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Just Now Watching "The Shape of Water" (1 Viewer)

Gotta be one of the worst best pic winners in many, many years.  
I thought Dunkirk and Lady Bird were the best movies last year. Shape of Water is puzzling because it’s not at all the kind of movie that normally wins. 

 
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I thought Dunkirk and Lady Bird were the best movies last year. Shape of Water is puzzling because it’s not at all the kind of movie that normally wins. 
I don't get the Del Toro love, but the Academy seems to love him.  It was well acted and looked good, but I thought the movie was hella dumb.  

 
What are some good movies for smart people to watch? Movies in theaters now are just whichever films pander most to the masses, right? The masses. I can't even go to the movies anymore because everything pretty much just pisses me off and offends me as an individual. Every movie is basically the same. Everyone in the audience always laughs at exact the same time, whether or not they even get the joke. It's just a bunch of made up, meaningless crap. Right? For the masses..? I'm not going to dedicate two hours of my life to something just because some studio needed a more creative way to advertise Pepsi.

 
I don't get the Del Toro love, but the Academy seems to love him.  It was well acted and looked good, but I thought the movie was hella dumb.  
I’m surprised given you recommended The Orphanage so much. Del Toro directed and  produced movies are fantasy so you have to just buy in to it all. It was fun, I liked it a lot.

 
I’m surprised given you recommended The Orphanage so much. Del Toro directed and  produced movies are fantasy so you have to just buy in to it all. It was fun, I liked it a lot.
I think he just EPed that one, but could be wrong.  Felt like they put his name on that one in the same way they use Tarantino's name on posters/dvds to push them.  

It think Pan's is the only one of his that I have loved.  (have the Criterion bluray at home).   

 
I think he just EPed that one, but could be wrong.  Felt like they put his name on that one in the same way they use Tarantino's name on posters/dvds to push them.  

It think Pan's is the only one of his that I have loved.  (have the Criterion bluray at home).   
Right he wasn’t creative behind it but he produced it so it was something and someone he at least liked. It totally fit into his style. 

 
What are some good movies for smart people to watch? Movies in theaters now are just whichever films pander most to the masses, right? The masses. I can't even go to the movies anymore because everything pretty much just pisses me off and offends me as an individual. Every movie is basically the same. Everyone in the audience always laughs at exact the same time, whether or not they even get the joke. It's just a bunch of made up, meaningless crap. Right? For the masses..? I'm not going to dedicate two hours of my life to something just because some studio needed a more creative way to advertise Pepsi.
Listening to a podcast today about Shawshank, and they were talking about the movies that were up for Best Picture that year - Quiz Show, Shawshank, Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction.   They brought up a good point that we need a lot more of that - movies that are interested in telling a great story.  Now it's largely just a land grab for any known property or franchise so they can guarantee butts in seats at the theater.  Just like somebody said about news in another thread, this is our fault - at some point we decided that we want to pay for this junk at the theater, so that is what is being pumped out to a large extent.  

I guess I don't know how to answer what are good movies for "smart" people to watch.  There are movies of all sorts still out there to find. 

 
The cinematography in Dunkirk was amazing.  Fantastic movie.

I liked The Shape of Water, but it wasn’t even on the same planet as Dunkirk.

 
KarmaPolice said:
I guess I don't know how to answer what are good movies for "smart" people to watch.  There are movies of all sorts still out there to find.
It's so weird that I was digging through my phone today and found a list I'd written down. Like, a two year old list. It was a list of movies my screenwriting professor recommended when I asked him for some good movies to show my chick that would impress her. I still haven't done any research (as I just found the list today) but it says:

Cinema Paridiso
Dark City
Audition Tikasha Mike
Red Christoph -or- The Double Life of Veronique

KarmaPolice said:
They brought up a good point that we need a lot more of that - movies that are interested in telling a great story.
I agree with you 100% and characters that are well thought out and developed. Like you could write individual movies about all the individual characters that would hold water on their own. You know what else too - in addition to and to "compliment" the monetary incentives you mentioned - transmedia is a big deal right now. Stuff they can make into video games and pick up where the movies left off. Stuff that must be compatible among multiple platforms and formats. It's dragging everything down, man. Dumbing it down.

 
KarmaPolice said:
Listening to a podcast today about Shawshank, and they were talking about the movies that were up for Best Picture that year - Quiz Show, Shawshank, Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction.   They brought up a good point that we need a lot more of that - movies that are interested in telling a great story.  Now it's largely just a land grab for any known property or franchise so they can guarantee butts in seats at the theater.  Just like somebody said about news in another thread, this is our fault - at some point we decided that we want to pay for this junk at the theater, so that is what is being pumped out to a large extent.  

I guess I don't know how to answer what are good movies for "smart" people to watch.  There are movies of all sorts still out there to find. 
I’ve always held out that Quiz Show was the best movie of 94 but I rewatched it this past weekend and I have to say it really is Shawshank. As good as Pulp and Quiz Show are, Shawshank is an unlikely masterpiece.

 
Binky The Doormat said:
Michael Shannon playing his usual jerkguy character - which I like, he's great at it.  

But the rest of this movie is pure awfulness.  Best Picture Oscar Winner??  
This is a movie that is beautiful to look at, it’s extremely well directed, and extremely well acted and.... yeah it’s awful.

I’m also a fan of Sally Hawkins.

