars film and even lower than the prequels. There are some very vocal detractors of The Last Jedi, and I tried to push that from my mind as I saw the film myself. However, now that I have seen The Last Jedi I can understand where the divide is coming from, even if I don't always agree with the naysayers myself. Rian Johnson, director of Looper, makes bold artistic and creative decisions that fly in the face of almost everything J.J. Abrams built in The Force Awakens. Popular theories are destroyed, characters killed, and the tone takes a very sharp turn. I appreciated some of the decisions that Johnson made, but I understand how jarring it is for diehard fans of The Force Awakens who did not expect such a shift. Before I go into detail, this review is full of SPOILERS. Since so much was hidden, it's impossible to talk about The Last Jedi without spoiling key details. So if you haven't seen the film, turn away. And if you don't want to read every plot point or character that I am analyzing, you can scroll through. I am going to try to analyze this film at every level.

Contents:
The Island
Admiral Haldo
The Resistance Conflict
Finn & Rose
General Leia
Yin and Yang
Kylo Ren
Snoke
Rey's Parents
Luke
Convenience
Looking Back & Going Forward

The Island

I expected Rey's training to be the most interesting part of the film. I was disappointed to find that Rey's time on the island with Luke was mostly useless filler. Luke (more on him later) was not the grizzled veteran I expected, nor did he have any internal light and dark conflict. He was the same boring Luke from the original trilogy, just slightly more tired. He didn't really train Rey at all. She guided herself while on the island, and then left when the two found themselves at odds. If she had never landed on the island, the movie would be no different. Luke's stunt at the end (while awesome) had nothing to do with where the plot ended up. The fish nuns were weird and never funny. I loved the porgs, but I was manipulated to love them. It's a blatant attempt to sell toys. I've already bought one, so I guess the joke is on me. The sea monster milk scene was reminiscent of some of the worst moments in Star Wars, and the "dark side cave" was a blatant copy of the same cave from The Empire Strikes Back. My feelings about most of The Last Jedi can be summed up in the scene where Rey sees multiple "copies" of herself in the dark cave. It's visually stunning, but is it necessary?

Admiral Haldo

Hands-down, the best scene was when Haldo drove the ship through Snoke's at light speed. The startling beauty of the seconds-long clip, in silence and shown from every angle, drew gasps from the crowd. For a diehard Star Wars fan, it marked something never seen before. A maneuver I would never imagined possible. Haldo was a complex character and proves that this new trilogy is moving forward in its complexity. As an audience, we instinctively hated her because she was taking the reigns from an unconscious Leia, and bossing around Poe. What a surprise, to realize she was right and our hero was wrong. We had been led astray, and our intense fandom taken advantage of. And lastly, as far as acting goes, Laura Dern kills it. Very rarely does she turn in a mediocre performance, and this is another fine addition to her resume.

The Resistance Conflict

As much as I loved Haldo and Laura Dern's performance, I felt the conflict was very thin. Most of the issues revolved around miscommunications. Had Haldo communicated the plan to Poe (and there was no real reason to not simply tell him) he would not have acted irresponsibly and endangered everyone. Nobody was communicating and it seemed artificial, and created only to spark conflict. A script should be able to mold this to seem realistic, yet this was so painfully obvious. And the most idiotic of conflicts was the fuel problem. In a Star Wars film, the chief conflict is the Resistance's ship slowly outrunning the First Order as it runs out of gas. Think about that. Ships are running out of fuel and just barely out of reach of the enemy's fire. How exciting is that? I admire that the film is trying to be realistic here when it cannot be anywhere else, I find it hard to believe no one could come up with any better ideas. It is inorganic, boring, and forced. A failure if there ever was one.

Finn & Rose

Finn has zero redeeming qualities. He is the worst character in this new trilogy. He is a coward, and cares for no one but himself. The stormtrooper angle could be fascinating, but it seems as if this director just brushed that aside in favor of a convoluted plotline with Rose Tico. Kelly Marie Tran does a great job in the flat role, but she is unnecessary. At every moment of their adventure, I would have rather been watching what was happening with the Resistance. At the end of the day, their mission was useless. It felt like a complete waste of time in an overlong film. Their inclusion may only be for diversity, and I've said this before: Diversity simply for the sake of diversity misses the point.

General Leia

To see Carrie Fisher a year after her death is remarkable. To be able to forget that she died (sans the first scene) is a true testament to her ability. After all these years, she still is Princess, or rather General Leia. If I were to only critique Fisher's performance, I would have nothing but positive remarks. However, the scene of her flying Mary Poppins-style is ridiculous. The entire theater laughed at it, and it was supposedly serious in tone. It looked cheap and the idea is just dumb. I have waited years to see Leia finally use the Force, and to see it like this was heartbreaking, bizarre, and stupid. It's not Fisher's fault, but rather director-writer Rian Johnson, for writing such a ridiculous scene.

Yin and Yang

So far, it may seem like I hate The Last Jedi. Here is something that I love. Rey and Kylo Ren have been painted as a Yin and Yang of the Force, and I think the idea is absolutely fascinating. When Ben came into this world, there was this inherent darkness about him. Luke sensed it, as did Snoke. I love the idea that Rey was the Force's "answer" to Ben. I enjoy that both contain such raw ability, possibly more than any Jedi or Sith before. Rey is light, and represents inherent good. Yet as demonstrated in her training, she willingly enters the dark cave, and is guilty of giving in to temptation. She is Yang, further proven by the piece of darkness inside her. In contrast, Ben is evil. I watched as the movie tried to convince me of a struggle within him, but reveled in his descent into pure hatred by the film's end. He is the villain, even if there is a little bit of light inside him. I think Johnson's portrayal of Rey and Ben as characters not always at odds is interesting. Sometimes they are working together, (that scene in Snoke's throne room was cinematic perfection) but at other times they are fighting. Much like Yin and Yang, they are involved in a constant struggle. It will be interesting to see where they land by the trilogy's close. Even I haven't the slightest idea.

