Cold Mountain or Monster

My choices for the evening.... Any recommendations?

---

cold mountain...simply for renee z's (soon to be) oscar-winning performance.

---

You couldn't have posted *before* we left for the theater?????

For some reason I was under the impression that Cold Mountain would somehow be less depressing than Monster. WTF was I thinking? Great acting. But lordy, I feel like slitting my wrists.

Guess I'm warmed up for Mel's movie now. As JK would say, "Bring It On."

---

I thought "Cold Mountain" was atrocious. A completely banal, uninteresting love story...the only thing the director had to keep the audience interested was Miramax-affiliated celebrities popping up every now and then (hey, its Natalie Portman! Ooo, they got Jack White to be in this?! Is that the guy from "28 Days Later"?). Renee Zelwegger is the only interesting character in the movie, the only one who has a sense of humor and actually DOES something other than moping and walking. But that doesn't mean its good acting. In fact, she's awful. SO overblown, so hammy you could swear you are watching "Granny Clampett: The Younger Years". As Elia Kazan said, its always the part that wins the Oscar, not the actor...so Renee will probably win and Patricia Clarkson will be robbed.

I haven't seen "Monster", but for my money, the best movie that came out last year was "American Splendor"...it just came out on DVD. Sweet, hilarious, unusual and poignant. I think its this generations "Annie Hall". By all means rent it!

---

Granny Clampett the Younger Years! I love it so much i'm gonna steal it! LOL!!

For my 9.25, Cold Mountain is a movie about cameos. Nicole's character is reduced to one trait: being a hothouse flower who can't boil water. That wears out its welcome long before Renee shows up to teacher her about farmin' n'such thangs. But those cameos are gems, the best being Eileen Atkins as the goat-loving/slash/killing mountain woman. The gentle, loving pragmaticism-based goat death is one of the most memorable moments in film. It is so powerful, I bet even Vegans would consider a hamburger, if they thought Eileen did in the cow.

As for MONSTER, I was predesposed to hate it, and saved it until last week. I can't bear stories about serial killing (call me quirky, the news gives us plenty.) And I expected the movie to offer a movie-of-the-week rationale for Wuornos' brutality. I was very surprised. Filmmaker Patty Jenkins is too honest, and therefore no apologist for Aileen; she in no way paints her as a victim of society. But she does explore the character in a multiple-dimensional way, aided by the Theron's stunning ability to burrow deep into her psyche. We never feel as if the film is "explaining" this killer. But we do see how the combination of a volatile personality and harrowing circumstances can be a toxic mix. When she snaps, she snaps big. What haunts me about the movie is Theron's eyes. She consistently, against all odds, manages to show us this little scared girl inside this ... well, this monster. I think the moments were we see glimmers of conscience -- like her looking in the cop's wallet, and seeing the wheel-chair bound wife -- show us that even monsters are complex. And the sequence where she tries to find legit work moved me to tears, to my great surprise. You find yourself hoping against all hopes that this woman will stop killing. Her scenes where she must rationalize her crimes to Ricci are wondereful writing. Her argument is pitiful, as is her attempt to turn all men into abusers, to justify her "excuting" them on the spot. This is NOT a movie of the week treatment (Jean Smart did that I think) -- but a work of art, uniting two real artsts, Jenkins, and the who-knew of the year, Theron.

To those who think Theron's achievement is about make-up, weight-gain, or loooking bad on camera, see this performance. It is unforgettable.

---

Updated On: 2/25/04 at 09:58 AM