Monster

Rating:
Summary: A terrific performance sparks this film!
Review: MONSTER is an admirable movie, in the way that it makes our loyalties shift from character to character. We are introduced right away to Aileen (Lee) [played by Charlize Theron...more on her later], the soon-to-be first ever female serial killer. She is unattractive in a way that says "I feel ugly on the inside, and that has bled into the outside," rather than, "Because I was ugly outside, my soul has become ugly too." She is, quite obviously, rotten at the core. She goes into a bar, mostly to escape the elements, and finds she is in a gay bar, and there she meets the character played by Christina Ricci, who is a not-quite-out-of-the-closet lesbian, making some very shy forays into the gay world. She is unattractively dressed and wearing a huge cast on her arm, so her desparation to connect makes her even more unappealing to the more happy-go-lucky crowd around. She and Lee connect though, and a "torrid" affair develops.

At first, Ricci (who lives in a tiny bedroom in the ultra-religious home of some family relatives she's been shipped off to) and Lee are a "happy" couple...crazy and irresponsible, but so glad to have made a connection with another human being and not to be found repulsive. But soon, we see some ugliness coming out...unexpectedly, it comes from Ricci. She is fascinated that Lee is a prostitute, and when Lee makes a (sad) effort to "go straight," we are dismayed to see that Ricci seems to want Lee to continue her life as a prostitute.

Then Lee (whom we have come to feel very sorry for at this point) is brutally attacked by a customer. She fights back and kills the man. At this point, we are ready to cheer. She is empowered and certainly seems to be within her rights to shoot the guy. But when she returns to Ricci with the man's car, Ricci's greed comes out even more, and their love for each other begins to curdle.

Lee begins to kill for less and less "admirable" reasons, and by the end of her spree, our feelings have flip-flopped for her.

The movie is frank and brutal. In the crowd I saw it in, there were plenty of shocked gasps...not from gore, but from the cold natured brutality. Somehow, low-budget movies just make the grittiness of violent death feel more REAL. Death Be Not Proud, the quote goes, and it certainly isn't in this film!

Yet underneath it, the movie is still structured something like a predicatable TV movie. Cleaned up just a little and cast with a TV star instead of a movie star, and you could have a "movie of the week." Ultimately, the movie doesn't really have anything big or new to say. We see how Lee became a serial killer, but this only sheds illumination on her, not on the world in general. The story IS fascinating, no question, but at the end, you don't really leave the movie with a big feeling one way or another.

Charlize Theron. She has never been a favorite of mine. She is glamorous, and was okay in films like CIDER HOUSE RULES. Often, though, she's little more than an adornment to the film, usually attached at the hip to a man. Here, the male characters are VERY minor, and Theron spends most of her time on screen with Ricci. Much has been made of her makeup, and it is stellar. She is pretty much unrecognizable. And unlike, for example, Nichole Kidman in THE HOURS (remember the rubber nose?), Theron's makeup is seamless. But what she has done here is transformed herself. Her entire posture has been given over to the realities of her character. Not one bit of glamour is there to be found. It is a brave performance, and one that should make it possible for her to find meatier roles. But MONSTER'S BALL didn't help Halle Barry get "juicy" roles...just bigger paychecks. We'll see what Theron's fate is. I'm not entirely sure she should win the Oscar...as amazing as her performance is, there are some gradations lacking. It begins to feel a little bit predictable by the end. But if she does win, I won't begrudge her.

But adult movie audiences looking for a unique, engrossing film could do far worse than MONSTER. It's a trip into a previously unfamiliar world. Just leave the kids at home!

