"Monster" - movie about Aileen Wournos

[Etoile]

Has anybody seen the new movie "Monster"? It stars Charlize Theron as Aileen Wournos, a lesbian prostitute in Florida who was executed in 2002 after killing a number of her johns. Christina Ricci plays her lover (whose name was changed to Selby for the movie). Theron won a Golden Globe for her performance, which seems like a big step - movies about lesbian serial killers don't often get big awards like that. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm hoping to catch it.

 

[College_geek]

I haven't been lucky enough to see it since it's a limited release movie and hasn't come to the Amherst area, but I think I'd really like to watch it. My only complaint is that everyone's now saying that Theron is added to the list of "get ugly, win an award" actresses, which I think is horrible. People seem to like to pin an actress's success on her dressing down in a movie. You know, maybe they just had an ass kicking performance. Maybe they deserved the award. It just so happens that the roles that are taken seriously aren't ones of cute petite Hollywoodized women, they're of real looking women (hence Halle Berry's look in Monsters Ball (and she was STILL gorgeous), Nicole Kidman's look in The Hours (I prefer the fake nose on her), and now Theron's look in Monster). People need to look at the performance, not the appearance of the actress.

 

[Zergplex]

Zergplex Says

Oh come on CG, you know that only appearences matter in this world. I mean talent and work ethic can only get you so far, but a (generic hollywoodized) gorgous appearence will get you on films regardless of talent. When the academy chooses someone based on performance, the average watcher of the awards just sees a women getting an award that isn't their favorite piece of ass. Hence they talk about how the uglydized women got an award. God our society is screwed up -_-

-Zergplex

 

[BlueEyesInLevis]

Monster

I have only seen teasers of the movie, but I have seen documentaries about Wournos and Theron has her down to a T when it comes to looks and attitude.

 

[College_geek]

Re: Monster

I have only seen teasers of the movie, but I have seen documentaries about Wournos and Theron has her down to a T when it comes to looks and attitude.

When they showed the clip for the Globes, I was quite surprised at the sound of her voice. It was a lot huskier than she normally speaks. She was a completely different person, and that's what makes a great thespian.

 

[Netzach]

She's pretty unrecognizeable, and I didn't think she had it in her, there's such an insipid brigade of blonde after blonde that I can hardly even tell them apart....

but I watched the trailer and she just chews scenery.

 

[SadieRose]

Surfaces

Hollywood is all about surfaces. That's what makes it so damned boring *yawn*

Gimme someone who can act their way out of a paper bag any day of the week.

(scratch that.... gimme Johnny Depp or Christina Ricci in very little clothing and I'm happy too!!! *slurp*)

Never said I wasn't shallow!!



Sadie.xx


"I'm a Bicycle that hasn't had a puncture yet!" - Brett Anderson 1994

 

[HammerFan]

I saw it on Monday night. Charlize Theron should get the Best Actress Oscar award for her performance. After watching the Golden Globes, it is difficult to believe that was the same person. She has already lost the weight which she had gained for the film. But it was more than just the make up job...her portrayal of Wuornos was very powerful.

Christina Ricci's performance is also pretty good and she looks nice. Although I really like lesbian oriented flicks, this one had very little eroticism, compared to say, a lipstick lesbian film. Theron looks like Gary Busey in drag in this film and if the actual Wournos was that ugly, it is difficult to see how she attracted so many men.

The Wuornos character is pitiful and abhorrent. At first, you feel sorry for her but by the end of the film, she really is a "Monster". Thankfully, the movie ended before they could have some horrible execution scene. Nevertheless, the entire film is pretty disturbing. Not really a feel good movie at all, but a story that needed to be told.

 

[College_geek]

The Wuornos character is pitiful and abhorrent. At first, you feel sorry for her but by the end of the film, she really is a "Monster". Thankfully, the movie ended before they could have some horrible execution scene. Nevertheless, the entire film is pretty disturbing. Not really a feel good movie at all, but a story that needed to be told.

