The Shape of Water Review

     Every year there tends to be one film that has so much creativity and imagination to it that it will end up being inspiring to film lovers everywhere. A film comes out that’s incredibly original and refreshing but also treads on familiar grounds ever so slightly that it doesn’t feel foreign but instead feels both nostalgic and new at the same time. The Shape of Water is one of those movies, as it’s one of the most inventive and refreshing films to come out in the past year along with being a masterwork of film making.

     The film is about a mute woman named Elisa Esposito who feels unfulfilled in her life because she can’t do as much as the average person. Things take a turn as the facility she is working at ends up holding a strange humanoid fish creature in their building and she ends starting to build a relationship with this creature and thus a possible romance ensues. The story is a similar Beauty and the Beast type tale where a person falls in love with something that’s not human, but what separates this film from other stories of this sort is how subtle and down to earth it is. The film really takes its time to show this relationship and for something as outlandish as a woman falling in love with a fish man, it becomes one of the most romantic things seen all year. It also helps that The Shape of Water truly understand how this relationship affects these characters, showcase their insecurities but also help them grow as characters and all of this is accomplished through some very subtle writing, one moment in particular including Richard Jenkin’s character, that just might be one of the most subtle character realization ever put into a movie all year. It doesn’t spoon feed the audience anything or explain things to excruciating detail, it tells the story and let it unfolds so the audience can witness it on screen and because of that, it becomes one of the most investing movies all year.

     As mentioned earlier, the film has some excellent character moments and that is due to the fact the characters in this film are completely well realized and portrayed through some incredible acting. Sally Hawkins is amazing as Elisa, she may barely have anything to say but through her expressive body and facial language, she gives one of the most believable and likable performances of this year. Her character also benefits from being very sympathetic as she’s seen as an outsider and without saying a word; the film portrays this in a very relatable way, letting the audience witness all of her daily routines and her desire for more in her life. Elisa Esposito is one of the most well rounded characters in a movie in quite some time, and it’s the writing and performance of this original character that makes her such a unique and fascinating lead to watch. The rest of the cast also hold very well on their own, Richard Jenkins in particular might be one of the most subtle performance seen in this year. His character maybe more of a regular person than Elisa at first, but as the film progress and as mentioned through subtle ways, the film gives a great indication that he is no different to having this feeling of isolation from society as Elisa is. Jenkins plays this role flawlessly and with the help of some very subtle writing, makes this character just as engaging as the lead. Octavia Spencer does a great job providing the comedic relief and Doug Jones gives a very unique performance as the creature himself. The only possible downside to the acting is Michael Shannon as the film’s antagonist. Shannon does a great job with the material he is given, however out of all the characters in the film, he is the most over the top in the film, and while doesn’t diminish the quality of the film at all, there are moments were his performance can come across as a bit cartoonish. Other than that, the performance and character writing absolutely excels The Shape of Water as one of the best films of the year.

     The over-all writing and characters is fantastic but one could not ignore the beauty that is the Shape of Water on an aesthetic level. As to be expected with a Guillermo Del Toro film, the production design and special effects are all incredible to look at. The film gives a very classic Hollywood look and Del Toro’s direction pulls this off flawlessly. And also like Del Toro’s other work, the make-up effects are also incredible, making the main fish creature in the film look so realistic and believable to the world this film was in. The creature itself is a perfect combination of CGI and practical effects, making this one of the most visually appealing movie monsters in a while, especially considering that it’s not all CG like most creatures tend to be now a days in film. However, the beauty of this film doesn’t stop from the production and creature design, but also the cinematography and editing. The Shape of Water might be the best edited movie of this entire year alongside Baby Driver as every single transition from scene to scene is flawlessly executed and flows incredibly well to this stylized tale. As with the cinematography, every single shot in the film is done with such great care put into, it’s hard not to marvel at this film’s camera work. It might also have one of the absolute best ending shots of this entire year, summing up the film’s ending perfectly. Shape of Water excels not just a story film, but also as a visual marvel from beginning to end.

     Guillermo Del Toro not only made one of the very best films of 2017, but possibly the best film of his entire career. The Shape of Water is a masterpiece of art, that has everything a great film has to offer, an engaging story, complex and lovable characters, and visually flawless in execution. It’s one of the most original films to come out in a long time and it’s a movie that deserves to exist for everyone to see. It’s a work of art and quite frankly, there should be more movies like this, as it’s subtly and imagination is what all films should strive to be. Here’s hoping that Del Toro will continue to create original masterpieces like this.

Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi Review

     

     There is no denying that there has been no franchise that has such an impact on pop-culture as Star Wars. It transcends from more than just a phenomenon for some people but becomes life to them, which makes sense as to why whenever there is another Star Wars movie out, the opinions range drastically from love to hate. However that wide range of emotions will continue with the release of Star Wars Episode VIII The Last Jedi. For justifiable reasons, The Last Jedi is easily one of the most mixed films of all time, especially for being a Star Wars movie.

    

     The Last Jedi does take place shortly after the Force Awakens with Rey needing to be trained by Luke Skywalker, that’s the basics of it, however since Star Wars spoilers have been the most controversial ones in existence, it’s fair not to reveal too much regarding the film’s plot outside of the basics. Although one of the main reasons why the film can be perceived as a mixed bag is partially because of the first half of The Last Jedi, which is an honestly rough act to sit through. It does have some moments of entraining spectacle with some of the action sequences and some decent character moment here and there, but it suffers from a lot of what modern summer blockbusters try to do. The first half of the film deals with numerous attempts at humor and very little of them felt genuinely funny and felt more like Star Wars is trying to be a Marvel movie. It makes sense that Star Wars has to have some levity, but the writing for the humor isn’t strong enough and it also goes way over the top at points which feels completely out of place for a film that is supposed to be the dark continuation of the franchise. Even outside of the humor, the film just likes to go to different subplots that aren’t that engaging. While there are some incredibly neat set designs in comparison to the Force Awakens and the characters still manage to be likable enough, some of these subplots feel more like filler and do not add as much to the story for as long as the audience spends time in these areas. Not to mention, the first act does have a moment that could have had potential to be one of the most emotional and bold moments in the entire saga, except it ends up becoming one of the most ridiculous decisions made in a Star Wars movie, making it possibly the biggest Deus Ex Machina moment of the franchise, it’s so laughably bad, that it’s hard to take seriously. The film is honestly weakened by so much of this first act being a downright disappointment and uneven mess.

     

     Considering that the Last Jedi’s first act is an uneven mess, one would think that this is one of the worst Star Wars movies, even though truth is told; it surprisingly becomes one of the best. The second half of The Last Jedi improves drastically in comparison to the rough first half of the movie. Even though there are still some questionable and shocking decisions that happen in the second half of The Last Jedi, the first takes a much needed shift in tone becoming a much more epic and dark movie than the first half was leading on. Everything from the action sequences, the character depth and just some outstanding moments that give the universe of Star Wars so much more meaning is everything a fan would want in a Star Wars film. It’s hard to really say what makes these sequences so good without spoiling it, but it can be said that if there is anything that makes this movie it’s the characters. Everyone manages to be likable in their own right; however it’s Rey, Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren that end up making this an amazing Star Wars movie. Rey and Kylo are some of most intriguing and well developed Star Wars characters the franchise has ever offered with some unique plot twists between these characters. There are very few moments where Rey and Kylo Ren are not interesting as their story is compelling throughout the entire film, even during its rough first act.  It is also amazing to see Mark Hamill in the iconic role of Luke and although his character is unexpectedly different compared to how fans were initially expected to see him, however Hamill’s performance and the over-all depth to the character makes him an overall joy to see return.

     Outside of the tone, moments and characters, there’s a little more to The Last Jedi than just these elements that make or break certain parts of this movie. For being a big budget blockbuster, the effects are expected to be overall stellar and for the most part they are. The designs and animation whether it be practical or CGI look very well intrigued into the Star Wars universe and it still makes the world feel very real. Outside of some questionable green screen at some points, the film has some pretty good effects, but what’s even more impressive visually is the cinematography. There are numerous shots in The Last Jedi that look outstanding, having excellent use of color and angles, making the film’s visual flare all the more impressive. As a whole the world of Star Wars despite some flaws with its visual aesthetic still feels real and it’s excellent to see this world expanded upon in this new series of films.

     Star Wars Episode VIII The Last Jedi is the pure definition of a mixed bag. It’s a film with as much bad as there is good but ultimately it is entertaining and compelling enough to be an over-all good time. It is far from the next Empire Strikes Back for sure as it’s not a flawless movie and it really could have benefitted from a better put together first half, but when the Last Jedi gets good, it becomes on the level of quality as Empire was. It may be a bit of a mess at certain points, but when it’s cleaned up, it becomes an incredibly satisfying experience to sit through. 