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely amazing!!!!
Review: Charlize Theron has given the performance of a lifetime- a completely mesmerizing portrayal from beginning to end. She is able to take the audience with her through a serial killer's tragic life, showing us not only Aileen Wuornos as the perpetrator of horrific murders, but Aileen Wuornos as a tragic victim. Ms. Theron is more than believable. She is downright astounding.
The movie is tragic on many levels, brilliantly showing us the devastating effects of childhood abuse, homelessness, alcoholism, prostitution, rape, violence, and the ultimate betrayal. It's not a happy movie, but it's an important one.
Charlize does indeed show us how talented she truly is. She brilliantly conveys not just anger and rage, but vulnerability, fear, hope, love, desperation and complete dejection. I too saw this as a love story. A desperate attempt at some kind of normalcy in a life that had been full of dysfunction and abuse.
Ms. Theron, YOU are my new hero. You kept a real person real. So often, actors who portray real people end up doing sad charicatures of them instead, leaving the audience empty and embarrassed for them. Not so here. This was played pitch perfect. Bravo to you Charlize. Start writing your Oscar acceptance speech.
A few more words: Christina Ricci is no slouch in this movie either. They play off each other wonderfully. She provides a subtlety in contrast to Theron's in your face character. I read somewhere that Patty Jenkins saw Charlize Theron in "Devil's Advocate" one night and immediately knew she was the one to play Aileen. If her instincts stay as sharp as that, she will have a very successful film making career. BR>Favorite scenes: the vulnerability Charlize Theron shows when she is sitting on the bed in her bath towel and finally gets up the guts to verbalize her feelings to Selby. Incredible.
Also, the scene where she is sitting on the couch rationalizing to Selby why she kills. Absolutely Perfect.
See this movie.
A word of warning though: this movie stayed with me for DAYS. Be prepared to think about it for a while. It draws you in and doesn't let go. I was not watching a movie, I was experiencing a life.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Acting, Authentic Characterizations
Review: This is one of the most brilliant and thought-provoking movies I have ever seen. Theron nailed the part. This isn't a movie to take at face value. If you don't want to think, don't bother to go. You need to view it realizing that people do the things they do because of all of their experiences and that life and people are complex. This is the story of a woman who was never loved, and who was desperate for someone, anyone, to just love her for who she was, and not for sexual favors. It's a movie to see if you are interested in women's studies, psychology, and sociology. If you are going for cheap thrills, you don't deserve to see the movie. If you are going to see two women make out, you don't have the depth to appreciate the movie. This isn't a movie for anyone who is stupid or shallow. It's a beautiful, painful, difficult depiction of what women endure at the hands of men too often in our world. I'll never forget this movie as long as I live. The directing and acting are breathtaking. I haven't seen acting this good since Halle Berry in Monster's Ball. I hope it encourages people to try to understand these issues better. During the movie, a stupid man kept making snide remarks a few rows behind me. He was obviously uncomfortable with the material--he couldn't wrap his brain around any of the character's dialogue. I think in some ways, this movie may be even more difficult for men to watch than for women. While it is painful for women, too many women will be able to sit in the audience and relate to the many emotions portrayed by the lead character, even if her actions were an extreme expression of those emotions and experiences that are familiar to all women in various degrees. This is a human study, and a serious movie. When you walk into the theater, keep an open mind and an open heart.

Rating:
Summary: Best movie of 2003, hands down.
Review: Monster (Patty Jenkins, 2003)

Forget the rest of the Oscar race for Best Actress. Charlize Theron has won the trophy hands-down with her portrayal of Florida's iron lady, serial killer Aileen Wuornos, in Patty Jenkins' amazing debut film Monster.

Monster is a biopic about the last months of Wuornos' freedom, from the time of her meeting with "Selby Wall" (Christina Ricci; her real-life counterpart had a different name) until the time of her arrest and trial, during which Wuornos, a highway prostitute, killed seven johns. And that, in a nutshell, is the plot. As far as biopics go, really, there's not much here you haven't seen before plotwise.

But the reason to see it, and I tell you you must see it now, is the ugly, painful depths of emotion to be found throughout the film. Theron's performance has already received lavish praise, all of it deserved. Less noted, but perhaps even finer, is the performance of Christina Ricci, whose character transforms from straight-up God-fearing closeted lesbian into a sneering carbon copy of Wuornos in subtle ways throughout the film, making the irony of the film's ending twist just a little further into the gut. Great supporting roles are also turned in by Bruce Dern and a number of cameos.

Despite the questions raised by the film, another thing that makes it brilliant is its refusal to pander to any particular group, something which it could very easily have done on many levels. There's no gay-acceptance subtext. There's no anti-death-penalty subtext. There's the allegation, which I have never seen before in any media treatment of Wuornos, that the seven murders were not all in self defense. (About time, too.) There's brilliant and beautiful irony laced throughout the film, and all of it played perfectly. The film walks on the edges of a whole lot of knives, and the balancing act it performs is masterful.

