The Shape of Water Review (2017)

Grade: B-

What if, at the end of Universal’s classic monster flick, “Creature From The Black Lagoon,” instead of being killed, the titular creature was captured and brought back to America? And what if he was kept in a top-secret government laboratory where he was deeply misunderstood and neglected? And what if he also fell in love with a human woman? That’s one way to think about “The Shape of Water.”

Written and directed by Guillermo Del Toro, “The Shape of Water” is an intriguing, sometimes messy genre mashup of creature horror, cold war espionage thriller and of course interspecies romance. More importantly, it’s a social drama about the ugliness of America circa 1962, which is where the film succeeds the most. Del Toro asks us to consider who the real monster is: the slimy fish man or the society he’s forcibly brought into?

Del Toro crafts a cinematic atmosphere that's equal parts enchanted and nightmarish. Set in Baltimore, the picture is stylish and colorful in an unsettling way. The color palette is dingy, consisting mainly of turquois green and swamp green, along with a sickly yellow. The world of “The Shape of Water” is both welcoming and threatening. In the neighborhood, there’s a restaurant meant to replicate a homey fifties style, small town diner. The host even cheerfully says: “Y’all come back now ya’ here?” as customers leave. However, when that same host suddenly tells an African American couple that they can’t eat there, we realize said hominess is just a façade. Society here is gloomy and inclusive, to “monsters” like the fish guy and folks who aren’t straight white men.

There is, indeed, a sinister, wide-eyed monster lurking throughout the film but it’s not the fish man, it’s Richard Strictland, (Michael Shannon) the fella who captured him and is abusing him behind closed doors with the Governments blessing. Shannon gives another grimacing, unhinged performance, he can do this sort of thing in his sleep, and the movie certainly isn’t subtle in vilifying the United States government. In this regard, “The Shape of Water” is a dour drama about America’s continued mistreatment of The Other.

Of course, “The Shape of Water” also wants to be an uplifting love story about two outcasts. Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is a mute woman who lives most of her life in isolation, watching movies and old TV shows. She works as a cleaning woman at the same government lab that the fish man is being held. They strike up an immediate friendship (she sits at the edge of his tank feeding him eggs) and fall madly in love. Hawkins is solid in the role but their romance is cold and emotionally distant most of the time. I appreciate that Del Toro takes their relationship in an unexpectedly erotic direction. There’s an erotically charged scene between them involving a flooded bathroom that’s delightfully weird. But overall their romance develops too quickly; their affection feels forced rather than genuine.

“The Shape of Water” also suffers from narrative messiness, especially in the second half. A half-baked plotline involving an undercover Soviet scientist (played by Michael Stuhlberg) trying to get a hold of the fish man ultimately fizzles out. Given how trenchant Del Toro’s critique of American society is, I don’t think the Cold War angle is needed. He would have been better off removing it entirely and devoting that time to the central romance. Additionally, the ending is abrupt and unsatisfyingly upbeat. In spite of the film’s heavy social themes, Del Toro settles for a slightly contrived fairytale ending.

Despite these criticisms, “The Shape of Water” has too much going on for me to out rightly dismiss it. Del Toro puts hard-hitting societal critiques into a bizarre, accessible, genre-bending mold.

Nocturnal Animals Review (2016)

In “Nocturnal Animals” (Tom Ford’s elegant and disturbing meta-noir) I found myself liking the fictional “story-within-the-story” far more than the story around it.

Amy Adams plays Susan Morrow, an art gallery owner stuck in a loveless marriage. One day she receives an advance copy of a novel by her ex husband Edward Sheffield (Jake Gyllenhaal). Sheffield has dedicated the novel to Morrow, telling her in a note that she provided the inspiration he needed to write it. She sits down to read the book and we’re transported into the fictional narrative with her. The film jumps back and forth between the novel and the “real world.”

The novel tells a fairly standard male revenge story (set in the dusty, wide open plains of Texas) in which a sensitive, nonviolent man named Tony (also Gyllenhaal) is emasculated by a trio of sadistic rednecks, losing his wife and teenage daughter in the process and learns to embrace a dark and violent dimension of himself he didn’t know he had. Although, Ford’s handling of it is damned gripping, equal parts stomach churning and exhilarating.  

During one of the first scenes, as Tony and his family are driving on a deserted highway at night and the trio of rednecks follow them and play chicken with their car, you know what’s coming. A feeling of nausea creeps into your stomach, your palms sweat. Like any great thriller director, Ford drags the action out, keeping you in a constant state of anxiety. I usually take notes during screenings but while this internal narrative was going on I was petrified-- unable to take my eyes off the screen or force my hand to write on my notepad.

Admittedly, I’m a sucker for any kind of revenge story and this one has all the right pieces, executed with a visceral precision: a deliberate pace, a conflicted, angry protagonist on the brink of exploding into a murderous rage and a truly despicable villain-- Aaron Taylor-Johnson is terrifying as the lead redneck. Oh and Michael Shannon as a “lets-do-things-off-the-book” police officer. Shannon is the MVP here (honestly, when is he not?), calmly menacing in that typical Michael Shannon way. His bulging, unblinking eyes on their own are enough to make the hair on your neck stand up.

Though, when the action focuses on Morrow outside of this “fictional” world, “Nocturnal Animals” is not so thrilling. Morrow can’t stop thinking about the novel in her day to day life and through flashbacks we learn about her and Sheffield’s romantic history and why they broke up. Through these flashbacks and the novel itself, a portrait of Sheffield gradually takes shape and it’s fun trying to figure out his mysterious motives: why did he dedicate this book to her? Unfortunately, this outer story is still tedious to sit through. While the inner narrative has a forward pulsing momentum, this one just flatly sits on the screen…literally so.

