The Shape of Water (2017)

Elisa's (Sally Hawkin's) life is rather mundane, not unlike my own. She lives in a routine, same thing day in and day out. She is a cleaning lady at this government facility. She's also a mute, apparently silenced for some unknown reason, though we can guess. She was an orphan and maybe cried too much so they took her voice away. She has few friends, though the ones she has are super loyal. There's Giles (Richard Jenkins) her older, gay neighbor who harbors a crush on the local pie salesman who is homophobic and racist and Zelda (Octavia Spencer) who is her talkative co-worker.
And then, something changes. Her job obtains a mysterious creature, who can breath both underwater and on land, though not for as long. He's an experiment, at best or cold war weapon, at worst. But he does have magical powers. He (Doug Jones) and Elisa form a deep bond and she understands him like no else can.
Naturally, things don't work out. The government handler in charge of the creature, Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon) is nasty who likes his women silent when he has sex with them, foreshadowing his scene to seduce or rape Elisa depending on how you interpret it. And there is also the secret Russian spy, Dmitri (Michael Stuhlbarg), who is fascinated by the creature. Though he wants the creature to hurt the Americans, he is ultimately on Elisa's side.
Miraculously, Elisa and Giles, with some help, escape with the creature and he and Elisa fall in love though there are some problems, as he eats Giles's one cat, though Giles isn't mad, in the end. But of course, nothing comes easy and there are some tense situations but at least this film was fairly unpredictable.
It ends bizarrely. Elisa is transformed into a fish so she and the creature can be together.
In some days, it is dated film, though it is also a recent one. Some characters are unabashedly racist and sexist, typical of the times, but they are also real, at least Elisa, Giles and Zelda are. I'm not sure about Richard; he's mostly a nasty caricature. And the scene where Elisa floods her bathroom is a little ridiculous but it is nevertheless a touching story with a hopeful ending, if not a completely happy ending. I hope that Zelda dumps her lumpy husband, for the record.
It is a masterful film, with breathtaking score and gritty scenic design. Sure, it is not as good as everyone says it is, but it's close. Grade: A-

Downsizing (2017)

This is an excellent film though the concept is a little bizarre.
Paul Safranek (Matt Damon) just wants to make it in the world. He's an occupational therapist because he had to drop out of medical school when his mother got sick and it takes him until he's forty (ish) to pay off his student loans, which is something that I cannot imagine and his wife, Audrey (Kristen Wiig) wants everything big and fancy.
There is also this new trend of downsizing, where normal sized humans become much, much smaller. By doing so, its better for the environment but also, it is an easy way to amass wealth, and Audrey seems more thrilled about the whole thing than Paul. Leisureland is beautiful and there is no crime.
You think this movie is just humming alone but there is a twist, Audrey couldn't complete the downsizing process. I can't say I'd blame her, they shave your head and every other hair off your body. Paul is livid; he's small and she stayed big.
The film then cuts forward to a year. Paul and Audrey get divorced and his new relationship with a single mom goes south and he hates his job working as a customer service assistant for Lands End. But he makes friends with his odd neighbor, Dusan (Christoph Waltz). Dusan loves to party and he is wealthy as he sort of deals in contraband goods and makes a fortune doing so. While awaking from a drug-induced sleep, he meets the Vietnamese refugee Ngoc Lan (Hong Chao, excellent) who is having trouble with her prosthetic foot. Only Paul makes it worse, breaking it entirely.
And Ngoc Lan is a being person; she cares for many ill people and cleans houses and she doesn't take crap from anyone. She really is a strong person and has such a screen presence, certainly the best performance of the film by far. She deserved far more awards and nominations than received.
Leisureland isn't all leisure. Ngoc Lan stays in a refugee camp, without an elevator but she doesn't complain; she likes working for herself.
The film takes sort an odd turn with Dusan gets Paul to help his smuggle supplies into the original colony in Norway and Ngoc Lan goes with them as they consider her a hero. Along the way, they learn the world is ending, with all the methane being released. But the original colony has another escape route, where they will journey underneath the world. Dusan thinks it is a foolish idea as they are a cult, which is basically the truth. Paul wants to join them and Ngoc Lan is very upset, that he is just brushing off the sick people who have no options. Also, it has been a long time since I've shipped a couple in a movie that hard.
Fortunately, Paul comes to his senses and doesn't go down the hole. Instead, he continues helping Ngoc Lan make little differences in people's lives and is all the better for it.
Though it is an odd film, it is still excellent with a new, creative idea, something that is very rare in Hollywood these days. The setting is breathtaking and characters unique, with fascinating personalities. The acting is also great. Alexander Payne delivers another superb film. Grade: A-