Kylo Ren

One of my biggest complaints regarding The Force Awakens was Kylo Ren. I felt that he was a whiny villain, did not move the plot forward, and was an extremely uninteresting character. The fact that he killed Han Solo so quickly also left a bad taste in my mouth. It just felt rushed. I was told by many that they were "setting him up". I am shocked to admit that this is the truth. I don't retract my opinions on The Force Awakens (he should have been set up better) but Kylo Ren may now be my favorite character. Adam Driver perfectly demonstrated the conflict within Ben. It was evident in his eyes, his face, and his body language. The easy way out would be to snuff out the conflict within him and choose the light, and the film would have followed the tropes of many before it. I was pleasantly surprised that Ben chose darkness, and completely submitted to his tendencies rather than his benevolent urges. The light still remains, but he became a true force to be reckoned with in the movie's final act. Maybe it was the mask that held me back, but I'm fully in support of Kylo Ren going forward.

Snoke

I have extremely mixed feelings about how Snoke was handled in this film. And by mixed, I mean that I love and hate different aspects of his appearance. I will never criticize Andy Serkis' acting ability, for he will likely never turn in a bad motion-capture performance. Snoke was a mysterious character in The Force Awakens. J.J. Abrams is perfect at teasing the audience, and Snoke was a big question mark that I sought the answer to. It's clear that his demise was a huge twist and a beautifully filmed action sequence. I was excited at the spectacle and the adrenaline was pumping. But Snoke was set up as a huge mystery by Abrams in the previous film. If the questions posed by Abrams were not to be answered, let them at least be set aside for the third film. For the series to just throw him away after maybe a half hour of screentime is careless to say the least. He was the main antagonizing force. I suppose it paves the way for Kylo Ren's ascension, but it all feels sloppily executed. His identity was never revealed, his powers never really demonstrated. In all honesty, he was a useless character with no payoff. Abrams built him up, and I do not fault him. I believe that he expected Snoke to be a big character. It's the director of The Last Jedi who sloppily tore down what he built.

Rey's Parents

Aside from Snoke, the other open-ended buildup that director Rian Johnson destroyed was Rey's parents. I actually enjoy this reveal, for it proves that a powerful Jedi need not be a Skywalker or Solo. The fact that the entire source of drama in the galaxy is from one family is a little unrealistic, and simple Rey is a welcome addition. That being said, it is again sloppy continuity to have a plot point that was as important as Rey's parents (re-watch The Force Awakens and they definitely hint that her origins are important) and just squash it in a blunt reveal. "You always knew it", Kylo Ren says. When? When has this ever been evidenced, other than a way to soften the twist's blow. While I personally enjoy the idea, I understand how fans feel betrayed by how seemingly abrupt this new development is, and how it slights them.

Luke Skywalker

Mark Hamill told Rian Johnson that he fundamentally disagreed with everything Luke is in The Last Jedi. I agree, this is not the direction Luke was going in. If Luke was dark and brooding he would be a fascinating character. Instead we have the same boring Luke as in the original films. Even with his boring features, Mark Hamill turns in a great performance, specifically towards the end. He isn't a deeply developed character, nor does he have the spark that Hamill brings to his voice acting. But I did enjoy the journey we took with Luke, and his trick at the end was pure brilliance. That scene, and the epic shoulder-brush, was the only glimpse of the Luke that I know. I saw the reveal coming a mile away, but was astounded nonetheless. Then he kind of evaporated into the atmosphere, which I don't quite understand. That plot point is a little vague as well, and probably could have used more attention.

Convenience

Some of the biggest praises I can give The Last Jedi lie in its willingness to break conventionality. You may note that I criticized Snoke's twist, but that is because it is poorly written. Rey's twist breaks convention in that not everyone needs to be related. Many other things surprised me. When Finn and Rose are on their mission, the convenient code breaker ends up turning against them. Not everything goes the way they planned, for possibly the first time in any Star Wars film in history. As previously mentioned, the new authority figure (Haldo) does not end up being a flat antagonist. Finn was about to destroy the weapon, and he failed. I appreciated the willingness to break from expectation. There were multiple moments in which I was genuinely shocked and surprised.

Looking Back & Going Forward

Overall, I had a great time at The Last Jedi. It's a very polarizing film, and justly so. I think the only person who could walk away from this loving every single second is someone who went in knowing that they would like it. Star Wars is very near and dear to my heart. Certain liberties were taken that I appreciated, yet others were unnecessary and hurt the franchise. I'm certain that changes need to be made in the next installment. Star Wars in this twenty-first century thrives on its ability to harken back to the past while paving forward new paths. This film sacrificed nostalgia and character development in favor of edgy decisions. While characters like Kylo Ren went in some interesting directions, many of the others fell victim to missed opportunities. Snoke and Captain Phasma both died without every becoming necessary. The Last Jedi is a good movie. At times, it's even a great movie. But the large public outcry is warranted. The good outweighs the bad, but it's still a deeply flawed film.

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