The Creature From the Black Lagoon

And this week's Friday night movie has been....The Creature From the Black Lagoon!

Original image located here. Accessed 11th October 2019

My first encounter with The Creature of the Black Lagoon happened during my pre-teen years. I would go to my local arcade parlour and see, among others, a pinball game dedicated to it. I didn't play it but I do recall being put off by the artwork: There was something seeing a monster carrying a (potentially comatose) blonde in a white one-piece that unsettled me. Of course that doesn't sound ridiculous in a post-MeToo world - and it should be noted that the game was more to do with seeing the movie in a drive-in theater than the actual movie itself - but in a roundabout way, my curiosity was piqued.
Further interest was generated with the movie being the inspiration for the Shape of Water (the movie not the book).

That being said, this is a 1950's monster movie through and through. So there's lot's of screaming, rubber monster costume, loud dramatic music and damsel-in-distress-ness. Still, the real highlights for me are the use of suspense, the gradual build up before the reveal of the creature and the underwater footage/movement. And the monster itself still looks impressive. And, in some instances, scary.
Looks like this movie still has merit sixty-odd years later

The Shape of Water

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....The Shape of Water!

Original image located here. Accessed 26th January 2018

I was disappointed with this movie: I went in expecting to see an adaptation of the historical fiction novel of Sophia Degraves, the wife of the man who founded the Cascades brewery. But what i got was a movie wherein a woman has sex with a fish.

Okay seriously, get past the peculiar premise and this movie is indeed a touching one. i was dreading that this was going to be one of those 'ordinary person romances unusual partner' movies (ie Oh My Goddess and Twilight) but somehow that was not the case. it's great to see the kind of people who are misrepresented in mainstream cinema doing great things but somehow i feel this movie is more than that. But really, this movie is all about the bizarre marriage between the beautiful and the grotesque. In addition, it is not about the journey but the execution.

I've heard people call it a weird movie but i didn't think so (believe you me I've seen films weirder than this). I thought it was a very beautiful movie.

 And hey, Thane got lucky XD