From oil recovery to molecular biology, nanoconfined water plays important role in many areas of research. However, the mechanics and dynamics of nanoconfined water are not well understood. Over the last ten years, a number of groups have measured the mechanics of confined water using atomic force microscopy (AFM) or surface forces apparatus (SFA) – often with contradictory results. We use a high resolution AFM to measure the mechanics and dynamics of nanoconfined liquids. We have shown that water shows a dynamic “solidification” when confined to a few layers (Phys. Rev. Lett. 2010), a finding that explains the contradictory findings in earlier measurements and points to surprisingly complex behavior in this seemingly simple system. We also discovered an unusual relationship of viscous damping of nanoconfined liquids on the lateral size of the confinement region (App. Phys. Lett. 2014). Here we will review these findings, as well as present new findings such as Young’s modulus of nanoconfined liquids. Also, we will show the profound effect of ion concentration on the dynamics of water at the interface.