Monster
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Movie Reviews of Monster
Movie Review: let them cast the first stone
Summary: 5 Stars
"Monster" delves into the mind of the first female serial killer, Aileen Wuornos (Charlize Theron.) But it does not condone what she did or take sides. Instead, the film describes her life over the nine months after she found love with Selby (Christina Ricci); from 1989 to 1990. I really liked the narration/voiceover that Charlize did (as Aileen.) It lent a little credence to the movie and some humanity to Aileen, as well.
Charlize Theron very rightfully won the Academy Award for her portrayal of Aileen Wuornos. Charlize completely metamorphosed her entire look which was so eerie and uncanny because it was impossible to tell that she was acting in a movie. She also changed the sound of her voice, sounding exactly like the women she played. Charlize is a true actress and very deserving of the Best Actress nod from the Academy. Christina Ricci was also excellent playing the shy and introverted Selby, and has proven herself to be a very accomplished cinema actress.
The movie follows the tale of harried and hopeless Aileen Wuornos as she tries to pick up the pieces of her shattered and tattered life. When Aileen meets Selby it was almost love at first sight. Selby practically saved her life and for that Aileen was forever in her debt. I think my favorite scene was when they were together in the bed (that first night they met) and Selby asks Aileen if she could touch her face. Aileen seemed so sensitive and gentle.
Besides that horrible rape scene and other depictions of degradation (I really hated that scene with that scumbag cop that picked her up after her job interview), I also found the scenes when Aileen tried to look for work very bitter. No one would give her a chance or listen to her. She had no money, no education, no family; absolutely nothing. All the doors were loudly slammed in her face. Society gladly threw Aileen Wuornos away. She was just another hooker, why did it matter that she wanted to clean up her act? Charlize was especially perfect during these parts. Her look of rage, and total desperation was purely obvious.
Another aspect of this story that I found terribly sad was when Selby turned her back on Aileen. Aileen loved her more than her own life and she finally thought that she had a chance of happiness. Maybe Aileen also thought that she finally found a person that she could honestly trust. Maybe if Aileen never met Selby she would still be alive today?
I really liked the way the movie ended. It wasn't too deep or sad, instead I found it very surreal because it wasn't too weighty. The movie ended the way it started, with Aileen narrating to the viewers in her own sarcastic and comical way.
"Monster" did make me feel sorry for Aileen because she was obviously an incredibly broken person that was never given a fighting chance. Someone please tell me why is Aileen vilified while these horrible men that raped her and sexually abused her aren't? Whoever said it's a man's world sure wasn't kidding.
Movie Review: Something everyone should see
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of the most talked-about movies of the past few years. Sometimes when so many great things are said about a movie, it can't help but fall short when you actually watch it. Everything you've heard about this movie is true. Charlize Theron gives an excellent performance. Much has been made of her physical appearance in the movie, but I think the real achievement is the psychological transformation she underwent. She nails what this person really was: a product of her environment. Aileen's hopes and dreams were what every person wanted: success, fame, and true love. Her life was crap, and watching this movie, you can't help but feel sorry for her. The great thing about this movie is that it gets you to feel sorry for her without glorifying her crimes. She does many horrible things, and although she may have been abused as a child, her crimes were brutal and horrifying nonetheless. The fact that the movie really makes you see who this person really was- victim, dreamer, murderer- is what makes it a must-see. You see a real human being, not some cartoonish villain who runs around killing people.
First and foremost, this is a love story. I really cared for Aileen and Selby as a couple, and that is what makes the ending so heartbreaking. You see all sides of the story and that isn't something all movies can pull off. What I also liked was that the relationship didn't seem gimmicky. When they kissed, it wasn't like "Oh, 2 girls kissing!". It was about seeing 2 people connect in such an incredible way.
I also think Christina Ricci did an underappreciated job as Selby. She just wanted to find happiness and saw the beauty in a woman who had had a crappy life. She may seem a little annoying in some parts of the movie, but I think it fits the part. Selby got caught up in this whirlwind of events and tried to deal with it as best as she could because she really did love Aileen.
As for the DVD itself, there aren't many extras, but they are worth watching. There is an interview with writer/director Patty Jenkins and composer BT on how the score on this movie is essential to the impact this movie gives you. It is a little dull at times but it's ultimately insightful. There is also a featurette that shows how deeply Patty Jenkins and Charlize Theron invested themselves in this project. You also see that the movie was filmed on location in the actual places Aileen was at during this time in her life. You also learn that some of the extras in the movie were really there while all this happened. For instance, the bartender in the movie is the actual bartender who works at the bar Aileen frequented and actually knew her. There is also a film mixing demo that shows how elements like dialogue, music, and sound effects are woven to create a scene.
I am glad I saw this movie. It is one that will stay with you long after you watch it. If you haven't yet watched this yet, then you should do so. It is disturbing, but it really makes you think. It's not a movie I will soon forget, that's for sure.
