The Shape of Water

Winning the Oscar for Best Picture (Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale), Best Original Score (Alexandre Desplat), Best Director (Guillermo del Toro), and Best Production Design/Set Decoration (Paul Denham Austerberry, Shane Vieau, Jeff Melvin), The Shape of Water has received lots of accolades, so I was very interested in seeing what all the hype was about.

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What It's About:

Orphan Elisa Esposito is very different than those around her - empathetic, passionate, and mute. As one of the women responsible for cleaning in a government facility, she is rarely given the time of day except by her friend and co-worker Zelda and neighbour Giles. When a top-secret specimen is rushed into the lab under the supervision of army personnel, Elisa is curious about this creature, who resembles both a human and an amphibian. The more Elisa learns about him, the closer of a bond that grows between them, through food, music, and sign language. So when sadistic Colonel Strickland decides that the best way to study the creature is to cut him open, Elisa has a choice to make - a choice that might not only risk her heart, but also her life.

Maudie

If you don't know anything about Maud Lewis, know this: she had a heck of a life.

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What It's About:

Maud Lewis, when she is simply Maud Dowley, is considered a burden to her family. Plagued by juvenile arthritis, she is unable to do much to be self-sufficient and is not given a say in her own affairs. Upon seeing Everett Lewis, a fish peddler and odd job man, place an advertisement for a live-in housekeeper, Maud sees this as her chance to make her independence. However Everett is ill-mannered, sometimes cruel, and has little patience for Maud's eccentricities. Yet somehow these two find how well two misfits can coexist. Amidst doing her daily duties, Maud paints every surface she can find - the walls, shelves, postcards, etc. and when one day a customer of Everett's wishes to buy one of Maud's paintings, her life is changed forever.

Period Dramas: Made in Dagenham

Based on real events in England during 1968, Made in Dagenham is a 2010 film, successful enough to follow with a musical based on it in 2014.

bbc.co.uk

What It's About:

It's 1968, and out of over 55,000 workers at the Ford plant in Dagenham, England, only 187 are women. These women, responsible for piecing together and sewing the leather seats, trim, and more, were re-classified as "unskilled" labourers, causing their pay to be less than those of any of the men in the factory. Prompting a fight for equality through a walk-out, the fallout from their actions impacts not only the entire Ford plant, but all of the women who came after.

Favourite Five - Jane Austen Characters

I've decided from time to time it would be fun to take a look at five of my favourites from various categories. So, what better way to start this new series than by looking at some of my favourite characters from Jane Austen novels? In no particular order, here are five of the characters I absolutely adore:

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1. Fanny Price

Although not always a popular choice, even among Janeites, I love Mansfield Park's Fanny Price. I may be a bit biased here, as Mansfield Park was my first Austen read, but I love her nonetheless. I admire her morality, her kindness, and her self-sacrifice. No matter what happens, or how people treat her, Fanny sticks to what she believes in - a truly commendable trait. It's a shame that there hasn't been a film version yet to do her justice.

austenprose.com

2. Anne Elliot

Oh, Anne, how I adore thee. Anne is probably the Austen heroine I most relate to. She truly is the black sheep of her family, and although feels very deeply, she rarely shares her feelings with anyone. Her feelings and struggles were ones I instantly connected with. She has a quiet brilliance and confidence that is rarely appreciated. I really like how Anne is portrayed in both the 1995 and 2007 versions.

Period Dramas: Fingersmith

Based on the Victorian crime novel of the same name by Sarah Waters, Fingersmith was turned into a mini-series in 2005. Filled with twists and turns that you won't see coming, it's a fun new addition to period drama that definitely breaks the mold.

www.bbc.co.uk

What It's About:

Sue Trinder is a Fingersmith - a thief living in the slums of London under the care of Mrs. Sucksby. Mrs. Sucksby, who takes care of unwanted and abandoned babies, is the closest thing that Sue has had to a mother since her own was hanged for murder. When Mrs. Sucksby's friend Gentleman appears one evening, and tells them of a scheme - and how if Sue helps him, he will give her £2000, it almost seems too tempting to resist. Yet Sue has some reservations when Gentleman tells her he plans to swindle an heiress out of her money, until Mrs. Sucksby encourages the plan. So off Sue goes, becoming the maid to the meek and troubled Ms. Maud Lilly, and eventually her friend. But what Sue didn't anticipate, was how deeply her feelings would run - and how could she betray someone she cares about so much?