The Shape of Water

1/25/2018

Not just a love letter to the Creature from the Black Lagoon, but to cinema itself. Del Toro's _The Shape of Water_ is the "Who is the real monster?" question taken to the nth degree, with some some fascinating side-concepts that are explored just enough to be worthwhile. At the end of the day _The Shape of Water_, at its most stripped back, is a movie about fucking a fish. But it's the kind of movie about fucking a fish that should also probably win the Academy Award for Best Picture. _Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time._

4/7/2018

GDT's first truly great flick. The R-Rated Family Movie schtick always came off as silly or had a story too dull to carry its own weight. Characters and morality are two dimensional; the world functions via cartoon logic. But the love story here is precious. Could be argued it's an apologist film for zoophilia, considering the amphibian shows little intelligence beyond that of a dog.

12/23/2018

Bend me, shape me, anyway you want me! Guillermo del Toro directs and co-writes with Vanessa Taylor what would turn out to be the Best Picture Academy Award Winner for 2017. A much loved film that's not without dissention in certain quarters, it's a picture that warrants dissention but it should be noted that just because someone doesn't like it, that doesn't make it a bad film. I'm certainly in the camp that finds it over praised, even annoyingly disappointing, whilst appreciating many of the facets within its production. Story in simple terms is a Beauty and the Beast like fable where Sally Hawkins' mute cleaning lady Elisa Esposito falls in love with a captured Amphibian Man. Amphibian Man is known by the government types as The Asset, and as the Cold War rises and 60s paranoia ta

11/20/2022

**It's a good movie, but not as good as I was expecting.** I don't know many Guillermo del Toro movies, but I imagined this movie to be a little similar to “Pan's Labyrinth”, a work that I really liked. So I sat down to watch it with some anticipation. When it ended, I didn't feel cheated, but I also don't think it's any better than that other Del Toro film, despite the greater media attention and professional criticism. It received four Oscars (Best Film, Best Director, Best Production Design and Best Soundtrack). The film begins by introducing us to Elisa, a mute cleaning lady who works in a high-security Army facility, where there are military laboratories and workshops, and where a marine creature caught in the Amazon River ends up being arrested. The creature quickly becomes clo

1/9/2023

Just finished watching this movie and despite the other critical reviews I enjoyed it! No I don't think it deserved the BP Oscar but it is the kind of movie that I will be watching again in time! David N.

1/14/2023

My girlfriend and I called it "the Fish F***er Movie" and that is really what it is...but it's also green, very, very green. Ever wondered how Abe from Hellboy had sex? Well this movie explains it. But honestly, it isn't bad. It's a total period piece. It's beautiful, I mean it is very beautiful, and it has a story. But, yeah, the thing about it is that it's beautiful AND has a story. The English Patient, Brokeback Mountain, they were just beautiful and beauty alone with no story behind it is boring. The Fisk F***** Movie had both. And, yeah, the story is something we are used to. It was the good, friendly monster that had to be rescued by the mean nasty government plot and, especially if you are a child of the 80s, it works. It's a plot that we've seen over and over again...on