Movie Review: Incredibly horrifying, deeply disturbing portrayal
Summary: 5 Stars
First off, if Charlize Theron had not won an Oscar for this performance, it would have been a HUGE injustice. Charlize was absolutely brilliant as she took on this deeply emotional role by actually becoming Aileen Wuornos.
What is most disturbing about this movie is the fact that the emotions of Wuornos are real. Her life was completely wasted after a horrific childhood, being raped, giving birth to a child at 13 and finally resorting to prostitution in order to survive on the streets. She eventually comes to meet Selby (a very loose portrayal of the actual girlfriend Tyria Moore) in a lesbian bar. She becomes very agitated after being somewhat hit on by Selby. Eventually, she finds that her attraction to Selby is strong and she enters into an affair with her. Christina Ricci is equally amazing in her portrayal as the naive turned selfish Selby, firstly being innocent and just wanting to be with Aileen to becoming an incredibly selfish, self-centered girlfriend.
Aileen wants a normal life for her and Selby and after being turned down many times at various job interviews for her lack of education and her mannerisms, she must reconsider her options. Fade into Selby telling Lee she must go back to prostituting because their money is short and any prospects for going straight are slim to none.
The first murder is highly disturbing. This scene was incredibly emotional. After being knocked out by her john, her back is completely cut and he pours rubbing alcohol all over her and she is screaming. Her then rapes her and she manages to slip out of the rope tied around her wrists and she then committs her first murder. Understandable this murder is in self-defense, but once she sees how easy it is to get free money and cars by robbing these men after she has taken their life, it seems like the easy way to live. She then becomed the hunter, looking for men she could easily kill and take their possessions. Many, if not all of the men she murders following the first, are not in any way deserving of being killed. Even Wuornos herself has to make herself believe that these men are only out to hurt her and that they are deserving of their fate. Tired of being used, abused, taken advantage of and treated horribly by the majority of people in her lifetime, she convinces herself that these men are the culprits, thus finding it easier for her to vent her frustrations by slaughtering these men. Taking their belongings is just a bonus for her.
Not only is Theron's visual transformation incredible but she actually becomes Wuornos. The emotions are real and you find yourself wanting to comfort her, while at the same time being appalled by the monster that she truly is. All she ever wanted from anyone was to be loved and unfortunately she went through life without ever being truly loved.
This is a highly emotional movie that is very hard to get out of your head, even days after you've seen it. I would higly recommend this movie to anyone.
Movie Review: One of the Best Performances Ever
Summary: 5 Stars
In "Monster," writer-director Patty Jenkins' retelling of the story of serial killer Aileen Wuornos, Charlize Theron gives an Oscar winning performance that will go down in history as one of the best ever captured on film. Theron, a moderate actress previously seen in "The Cider House Rules" and "The Italian Job," is a revelation in this wonderfully executed film. Her transformation into the disturbed Aileen Wuornos is so complete and so devestating that part of me still can't believe that it's her.
Aileen Wuornos was an abused child that eventually turned to highway prostitution to stay alive. When we first see Aileen, her face is in extreme close up, and it is dirty and battered, just like her soul is beaten down by the horrific life she has endured. Aileen is on the verge of suicide, but her life changes forever when she meets and falls in love with Selby Wall (Christina Ricci) a young lesbian who wants a better life but doesn't want to do the work to achieve it. The two embark on an odd couple romance, and their passionate meeting scenes set the screen aflame. Then Aileen picks up a man who brutally rapes her, and she kills him before he can take her life. She and Selby then make a tenative life together, while Aileen slowly goes off the deep end, killing more men. Selby seems to know nothing about the murders, but she is not as naive as she appears.
Charlize Theron plays Aileen Wuornos with a combination of breathtaking ferocity, unexpected humor, unbearable pain, and passionate devotion. She is so increibly real in the part you forget that it's acting. The movie does not condone Wuornos' crimes. Her scenes of killing are painful to watch, but it also paints a portrait of a woman who was utterly destroyed by life, whose last desperate grab for happiness fails. It is unforgettable. Theron's achievement can't be described in words, you just have to see it.
A great deal of "Monster" works because Christina Ricci is so perfect as Selby Wall. Ricci makes Selby a very complex young woman, who is aware of Aileen's crimes but says nothing as long as it benefits her. Selby seems to be naive and innocent, but she turns out to be far more calculating than the severely disturbed Aileen. Sometimes it's hard to decide who is the real monster. Ricci, one of the best young actresses around, really didn't get much attention for her part in "Monster." That's a shame, because without her perfect performance to match Theron's, the movie would't work.
"Monster" is an astounding achievement. The caliber of acting, writing, and directing is incredible. As a film it is nearly flawless. It was made by a group of people who really cared about presenting Aileen Wuornos's story as well as possible, and they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
Movie Review: Life Lost.
Summary: 5 Stars
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.