Monthly Archives: February 2018

“If I told you about her, what would I say? That they lived happily ever after? I believe they did. That they were in love? That they remained in love? I’m sure that’s true. But when I think of her – of Elisa – the only thing that comes to mind is a poem, whispered by someone in love, hundreds of years ago: “Unable to perceive the shape of You, I find You all around me. Your presence fills my eyes with Your love, It humbles my heart, For You are everywhere.” Giles

The Shape of Water is a love story. It’s a darker version of Splash (1984). It’s a monster movie slash romantic thriller. Sound intriguing? It should. It is unlike any movie you will see. It reminded me, not only of Splash but also those wonderful French films, Delicatessen (1991) and City of Lost Children (1995), directed by Marc Caro and Jean-Pierret Jeunet.

It is light hearted and romantic while also being dark, edgy and gritty and a bit unsettling. It comes from the mind of Guillermo del Toro, a Mexican director with a love of ‘monsters’. He has a unique vision and his enthusiasm and love for cinema really shines here.

“The natives in the Amazon worshipped it. Like a god. We need to take it apart, learn how it works.” Colonel Strickland

Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is a sweet mute woman who works in a top-secret government facility during The Cold War. Colonel Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon) has captured a humanoid fish creature (Doug Jones) and has brought it to this facility for further investigation. The Americans want to vivisect it to see how it can be used in the ‘space race’. Dr. Robert Hofstetter (Michael Stuhlbarg) is against this and wants to keep it alive to study. Hofstetter is also a Russian asset and has been given orders to destroy the creature. Elisa, discovering the creature, strikes up an unusual relationship with it.

They both are outsiders that cannot communicate with others very well. They develop an affection for one another.Elisa decides to protect her friend and with the help of Hofstetter and her cleaning woman friend, Zelda (Octavia Spencer) they hide the creature at Elisa’s apartment. Her next door neighbor and father figure Giles (Richard Jenkins) helps her care for the creature. Of course, Strickland is in hot pursuit and the pressure builds to an exciting finish.

“When he looks at me, the way he looks at me… He does not know, what I lack… Or – how – I am incomplete. He sees me, for what I – am, as I am. He’s happy – to see me. Every time. Every day. Now, I can either save him… or let him die.” Giles [interpreting Elisa]

Elisa and The Creature of course, fall in love. This is bestiality some would say. Well, of course it is! What was Beauty and the Beast? The same type of relationship happens in Splash but in Splash the mermaid is only half fish and she could become full human on dry land for a period. This creature is full fish. It’s a little weird, I must admit, and here is where the dark bit comes in. But, it’s a movie, a fantasy. You either roll with it or not.

Sally Hawkins is great. She conveys an otherworldly quality that The Creature must sense. Michael Shannon plays creepy really well. He’s a great villain and you sense he is attracted to Elisa as well which adds a pinch of jealousy to his fervor. Michael Stuhlbarg seems to be in every Oscar nominated film this year! He’s one of the best character actors of our time. Richard Jenkins, another great character actor. You may not know his name but you know you’ve seen his face. I can remember him as Veronica Cartwright’s besieged husband in The Witches of Eastwick (1987). He was also the ghost father in Six Feet Under. He’s been great for years and he’s really wonderful here as Elisa’s gay bestie, netting his 2nd Oscar nomination. Octavia Spencer earns her third Oscar nomination for her work here. She just keeps getting better and better.

But this is Guillermo Del Toro’s show through and through. His vision and love of ‘monsters’ and movies is a contagious passion that leaps off the screen. It may be a little too dark and disturbing for some but if you are a little more open to the dark side of love you may find this to be a delightful journey to a new and never before seen world.

“It’s comforting to think the dead are watching over the living. I don’t find that spooky at all.” Reynolds Woodcock

I’ve been a Paul Thomas Anderson fan since I first saw Hard Eight (1996). Then, Boogie Nights (1997) came out and I thought it was simply amazing. Magnolia (1999) was his Robert Altman-esque masterpiece. Punch Drunk Love (2002) was his attempt at romantic comedy which showcased Adam Sandler in an eye-opening performance.

It was five years before his next movie, There Will be Blood (2007), came out. It marked a significant change in style and scope than his previous films. It was a dark film about men with dark souls. It was his first collaboration with Daniel Day Lewis and Johnny Greenwood. Greenwood’s score fit Anderson’s visuals beautifully and Day Lewis won another Oscar for his magnificent performance.

Anderson followed up with his meditation on Scientology, The Master (2012), featuring an Oscar nominated performance by his longtime friend and collaborator Phillip Seymour Hoffman. It would sadly, be their last film together. The Master was another character study like There Will be Blood and it was complicated and demanding but fascinating and mesmerizing. Anderson’s adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s novel Inherent Vice (2013) came next. It was a zany detective yarn set in 1970s Los Angeles. I considered this one his only miss so far.

