Drama

• Title: The Shape of Water
• IMDb: link

Guillermo del Toro puts his own spin on the Beauty and the Beast tale in The Shape of Water which stars Sally Hawkins as a mute janitor at the the Occam Aerospace Research Center who discovers just what the scientists and military men are studying. Doug Jones, who worked with del Toro before in the Hellboy films and Pan’s Labyrinth, is transformed by practical and CGI effects into a creature who is part Abe Sapien and part the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Never given a name, nor able to speak (just like the woman who falls for him), the design of “the asset” is terrific.

The story is pretty standard. Girl meets boy from the wrong side of the tracks, they fall in love, and all hell breaks loose. The talent both in front and behind the camera elevates the words on the printed page into a magical fairy tale which is joyful to watch. The setting of the 1960s, Elisa’s (Hawkins) inability to speak, Richard Jenkins as her confidant, and Michael Shannon as the brutal colonel in control of the experiment, all add interesting pieces to the puzzle making The Shape of Water more than the sum of its parts. Supporting performances from Octavia Spencer, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Lauren Lee Smith all bring something to add and help flesh out the world.

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Beauty and the Creature from the Black LagoonRead More »

• Title: Phantom Thread
• IMDb: link

In a career that spans more than 35 years Daniel Day-Lewis has raised the bar for actors. While his role as dress designer Reynolds Woodcock may not be his most notable, Daniel Day-Lewis does not disappoint in what he has stated will be his final on-screen performance. Teaming up once again with writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson, the pair worked together previously on There Will Be Blood, the actor is terrific in the offbeat drama which I’ll admit I would like more if it didn’t save its best moments (at least plot-wise) for the finale.

Both Vicky Krieps, as the latest in a string of women Woodcock has brought into his life, and Lesley Manville, as Woodcock’s overbearing and controlling sister, raise their games here. In terms of acting, everything about Phantom Thread is first-rate. Where Anderson gets into some trouble is at the script level where the story meanders a bit with the ups-and-downs of Alma’s (Krieps) role within the household and Woodcock’s hot-and-cold reactions towards her. The slow pace is punctuated by some terrific moments (such as the ultra-sensitive dress maker’s overreaction to his Alma’s table manners), but the elaborate period drama certainly takes its time to get to the point.

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Phantom ThreadRead More »