Monster

[poliphilo]

I didn't like Monster. Charlize Theron reminded me of Doris Day as Calamity Jane. I couldn't believe she'd won an Oscar for a performance which struck me as nothing but strut and prosthetics.

Last night, I got to see Nick Broomfield's documentary, Aileen, The Life and Death of a Serial Killer. I wanted to find out if the real Wuornos reminded me of Calamity Jane. She didn't.

The real Wuornos was funny and fiesty and scary and real She came through the prison doors to give her interviews, surrounded by goons in uniform, and she was the only human being in the room. It was hard not to warm to her. Given the way she'd been fucked over by everyone in her life- from her relatives to her lawyers- it was remarkable she wasn't madder than she was.

Towards the end she was sabotaging her own appeal because she wanted to get it over with and be with Jesus.

And Jeb Bush has happy to oblige her because it fitted in very nicely with his re-election plans.

Comments

[ibid.livejournal.com]

I thought they managed to get Theron looking like her which is half the battle in some ways.
I also kept thinking of Monster when she kept insisting they let her keep murdering for the movie deal- funny how that wans't in the film...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Everyone was making money out of Wuornos- including Nick Broomfield- but, at least he had the honesty to flag it up.

[four-thorns.livejournal.com]

"I couldn't believe she'd won an Oscar for a performance which struck me as nothing but strut and prosthetics."

she won an Oscar because of prosthetics. the idea that a beautiful woman would voluntarily make herself ugly is so shocking to our patriarchal society that it was oscar-worthy.

as the editor of BUST magazine said, everyone praises charlize theron for doing that, but when movies call for fat, ugly men, they don't hire brad pitt and have him eat potato chips and get fat, they hire an actual fat, ugly man for the part. but it seems like the only way we can rationalize having a main female character who is physically unattractive is if she's secretly attractive. that makes it ok.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

You're right. It makes me angry.

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

Time Magazine for this week says:

Best Actress: The Hag Theory

The past six Oscars went to babe types who made themselves look like sluts, frumps, ogres or guys. So Felicity Huffman, as a man turned mom in Transamerica, may eat Reese's pieces.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I think fourthorns (see above) has nailed what's going on.

[sina-says.livejournal.com]

i was tangentially involved in what, in my opinion, was the absolute worst artistic incarnation of this woman's story. that's right the opera.

and you thought the movie was bad. ha.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Streuth!

I'm coming to the conclusion that the poor woman should be allowed to rest in peace.

Enough already!