Monster

Rating:
Summary: Life Lost.
Review: I can't honestly say whether this a "great" film or not, and it doesn't really matter. Charlize Theron's portrayal is such a revelation that any lapses in truth or artistry in the storytelling are inconsequential. I saw this film early in its release, and my first reaction was that if this girl didn't receive an Oscar (for whatever it's worth), then they (The Oscars) really are a sham. Not that the story isn't well told and directed. It's just that Theron's portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuernos is so overpowering to the viewer that it IS the film. I had never caught more than a glimpse of Miss Theron, who seemed an intelligent but generically gorgeous blonde. I was surprised as anyone that she created one of the best performances ever captured on film. It is a performance that is much, much more than a weight gain by an actress and prosthetics. It is eerie in its ability to transpose one from the fiction of moviemaking... she IS Aileen Wuernos. And, while Christina Ricci and the other supporting players are effective in their roles, they are merely small planets in Theron's orbit, and, totally eclipsed by her. As I have lived in Florida for many years, I was well aware of the carnage that Wuernos inflicted, and her well publicized lack of remorse. Her attitude and repulsive appearance brought forth little compassion. I also recall the twisted public jubilation at her execution, and though I had no sympathy for her actions, I was overwhelmed with the feeling of wasted life. After seeing this film, I still can't excuse the results of her actions. But, the feeling of a life wasted is more overpowering than ever, Theron so effectively portrays her wretched exhistance. Of a life totally devoid of any love, stability, or nurturing. That the little girl who grew up in the shadow of the "Monster", the carnival ride which loomed dark and evil over her in childhood, turned out to be viewed as a monster herself seemed inevitable and pitiable. Let's face it, the superlatives used to laud most acting performances almost always turn out to be nothing more than hype. Above and beyond that, there are a handfull of very good performances every year. Then, rarely, there is a performance that goes way beyond that, in its ability to take the viewer out of the reality of the fact that you are sitting and watching a film, it so totally involves you. It becomes worthy of being referred to as "art." This is one of those films, and it is due to Charlize Theron's performence alone. Whether she ever succeeds in "topping" her performence here is unlikely and incidental. Every once in a great while, something is "touched by God" to make a small and perfect creation. Charlize Theron's performance in "Monster" is one of those times.

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie!!!
Review: This movie was one of the best movies that I have seen in a long time. Charlize did a wonderful job!So did Christina Ricci! Both were believable as their rolls. Who ever wrote this did a great job! Not only was their acting wonderful, but realistic as well.
This movie showed a more human side of Alilene. Alilene desearved what she got without a question of it, but this movie showed why was, the way that she was. Alilene wanted to be loved, and to love in return as the movies star says. This movie is an emotionally charged movie. You find youself feeling sorry for this women, and you have to remind yourself that this is NOT just simply "HollyWood" that this movie is based on a true story. And these people did exist. This movie really tugs at the heart strings. This is Cherlize's most dramatic roll by far. Even more dramatic than "Sweet November" (which is not bad by the way) As for Ricci goes, this is that same girl from "Gold Diggers", "Casper","The Adams Family" you cannot believe that this is her in this movie!

Rating:
Summary: This movie makes me shiver
Review: This movie is based on the notorious crimes by Aileen Wuornos, who killed 7 men between 1989 and 1990. If not for the fact that Charlize Theron's name is on the Cast List and that her voice on the voiceovers was closer to her own, I would never have known it was her. This movie should have won best make up instead of "Lord of the Rings the Return of the King", because Charlize Theron looked way ugly in this film, you would never know it is her. She plays a damaged person so close to the edge with nothing to lose and all her sore spots exposed to the world and someone is always flinging salt and lemon juice at her. Aileen is so tired of her life and desperate for affection, I got the idea that she was depressed all of her life, that the first person that looks at her without contempt has her undying loyalty and affection. The monster in this film turns out to be Christina Ricci's character, who uses and abuses and finally sells Aileen out when she is implicated in Aileen Wuornos's crimes. It is not an easy film to see, because it could also be very deep, and disturbing. This film made me want to know more about Aileen. It changed my preconceived notion of Charlize Theron, she is not just a pretty blonde who can hit her mark and say a line she has moved from a competent bankable actress who can really showcase clothes, to an actress who transforms and almost channels a character. A must see.

Rating:
Summary: Best movie-best performances of the year!
Review: This is a fantastic film! Obviously Charlize was incredible as Aileen Wuornos..winning a very well deserved Academy Award. Too bad it's too late for a retrial of Aileen Wuornos. Can't wait to see more great work from Patty Jenkins! My favorite film of the year! Fanstastic performances and an intriguing story make this unforgettable!

