Monster

I saw Monster, and it was really good. A lot of people talk about how great Charlize Theron was (and they're right to do it) but I think they're focussing too much on her appearance.

Don't get me wrong; it's remarkable that Theron, whose day job is "ridiculously beautiful person," is almost totally unrecognizable. And personally, I love the fact that the people who compile those "celebrities topless" videos are going to have to include that shot of Theron about fifty pounds heavier than normal, covered in blood, and staring in a mirror with dead eyes. That's hilarious.

But it's more than just the appearance. Anyone can put on fifty pounds. Especially if they start out at supermodel levels of emaciatedness. And anyone can cover their face in freckles to obscure their otherworldly complexion. Theron does all that and then surprises everyone by acting her ass off. She's great in this.

Christina Ricci is also great. On the one hand, I think she does a great job portraying her character. On the other hand, and I realize this might be shallow of me, she's just so cute. You know, she's got those big eyes, and that short haircut and -- look, at least I praised her acting first.

I've heard people say that it's a really depressing movie, and I can see how it could come off that way. But I think it comes pretty close to being a fairy tale. At the beginning of the movie, Aileen is about to commit suicide, because life has beaten her down so much that she's at absolute rock bottom. And then she runs into practically the only person on Earth who calls her pretty, who practically worships her. So she chooses life and even tries to go straight.

Okay, so it all goes horribly wrong because Aileen can't actually make a viable plan. But she's still alive, right? I mean, until she gets executed. My point is that she actually gets a few moments of happiness and optimism, which seems like more than she could have been justified in anticipating. If it weren't for all that prostitution and murder, Aileen and Selby seem like they could have gotten it together somehow.

Monster probably isn't a 100% accurate portrayal of real-life events. This will, no doubt, come as a shock to people who think that movies are required by law to show nothing but reality. For example, I believe the real person upon whom Selby is based doesn't really look like Christina Ricci. Shocking, right? This might be a good time to reiterate my basic position that all a movie has to do is be a good movie. If it's not true-to-life? I don't care. If it's not a perfect adaptation of a book? I still don't care. I don't think "There were more songs in the original Tolkien version" to be a valid criticism of the Lord of the Rings movies, and it doesn't bother me if Aileen's victims didn't really go from "evil sadistic rapist" to "kind-hearted person who honestly wanted to help" in strict progression, with each victim being a better person than the one before.

Anyway, my point is that Monster is a really good movie. I also think it's a pretty good REM album, but I'm apparently alone on that.