“SKumm’s Thoughts” - THE SHAPE OF WATER

“SKumm’s Thoughts”

THE SHAPE OF WATER (2017, R, 123 minutes, BULL PRODUCTIONS/FOX SEARCHLIGHT)

Guillermo del Toro is like that weird kid in school—you know, the one always drawing imaginary creatures and wearing Slayer t-shirts.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that; I write about imaginary creatures and wear Beastie Boys and ALIEN t-shirts.

But imagine that kid with a lot of money and influence (see: NOT ME).  What would be his best avenue for spreading his ideas and musings?  On film, of course—and his latest creation is one which deserves a heckuva lot more attention than it is getting.

At its heart, THE SHAPE OF WATER is a love story.  It is also a love letter to monster movies of the fifties, a film about prejudice, a musical, a story shaped by the wonders and horrors of humanity, and soulful communication without words.  Sally Hawkins (PADDINGTON, GODZILLA) plays Elisa Esposito, a mute cleaning lady at a facility which houses unique “assets”.  She and her partner Zelda (Octavia Spencer of THE HELP and HIDDEN FIGURES) are tasked with cleaning a lab housing an amphibious humanoid (Doug Jones, “Star Trek: Discovery”, HELLBOY), an asset captured in South America and transported to the lab by Richard Strickland, played with joyous, evil abandon by the versatile Michael Shannon (MAN OF STEEL, MIDNIGHT SPECIAL).  Strickland is your typical vile government official who understands only that the creature is important because of its difference to humans; he wants to take it apart, while the scientists wish to study it.  And somehow, Elisa, amidst all of Strickland’s torture tactics and fear, falls in love with it.

There are elements to this film that seem eerily familiar to other del Toro works, from the oppressive bad guy to the misunderstood creature.  By setting the story in the era during which fear of the Soviet Union and rage against people of color reign supreme, he adds a number of aspects to the film which mirror the fantastical aspects of his script.  Like CHRONOS and the brilliant THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE, del Toro has crafted a fairytale for adults that need a good fable.  And never has his voice seemed clearer, and never has his visual style appeared so vividly.  Working with a small budget (no CGI here, kids), the filmmaker creates a world within our world, making it at times tonally reverent, and at others strikingly harsh.  And you’ve never seen Sally Hawkins quite like this; her body language alone should be taught in film schools, not to mention how she makes you believe that beauty really could fall in love with the beast.

I mentioned a few weeks ago how I’m usually dead wrong when it comes to picking the Oscar winners; after all, I’m just that weird kid with a laptop, internet access, and an opinion.  And a butt-load of movie inspired t-shirts.  But what del Toro pulls off with such a small budget (under twenty-million is considered small for a genre busting “horror” film) should earn him a Best Director win at the Academy Awards.  The performances he elicits, and the sets he built—hell, the story he crafted and imagined in his head, to see it come to life onscreen… well, other directors have won for less.  When you consider that he had a hand in every conceivable detail, from the lighting and the color schemes to the obvious stuff like acting and cinematography, del Toro’s performance here is one that should be revered and, yes, lauded.

Weird kids of the world unite—that other awkward kid from shop class has made himself a masterpiece.

           

Grade: A+

‘Blu-ray or Bust’ - AMERICAN MADE

‘Blu-ray or Bust’

AMERICAN MADE (2017, PG-13, 115 minutes, CROSS CREEK PICTURES/UNIVERSAL PICTURES)

I enjoy making fun of Tom Cruise sometimes.  He always seems to… well, tom-cruise-it-up whenever he stars in a movie.  By that, I mean to say that he has a natural knack of reminding you EVERY STINKIN’ TIME he’s onscreen, that he’s Tom Cruise, and you’re welcome.

In recent years, he managed to rein himself in a bit.  TROPIC THUNDER, EDGE OF TOMORROW, even the last couple of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE films—they all seemed more like movies that had Tom Cruise in them, rather than showcases for him to tom-cruise-it-up.  Then he did a remake of THE MUMMY, and I got to have a bit of fun again.  He produced and starred in it, and it was more of a vanity piece than it as a kick-start to a new Universal Monsters franchise. What sets AMERICAN MADE apart from the last flick?

He didn’t produce this one.

