Monster
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Movie Reviews of Monster
Movie Review: Controversial yes, but nevertheless very powerful...
Summary: 5 Stars
The fact that Charlize Theron gives an unforgettable performance plus that "Monster" is very intimidating has been told in detail by most reviewers here, so instead, i'll take on the objections voiced by those who feel that this film is portraying a serial murderer in a way so she comes across as "more human".First off, some people claimed that the film is not accurate and that Aileen Wuornos (the real life killer) was nothing more than a cold blooded murderer. Aside from the first murder, which even in the evidence presented in court, was shown to have been committed in self defense after a savage rape, the film does show that eventually Wuornos killed for the money. Or did she?
The reason i feel that this film does a good (but not quite great) job of going below the surface is because it shows us this woman's life without resorting to cheap sensationalism and without overstating or understating anything. This woman, like many 1000s, or even millions of people, basically live in that fringe of our society that resembles hell. She acquired street wits in the process but she also acquired brutal hopelessness, terminal despair, and ultimately distrust for anyone around her.
When she gets in an affair with Selby, this relationship becomes to her the only way to exit the giant toilet bowl she virtually lives in. Problem was, like with many other things in life, she had no clue how. In her particular case, the fact that she wound up killing for a mere $200 shows what type of despair we're talking about. It's an old argument really, but one that wont go away no matter how hypocritically some of us choose to look at things, that is: anybody in our societies, "good" or "bad" is a direct product of that society. And that's undeniable, noone drops suddenly from the sky and lives amongst us.
The character in "Monster" eventually comes to the point to treat people as she was treated. Yes, noone killed her physically (except the state in the end) but she had been morally and mentally "murdered" countless times before she turned into a murderer herself.
Charlize Theron is incredible not because she took on 40 pounds and was made ugly to play this film, but because she stunningly managed to portray the mess in this woman's soul. That's the part of her acting that gave her the Oscar, which by the way - I felt- was one Oscar well deserved after a long, long time.
But the same counts for the director of the film who manages to capture a life between rainy highways and back seats of cars, filthy apartments, sleazy bars with other hopeless characters, and ultimately a vast scape of nothingness. That's where the "Monster" was bred in and lived in.
As for those who might've been offended with the film's language or the themes presented in it, well that's a true paradox, because that's like admitting that reality offends them. Sure, one can choose to avoid reality, but that never really works in the long run as "what's there" eventually -and always- catches up with us no matter what medium we use to avoid it.
"Monster" is a truly good film, and in my opinion, whatever objections can be raised are either trivial or hypocritical.
C.Theron is not the only one giving a great performance by the way. Christina Ricci is up to par with her even if this goes "unnoticed" as Theron's role is inevitably overshadowing.
A film that intimidates with its rawness and its ultra-realism, "Monster" is one that wont let you easily forget it. Nor should you, if you ask me...
Movie Review: Such a Beautiful and Talented Monster
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't think the Academy Awards people have had any trouble in choosing the winner for the best actress in a leading role, nor I think they took too much time to arrive at their decision,despite the other wonderful performances of the other nominees.Anyone who watches Monster, and the mind blowing performance that is so gritty, real and totally involved and involving would not flinch for a second in presenting Charlize Theron with a truly deserved award!
The story itself, a biopic of infamous serial killer Aileen Wuornos, has been filmed before,(I don't think such a 'meaty' subject matter for a movie would had to wait till now to be filmed),but there is a difference..
For one, all credit should go to writer/director Patty Jenkins for her totally sympathetic and unsentimental treatment of the Wuornos story.She was more than capable of handling the complexity of emotions, with very visual as well as character based approach.
Although the story is told largely from Wuornos's point of view, the success that Jenkins manages to achieve is to win the viewer's sympathy for both killer and victims: there are no real monsters in Wuornos's story..just a very tragic life, a woman who has been abused for so long by family and 'customers' and neglected by society at large when she tried to 'go straight', pushing her back into the ending that she could not avoid.
And while the loss of lives of the innocent men she killed was totally inexcusable, the feeling I got from the film was that Aileen Wuornos was also dead long before she was executed.
A very powerful scene sees Wuornos in the back of a corrupt cop's car, allegedly booked for some complaint but picked up for sexual favors. She tries to pretend that she is having a day off from a normal 9 to 5 job,but then the cop revealing that he knows what she does for a living, replies sarcastically, do you go to church on your day off?
I find this scene extremely important because it shows how Wuornos tried to maintain her dignity as a human being but failed..very sad indeed.
The relationship between Aileen and Selby (played so well by Christina Ricci in one of the best roles so far) which is central to the whole story,was very well written. We know that Wuornos was not gay but someone who craved affection and love and (as she says in the film)can 'train' herself to love a woman to achieve a most desperate need to love and be loved.
I thought the love scenes were very well filmed, with enough passion between the two women, yet never gratuitous.
Now a word about the acting again..
Charlize Theron is not only one of the most beautiful women ever, but she is equally talented..She reminded me a bit of De Niro, Hoffman, Kidman or Streep, that kind of actor/actress who totally dedicates him/herself to his/her role, not only emotionally but physically as well..and had I not known she is playing the lead role, I would have been be excused even for few seconds for failing to recognize her..this is how great the physical transformation and likeness to the real Wuornos is.I would also like to mention that I real loved Pruitt Taylor Vince, one of the best actors in American Cinema today, and although his role was short, he as usual excelled.