There are a lot of scenes of Morrow sitting around, staring pensively into the distance. She stares pensively into the distance while in the shower…or in the bathtub…or at work. She’s either thinking about the novel or thinking about her past. Turns out that constantly watching scenes of a person sitting around and thinking doesn’t make for compelling cinema, even if it is Amy Adams. Adams does what she can but her performance stays infuriatingly one note. It got to the point where whenever the film would cut from Tony’s story to Morrow’s I would breathe a sigh of frustration and eagerly wait for it to go back.

On its own, Tony’s novel would make for a solid, well-executed piece of pulp revenge cinema. The framing narrative involving Morrow and Sheffield provides the southern fried tale of vengeance with an intriguing meta/psychological layer but the sheer dullness of its execution ultimately makes “Nocturnal Animals” a mixed bag.

 C+

Midnight Special Review (2015)

Writer/director Jeff Nichols’ “Midnight Special” is an ambitious amalgamation of different genres and styles of film. It’s constantly changing shape and evolving, making it difficult for the viewer to determine where its heading. The movie is mainly grounded in the mundane here and now, though it eventually pivots towards epic, awe-inspiring Sci fi. It’s a father-son drama and an “on-the-run-from-the-government” thriller. It’s a family friendly adventure flick with the same sense of mystery, wonder and excitement found in early Spielberg (think especially of “E.T. and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”). It’s faith based but not in a heavy-handed, patronizing or even scathing way. In fact the faith aspect doesn’t have to do with a particular religion, but more that there are things in our world and the universe that are beyond our understanding and can’t be explained logically.

That sounds like a lot for one movie, and it is, but Nichols manages to weave all those ingredients (for the most part) into a cohesive narrative. It helps that he uses the road-trip/quest structuring device, which keeps the film moving at a snappy (but not too snappy) speed and from meandering too far off track. The characters are always on the move; they know where they need to go and what their objective is, although the audience doesn’t always know. More importantly, Nichols keeps the picture’s focus primarily on the father-son drama; their relationship is the guiding force through this wild, tense and emotionally poignant adventure.

“Midnight Special” gets going right away, beginning in aftermath of a child kidnapping. The two kidnappers Roy (Michael Shannon) and Lucas (Joel Edgerton) are holed up in a motel with the kid, Alton (Jaeden Lieberher). Roy and Lucas are dangerous and determined. Later, on the road, Lucas shoots and kills a state trooper. Getting caught and giving up the boy are the last things on their mind. We find out that Roy is Alton’s father and he’s taken him from a cult that worships him. Without going into much detail, lets just say Alton possesses extraordinary powers. Roy and Lucas meet up with Sarah (Kirsten Dunst), Roy’s ex wife and Alton’s mother. The ruptured familial unite has been temporarily restored and they continue on the run, while the cult and the government attempt to track them down.

That’s all I want to say in terms of plot because the mystery as to what exactly is going on (what’s up with Alton’s powers? Where is the family going?) is one of the most captivating things about “Midnight Special.” The picture is remarkably paced; the screenplay never reveals too much information at any one moment. Nichols keep the viewer in a consistent state of suspense; just when you think you have the film figured out it takes a left turn and throws you off its scent. There’s rarely a stagnant moment.

Yet, as exciting and tense as the film can be, it wouldn’t count for much without the strong emotional core brought on by the bond between Roy and Alton. Shannon is known for playing menacing, sometimes scene chewing, characters. He has a daunting physical appearance: an intimidating six foot three build, a rough looking face and a thousand yard stare that could melt ice. Here, however he’s appropriately low key and gentle, playing a father who would do anything to protect his son. At the same time, he’s still trying to full understand Alton and what he’s capable of doing. Ultimately, Roy has to do what’s best for him, even if it ultimately means letting Alton go, letting him go out into the world and find his place in it.

The young Lieberher is also quite strong (understated without becoming robotic) and I found his character’s growth to be one of the most emotionally resonant pieces of the movie. He begins as just another weird child with special abilities that we’ve seen a thousand times before. He’s an animate macguffin-- a living prop, objectified by those around him and misunderstood. To the cult, he’s their prophet; to the government he’s a weapon (he’s neither). In whatever context, he’s a valuable commodity. Though gradually, Alton transitions from object to subject, gaining awareness of himself (including his powers) and the world around him. Eventually, it’s Alton who confidently guides the family where they need to go. In this regard, “Midnight Special” is also a coming of age story; Alton’s evolution is handled with authenticity and tenderness.

Not surprisingly, “Midnight Special” can feel cluttered at times and certain intriguing aspects of the narrative are neglected. For example, the cult, lead by an old man named Calvin (Sam Shepard), plays a prominent role at the beginning of the film, but part way through Nichols abruptly tosses them to the side (after a somewhat superfluous scene involving a shootout at a motel) and we never hear about them again. It would have been nice had Nichols either kept them in or found a less sloppy way to write them out of the movie. Their bizarre devotion towards Alton’s make them a compelling antagonistic force, in addition to the pursuing government.  

Even so, “Midnight Special” is a fantastic movie, managing to be an exciting mystery/adventure/Sci fi and a poignant father/son drama. It gets better the more I think about it.

B+