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stuffp
Keeping it Light
Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2015 8:06 am Posts: 11204 Location: Bright Falls
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The Shape of Water
Quote: The Shape of Water is a 2017 American dark fantasy drama film directed by Guillermo del Toro and written by del Toro and Vanessa Taylor. The film stars Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Octavia Spencer, and follows a mute custodian at a high-security government laboratory who befriends a captured sea creature in 1961 Baltimore.
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Wed Dec 13, 2017 12:57 am |
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tree and a half
Cream of the Crop
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 11:38 am Posts: 2084
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Re: The Shape of Water
The Shape of Water is an old-fashioned romance in a retro cold war setting with sci-fi/monster movie stylings. Sally Hawkins is perfectly cast to play the lead mute, while Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer, and Michael Shannon provide excellent support. However, the real star is writer-director Guillermo del Toro who has outdone himself with this original creation. *A+*
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Wed Dec 13, 2017 12:59 am |
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thompsoncory
Rachel McAdams Fan
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:13 am Posts: 14544 Location: LA / NYC
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Re: The Shape of Water
This is 90% an amazing, memorable ride. It harkens back to E.T. at many junctures and is gorgeous to look at. The escape sequence was fantastic and the entire cast was excellent. Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon and Octavia Spencer were particularly brilliant. The relationship turning physically romantic didn't work for me at all though - it was dumb and took away from the movie's other strong points. Still though, one of the more memorable movies of this year. A-
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Wed Dec 13, 2017 4:41 pm |
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Riggs
We had our time together
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 4:36 am Posts: 13270 Location: Vienna
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Re: The Shape of Water
It's okay. A nice movie to watch on a rainy sunday afternoon, but not deserving of the high praise it's getting.
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Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:36 am |
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imtim83
The Dark Knight
Joined: Mon Dec 27, 2004 5:55 pm Posts: 780
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Re: The Shape of Water
Riggs wrote: It's okay. A nice movie to watch on a rainy sunday afternoon, but not deserving of the high praise it's getting. I agree with this as well! I rather watch Heartstone!
_________________ Trust No One
Always be proactive
Animals are gods
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Mon Dec 18, 2017 3:42 am |
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David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
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Re: The Shape of Water
Sadly, I am in the minority and was not particularly enchanted by this film. Yes, there is a fair amount to admire in it. The Gothic-nostalgic aesthetic is as impeccable and sumptuous as one would expect from a Guillermo del Toro genre film, and the cast is strong: Sally Hawkins conveys a great deal of contemplation and emotion without using her voice, Richard Jenkins has a hard-to-resist grandfatherly shimmer, few actors play more enigmatic and menacing antagonists than Michael Shannon, etc. But despite these qualities, I never found The Shape of Water particularly involving. It so badly hopes its mute-girl-meets-merman love story will register as a beautiful, devastating story of redemptive connection amid outcasts. But to me it feels as if they fall in love because the script demands it, and there is a certain...transgressive, wait-what? component to their interspecies coupling the film too easily sidesteps. It is also overlong; any scene, for example, involving Soviet espionage is an extraneous tough sit.
C+
_________________1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
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Tue Dec 19, 2017 12:34 am |
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nghtvsn
Extraordinary
Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2005 7:13 pm Posts: 11015 Location: Warren Theatre Oklahoma
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Re: The Shape of Water
Finally here along with Darkest Hour so I can't wait to check them both out this weekend.
_________________ 2009 World of KJ Fantasy Football World Champion Team MVP : Peyton Manning : Record 11-5 : Points 2669.00 [b]FREE KORRGAN 45TH PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.A. DONALD J. TRUMP #MAGA #KAG! 10,000 post achieved on - Posted: Wed May 16, 2018 7:49 pm
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Thu Dec 21, 2017 8:15 am |
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Flava'd vs The World
The Kramer
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:36 am Posts: 23781 Location: Classified
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Re: The Shape of Water
The Shape of Water is great for the first two thirds. The craft is up to Del Toro’s usual excellence. And the man has few equals when it comes to world building. The escape scene is full of tension because of everything that leads up to it. It just keeps going for another act after that with little happening. The characters are waiting for a deadline and we are waiting along with them.
