The Shallows (2016)

"I'm not dying here." - Nancy

Blake Lively vs. A Shark:  That's basically it.  I think we've all seen this before.  And it does not disappoint. Blake Lively fights a shark. Yup.   To not disappoint is actually a remarkable achievement. In my mind, The Shallows has put itself in contention for  Top 5 shark movies of all time.  Most are just pure trash. Take a look at this list: 1  In this company, The Shallows is head and shoulders above.  I say well done.   -though can't say that I wouldn't enjoy watching Jersey Shore Shark Attack.

Kudos to the writers of The Shallows for placing our damsel in distress on the back of a rotting whale.  Just wonderful.

On a scale of Mega-Shark to Mecha-Shark, I give The Shallows 3.3 out of 4 stars. 

Me Before You (2016)

"I just…want to be a man who has been to a concert with a girl in a red dress. Just for a few minutes more." -Will Traynor

What a legitimately sad movie. Sad in the best way. Sadness can encompass joy, solace, and relief.  This makes Me Before You a unique and wonderfully strange date movie.  Seriously, this could only be the worst or the best first date movie ever. Nothing in between. At it's best, everyone cries. And everyone emerges from the darkness better for the journey.  At it's worst, the date descends into soul crushing despair and never recovers. 

So in short, most films would stop at nothing to achieve one tenth of the emotional depth of Me Before You. But the rest of the film from acting to writing to editing and music is slightly below average.  So yeah...a really emotionally moving meh. 

Emotional connection is really the hardest thing to engender in a film. Really well done, Director Thea Sharrock.

On a scale of The Marianas Trench to Sea Level, I give Me Before You 3.1 out of 5 stars.