The Middle: Bat out of Heck

Axl (Charlie McDermott) is finally growing up. He's trading in the Winnebago for a real car but Mike (Neil Flynn) is still hovering around, criticizing his decisions. And Axl's had enough; he's tired that Mike has better ideas and knows more. Mike told Axl to write down the grocery list but Axl didn't and forgot his chips so Axl lies. Axl says they were out. And then, he goes to buy his car and Mike has to tag along. Sure, he gets a great deal but then insists on driving it. Axl finally snaps and says that he's sick of still being treated like a little kid and maybe his ways aren't wrong, just different. Mike takes those words to heart and lets Axl drive.
Because Axl needs to drive her car, Frankie's (Patricia Heaton's) forced to hitch rides with Dr. Goodwin (Jack McBrayer) who really likes peanut brittle and buys a lot from Brick (Atticus Shaffer) but it doesn't arrive right away which ticks him off to no end. It reminds him of home and he wants it. He even yells at Frankie over the whole thing and she yells right back as it was a pity buy, and when those happen, the person never wants the product. But in this case, he does.
However, Frankie also has other problems.  She is convinced that something is loose in the house and it turns out, she's right.
Sue (Eden Sher) is usually optimistic but this one scholarship nearly has her beat. She even rips down her posters which have happy cheery messages. But she makes it to the next round, which turns into a fiasco. Dr. Goodwin arrives to yell at Frankie and the bat finally makes an appearance, but Sue remains calm the whole thing, which is the main reason she's awarded the scholarship. She is thrilled and gives it to Mike as she knows that she needs to pay him back for selling the diaper business. So Mike gets it all, two hundred dollars worth. That was too much work for just two hundred dollars, that is not even a drop in the bucket when it comes to college tuition. So the episode ends on a happy note.
This was a decent episode. It is nice seeing Dr. Goodwin and he does have good chemistry with the Heck family; I think the show uses him just the right amount. And growth was had. Mike really does need to treat Axl like an adult but Axl also needs to start acting like more of an adult. It is also always good when something good happens to Sue; she really deserves it. Grade: B
Side Notes:
-Frankie opens the episode hunting for spoons. She's finally up to three.
-Volume should be 26 for sports and 14 for everything else.
-Mike doesn't talk to Brick.
-Brick can impersonate others very well.
-Axl can make a mean six foot sub.
-Frankie is probably the one who eats parts from everyone else's lunches.
-I would never pay six hundred dollars for the Winnebago.
-Sometimes the animal kingdom is a little gross.
-Mike will always be older than Axl, very true.
-Dr. Goodwin has experience catching bats out of houses. That is not something you should have experience in.

Neighbors 2 (2016)

This actually wasn't a horrible film. It had too many characters and too little screen time, but it was actually funnier than the first film.
Shelby (Chloe Grace Moretz) has just started college and is fed up with all the rules of sororities and how society treats women so she decides to open her own sorority, which means she buys the house right next to the Radners. And the Radners aren't happy about it as they are in escrow. Escrow, for the record, is when the buyer has thirty days to inspect the house and can back out of the sale for whatever reason.
In the meantime, Teddy (Zac Efron) is having struggles of his own. He hates his job at Abercombie and Pete (Dave Franco) has finally come out of the closest and is engaged to the love of his life, Darren (John Early) so Teddy is kicked out of the house. So he takes Shelby and her friends, Nora (Beanie Feldstein) and Beth (Kiersey Clemons) under his wing. After all, he quit his job and needs a place to stay, plus he's super hot. He also is schooled in how sexist his fraternity was and the girls aren't taking anything lying down. Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne) need them out while the girls need to raise money to keep their house so it is a full out war until the girls kick Teddy out. So he switches sides and soon, finds himself sleeping with a three-year-old. Which is just awkward for all involved.
And it is a full out war, with weed stealing and bedbugs being planted in the girls' house though in the end, the buyers back out of sale as they watched the girls steal everything out of the Radners's house. But, in the end, Kelly tells the girls that they are strong and their ideals are what them have a sisterhood not the house itself. So they stop and even more girls join the sorority so they are able to rent the Radners house.
The Radners are able to move out into their huge new house and have their new baby while Teddy found his calling as a gay wedding planner, one of the few jobs you can do with a criminal record.
Despite the ridiculous concept and how a didlo should never have the opportunity to fall into a baby's hands, it was still a decent film. The funny part is when Mac tries to teach Teddy to adult and part of that involves hard boiling an egg. Teddy doesn't understand how water can make an egg hard when it makes pasta soft.
Still, the performances were solid and it was a reasonably feminine film with only one gross scene unlike two in the previous film. I'm glad they cut out the scenes with Teddy and Shelby getting together as that would have probably ruined the film. Teddy needs to grow up before falling in love. But at least he respects women more now. This was another good Saturday night movie. Grade: B

Pitch Perfect 3 (2017)