Roger Ebert called Monster the best film of 2003. I haven't seen quite as many movies as he has (oh, to have such a job), but of the lot that I've come across, I am more than happy to agree. Monster is a brilliant film, it is an important film, and it is a film you cannot see fast enough. Turn off the computer, get in your car, and go to the theater. Now. **** ½

Rating:
Summary: Monster
Review: Monster is the story of real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos that starts up right before her first killing. Wuornos was a prostitute planning on committing suicide, but a stop at a bar for a drink would change her mind. At the bar she met Selby, a shy lesbian looking for a friend. The two hit it off and become a couple of sorts. It is an unhealthy relationship with each feeding off of the other. Wuornos provides the money by prostitution until one night she is raped and ends up killing the guy. This is the only "justifyable" murder, but leads to many more as this becomes easier for Wuornos to do than offer sex. Selby is encouraging of this in a round about way, and is to some degree just as guilty. But the killing of the wrong person at the wrong time eventually sends their house of cards crashing. Charlize Theron pulls out all stops in this role, and succeeds greatly. My only objection to this movie is the way it encourages the viewer to sympathize with Wuornos and maybe even feel sorry for her. I suppose that that is a side effect of getting the story from her point of view, but it is bothersome nonetheless.

Rating:
Summary: A deeply disturbing but important "experience".
Review: Most movies are meant to be watched. Monster was made to be felt.

Not sure if others will agree, but I interprit this movie as a love story. A violently passionate love between a down-and-out prostitute (C. Theron), and a bored dejected teenager (N. Ricci).

Without giving much away...The prostitue essentially lost the "ovarian lottery", and from early childhood had her environment heap failure on her in one disturbing and saddening episode after an other. At her wits end, she meets a closet lesbian (Ricci) at a bar and very quickly falls madly in love. That love originates a revolution in the way she views the entire world; her "career", money, but most importantly men and the cruel domination most have imposed on her.

Charlize is perfect for the part. Naturally one of the more beautiful women in movies, the fact that she is so ugly to look at, so pitiful, really adds gravity to one of the more interesting "takeways" from this movie...environment and that which many of us have a hard time controlling has an enormous impact on who we turn out to be...

A word of caution however: For those that go to the movies to be "entertained", and generally like to feel good when they leave...stay away from Monster at all costs. From brutal rape to brutal murders, this movie steeps you in the kind of gritty savagery that hopefully few will ever sample in our lives.

Rating:
Summary: I was visibly shaken by Charlize's performance
Review: I have read about the female serial killer in Florida, but had no idea that is what I was going to see. I really had no idea about this movie or what it was about. After we left the theater, we were visibly disturbed by what we had just seen. It takes a lot to stir me up, and the lead performance in this film blew me away (get it?). I haven't seen such a strong performance since Jodie Foster in 'Silence Of The Lambs' that affected me so. When Aileen was sitting outside of the bus station, and she broke down crying to her girlfriend, I reached over to my companion and said "This woman is an incredible actress". I was seriously disturbed by this film, simply because the performances were so believable. When the police are closing in on the 2 women, you feel nervous and scared, it is that convincing. This is the most disturbing film I have seen in years, it actually brought me to tears and made me nervous! This lead actress is amazing! (I have never heard of her before) It is as if she wasn't acting, it is as if you are watching the actual characters.