I hope the film comes back to theaters around here. I regret not seeing it when I had the chance. (Actually...I don't even know if it was ever in theaters around here!) I kind of have a fetish, I suppose, for disturbing films. I love to watch them, as painful as it may be, because they usually sit with me for a long time and make me think. I have to say that Mystic River is one of my favorite films this year. My poor mother couldn't get to sleep because of it. Oh well. If I have to wait until it's released on video, I will, but the day it comes out, I'm going to snatch it up.

 

[Etoile]

The Wuornos character is pitiful and abhorrent. At first, you feel sorry for her but by the end of the film, she really is a "Monster". Thankfully, the movie ended before they could have some horrible execution scene. Nevertheless, the entire film is pretty disturbing. Not really a feel good movie at all, but a story that needed to be told.

There's a reason the "character" is pitiful and abhorrent - it's a true story. I haven't heard how much has been fictionalized, but Wournos was a very tragic person.

 

[HammerFan]

I don't know how much it was fictionalized, either. The cooperation of Wuornos' girlfriend (portrayed by Christina Ricci) would be essential to getting it right. There is a key scene late in the film where she kills one of her Johns, but before killing him she explains the source of much of her rage. I won't get into specifics to spoil it for people, but you can pretty well guess what she allegedly went through. The killings become increasingly more cold-blooded throughout the film; in the first one, the victim basically "had it coming". She appears to be disgusted by the fact that these loser, mostly married men, seek her out for sex and just "snaps".

 

[Lady Christabel]

I'm a Florida native and was a young college student when all of this started. The killings, then the trial and execution and now, the movie (portions filmed just down the street) have filled the media for what seems like forever. It's been a huge buzz for a long time and most of us hope it'll just go away. One of my theses was on serial killers; her escapades are rather unusual in a number of ways. Someone's sig line reads, "It's like an accident; you don't want to watch, but can't help it." That's how I personally feel about it. It's horrible, but fascinating at the same time.

I haven't seen the movie as I'm recovering from surgery, but I'll see it as soon as I'm cleared. Honestly, I imagine I'll hate the movie as I'm a purist regarding historical/factual movies. Hollywood's poetic license should have been revoked years ago. I've never been a Theron fan, but I must admit I'm impressed with her work in the trailers I've seen. Time will tell.

 

[Zergplex]

II haven't seen the movie as I'm recovering from surgery, but I'll see it as soon as I'm cleared. Honestly, I imagine I'll hate the movie as I'm a purist regarding historical/factual movies. Hollywood's poetic license should have been revoked years ago. I've never been a Theron fan, but I must admit I'm impressed with her work in the trailers I've seen. Time will tell.

Hollywoods poetic license WAS revoked years ago, someone just forgot to tell all the directors ^_~ besides of they stopped making horrible movies then what would we have to laugh at come oscar season?

-Zergplex *hiding from CG at the Oscar reference*

 

[College_geek]

Hollywoods poetic license WAS revoked years ago, someone just forgot to tell all the directors ^_~ besides of they stopped making horrible movies then what would we have to laugh at come oscar season?

-Zergplex *hiding from CG at the Oscar reference*

My dear, you have it all wrong. The Oscars aren't for making fun of bad movies. That's what the Razzies are for. This year, I predicted that Gigli will make a killing, as it also killed the five people that went to see it.

 

[Zergplex]

I just hope that on Jersey Girl's gravestone it doesn't read "Killed by Gigli". I'v never heard of the razzies CG (though I can guess what they are about due to the name), why not educate your ignorent love about them dearest ^_^()

-Zergplex

 

[College_geek]

I finally got to see this film today, since it finally came out in Northampton on Friday. This is one powerful movie. You do feel sympathetic for Aileen for the first half of the movie, but once she really loses it...damn. I kept wanting to yell at "Selby" because she was so blinded...yeesh. Charlize Theron was definitely AMAZING. I'll be shocked if she doesn't win the Oscar (as amazing as the other nominated women are, this seems to be her time).