The Disaster Artist Review

     The idea of the best of the worst can be associated with numerous films. Most of them ranging from 60s-70s B Movies from the likes seen on Mystery Science Theater or incredibly dramatic films that are executed in an unintentionally hilarious way, and then there’s The Room. A film so infamous in quality that it has gained a huge cult following and many are fascinated by the fact that a movie with such an enigma of a person like Tommy Wiseau exists. There comes many questions to this type of film and director James Franco attempted to answer those questions through film with The Disaster Artist. Luckily, although not the masterpiece it could have been, James Franco gave an admirable attempt to tell the insanity that was the making of The Room.

     It should be mentioned that the Disaster Artist is based on the book of the same name written by Greg Sestero, one of the major stars of The Room. The film follows in his first steps having the story be told through his point of view and his interpretation of Tommy Wiseau, showcasing everything from how they met, some of their life choices and of course, making the classic known as The Room. The film falters slightly in a sense where unlike other biopic about certain directors like Tim Burton’s own Ed Wood, there isn’t a real sense of vision to make this film stand out from other true story type movies from a stylistic perspective. The cinematography, music choices, and editing are all serviceable for this type of film, however nothing truly stands out, it all seems rather standard for a directorial standpoint. It could have benefited from more of an interesting stylistic flare, making the film stand out in the same way other movies do based on actual events or people. Although, while the directing doesn’t feel like the best at point, the film completely makes up for it at certain points, mainly within the moments were the making of the Room is happening and with the story and themes itself. The highlights of the film are when the audience is seeing Tommy Wiseau’s directing the Room, it feels incredibly authentic to the how it went down, and although there are some key moments that aren’t shown during the making of the Room that the original book of the Disaster Artist went into more detailed about It, seeing the whole process ends up being both frustrating and hilarious. Not to mention, it gives also a good theme of filmmaking during these scenes with although film can be in charged through one vision, there needs to be a collaborative process in film making, otherwise ego gets in the way and a film’s quality can be utterly butchered. It’s a great cautionary tale of what can go wrong, but also with the help of some other elements, it ends up becoming much more than just that.

    

     For a film being the making of another film with some of the most surrealist acting of all time, it’s fair to expect that the actors in this film could retain that feeling of confusion and luckily the cast serves very well for The Disaster Artist. Most of the cast just consists of relatively big names like Seth Rogen and Allison Brie having very minor roles, but the roles suit them very well, Seth Rogen in particular being a good voice of commentary about the making of such an insane film. Though the film mostly centers around two actors, the first being Dave Franco as Greg Sestero. The character of Greg Sestero in this film is very like, pretty chill and grows throughout the entire film, and it’s fascinating to see especially when this film is mostly from his perspective. Dave Franco portrays this performance adequately well, however near the beginning it felt like this portrayal could have had more of a personality to him and been the more laid back Greg we know in real life. Luckily though his performance does get better as the film goes on, with the only real issue is that Dave Franco looks a bit too young to be playing this character. Dave looks like he can be in his early twenties where even in 2003; Greg looks like he could be in his late twenties. As good as the actors are in this film, none can match the true star of this movie with James Franco. Considering how magical of a person Tommy Wiseau is, it’s a hard accomplishment for any actor; no matter how good he is to recreate the majesty that is Tommy Wiseau; however James Franco does it near perfectly. All of his mannerisms, voice inflictions and even look match Tommy Wiseau in a near perfect manner. The entire movie you believe you’re not watching James Franco but instead Tommy Wiseau himself, and at some points the resemblance between Franco as Wiseau and Wiseau himself is uncanny. Not only does Franco understand Wiseau from a performance standpoint, but he also understands him on a personal level. Even with all the wackiness that this person causes and acts like, the end of the day, Wiseau is still human, with passions and dreams like anyone else. Franco does an outstanding portraying Wiseau even for as unsympathetic and alien he is at some points as someone who never gave up and even with the outcome of the Room being what it is, it’s still an accomplishment that it was made at all. The theme gives the film a much more personal feel and makes the Disaster Artist go from a relatively funny making of the Room movie, to something a little more in-depth, and if it wasn’t for Franco’s love and understanding of Tommy Wiseau, the film probably would not have been as strong.

    The Disaster Artist is far from the Oscar winner masterpiece that some are claiming it’ll be, however with so much passion into the film’s theme and over-all authenticity to a story like this, it serves as an very good love letter to cinema, The Room and having passions in general. It does have those particular details that could have made it a masterpiece, but the love of this film still shines through Franco’s direction and performance enough to make it one of the most entertaining films of this year.