Rating:
Summary: Are monsters made or born?
Review: There is an old literary and cinematic adage that great monsters evoke both pity and terror. By that standard, Charlize Theron makes a magnificent monster as serial killer Aileen Wuornos; by any standard Theron's performance in Patty Jenkins' "Monster" must stand as one of the most courageous and emotionally naked in recent memory. The beautiful Theron deglamorized herself severely to play Wuornos, a "highway hooker" who in the movie is driven to madness and murder by a combination of family rejection, grinding poverty, abusive johns and her hopeless love for a young girl (played persuasively by Christina Ricci). But is this the way it really happened? Sue Russell, a freelance journalist and author of a book about Wuornos, faults the movie among other things for not showing that Wuornos' murderous temper, in fact, first showed itself in childhood, long before the events of the movie. Russell also points out that while Wuornos probably was raped several times, it is highly doubtful that any of the johns she murdered were among her rapists. While these are important points, there is no denying that Wuornos' situation was dire, and not entirely of her own making. Wuornos is already a desperate character when we first see her, taking shelter from the rain under a highway overpass and contemplating suicide. Theron brilliantly evokes Wuornos' mental disintegration; toward the end, still talking up her dreams, her eyes are as blank and expressionless as a shark's. "Monster" isn't exactly pleasant viewing, but thanks to Jenkins' craftsmanship and Theron's performance, it keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. No movie since "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" has painted such a riveting portrait of a killer's pathology as "Monster."

Rating:
Summary: An intimate portrait of Aileen Wournos
Review: I never thought that there would be an actual film based on the first female serial killer Aileen Wournos. I always thought her life was more suited for the Lifetime network. After all her crimes did splash all over the media, especially tv tabloid shows like 'Inside Edition" and "Hard Copy". I was proven wrong when I saw "Monster" over the weekend. Long before the Golden Globes, I was curious to see "Monster" but after Charlie Theron won best actress for the film, I just had to see it. I am so glad that I saw it. The film is definitely worth the hype and accolades. It annoys me to see people rag on Charlie Theron for being a beautiful woman uglifying herself up for this role. Hollywood as well as the general public has put Charlie Theron in such a corner in terms of her as an actress because of her model looks that it is so undeserving. Charlie can act and not because of her looks either.

When I saw the film, what I saw was a gripping, raw portrayal of a woman who was psychologically damaged, so damaged she was beyond help. I would have liked a little more insight into Aileen's personal life and what drove her into such an uncontrollabal fury towards men. At least I was given what was a brief glimpse into the pain that led Aileen to murder several men. Of course what Aileen done was inexcusable and she should not be lumped as a victim like the men she killed. However I do believe that the events in Charlie's life did have an effect on the choices she made in life which includes murdering seven men. Charlie Theron as Aileen Wournos was utterly convincing, not just for the makeup that was provided by makeup artist Toni G. but for her abilities to tap into the soul of what most people consider a monster. A writer for "Premier" magazine wrote that he thought the film "valorizes" Aileen Wournos (in other words was a bit too biased) and too a certain extent I will agree with that writer because I left the theater feeling rather sympathetic towards Aileen Wournos. Still I know what she did was wrong and should be held accountable for her actions. Up until this film, I never really took Charlie Theron seriously as an actress. Just look at her body of film work. If Charlie continues to pick film roles (Oscar worthy or not) that showcases her broad range in acting abilities, I think she will be around for a long time (which I can't say the same for Mira Sorvino, Hilary Swank, and Marissa Tomei, past Oscar winners for best actress). Christina Ricci was equally good as Aileen's lover Selby Walls. I thought her more subdued performance should have been recognized by both the Golden Globes Awards as well as the Academy Awards. Christina took giant leap of faith to portray Selby Walls, who was easily manipulated and controlled by Aileen as well as her family. Selby was very passive and insecure. "Monster" is certainly not for the faint of heart or for people uncomfortable with the subject of homosexuality. There were some really raw, brutual scenes that even made me uncomfortable to watch but the film was so engaging because of the script and the actors involved, I simply let it go. I loved "Monster". For all its flaws, I still think it is worthy of five stars no matter what the film's detractors have to say about it.

Rating:
Summary: Darkly Beautiful
Review: This flm portrays a dark, seamy world that is all around us, if we only dare see it. Charlize Theron is overwhelmingly magnificent in this role. Her patterns of speech, mannerisms, dress, facial expressions,etc., capture the very essence of the person she is portraying, one who is simultaneously victim/villain. "Monsters" provides no easy answers because there are none. There is no stereotyping, no politically correct delusions, and no political bias in this movie, it is all too realistic. Theron's character descends into darkest evil both because of what evil people have done to her as well as her own propensity for wickedness. Ricci has been under-praised for her role, I feel. She plays the part of a naive, lonely young girl to perfection. This is the best cinematic study of the nature of evil I have ever seen. Kudos to all who had a hand in its production.