Another New Year, another deluge of Oscar Bait. Some things never change, and for movie aficionados like myself the sudden awards season overflow of “must-see” movies is only slightly preferable to a full-on drought (coming this February…). Going to the theater is starting to feel like an obligation, especially with a serious lack of enjoyable trash to balance out all the prestige pictures. But the upside is that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing a few real winners, perhaps none better than Call Me by Your Name. Continue reading
romance
The Shape of Water
It’s impossible to get mad at a Guillermo Del Toro movie. Even his misfires, like the forgettable Crimson Peak and generic Mimic have a creative spark to them that seems increasingly rare in modern Hollywood. He’s a man who clearly loves what he does, even managing to put his artistic stamp on prefab properties like Blade II. But The Shape of Water is his vision through and through, for better and for worse. Continue reading