Suzi Quatro: 5 Great Songs

This week, please check out another article I did for Culture Sonar, an excellent arts and entertainment website. This one is about rocker Suzi Quatro, a pioneering female rocker who was an inspiration for Joan Jett and many others; click on the link below to access the piece. You can also find my other work for the site by going to the main page (http://www.culturesonar.com) and using the search function. Thanks for reading, both here at Eclectic Avenue and over at Culture Sonar.

http://www.culturesonar.com/suzi-quatro/

Del Toro's "Shape of Water" is Magnificent

Director Guillermo Del Toro has thrilled us with his visionary style and taken us to some incredible places in such acclaimed movies as The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labryinth, as well as the underrated Crimson Peak. Now he takes his artistry to a new level with his latest release, The Shape of Water. It’s a masterfully realized fantasy and a touching love story, featuring excellent performances by a top-notch cast. The film takes place in Baltimore in the early 1960s, during the height of the Cold War. The story centers on Elisa Esposito, who works as a custodian at a government facility. Elisa is mute, and communicates using sign language. She lives above a movie theatre and has two loyal friends: her neighbor Giles (with whom she shares meals and watches classic movies on TV) and her co-worker Zelda.

One day, an aquatic creature, which was captured in South America, is brought to the facility. The personnel there are studying the “monster” in order to gain an advantage over the Russians in the space race. One staff member, Colonel Strickland, abuses the creature on a daily basis, and sees it only as a means to an end.  Elisa is intrigued by this “monster,” and feels a strong kinship with it. Elisa tries to communicate with the creature, and befriend it. She starts bringing it meals, playing music for it, and teaching it sign language. The two form a close bond, and Elise decides to help the creature escape. That decision will change both of their lives (and the lives of Elisa’s friends) forever.

The cast is excellent. Sally Hawkins is a standout as Elise. She communicates all of Elise’s emotions; loneliness, passion, pain and ultimately joy, using mostly her eyes and her hands. It’s a luminous performance. She’s matched by an excellent supporting cast, including the incredible Richard Jenkins as Giles, and the wonderful Octavia Spencer as Zelda. Michael Shannon expertly enacts the villainous Colonel Strickland. Michael Stuhlbarg does a nice turn as a compassionate scientist who helps our heroes free the creature. Doug Jones, who’s the man inside the monster suit, does a superlative job portraying the creature. He’s done a great job playing monsters in other Del Toro projects (like Hellboy) but in this film he does some magnificent work. He imbues the character with such dignity and humanity that you can’t help but feel empathy for him.

The film also features a subtle message about tolerance and the acceptance of people’s (and other species) differences: Giles is a closeted gay man, and Zelda is an African-American woman. They’re two of the most positive and fully realized characters in the film. Del Toro doesn’t hit us over the head with a “message,” but you can’t help thinking about the time period in which these characters are living (the 1960s) and the things they had to endure from people like the violent and abusive Strickland, who essentially sees everyone else as being beneath him. It’s also a nice touch that the Giles character is an illustrator (like Del Toro) allowing us to see some of the story through his eyes. Giles also opens and closes the film with some marvelous narration, that truly sets the tone for this lovely, powerful and enchanting film.

The Shape of Water is part fairy tale, part love story and part monster movie. Del Toro (who has always felt a kinship with the monsters in stories like this) has stated that he was partly inspired to write the film based on his experience seeing Creature From The Black Lagoon as a child. He wondered why the monster didn’t get the girl. The movie plays to all of Del Toro’s strengths as a filmmaker. He and his technical crew have created a truly original look for the film. Of course, the fact that Elisa lives above a movie theatre allows Del Toro to compare the fantasy of the world of movies with the fantastical events taking place within his story. The Shape of Water is a lovely, emotional and powerful film. If you are partial to love stories, lyrical fantasies, and/or are a fan of Del Toro’s work, this is a must see. It’s hands down one of the best films of 2017. The movie features some astonishing, beautiful and brilliantly realized images that will stay with you long after the movie is over. Here’s a link to the film’s trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFYWazblaUA.

Is "Jedi" A New Direction for the Saga?

When Star Wars: The Force Awakens opened in 2015, audiences warmly embraced the film as a return to form after the disappointing “prequel trilogy” which began with 1999’s Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Director J. J. Abrams managed to provide fans with a jumping off point for a thrilling new adventure set in the universe created by George Lucas, while also giving them some new characters and storylines. Now the second film in the post Star Wars: Return of the Jedi timeline, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, has been released, and while it’s been phenomenally successful at the box office, it’s also spawned some sharply divided opinions among fans and critics. Many have compared the film to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (generally considered the best film in the series) while others have pointed out it’s an enjoyable, but flawed, entry in the ongoing saga.

The story picks up shortly after the end of the previous film, with the remaining rebels (led by General Leia) fighting bravely against the evil First Order. Meanwhile, Rey (Daisy Ridley) the heroine of The Force Awakens, has traveled to a distant world to find Luke Skywalker, who disappeared after trying (and failing) to train a new group of Jedi. One of those trainees, Kylo Ren, the son of Leia and Han Solo, has turned to the Dark Side, and become a leader in the First Order. He’s hunting down the rest of the rebels, and plans to obliterate them once and for all. Rey wants Luke to return to the fight, and help the rebels defeat the villains, and restore peace to the galaxy. By the way, I’m going to try to stay as spoiler free as I can for the rest of this piece.

We also catch up with several of the other characters from The Force Awakens, including former stormtrooper Finn, who’s now a part of the rebellion, and fighter pilot Poe Dameron, who clashes with Leia regarding strategy during their battles with the First Order.  Of course, the multiple storylines all converge toward the climax of the film, featuring the requisite space battle between the heroes and the villains, with the fate of our heroes (and the future of the Rebellion) at stake. The film is visually striking and features some nice performances, including Carrie Fisher as General Leia (in her final role) and Mark Hamill as an older, embittered Luke Skywalker.

The thing that has many fans buzzing is that the plot seems to ignore some major story elements established by Abrams in the first film, and the Star Wars saga as a whole.  The movie definitely subverts audience expectations more than once, and goes in some directions you don’t expect. There are some exciting sequences, as well as some nice nods to earlier films in the series. However, one subplot involving a visit to a casino slows down the middle of the film, and there’s one moment involving a major character that may give you pause. Ultimately, your own reaction to the film may vary, but the movie is well directed by Rian Johnson (Looper, Brick) who also wrote the screenplay. Johnson does take some risks with the the film, rather than playing it safe. The biggest question is: will Johnson’s take on the story be followed through when J.J. Abrams returns to co-write and direct the third chapter of this trilogy, Star Wars: Episode IX, slated for release in 2019. Only time will tell. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is currently in theaters. Here’s a link to the film's trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0CbN8sfihY.