I had seen a special screening of There Will Be Blood before it was released. Anderson and Day Lewis were there and spoke after the film. It was obvious that they liked each other and had enjoyed making the film. They had said they would like to work with each other again. When Day Lewis announced that he was retiring from acting it made sense that his last film would be with Anderson.  Phantom Thread, like There Will Be Blood and The Master, are character studies but it has a very different tone and style than those films. It is lush and graceful and delicate. It is a love story. A very different kind of love story.

“Marriage would make me deceitful and I don’t ever want that.” Reynolds

Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day Lewis) is a celebrated fashion designer. He lives in a large, multi-floored house with his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) and a team of women who sew together his beautiful creations. He is very fastidious and sticks to his routine religiously which lives little room for anyone to take up time and space in his life. His current ‘girlfriend’ seems to have disappeared from his life while still being around. Cyril asks if she should ask her to leave.

“She’s getting fat sitting around waiting for you to fall in love with her again.” Cyril

Reynolds just nods his head in the affirmative. He heads out that evening for the country and at a small restaurant he meets Alma (Vicky Krieps), flirts with her over ordering his breakfast and takes her to dinner that night. She accompanies him back to his fashion lair and becomes his muse, his model, his assistant and perhaps his girlfriend? Sometimes lover? Alma is different from the others.  She will not just disappear. She wants to be an active part of his life and soon his routine is being disturbed.

“I cannot start my day with a confrontation. I simply have no time for confrontations.”” Reynolds

She brings him tea while he is working and Reynolds flips out and demands she leave.

“I’m taking it away!” Alma

““The tea is leaving, but the interruption is staying right here with me.” Reynolds

The power struggle continues and they have terrible fights but she doesn’t relent.

“Were you sent here to ruin my evening and possibly my entire life?” Reynolds

It’s very unsettling to watch because it reminded me of relationships I have been in. It reminded me of being in love. You resist anything new in your routine, you expect the other person to make due with the corners you’ve left for them to exists in. If someone really loves you they don’t settle for that and demand more, more space, more time, more commitment. Sometimes these relationships break and sometimes they strengthen. I wasn’t sure until the very last moments which would be the case for Reynolds and Alma.

“I want you flat on your back. Helpless, tender, open with only me to help. And then I want you strong again. You’re not going to die. You might wish you’re going to die, but you’re not going to. You need to settle down a little.” Alma

Phantom Thread is a beautiful film. It’s beautiful to look at. Johnny Greenwood’s score is lush and gorgeous. The acting is spot on. Daniel Day Lewis is amazing and Kriep and Manville match him in scene after scene. Anderson again surprises with something different and new. It may not be to everyone’s taste but it will have you thinking and talking about it long after you’ve left the theater. Like love, you may resist Phantom Thread but it does not relent. Indeed, ‘the tea may leave’ but the interruption will stay with you.

“The Times has 7,000 pages detailing how the White House has been lying about the Vietnam War for 30 years.” Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks)

If you’ve always loved All The Presidents Men (1976) and secretly wished there was a sequel, your prayers have been answered! Although, this is, actually a prequel and there’s a tip of the hat to Watergate at the very end. Director Steven Spielberg had planned Ready Player One to be his next film but because of a casting setback he had time to squeeze in this little movie about freedom of the press, a pretty timely topic.

In 1971 Daniel Elsberg (Matthew Rhys) copied all the Pentagon intel pertaining to the Vietnam War and handed it over to the New York Times. They started publishing them, letting the country know that the government had known all along that this was an unwinnable war and continued to lie to the public. Nixon obtained a federal court injunction forcing the Times to cease publication after three articles. Washington Post editor-in-chief, Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) got his hands on them and the decision to go to print with them rested in owner Katherine Graham’s (Meryl Streep) hands. The movie is about how this all transpires and the decision and the aftermath which was, of course, a great victory for the freedom of the press and The Washington Post which would later take the lead on the Watergate story.

It’s a great history lesson at a time when the press is under fire by the president of the united states much as it was at that time. Spielberg is a master storyteller and he infuses the film with great energy and pace. It flies by like a history lesson disguised as a heist film. Tom Hanks is appropriately gruff and stoic as Ben Bradlee. Bob Odenkirk has a nice turn as reporter Ben Bagdikian. The rest of the cast is peppered with fine actors who all get their moment including Tracy Letts, Carrie Coons, Bruce Greenwood, Bradley Whitford, Alison Brie, Jesse Plemons and Sarah Paulsen.

Then there’s Meryl Streep.

“Nixon will muster the full power of the presidency and if there’s a way to destroy you, by God, he’ll find it!” Robert McNamara (Bruce Greenwood)
“ I’m asking your advice, Bob, not your permission.” Katherine Graham (Meryl Streep)

Meryl Streep is simply fantastic as Katherine Graham. Yes, that is only what we expect her to be in every film but she never ceases to amaze. There are moments where you just shake your head at her performance. She doesn’t hit a false note.

In these days of 24/7 news on TV, Facebook, Twitter and wherever else you can get news, it’s hard to imagine a time when people relied on newspapers to break a story, to bring you the truth, to open your eyes about something you may not have given a second thought. The Post is not the great film about journalism that All The President’s Men is but it’s pretty damn good and certainly a needed boost to morale.

The real Katherine Graham and Ben Bradlee.