MADE succeeds—and I’m using that term generously—where so many other Cruise films have gone wrong (see: giving him too much say in the making of the film).  Sure, there are the usual Cruise touches: his boyish smile, his swaggering charm, seeing him fly an airplane.  But he isn’t given the chance to tom-cruise-it-up, and it saves the film from being a disaster.  Based on the true story of drug/gun/people smuggler Barry Seal, the film recounts the CIA whipping boy who wound up as a key figure in the Iran-Contra Affair.  At times, it plays out like so many other films that captured that seminal time period; you can usually pick out these “historical” pieces by their soundtracks, and this one uses music you have heard used before.  You also get the usual storytelling gimmicks ala GOODFELLAS, BLOW, etc.

Sarah Wright, while a fine actress (and boy, do I mean fiiIIIiinne), plays Barry’s wife Lucy, but she is not given a whole lot to do here.  This is, after all, a big story, and it has Tom Cruise in it, not to mention a whole lot of other characters.  Some of whom we don’t get enough time with, although we are expected to be familiar with despite their seeming lack of importance.  And perhaps that is where some of the finer points of this “historical” narrative become lost; we have seen so much of this before, in other films, that the outcome to some situations—even the resolution of Barry’s story itself—seems reused, and predictable.  The more shocking parts of this real-life story found their way into other films, so they don’t sit as heavily as they should.  Then again, one of the minor characters even points out at one point that violent deaths are in store for them for dealing with the Columbians, so we are left to ponder whether Barry is as smart as Cruise—or we, for that matter—wants him to be.

Which is another point to mention; there are moments where it seems Barry is the smartest person in the room, but those moments are too far between to convince that he is ever really in control.  More often than not, we are left to marvel at the low level of intelligence our main character actually possesses.  Early on, it is established that despite his job as an airline pilot, Barry’s level of education seems to be stuck in middle school.  Which makes you wonder how safe you really are flying the friendly skies.

There are several special features, including one on Cruise’s aerial stunt work, an interview with Barry’s real-life son, and interviews with other cast members.  All mentioning how this is an important piece of American history, which it is.  I just wonder if it couldn’t have been told more solidly, and with a bit more care for its minor characters; there are good performances here, but you shouldn’t have to seek them out. Or write a list of who’s who so they make more sense later.

Film Grade: B-

Special Features: B

Blu-ray Necessary: Recommended

-- T.S.Kummelman

The 'Not-So-Critical' Critic: JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

The 'Not-So-Critical' Critic: 

on JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (2017, 119 minutes, PG-13)

The Quick of It -

Sorry, nothing will ever match the original film thanks to the brilliance of Robin Williams.  But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t explore more of the delightful ‘game’… as is proven here.

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE, gratefully in my eyes, is a subtle continuation of the first.  This ‘attention hound’ board game finds a new way to push itself in peoples’ faces, pulling them into the fantastical world.  To be relevant in this day and age, the board game changes itself into a video game to entice its unsuspecting prey.  Of course, that makes it irresistible to our youth. 

Four high schoolers are sent to detention for the ‘typical’ reasons and tasked with pulling staples out of magazines in a grungy, over-filled storage room.  During this tedious punishment, one of the miscreants finds the Jumanji video game and everyone eventually gets talked into playing this retro-styled game. 

Bam.  The Jumanji stampede begins…

The cast stars some of the greatest picks for in-game avatars available in Hollywood – Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan (best known as Nebula in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY).  Without a doubt, Jack steals the show, which says a lot.  Dwayne and Kevin already have a chemistry proven to entertain from there pairing in CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE.  Jack’s ‘I’m a prissy, phone-obsessed teenage girl’ impression is so fantastic, you cannot wait for his next line.  And with Karen playing such a loveable badass, you cannot think of too many flaws in these casting choices.

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE rounds out the key pieces for such a straight forward production with some strong behind-the-camera selections to make this a movie you would not expect to be so loveable.  Director Jake Kasdan continues to prove he has the comedic streak running.  His previous projects amidst his big screen ventures include ORANGE COUNTY, BAD TEACHER, and SEX TAPE.  The veteran cinematographer eye of Gyula Pados (of MAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS and THE DEATH CURE, THE DUCHESS, PREDATORS) paints a visual picture that gives credence to the concept designs for an actual jungle-based video game when brought to life.  You have everything to “Make Jumanji Great Again.”

The only troubles I had come from stretching the tons of potential video game play set-ups into this one film and the slight cheese pushed on you by the leading villain Van Pelt, played by Bobby Cannavale (of THE STATION AGENT, ANT-MAN, and PARKER), and his cronies.  The script was simple, even if written by a handful of people, being more interested in getting the laughs than character development or scene interaction.  Still, you really couldn’t ask for more.

Take the Jumanji over-the-cliff plunge.  It will lighten your day.

Grade: B+