I haven’t seen this mentioned anywhere and I’m not sure why not - it constantly struck me as a sequel to the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Basically Deep State bad guys find out about the monster, capture it and mine it for intelligence/physical DNA, way ahead of the capabilities of the time. And throw in a weird schlocky inter-species sex scene. It’s B-movie stuff IMO, 

 
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This is a movie that is beautiful to look at, it’s extremely well directed, and extremely well acted and.... yeah it’s awful.

I’m also a fan of Sally Hawkins.

I haven’t seen this mentioned anywhere and I’m not sure why not - it constantly struck me as a sequel to the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Basically Deep State bad guys find out about the monster, capture it and mine it for intelligence/physical DNA, way ahead of the capabilities of the time. And throw in a weird schlocky inter-species sex scene. It’s B-movie stuff IMO, 
I had the model as a kid.  

 
Wife and I are nearly through this. 

It’s not good. Wife checked out after the first romantic scene. Acting is good of course with this cast and the colors are impressive but the story isn’t interesting. I liked Pan’s Labrynth but this is dumb. 

 
Binky The Doormat said:
Michael Shannon playing his usual jerkguy character - which I like, he's great at it.  

But the rest of this movie is pure awfulness.  Best Picture Oscar Winner??  
We got halfway through it. I asked my wife if she was enjoying it and she said absolutely not. We bailed. I dunno, just couldn’t get into it. 

 
Wife and I are nearly through this. 

It’s not good. Wife checked out after the first romantic scene. Acting is good of course with this cast and the colors are impressive but the story isn’t interesting. I liked Pan’s Labrynth but this is dumb. 


We got halfway through it. I asked my wife if she was enjoying it and she said absolutely not. We bailed. I dunno, just couldn’t get into it. 
I’m sure there’s a new High School Musical movie coming out soon for you guys.

 
I’m sure there’s a new High School Musical movie coming out soon for you guys.
What was good about it other than the acting and the visuals? The story was predictable, the romance not terribly thrilling, and the stupidity of some of the scenes (that bathroom fIlling with water laughably should have caused all eyebrows to raise, his unexplained healing powers, etc) was, well, stupid. 

 
What was good about it other than the acting and the visuals? The story was predictable, the romance not terribly thrilling, and the stupidity of some of the scenes (that bathroom fIlling with water laughably should have caused all eyebrows to raise, his unexplained healing powers, etc) was, well, stupid. 
It was a fantasy film. The monster was an underwater god. 

So, yeah, I guess you have to buy into something crazy like a bathroom filling up, while dealing with an sea monster seemed easier for you to digest? 

 
It was a fantasy film. The monster was an underwater god. 

So, yeah, I guess you have to buy into something crazy like a bathroom filling up, while dealing with an sea monster seemed easier for you to digest? 
There were fantasy strongholds on that floor that would have prevented it from crashing through from the incredible weight of that water? 

 
There were fantasy strongholds on that floor that would have prevented it from crashing through from the incredible weight of that water? 
Yeah, if you’re worried about the structural integrity of the building during this movie, I don’t think you’re in the right state of mind to enjoy it. 

 
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Yeah, if you’re worried about the structural integrity of the building during this movie, I don’t think you’re in the right state of mind to enjoy it. 
You’re right. I should have gotten into my “I’m going to watch Mission: Impossible or Sharknado” mindset. 

 
You’re right. I should have gotten into my “I’m going to watch Mission: Impossible or Sharknado” mindset. 
Well, it is a fairy tale. 

I liked the film.  I thought it was creative and beautifully shot.  I thought it was simple story well told.  But ultimately, it fell well short of what I would expect from a best picture nominee.

 
Well, it is a fairy tale. 

I liked the film.  I thought it was creative and beautifully shot.  I thought it was simple story well told.  But ultimately, it fell well short of what I would expect from a best picture nominee.
Definitely agree with the bolded.  And the acting was really good.  But I just disagree that it was a story well told.  It was boring, overly strange, and incredibly predictable. 

Just got a bit defensive there with Tanner coming at me. 

 
I hadn't seen it either until just last night, as I wasn't all that interested and my wife was not at all interested (she's not into fantasy).  But I got hit with a pretty nasty cold and wasn't sleeping well, woke up in the middle of the night and decided to go to the couch and turn on a movie.   Thought of this thread and figured it would be a good one to put me to sleep.

It was actually less artsy than I thought it would be.  It even kept me awake until right after the dance scene - I think I sort of checked out there - and I had to watch the ending this morning.  Anyway, I thought it was decent, but certainly not anything special.  Pretty shallow story for a best picture.

 
bigbottom said:
Well, it is a fairy tale. 

I liked the film.  I thought it was creative and beautifully shot.  I thought it was simple story well told.  But ultimately, it fell well short of what I would expect from a best picture nominee.
Precisely. And fairytales don’t have to have complex stories to be powerful. 

Obviously, from my replies in this thread, I loved this movie. I got swept up in the story and the world Del Toro created. But I’m a sucker for the sentimental and sweet, so maybe I’m a sucker for this kind of movie. 

 
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Zow said:
What was good about it other than the acting and the visuals? The story was predictable, the romance not terribly thrilling, and the stupidity of some of the scenes (that bathroom fIlling with water laughably should have caused all eyebrows to raise, his unexplained healing powers, etc) was, well, stupid. 
You must have been a hoot to watch "E.T." with.

 

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