Oscars final review

Yesterday night was The Night we were expecting since ... oh well, last year?
After the amazing success of Moonlight and, most of all the infamous loser La La Land, the 89th Academy Awards were hard to forget.
The 90th edition was tough since its beginning: the ME TOO movement and some scandals concerning female abuses (remember James Franco's exclusion?) and Guillermo De Toro being accused of plagiarism by Paul Zindel's son, who claimed Toro had copied his father's 1969 masterpiece "Let Me Hear You Whisper".  And, to be frank, the doubt was reasonable !

Let's start with a few words on the red carpet.  Nothing to do with the 2015 Red Carpet, with capital R and C, when Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Rooney Mara and Margot Robbie stayed... or the 2016 success of Viola Davis and Emma Stone... yesterday night, in my opinion was way above all this memories. Anyway, Nicole, looking fabulous in her Armani, and the sober "old but not cold" Meryl Streep in total red, were my favorite.

I'm happy with all the results besides best movie. How come that Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri didn't win Best Picture?  Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell won their category! And, let's say it, the story of Three Billboards was original, yet conveyed a contemporary message: the denunce of a dysfunctional justice system and, once again, violence against women. That's all? No, because Frances portrayed the strength of a lone - wolf women, who finds the strength to pursue her aim fighting the system form the inside. And The Shape of Water? A strange love story between a women and a monster, even if, in reality, the real monster was not the fishy creature but the carnal scientist. Interesting... but moving? In my opinion, Toro's work was well balanced in rhytm, music and surprising effects - even the monster itself was quite "sweet"-but, even though the story was enjoyable, it didn't leave nothing to me.

Your thoughts? Comment below so we can finally share opinions.

The Shape of Water

The Shape of Water (2017) is a fantasy-drama directed by Guillermo del Toro and written by del Toro and Vanessa Taylor. The film stars Sally Hawkins (Elena Esposito), Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Octavia Spencer.

Set in Baltimore in 1962, the plot follows a mute custodian at a high-security government laboratory who meet and fall in love with a captured humanoid-amphibian creature.

• Sally Hawkins is brilliant. She literally acts without uttering a word, in such a meaningful way. The main character portrays how every human being needs love in their life, to be loved and, eventually, love in return, no matter if the beloved is not another human. Love wins.
  
  
• The creature. Is it a sensitive mermaid or a bloody amphibin? This dualism, how the creature behaves in a sweet and human way with Elena is in extreme contrast with its brutal side, shown during the medical experiments. And why are amphibians eating eggs all the time? This character does not convince me.
  
  
• Colonel Richard Strickland or the man who first captures the creature in a river, than can’t wait to vivisect it. But why? If the creature is needed to gap the Russians in technology, why on earth this urge to get rid of it? Besides, the ugly use of violence puts a cross on this character.
  
  
• The artist, gay, close friend Giles. He helps and supports Emilia in a clumsy way. Funny or upsetting? Don’t know.

The movie does not convince me, in spide of the good reviews. Lacks in the plot and too little fantasy to be called a fantasy movie.

Movie rating: 2/5 stars

Let me know what you think.