Page 2 December 14, 2017
Film Review
Let Yourself Be Swept Away
in the Romance of The Shape of Water
By Ryan Rojas
for www.cinemacy.com
Imagine the timeless love story Beauty and
the Beast set in 1960s Cold War America,
and the beast is an amphibian-man desired
by the U.S. and Russia for weapon-utilizing
purposes. Here you have director Guillermo
Del Toro’s latest film, The Shape of Water,
or the basic outline, at least. The special
ingredient in this affectingly heart-filled film
is its achingly dutiful ode to classic romantic
movies of the past. The Shape of Water feels
like the ever-magisterial Del Toro was swept up
in the same intoxicating aroma as spellbound
director Damien Chazelle with the Hollywood
backlot homage, La La Land. This holiday
season, let the feel-good, achingly beautiful The
Shape of Water color your heart anew--even
if that color is a seafoam green like our fincovered
friend.
Audiences should know (and not mind) that
in the classical tradition, this period piece
does away with an intricate storyline for a
more classic, familiar one. And why should
it be anything but a simple tale of two starcrossed
lovers? Anything more would weigh
down this otherwise beautifully buoyant film,
whose best quality is a lightness that keeps
the fireplace warm. This tone and spirit stem
directly from the performance of Sally Hawkins,
who plays Elisa--a mute janitor who works at
an underground facility in 1960s Baltimore.
Meek in demeanor, she works alongside her
co-worker, Zelda (Octavia Spencer)--with
whom she has clearly gotten comfortable.
Elisa’s routine and unassuming lifestyle,
which includes waking up in her one-bedroom
apartment, enjoying herself in the tub and
clocking in for work suddenly becomes upended
when she actually meets “the asset”--the
Amphibian Man resembling the creature from
Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water. Courtesy of Fox Searchlight.
the Black Lagoon. A timid courting begins
between both silent creatures. She teaches him
to sign simple phrases to communicate while
the Amphibian is chained in his iron-cast tank.
The two also enjoy late-night indulgences of
hard-boiled eggs and jazz records.
But as we all know, the kindred-spiritsfinding
companionship story needs its villain,
which Michael Shannon deliciously delivers
as Strickland--a hell-bent overseer of the
facility and self-appointed torturer of the asset.
The film plays to its expected path: Elisa
sets in motion a plan to break the creature
free with help from her similarly sheepish
illustrator neighbor (played by a wonderful
Richard Jenkins--seriously, this whole cast
rocks!). Conventional and comforting, but
also adventurous and erotic (sensual scenes
between Elisa and the Amphibian Man are
not shied away from), The Shape of Water is
everything we wish the film would be.
Del Toro has shown with his previous
work that he can create some of the
best fantasy-creature movies ever made,
like the modern=day masterpiece Pan’s
Labyrinth, which portrayed his dark extraction
of children’s fantasy, as well as comic book
shoot-‘em-ups like Hellboy. But where those
films were considerably more action-filled, The
Shape of Water is decidedly affection-filled
and sure to imprint a soft smile on doting
audience’s faces. For a film about two
creatures who won’t let anything--politics,
danger, or the fact that they’re two different
species--stand in their way, that’s something
that audiences should let themselves snuggle
up to this season.•
119 min. The Shape of Water is rated R for
sexual content, graphic nudity, violence, and
language. Now playing at the Landmark and
ArcLight Hollywood.
Don’t Let the
Seniors
Flu Bug You this Year
(BPT) - Flu season is upon us, and many
healthcare facilities are urging you to start
preparing now with vaccines. Ironically, one of
the places where you need to be careful is at
the doctor’s office or healthcare clinic.
The number of people in and out of clinics
this time of year increases the chance that
someone will leave behind a harmful pathogen.
Being in close proximity with people who
may already have the flu can put you and
your family at risk. You can reduce this risk
by following some simple instructions from
healthcare cleaning experts.
“Healthcare-acquired infections can be a threat
to everyone, especially the elderly and young
children,” said Steve Zimmerman, director of
healthcare services for ServiceMaster Clean, one
of the nation’s leading cleaning and janitorial
service providers. “Most facilities do a good
job of sanitizing their waiting areas, but sick
people can spread their illnesses through the
touch of a door, magazine or pen - leaving you
vulnerable to pick up germs you can’t see.”
The Centers for Disease Control estimate
that 9 million to 35 million people will get
the flu each year, 140,000 to 710,000 will be
hospitalized because of it, and 12,000 to 56,000
will die from the illness. The CDC recommends
a vaccination each year for those six months
of age and older.
While the vaccine may help protect you from
the flu, cleaning experts urge everyone to avoid
high-touch areas as much as possible.
What are high-touch areas? In a healthcare
setting, Zimmerman defines high-touch
surfaces as anything that multiple people
will likely touch during their visit. Some
high-touch surfaces are hard to avoid, such
as door handles and chair armrests. That’s
why it’s wise to wash hands often and use
hand sanitizer when necessary. But there are
other high-touch areas you can avoid, such as:
• Magazines. These are nearly impossible
to disinfect once they have been contaminated.
Don’t pick them up while you’re waiting.
• Toys. Bring your own toys to help prevent
your child from picking up an illness from
another child.
• Restrooms. They can harbor lots of
pathogens unless cleaned often. If you must
go, limit touching surfaces in the restroom,
wash your hands thoroughly and use hand
sanitizer if it’s available.
• Ink pens. Think about how many hands
touch the ink pens in facilities - whether
signing in or filling out paperwork, bring
your own and eliminate the possibility of
sharing germs.
• Coffee urns. For many Americans, coffee
is a must. If you pick up a coffee pot or
stop in your favorite coffee shop, take hand
sanitizer with you and use immediately after
you pour a cup.
Zimmerman also points out that if you
schedule visits for the early morning, you are
less likely to contract the germs that typically
accumulate, since cleaning crews often perform
a deep clean at the end of each day.
El Segundo Herald*
Manhattan Beach Sun
Hawthorne Press Tribune*
Inglewood Daily News*
Lawndale News*
Torrance Tribune*
EL SEGUNDO OFFICE • 500 Center St. • El Segundo • CA • 90245
Phone: (310) 322-1830 • Fax: (310) 322-2787 • www.heraldpublications.com
*Our papers are legally recognized and adjudicated newspapers of general circulation
Staff and Departments
Editor-in-Chief: Heidi Maerker
Classifieds: Clara Nilles • class@heraldpublications.com
DBA: Clara Nilles • dba@heraldpublications.com
For Fictitious Business Name (DBAs) filings
Graphic Design: Michael Gonzales • ads@heraldpublications.com
Legals: Debbie Waite • legalnotices@heraldpublications.com
Letters to the Editor: letters@heraldpublications.com
Marketing: Debbie Waite • marketing@heraldpublications.com
Press Releases: pr@heraldpublications.com
For press releases, Herald In travel photos and general photos
Real Estate: graphics@heraldpublications.com
For new realtors, contracts, ads
Website contact: web@heraldpublications.com
For comments or announcements (weddings, engagements, obituaries)
Contributing Graphic Artists: Patty Grau, Matt Lopez
Contributing Writers: Haleemon Anderson, Derrick Deane,TerriAnn Ferren, Greg McMullin,
Duane Plank, Adam Serrao, Brian Simon, Cristian Vasquez