Rating:
Summary: A riveting and startling piece of filmmaking
Review: This MONSTER is a monster of a movie in everything that the title entails. A tragic and sad story of a woman beaten down by the horrible turn of events that happen in her life (especially in her childhood). Aileen Wournos, who was called the first woman serial killer who was executed thru lethal injection on October 9, 2002 in Florida had life messed up and confused from the time that she was 13, when she became pregnant and forced I believe to live out on her own.

Along the way she encountered everything that was bad and found early on that the only way to survive was to prostitue herself for money. One day she walks into a seedy bar and meets Selby a young lesbian girl who is somewhat confused with her sexuality (not completely out of the closet) they take a liking to each other and soon enough become lovers. Aileen who was fed up with the way her life was going wanted no longer to continue hooking but had her johns believe that she was and ended up killing seven men while stealing their wallets and their cars.

Men represented everything that had gone wrong with her life and so she rebelled against them and loathed them with a passion. Therefore she had no remorse about killing them one by one since they were all dogs to begin with. Charlize Theron who gave an amazing Oscar winning performance paints a harrowing and chilling portrayal of the confused and desperate Wournos trying to keep herself in the clear and from getting caught from the police. This movie is very intense and I think its director Patty Jenkins who also wrote the script did an excellent job helming this film. Christina Ricci who plays Selby her lover and is also on the run with her does a very good job as well, however if for what is worth what makes people want to see this movie is without a doubt Theron's brilliant performance. Her transformation physical and emotional was unbeliveable. Charlize Theron who is I believe one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood pull all the stops in making her character look identical to the real Aileen Wournos. Theron gained 30 pounds, colored her hair to dirty blond had her face practically redone with a lot of freckles and even had prosthetics done on her teeth. I strongly believe that both Christina Ricci and writer/director Patty Jenkins should of both won oscars for their great work. This film is definately a must see and I'm certainly going to add this movie to my collection when is release on DVD. A riveting and startling piece of filmmaking from beginning to end.

Rating:
Summary: Patty Jenkins turns a monster in a pitiable figure of horror
Review: "Monster" could easily be overwhelmed by two external factors. The first is the true story of Aileen Carol Wuornos, who was actually named "America's first female serial killer" by the "Guinness Book of World Records." Wuornos has been the subject of two documentatries by Nick Broomfield , 1992's "Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer" and 2003's "Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer," which followed her execution in Florida in 2002, and there are countless other testaments to the crimes for which she was executed. It is hard not to walk into this movie and not know that this women is going to kill again and again.

It is equally impossible to watch this film and not know about Charlize Theron's transformation into Aileen Wuornos. The story of her weight gain and the make up job that made it difficult to remember this is a beautiful woman are now a Hollywood legend, the feminine counterpart to Robert De Niro's efforts in "Raging Bull," especially now that her performance has been eternally validated by Theron's Oscar for Best Actress. The performance is indeed superb, a case of completely inhabiting a part. What stands out is not what Theron did to her body but what she does with it: the looks and mannerisms that create this compelling character. Ultimately, the performance is so good that you forget the external reasons why "Monster" would be overwhelmed and just become immersed in the story.

What surprised me the most about writer-director Patty Jenkins's film is that it struck me as being a love story more than a horror story. That is to say, that it has the structure of one. Throughout the film we get bits and pieces of Aileen's life story, enough to know that she has been the victim of abuse and that years of being a prostitute have driven her down to the point of contemplating suicide. That is when Aileen meets Selby (Christina Ricci), a young lesbian trying to take her first steps out of the closet. Aileen has only suffered at the hands of men, so Selby's youth and innocence is very attractive. Aileen wants to stop hooking, but to get money so that she and Selby can get a hotel room and party for a week is different because she can convince herself that this time she is doing it for somebody else. But if Aileen finally has a good person in her life fate gives him another punch in the face, literally, when she goes off in the car of a john who might be the worst person she has ever met.

In the context of this film the first man that Aileen Wuornos killed deserved it. Not just in terms of what he did to her but in terms of what could have happened next. Whether this is what really happened with the first john Wuornos murdered is debatable (after the trial it turned out he had served ten years for a violent rape in another state), this becomes a pivotal event in Jenkins's film. However Aileen does not start killing more johns at that point. What she tries to do is find a "real" job. Of course, she does not have the education or the temperament to do anything other than what she has been doing. Aileen does not want to go back to hooking, but she also wants to keep Selby happy, and so she finds an alternative in killing the johns.

It is not clear if Aileen only kills Johns at this point. She does not kill all of her johns seen in the film but she clearly intended to, getting herself into the proper frame of mind by convincing herself that all of these men want to beat her and rape her like her first victim. The tragedy here is that, in the context of the film, this was a woman who wanted to make a better life, but her old life was such that in her warped mind this was the only thing that she can do. Even as she is killing men who do not deserve to be killed, there is a sense that her history and fate have conspired against her. It is too much to feel real sympathy for Aileen, but in the tradition of horror films, Jenkins has made her "Monster" a truly pitiable figure.

