Beauty Vs Beast: Two Girls, One Nut
Monday, June 2, 2014 at 4:15PM JA from MNPP here with this week's round of "Beauty Vs Beast" fun - it's only the start of the week here but I think it's pretty clear that we've already got to cede ownership of the whole seven days to the biggest female movie star in the world. Not only did Angelina Jolie have her biggest box office opening ever with the Sleeping Beauty re-write Maleficent (which, well, I feel so very alone among my online-critic friends having really enjoyed the movie) but she's turning 39 on Wednesday to boot. You got this one, Angie.
This fall marks the 15th anniversary of the Winona Ryder vehicle Girl, Interrupted, meaning we're coming up on 15 years since Angelina's Oscar win and adjacent meteoric rise to top of the heap. So let's look back there for this week's cinematic tête-à-tête...
Light a candle for Angie or Winona in the comments - you've got one week to grab one of them by the hand and make your break for it.
PREVIOUSLY And speaking of mental patients, last week we came in like a lion to leave with the Silence of the Lambs, facing down the two serial killers at the black heart of Jonathan Demme's 1991 Oscar horror - I don't think anybody was too srurpised to see Dr. Lecter walk free on this one. As Sonja put it...
"I mean.... he's literally "eating" all the other psycho killer wannabes for breakfast."
Reader Comments (18)
she drove poor, fried-chicken-hording Brittany Murphy to suicide in the first 45 minutes and she was just getting started.... Angelina Jolie wins this by a mile ;-)
Poor Winona, bound to lose yet again.
I can't vote for this, I haven't seen the film yet, though I totally should!
Jolie ruled the roost, mopped the floor, and flat-out owned the screen in that one. Ryder must have been wringing her hands afterwards for casting such a dynamo in *her* comeback vehicle.
I thought her amateurish and range showed and would not have nommed her but Murphy,nice to see Liz Ross in this too.
I remember feeling like Winona's performance was hugely underrated in this ... but it was lowkey and lowkey is hard to pull off when you've got a young hungry actor going supernova right next to you.
I agree Nat I enjoyed her more subtle approach and I felt she knew she was not like these girls,Lisa and Jolie were too clichéd and ott and Jolie ruined her big scene with awful acting.
I just can't view this as underrated. Jolie's firecracker performance doesn't help, but, for me at least, Winona passes the line from low-key deadpanning to flat out robot.
Has this film held up well? Haven't seen it in years... HBO used to play it all the time.
volvagia & bia -- well, i haven't seen it in YEARS so this is all recollection. perhaps i'm totally wrong
Jolie at her best. Plus the character of Lisa has SO many amazing lines that I still quote. "Torch....whatcha doin?? Well why don't you go to your room and do nothin, hmmmmmmm?
Nathaniel, who gets your vote for Best Supporting Actress in 99?
Peggy Sue - i was overobsessed with Catherine Keener in Being John Malkovich at the time.
I liked Diaz more in BJM my other 4 would have been paltrow,blanchett,moore and collette
Well, no surprise Angelina's the favorite here,
I voted for Winona, just for some sympathy.
Thanks for the Lector GIF and my quote. I feel so honored! 8)
Will yoiu do "Black Swan" also, Nat?
If so, who will you set against Nina? Lilly, her mother, the former Swan Queen ("Did you suck his c***k?") or her dark self?
Team Susanna all the way. I can't stand Jolie's interpretation of Lisa...no subtlety whatsoever. Chloe Sevigny was robbed of the Best Supporting Actress Oscar that year.
Sonja -- this series is by Jason and he doesn't tell me ahead of time which is wonderful because then i get to be surprised like I'm a reader! :) As the owner/operator, it's the only time i get to be a 'fan' of the site is when someone else writes something that i'm not expecting (most of the time i assign topics or things are pitched to me).
@Nat
Ah, I didn't know this.
Shame on me. *drop*
But you're right, these are interesting and surprising choices so far.
Winona should have been nominated at least.. she was 100% perfect!