The Shallows (2016) – movie review

The Shallows (2016)

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

starring:
Blake Lively
Óscar Jaenada
Brett Cullen

 

It’s not Jaws, but that’s a good thing…

The natural tendency is to compare this film to Jaws. However, it’s not fair to compare the two films because they are completely different. They exist for two completely different reasons. They tell two different kinds of stories. Jaws is a big, multi-faceted story about a whole town and its welfare and its way of life. The Shallows is a small story about one young woman and a place she’s stuck at, in her life. It’s a very personal story. Oh yeah and there’s a shark.

After the passing of her mother, Nancy goes to a Caribbean island to find the secret beach where her mom surfed and where she found out she was pregnant with her first daughter. It’s a special place, symbolic, but also a beautiful paradise–a great place to not only surf, but to clear your head of clutter and feel free.

Nancy is befriended by two locals who give her the low down on surfing in the massive bay area. The cinematography is outstanding and the color is beautiful. You get a real sense of the beauty of the place and the serenity of its isolation. When the locals pack it in for the night, Nancy decides to catch one last wave. She’s attacked, bitten on her leg, but manages to escape her nemesis. She gets stranded on an island, nothing more than a large stone, that is only out of water during low tide. The large killer shark is patient and circles, waiting for high tide.

I thought it may be difficult for a film with basically only one character to keep my attention. However, the film was engrossing and full of excitement. Great pacing and imaginative storytelling, letting the viewer in on the backstory in a light-handed manner, make this film a winner. It lulls you into its peaceful serenity with its beautiful views and bright sparkling water, then it rips that comfort out from under you. It combines the right amounts of thrilling suspense, emotional content and gut twisting action. I may change my mind with future viewings, but upon my first watch I give it top rating.

An emotionally charged thriller shark movie worth a trip to the theater.

I give it 5 chomping razor-sharp teeth out of 5 on the killer carnivore vs virtuous vixen scale.

 

Sharknado 3 Premier – it wouldn’t be summer!

Sharknado 3 

Leading up to this event we had some new classics like, 3-Headed Shark Attack (If 2 heads were bad, 3 heads are the baddest!) and Zombie Shark (just in case a shark isn’t scary enough for you, it’s a zombie too!)

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This would be a great time to take a look at some of my previous summer posts dealing with Sharks, surf, summer and beachside fun!

Those Other Shark Movies
A boatload of shark movies in a pictorial listing to keep your shark-filled summer going.

Scariest Creatures of the Sea
You don’t need no movies to make you fear the sea. Here’s a bunch of real life creatures to make your stomach crawl.

Beach Movie Reviews:
Humanoids from the Deep

Beach Blanket Terror

Blood Beach

The Monster of Piedras Blanca

Creature

Creatures from the Abyss

Island of the Fishmen

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Sharknado Party Must haves!

Get your party theme going with these party shark particulars

 

 

you can always rent one of these – ride a Mechanical Shark

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Shark eats man…Man eats shark! What to serve at your Sharknado Party!

Grilled Shark Steaks

check out the easy recipe here:
http://www.food.com/recipe/grilled-shark-steaks-320984

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Fish and Chips

The ‘fish’ is usually Atlantic Cod, but shark white meat can make for a wonderful exchange for your fish and chips.

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Those other Shark Attack Movies! Summer Fun!

Those other Shark Attack Movies – in preperation for Sharknado 2

aka: My Big-ass list of shark movies!

Sharknado 2 is premiering on July 30^th, so I thought it would be a great time to take a look at those other shark movies. The films here range from decent thrillers (very few) to poorly-written CGI debacles, to all out hokey-campy fodder.

Don’t forget, as Tara Reid says, “This can really happen!” so it’s important to watch Sharknado for realistic ideas on how to survive…

Theatrical releases:

Shark! (1969) aka: Caine
Tintorera: Killer Shark (1977)
Great White (1982) aka: The Last Shark
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
12 Days of Terror (2004)
Blue Demon (2004)
The Reef (2010)
Dark Tide (2011)
Shark Night 3D (2011)
Bait (2012)

SyFy channel regulars:

Shark Attack (1999)
Shark Attack 2 (2000)
Shark Attack 3: Megalodon (2002)
Shark Zone (2003)
Red Water (2003)
Shark Attack in the Mediterranean (2004)
Hammerhead: Shark Frenzy (2005)
Spring Break Shark Attack (2005)
Jersey Shore Shark Attack (2008)
Shark in Venice (2008)
Shark Swarm (2008)
Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus (2009)
Malibu Shark Attack (2009)
Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus (2010)
Sharktopus (2010)
DinoShark (2010)
Sand Sharks (2011)
Swamp Shark (2011)
2-Headed Shark Attack (2012)
GhostShark (2013)
Sharknado (2013)
Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark (2014)

 

 Gallery of shark attackfilms; victims, violence and predators…
Be sure to SCROLL over all the pics in the gallery below and read the captions! Enjoy.

 

Golden Globes award goes to…Carmen Elektra!

attention shoppers!

isn’t that Sharni from You’re Next?

$6.99 for fish sticks?!

great day to be a camera man

Berry’s assets can’t save this flick

Okay, I might watch it…

’cause you wouldn’t want the shark to choke on a wet suit

snakes on a pla… oh wrong movie

The day LL Cool J turned white

Love this dinoshark monster!

sausage links anyone?

anywhere there’s water – ghost shark can appear…

anywhere!

drank a glass of water… ghost shark!

slip and slide? Ghost shark!

where the &%@# is my boat?

Jersey shure, yo!

ok, who misses the real Snookie?

Joey Fatone becomes dinner

Don’t tell me, there’s someone sneaking up behind us, am I right?

wave catches surfer!

sand shark

likes head on the beach

Hey, no splashing!

Burt Reynolds

Now that’s realistic!

gotta’ love it!

another good day to be a camera man 🙂

SyFy, where Idol loosers go to die

whose the shark now?

someone had to be smoking ‘the reef’ to capsize that boat

just have to be faster than the guy next to you

they had product placement in the 70’s?

Susan George is in it? Can’t be any good

There are more… but there’s only so much time in a day!

 

The Reef – (2010) – movie review

The Reef – (2010)

Scuba divers off the great barrier reef are forced to swim many miles to the safety of a small island when their boat is capsized on the ocean. What they do not know is that when they start this trek, they are being hunted by the ocean’s top predator, a great white shark. It seems as though only one of the five stranded, Luke, is an experienced seafarer. It is through his POV, when he dons his goggles, that we see an underwater view of the beast that is stalking the group. The first time you see the great white materializing through the distance of the murky waters is a chilling scene. There are a few other good scares as the great white picks them off one-by-one. But there are also a few scenes that want to add human drama to the film and seem senseless. For example, when they decide that they will leave the capsized boat to swim for land – out of the clear blue, Kate decides she’s not going with them. Then about 30 seconds later, when the group has left, she yells to them, Wait, I want to come… so she jumps in the water and catches up. I know this is based on a true story but the whole scene just seemed like ridiculous fodder. Other than that and one or two other slow scenes, the film successfully ramps up the suspense as the island is spotted and becomes within swimming distance, just as the great white becomes even more aggressive. While ‘The Reef’ will never be one of my top picks, it is a chilling natural-horror style film, merit for summer entertainment.