Andy K (10823 KP) rated The Shape of Water (2017) in Movies
Dec 28, 2017
The mute heroine protagonist is played with such brilliance by Sally Hawkins, she is sure to win an Academy Award for this film. The love story between her and her unusual companion is clever, unique and so engaging you cannot look away for even a moment.
Michael Shannon is also diabolical as the military officer determined to have his own way with the fate of the reptilian creature.
I wouldn't have minded some more backstory on the creature. It was said he was found in South America and was worshiped like a god, but that's all that was said. Some may argue the film lacks a significant point; however, I disagree.
Sometimes the journey is good enough and the emotional payoff after the climactic events was more than sufficient for me.
The book was well written. It started out really strong and the characters in the book were very colorful, more so knowing they were real people. This was a character driven non fiction which makes sense for New Orleans which had more than it's share. My only complaint was towards the end of the book [Krist] seemed to be quickly wrapping up some stories not giving the details that were present in the beginning.
I have recommended this book to quite a few people though. It was a much needed non-fiction fix.
A representative episode sees our heroes visiting a small village terrorised by a giant catfish monster, which proceeds to eat three of them; they end up going to a disco which is held in the bad guy's stomach, before persuading him to vomit them up so they can fight him and his followers. Frequently silly, and the low budget often shows, but made with relentless energy and cheerfulness; hugely imaginative, often genuinely very funny. A generation of UK viewers grew up able to sing the theme tune 'Monkey Magic' (and misremember the name of the show as a result).
ClareR (6157 KP) rated Herland, the Yellow Wall-Paper, and Selected Writings in Books
Jun 6, 2018
An all-female society is discovered in the middle of nowhere (I envisioned deepest, darkest South America, in the jungle somewhere) by three male explorers. They arrive with their male preconceptions, and two of them change their way of thinking for the better.
It's an idyllic life in Herland (the men's name for the country, not the women's - they never mention a name). There is someone in charge, but she's elected. No (or little) conflict, no crime, everyone does their share. Motherhood is sacred and limited to one child. They conceive magically, it seems, as there are no men, and all women share the parenting. It's idyllic all right!
A short little novella, and an easy, quick read. It's interesting to see what a woman in the early part of the twentieth century thought would be an idyllic society - and rather telling that men didn't actually feature in it at all!
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