I think this structural issue could have been resolved with a few different decisions. The love turning from symbollic to physical is interesting and all, but you gotta somebody else something to do. So why not develop Michael Shannon a little more. Making him fully evil right away gives the character nowhere go to. “Is that common with your people? Where’s my taser?” Yes humans are the real monsters, but why? His real life seems perfectly fine. Perhaps seeing a girl he likes fall in love with what he perceives as a monster instead of him transitions him from government asshole to unredeemable asshole. Or you could just put the escape at the end instead of the middle.
The film is frustrating, but I’d say it’s still more enjoyable than frustrating.
Rankings:
1. Pan’s Labyrinth
2. Hellboy 2 3. Crimson Peak 4. The Shape of Water 5. Cronos 6. Hellboy
7. Pacific Rim
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Mon Dec 25, 2017 6:12 pm |
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nghtvsn
Extraordinary
Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2005 7:13 pm Posts: 11015 Location: Warren Theatre Oklahoma
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Re: The Shape of Water
THE SHAPE OF WATER
I found this film very interesting to watch and story was good. I liked how Sallie Hawkins character was mute and the interaction with the creature. I also thought the creature design was cool. The musical selections were very international and old school which I enjoyed. Kind of want to browse that soundtrack. I thought the cast was all very good in their roles. I can't say I agree with the attention Octavia is getting for this film. Her role could have been done by any female of color if that's what they were going for. I really did like the overall cast performances. My favorite moment in the film was her signing the swear word and I was surprised at the nudity and the maybe unnecessary need to show her in the bath tub a couple times.
Grade - A
_________________ 2009 World of KJ Fantasy Football World Champion Team MVP : Peyton Manning : Record 11-5 : Points 2669.00 [b]FREE KORRGAN 45TH PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.A. DONALD J. TRUMP #MAGA #KAG! 10,000 post achieved on - Posted: Wed May 16, 2018 7:49 pm
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Wed Dec 27, 2017 9:26 am |
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publicenemy#1
Extraordinary
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 12:25 am Posts: 18878 Location: San Diego
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Re: The Shape of Water
I thought it was very good, although I wouldn't put it among the best of the year. Performances all around were great (Hawkins is fantastic, as is Jenkins) and the film looks terrific. The main 'love story' doesn't quite work as well as it could've, but it's for the most part charming.
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Mon Jan 01, 2018 2:05 am |
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Dil
Forum General
Joined: Wed Oct 28, 2009 9:48 pm Posts: 8942 Location: Houston, Texas
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Re: The Shape of Water
A solid film, but I'm very surprised by how much my thoughts actually line up with David's. I'd rate it a bit higher, however I'm not going to lie that this was somewhat of a disappointment for me honestly. I mean you can tell Del Toro is a huge fan of classic cinema and the romance itself is very old-fashioned which is refreshing and the movie definitely has quite a bit of heart and charm, but man does the script have problems. I'd even go as far as to say that when it comes down to the writing it is downright awful at times, especially with Michael Shannon's character who is just cartoonishly evil as hell which is a shame, because his performance is on point, but he is bogged down by a lot of bad material IMO. Also, as far as the romance goes I have to agree with those who say its not very emotionally involving or effective.
Sally Hawkins is great and I liked all her interactions with Doug Jones, but I never truly understood why she fell in love with him so fast or felt that their love was genuine even when it turned physical which was kind of weird. I didn't care for the Russian spy subplot either, but Richard Jenkins was great and I enjoyed what they did with his character by the end. Octavia Spencer was good too, but I found it amusing how her character seemed to come straight out of a 70's black sitcom.
