TRAVIS BYRAM'S MOVIE REVIEWS

The generic cup of Guillermo del Toro's latest, The Shape of Water , runneth over. It is fantastical, horrific in points, a musical element (I won't spoil that surprise), intense psychological drama, comedic moments courtesy of the always-fabulous Octavia Spencer and Richard Jenkins, and of course, as the amphibian man will tip off to you, sci-fi. But if I had Michael Shannon pointing a gun to my head (and let's be honest, with the performances he gives, that might not be out of the realm of possibility), I'd label The Shape of Water a romance. It's ruminations of love and hate and the ways we can show love, express it, would be goopy and syrupy in the hands of a lesser director, but del Toro is full-on freaky fairy tale here, and if you're wondering why the movie with the big green fish man is getting nominated for so many awards, I suggest you read my review. Of course, the magic of this movie is that you don't have to choose. It's gruesome, it's...

The importance of a film's opening scene can't be stressed enough. In my favorite film, which most people watch around this time in the holidays, It's a Wonderful Life , we see a slew of people in the wee town of Bedford Falls praying for the life of George Bailey. Immediately know something is wrong, that the film will tote a sentimental sentiment, and who is George and why does he need these prayers? A great opening scene should ask all of those questions...and in Nocturnal Animals  you will have a lot of questions, and it's not indicative of the movie you are about to watch. Please don't Google it, and, review spoiler alert, I liked this movie a lot, so I encourage you to go see it. I want to say Ford wanted to be sensationalistic but it doesn't fit with the theme. It must be experienced, with a crowd as full as many people as you can, so you can all collectively stew in the awkwardness. The movie actually revolves around Susan, played by Amy Adams, who rec...

There are a couple of items to address before going into my review of the highly anticipated "Man of Steel." The first is to pay respects to an actor who's passed, the incomparable James Gandolfini. I didn't have the privilege of watching "The Sopranos," but I thoroughly enjoyed his supporting work in "The Taking of Pelham 1 2  3" and "Zero Dark Thirty." He was a familiar face that'll be missed in the community, and a TV legend in his own right. Second, I haven't written in the blog in a long time; I've been working on a short film with several friends that I wrote and co-starred in, so I've spent a lot of time on that, and will post it as soon as filming completes! Now on to the review: I'd heard polarizing things on this superhero blockbuster, and none of them assured me I was going to love it. I'd listened to mostly good buzz about "Iron Man 3," with raves from my peers in high school, but that obv...