Double review bonanza-time, LET'S GO:

"The Shape of Water"

Directed by Guillermo del Toro, famous for "Pan's Labyrinth" (among many others), "The Shape of Water" it easily stands as one of his best films, and equally one of the best of 2017.

Following the life of Elisa (played by Sally Hawkins, whose performance is nothing less than stellar), who works as a cleaner for a Cold War-era military base, "The Shape of Water" presents us a love story that feels as old-time Hollywood-y as it does vibrant, fresh and different.

A big draw for the movie comes from its developed, realistic characters, and the great performances their actors bring with them. We get a terrific, flawed villain from Michael Shannon (who is presented as a sort of nightmare-funhouse-mirror of the stereotypical American Dream), and a crazy entertaining supporting cast from Octavia Spencer and Richard Jenkin, who feel like actual people who have lives that go on beyond the frame of the movie. The people and characters of "The Shape of Water" feel real, with their own quirks and goals and flaws. I find when a movie does this right, it's the quickest way to get someone engaged in a film- if you are presented with characters who feel real and relatable on some level, you're bound to care about them, and therefore bound to care about what happens to them. It sounds like a simple point to make, but I find it to be one of the most common problems keeping a movie from being something 'great'- a lack of characters to invest yourself in. And it is this aspect that "The Shape of Water" succeeds the most.

Beyond its characters and storytelling, "The Shape of Water" is visually kaleidoscopic and a joy to watch. The colors and lighting are vibrant and moody, painting the world of "The Shape of Water" in ethereal tones, at times whimsical and at others unnerving.

The movie also takes pleasure in taking surreal visual detours, segments of the movie that serve no plot significance, but instead serve to drive home the impact of a certain emotion, often times the feeling of love, of the heart swelling and then shattering.

At the end of the day, "The Shape of Water" is a story about love, love between two different kinds of people ("people" used lightly) trying to be together in a world that doesn't understand or care for them. And that's the sign of a good movie there, whether it's gritty realistic or off the walls fantasy- that it feels relevant and important to the life and world that exists outside of the movie screen, to your life and world outside of the movie screen.

This movie is really freaking good, and if you can, go see it at your local theater.

"Lady Bird"

"Lady Bird" is also really freaking good. A coming-of-age comedy/drama, "Lady Bird" is a movie about small towns, about friendship and class, about love and sex, and about moms and daughters.

Starring Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf, "Lady Bird" does a lot of the same things right that "The Shape of Water" does. We are presented real, flawed characters here, with hopes and quirks and subtleties, in a place that feels real and genuine. The name of the game really is 'character'- if we've got no one to root for, no one we're interested in seeing grow or change, then what else do we really have?

"Lady Bird" follows the titular Christine "Lady Bird", a moniker she gives herself and insists the world around her refers to her by, as she grows up in small-town Sacremento, California. Lady Bird struggles against the confines of Catholic school, her social and financial status, and most importantly her mother. The moments we see these two different women come together and then pull apart are the most emotionally gripping, interesting moments of the movie.

"Lady Bird" is a fast movie, with clever, funny dialogue that feels believably black. And it's sad. It's sad in a way that doesn't feel manipulative, like they're shaking you by the shoulders to cry. It's sad in the way life can feel sad, sort of fleeting and somber.

I hope we see more from writer/director Greta Gerwig. Not only does she produce a visually beautiful, excellently written movie, but she does so with something to say, a personal touch about life and finding your own place in it.