The Shape of Water

One of the last of two films I saw back to back for 2017 as my first double feature, Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water is a beautiful look at a very unconventional love story between a mute woman and an aquatic humanoid sea creature with the 1960s Cold War themes as a backdrop that gets between them. The Shape of Water stars Sally Hawkins as Elisa who uses sign language to communicate, Doug Jones as the sea creature through tons of makeup, and Michael Shannon as a government official in charge of studying and testing the sea creature with supporting roles by Richard Jenkins and Octavia Spencer. This is by far one of the best films of 2017 as well as in del Toro's filmography as it's truly majestic and beautiful to watch. There were moments that at first I thought were odd or weird to show when first seeing them until you get to later parts of the film and those earlier parts now make sense. The cinematography, the music, and the attention to detail are all at their best in this Universal Horror meets romantic drama. You believe the love between Hawkins and Jones thanks to their very quiet yet powerful performances. Over all: 100%
2017 top lists so far:
1. The Disaster Artist
2. Baby Driver
3. It
4. Coco
5. The Shape of Water
6. Thor: Ragnarok
7. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
8. Wonder Woman
9. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
10. Logan
11. Spider-Man: Homecoming
12. Professor Marston and the Wonder Woman
13. Blade Runner 2049
14. Dunkirk
15. War for the Planet of the Apes
16. Alien: Covenant
17. John Wick: Chapter 2
18. The Lego Batman Movie
19. Saban's Power Rangers
20. The Foreigner
21. Justice League
22. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
23. Kong: Skull Island
24. Split
25. Kingsman: The Golden Circle
26. The Fate of the Furious
27. Beauty and the Beast 2017
28. Transformers: The Last Knight