B
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Tue Jan 09, 2018 2:42 am |
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David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
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Re: The Shape of Water
I understand her sympathy for the creature, but the love (in a classic, sweeping ROMANTIC sense) rang false for me. She seems curiously unperturbed by the fact he is still...to be blunt, rather scary and bites people's fingers, etc. "Oh, but wait, he enjoys eggs, so let's go steady."
Maybe it would fly if the film were more perverse in a David Cronenberg-type way and truly explored this idea of a human woman and a sea creature lusting for one another, but it just tries to be whimsical and cute.
_________________1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
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Tue Jan 09, 2018 12:27 pm |
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Jack Sparrow
KJ's Leading Idiot
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:15 pm Posts: 36923
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Re: The Shape of Water
Its entertaining to watch and I was never bored but I agree that I couldn't connect emotionally with the love story which took away a lot of fun and yes the physical stuffs didn't work here moreso because the love/story didn't demand it. Sally Hawkins is particularly great in this and I hope she is the frontrunner at Oscars and hopefully wins it this time. Jenkins, Spencer and Spencer were all great here. The movie is visually impressive and the world building is great thanks to Del Toro.
7/10
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Thu Jan 11, 2018 3:36 pm |
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Steve
Indiana Jones IV
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 12:09 pm Posts: 1796
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Re: The Shape of Water
I guess I'll echo a lot of the sentiment here. I wanted to like this, I love the idea of it, but the execution left a lot to be desired.
The acting, production design, music, cinematography, were all great. But for a 'whimsical fantasy romance,' it left me rather cold. Their relationship went from zero to 100 with very little development. In fact the creature felt like a non-entity in the film, more like a symbolic placeholder for the director's message. And a lot of the thematic exposition felt overly obvious. Average script, above average direction.
B
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Mon Feb 19, 2018 12:42 pm |
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Shack
Devil's Advocate
Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:30 am Posts: 38006
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Re: The Shape of Water
Well my expectations were a little bit lower because of this forum's muted reaction to this, but I found this to be a pretty epic romance film, and I wouldn't have a problem at all with it picking up Best Picture. Definitely the best Del Toro I've seen - this direction is wondrous! Not just about the monsters but things like the rain, movie theatre, neon signs, etc. are used so well. Hawkins is phenomenal and credit to Richard Jenkins for playing his painful lonely man part so well. There is little details in this that add depth to the screenplay in his scenes such as only recognizing his eyes in the mirror. The film is about communication, isolation, repression. This is even true in Shannon's part - he's not just there to be a one note evil guy, but for example reading the self help book shows there's some sort of self loathing, hating his own body human with hope in there. Eliza communicates much better with people than he does, and his laughably detached sex scene is in contrast to hers.
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Mon Feb 26, 2018 12:16 am |
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Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm Posts: 67043
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The Shape of Water
So I thought I'd see the Best Picture winner. Gotta say I enjoyed it. The rescue and the romance between Eliza and "the asset" (or the creature from the black lagoon) also has that quality to be subdued while the better characters (Shannon, Wilson) entertain. Both gave terrific performances, and the film is not a bore by any means, and it's violent and has sex/nudity. I was so surprised how risque it was. It also has some beautifully cinematic shots. All you can do is applaud. The romance of it all, and the film in general doesn't move or excite, but it is beautiful to look at and the story is interesting enough. And the effects are good. Not some computer game fake crap.
Seeing it after it won Best Picture, it is easier to see why it was loved so much by the academy. Not my favourite of the year, but still pretty good. Glad I checked this out.
B+
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Mon Mar 05, 2018 12:16 pm |
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Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm Posts: 67043
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Re: The Shape of Water
Sally Hawkins has a tremendous bum.
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Tue Mar 06, 2018 7:08 am |
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Flava'd vs The World
The Kramer
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:36 am Posts: 23781 Location: Classified
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Re: The Shape of Water
Yeah its a B+, which is fine, but frustrating when there is an A+ option availlable.
Like every BP winner this decade, Shape of Water will be forgotten by the time next years’ crop of inportant movies roll around.
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Tue Mar 06, 2018 12:03 pm |
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