At the end of the film there we are provided two bits of information. In terms of the real life story of Aileen Wuornos it is the second one, telling us about her execution in 2002, that that would seem to be the more important one. But in the context of "Monster," it is the first one that tells us of what the character of Aileen would have considered the end of her life.

Rating:
Summary: charlize theron raises the bar with this role
Review: it should come as no real shock to any true movie lover that charlize theron won best actress at the academy award this year. not to mention all thr awards she won prior to that such as the golden globe award. considered by many to be one of the top ten performances of all times, charlize theron gives us a shocking yet humanized portrait of aileen wuornos which is completely unforgettable. aileen wuornos will remind us all in many ways of ourselves with her hopes, dreams, & how we often cry out for help but no one truly hears us. unfortunately, most of us wait most of our lives for that special moment or person which is reason enough to reconcile everything we've done & even consider living. selby was aileen's reason for living after she comtemplated suicide & her ultimate hope for having a better life. obviously, aileen had never really considered a relationship with a woman but i believe strongly that felt it was worth a try after living a life of emptiness & constant heartache. my question is this? why couldn't selby go out & get a job to help pay the bills? knowing full well that aileen didn't want to prostitute her body any longer, could selby have not tried to help out somehow? throughout the course of the film, we learn how truly disturbed aileen really is & how this stems from repeated abuse over time which never truly ceases. at one point in the film, ms. wuornos(played by theron) tells a man held at gunpoint of how she was molested as a child by a friend of the family & physically abused as well by her own father for simply conveying the truth. she also reveals to us us that she has been on the streets since the age of 13 selling her body to men who we can assume were just as abusive. what i find most touching about monster is how ms. wuonrnos tried so many times to go out into society & earn a decent living but failed like so many do because of the way society is so quick to judge or reject a human for simply trying to better themselves. monster is not an easy film to digest by any means & packs quite a wallop but is definately a must see film. patty jenkins allows us to feel sympathy for the woman who so many people would've considered to be a monster & is asking us to rethink everything we've learned about this tortured soul. charlize theron may have had some decent roles in the past but probability suggests that nothing she has done in the past or will do in the future will hold a candle to her performance here. charlize theron is remarkable here in nearly every sense of the word. although i've never truly agreed with the academy decisions, theron rightfully deserved the oscar she recieved last month.

Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing
Review: Not only did Charlize Theron become Aileen Wuornos, she conveyed the disturbing, yet realistic message that any one of us could become her, through circumstance,too. The unspeakable crimes that she committed, portrayed through brilliant acting, became everyman's possible crime...understandable though not excuseable.
Theron's physical appearance certainly helped to transform her into the character, but it was her spiritual portrayl...her uncanny ability to convey the raw emotions,and totally engage the audience in her experience that made this performance remarkable.
This is not a movie to watch, it is a movie to engulf you. It is not about right and wrong so much as about allowing the audience to truly experience the myriad of feelings that a single human experience, so horrendous, could evoke.
I think that Aileen's past purposefully does not get touched on, to any great extent. We know some of the abuse she has encountered but again, I don't feel that the movie is about giving a reason to explain her present actions...are they right or wrong.
As Aileen states, at one point in the movie, " No one knows what God's plan is for any of us" ( something to that extent) and "I am a good person". Theron deals out every emotion imaginable and made me feel non-judgemental about her actions. I didn't condone them but simply felt what she felt.
The movie is filled with horror, sadness, courage, humour and...love. It is a movie that makes you look at humanity for what it is, not just what we idealize it to be.

Rating:
Summary: "i always wanted to be in the movies" Monster
Review: ... while watching monster i couldnt take my eyes off the screen. The movie is a very emotional rollorcoaster and let me tell you its INTENSE. zach and i were kinda shocked about how intense the film was. After watching the film i could not stop thinking about it, the film moved me so much and while watching i could see a tear in zachs eye. The movie is very moving and it has a way of disturbing you. the movie definatly deserved all the awards it won. The only thing is i think that cristina ricci sohuld have won an award too because this was one of her best performances. if your planning on going to the movies go see Monster, warning- its intense but its definatly a movie you wont forget and you'll be telling all your friends to go see it. its a great film and i'm hoping that i can go see it again!!! its great!!!

Rating:
Summary: No surprise
Review: Having just seen "Monster" it left no surprise that Charlize Theron won for best actress. Everything about this amazing role seemed that it was for her. This beautiful actress not only changed herself to look like Selby, she adopted such a harsh and hard look that I actually felt both afraid of her and yet sorry for her. It is this feeling that shows how an actress can transport you into the life of the character.