I have not yet seen the Shape of Water, but I did see del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, which is enough of a motivation to go see his latest. Although I hope this one doesn't have monsters that stick with you for so many years.
I really disagree with BEST picture...
I saw The Shape of WATER...and it was one of the worst most implausible films I've ever seen.
I haven't seen any of the other movies that were nominated for best picture...but I'm sure one of
them has to be better.
Sometimes when I watch a movie and I have absolutely no clue what the whole thing was trying to say, I go and read up on it afterwards. I had that with
Spirited Away, for example. On the surface was a story that wasn't that difficult to follow, but Japan having cultural references that are so unrecognizable and far away from my own, it helps to have a little context. The context explained the story and gave it a bit of an a-ha moment after the fact, but the devil is also in the details. Some scenes seem awkward or pointless either because you don't know a lot about Japanese life, customs and history, or because the story telling uses a framework somewhat different from our own.
Bottom line: if it was implausible to you, read in-depth reviews and discussions to see what you missed.
Maybe they should allow the public to call in and vote who wins each Oscar?
The whole point about the Oscars was that they are awarded by film makers, to film makers. Although I'm unfamiliar just how the whole voting system works and couldn't comment on whether it is in any way a balanced vote, I can appreciate that receiving recognition from your peers - the very people who know what effort goes into making movies - may mean as much and maybe even more than getting it from the audience. And anyway there are sufficient platforms for audience favorites.