Just had to see this movie

When a movie receives thirteen Oscar nominations, even if we had not originally planned on seeing it, we have to go. By Sunday I was feeling well enough to get out for a bit so we went to a small theater not far from here to see “The Shape of Water.”

To be honest, Barry and I are a bit unsure why this movie has received so much attention. It was certainly well acted and the word “haunting” comes to mind. It is one of those films that sticks in your mind for hours, and I imagine it will be days, after seeing it. But I think they could have removed most if not all of the violence and had an even better, film. I am also wondering how much the story really differs from “Beauty and the Beast,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” or even one of my personal all-time favorites, “ET.” They are all stories of relationships between humans and amazingly insightful alien beings, all with happy endings.

In this case, the main characters are a mute woman, Eliza (played by the amazingly talented actress Sally Hawkins), her closeted homosexual (not immediately obvious to Barry or to me) friend Giles (Richard Jenkins), co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer), and of course the amphibian man (Doug Jones). Like “Close Encounters” and “ET” there are also the bad guys – the scientists and the government agents from both the US and Russia – trying to capture and destroy the alien. And like those other movies, the government officials are outsmarted by a simple woman who cannot even speak but manages to communicate with the alien.

Here is the list of movies that have received the Oscar nomination for best picture, with asterisks denoting the ones we have seen:

Call Me by Your Name
Dunkirk
Get Out
Darkest Hour*
Lady Bird*
Phantom Thread*
The Post*
The Shape of Water*
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri*

It probably won’t happen, but I am still rooting for Lady Bird!

We had also taken Eliana, Ella, and Maya to see “Early Man” last weekend. This was one of those movies that has something for both children and adults: plenty of silliness along with clever double entendres and humor adults will appreciate.

My plan for today is to bake Hamantaschen, the three-sided filled cookies that are traditional fare for the upcoming holiday of Purim. The dough is sitting in the refrigerator, and I have both apricot and chocolate chips for filling. I hope to be able to take these up to Sharon next weekend.

Have a nice week!

Love,

Rebecca