So Monster is a real gem of a movie, a tragic story about the life of one woman who from early on had all the odds stacked against her, and at a moment of weakness unleashed demons that slowly took control of her, and had to pay dearly for it. A Must Buy!
Movie Review: Charlize Theron's performance will blow your socks off
Summary: 5 Stars
Monster is based on the true story of female serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a common prostitute that left a string of dead Johns in her wake. Aileen (Lee) is on the verge of taking her own life when she meets up with Selby, a lesbian who is looking for companionship. Selby gets Lee to talk, and they agree to meet again the next night. Lee needs money, so she takes to the streets to make some cash.
Her last John brutally beats and rapes her, and in an act of (what seemed to be) self-defense, Lee shoots him to save her own life. Selby and Lee hit it off and decide to set up house together, each having their own ideal of what 'a real life' should entail. While Lee believes that giving up hooking and finding a real job is the key to her new life, Selby is too dependent to go out and get herself a job, therefore remaining reliant on Lee's income as a prostitute. Life does not stay peachy for the new lovers, and after many heart-breaking rejections from the job market, Lee returns to hooking in order to feed her and Selby.
Whether Lee had simply had enough of prostitution, or whether the last brutal John soured her, or simply the idea that she had gotten away with it once, Lee adds a new twist to her hooking schema; murder.
Monster is not a fast paced story of the police investigation hurdling towards finding a killer, but the horrifically commonplace lives of two women who want more out of life but can't seem to find their way out of the trenches. It didn't strike me as 'what would you do for love' type of story either, simply a deviant's twisted mentality of right and wrong. It is a story of the human inside the animal, even a human as alien as Lee was, and the presentation those animals will make to remain human as long as they can.
Get ready to see the performance of a lifetime from previously uncelebrated actress Charlize Theron. She *should* have won the award for her amazing performance in Monster, never again will you see her as a 'blah' or 'so-so' actress. She immersed herself so deeply into the role that she became almost unrecognizable as the Charlize you have seen before. The talk, the walk, the mannerisms, are all portrayed with a natural flow, you simply will not believe how good she is in this movie.
Special mentions go out to Christina Ricci (Selby) and Bruce Dern (Thomas) for their stellar performances also. Director Patty Jenkins receives a tip from my hat also, for finding the human inside Aileen Wuornos and bringing it to the screen. In the featurette, Patty mentions that Lee's behavior wasn't about strength or weakness, but about damage, and she managed to highlight this in the film.
I'm not usually a big fan of Special Features, but you absolutely MUST watch the featurette, where it shows the work behind the scenes and how they transformed Charlize Theron into Aileen Wuornos. It's not just seeing the make up applied, but watching her mannerisms change as she imbeds herself into the role.
Monster is a superb movie, an emotional killer, which will leave you full of both pity and rage at what becomes of those who society turns their polite cheek away from. I highly recommend Monster as a 'buy' rather than 'rent' DVD. Enjoy!
Movie Review: One of the best films ever
Summary: 5 Stars
Some people just can't seem to grasp the depth of this film. They may simply write it off as a feminist love story gone awry or as a film against the death penalty. Or, even stranger yet, as a film that justifies death at the hands of Wuronos. But this movie does not do any of these things. Actually, the film is surprisingly apolitical, given the content--almost unbelievably so. Except for the scene in which Wuornos is tortured (which, if it happened, could easily set some already troubled person on a killing spree), there isn't a single scene of this film that compelled me to think that Wuornos was innocent of most of her crimes or that everything she does is entirely, or even mostly the fault of society.
One reviewer said this film makes men look bad. Well, of course it does! Every man would seem bad to a cheap hooker. For that matter, as a man, I know how my gender can be to women, and it actually isn't always kind. Women are often objectified and, if they look as downtrodden as Wuornos, are often the subject of ridicule. The film deals with this subject, but it by no means uses it to justify Wurnos's crimes.
One reviewer here actually suggested the film does not examine the main character's sanity...I completely disagree. What the film examines is how she justifies her acts to herself, and it shoes her mind cracking in the process. What is scary about this film is that it puts you into her head while she is doing this.
None of the other characters in the film are convinced that what Wuornos did was right, and, in the end, she ends up confessing to the crimes herself (as she did in real life). She was abused, she was neglected and she certainly was a low-life. Like most "low-lifes," she tries, at least in the film (and probably in real life, too) to get ahead in life, but never tries hard enough. She always fell short because she never had any reason to think she could advance. Nobody else thought she had a chance either.
That IS how people turn to crime, almost universally. A lack of hope compounded by serious mental problems/and or distress can seriously put peoples lives in jeopardy. With this in mind, any number of people could end up travelling paths similar to Wuornos. It could be your neighbors, your relatives, or even your family members...anybody you know in your community who can't fit in with the rest and can't withstand harsh circumstances.
Perhaps the movie is not as accurate a depiction of Wuornos as some would like, but it works. Whether she's murdering somebody, hooking or hanging out with her lesbian lover at a bar, the film is compelling. It is chilling and beautiful, unlike any film I have seen in quite a long time (if ever). Every second of this film is compelling, every actor is real. Every scene seems like it is really happening, which seems like it would be incredibly hard to achieve in any film.
'Monster' was a film that kept me awake the night after
watching it, pondering its content and the content of life itself.
This movie should not be viewed by people who like every question answered for them. It is an ambiguous, serious,
shattering and bleak film. Don't let that keep you from watching it, though.
Movie Review: An intimate portrait of Aileen Wournos
Summary: 5 Stars
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.