This was a good, flawed and incomplete film.
Adulting is hard and no one knows it more than the Bellas. Beca (Anna Kendrick) has what many would consider a dream job; she's a music producer but her client list is poor and they won't take her advice. So she quits. The others are having just as many struggles: Chloe (Brittany Snow) is struggling to get into vet school, Cynthia Rose (Ester Dean) isn't doing well in flight school and Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) refuses to get a real job.
So they jump at the chance to Aubrey (Anna Camp) takes to sing for the troops overseas. However, Stacie (Alexis Knapp) will not be joining them as she about to give birth and she doesn't know who the father is nor does she appear to care.
And then, things get interesting. Fat Amy's father, a massive criminal is back and wants to mend fences. Is there anything John Lithgow can't do? He really is great, but he's as bad as he is and he does get arrested after kidnapping the Bellas to get to Amy, how come he isn't arrested earlier as he tries to win Amy back? That makes no sense and is the biggest plot hole in the film by a mile.
Still, the action is interesting and is is nice to Rebel in action and she's great. The songs are great, especially the showstopper at the end. The characters do grow. Beca is the one chosen to open for DJ Khaled, instead of the Bellas or any of the other groups also entertaining for the troops and the rest of the Bellas are happy for her. Beca really is the most talented of them all.
Unfortunately, there are just plenty of problems with this film, including most of the underdeveloped love stories. Chloe is finally given a worthy love interested in Chicago (Matt Lanter) a soldier who escorts the Bellas around Europe. You never find out his real name, which is unfortunate. And Lilly (Hana Mae Lee) likes someone in another group and after being freed from the kidnapping, she talks like a normal person. The worst one is Beca's new love interest. That's right, she and Jesse (Skylar Aston) are through, which is a shame as they were rock solid in Pitch Perfect 2. Instead, her new love interest is Theo (Guy Burnet), a producer for DJ Khaled and there is little flirting between them, more like love at first sight for Theo while Beca isn't sure of the feelings between them.
Given that this is the last Pitch Perfect film, I wish they would have tied things up better and given the characters the happy endings they deserve.
Still, the music is great and singing is better than ever and the acting is great, though it was always solid and this film did give them some good material, too bad it wasn't enough to make this film truly memorable and launch the careers of the actresses who, like their characters, the wings to fly and move on. I will watch this film again but I can't help but wonder, what could have been? Grade: B-

The Middle: Thank You for Not Kissing

Frankie (Patricia Heaton) begins the episode by raking under Axl's (Charlie McDermott's) bed for more dishes and discovers that he's never finished a thank you note in his life. He can't string two sentences together to thank others for the kind things they have done for him in his life. A mass text isn't going to cut it either. It isn't until Brick (Atticus Shaffer) decides to help him and discovers one addressed to the late, great Aunt Edie and states that she would have appreciated it that Axl finally digs deep and is kind and charming and is able to complete the thank you notes. And that comes back to bite him. Some are so touched by his note that they send him money in return so the whole chain has to start over again.
In the meantime, Mike (Neil Flynn) and Frankie are called down to the school. Apparently, Brick and Cindy (Casey Burke) have been making out all over the place including during a pray vigil, which is just odd. At first, Mike tells him to knock it off, even though he is secretly very proud, but Cindy is livid with everything. In the end, Mike realizes that you're only young once so he tells Brick to do what he wants, as long as Cindy has provided consent and that he'll have Brick's back.
And poor Sue (Eden Sher). She has finally decided to give the snowglobe back to Sean (Beau Wirick) only to be thwarted by him hugging this random older woman and then by the fact that Sean got a fellowship to Ghana so that's where he'll be spending the whole summer. Sure, the end result is just upsetting but Sue's path to try to grow up so she can impress Sean is the most moving plot line of the night. She tries make-up and adult conversation and works to become sophisticated but finally decides that if Sean doesn't like her as she is, then it isn't meant to be. But timing is everything. It really is. First, you need two people interested and attracted to each other at the same time and then they both need to want something similar for their future. That doesn't happen often. So when it does, you should treasure it. And Mike finally realizes that. He buys Frankie flowers and she shaves her legs quickly in the sink so they can really make out. They need to keep the romance alive somehow. The world needs more romance.
All-in-all, this was a solid episode and one that kept me guessing the whole time. There were even some funny moments, which is another thing the world needs more of. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Sue, you totally said yellow.
-Stalking doesn't work, for the record.
-Mike didn't think he would have to have the sex talk with Brick.
-The last time Mike turned off the TV during a sports game, Aunt Edie died.
-Brick couldn't believe that Dr. Fulton (Dave Foley) was trying to talk to them during a prayer vigil.
-Making out is enjoyable, not that I've done it in well over a year.
-Brick doesn't like making out in the woods and alleys.
-Jesus did the ultimate thank you, but he didn't need to write anything.
-Apparently, Brick and Cindy make out over a dissected frog. That is just beyond disgusting.
-Who doesn't love dolphins?
-"I'm dating a tall wall that needs a Brick," is perhaps the best line of whole series.