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Where Jolie Stands
Yesterday The Envelope's Tom O'Neil asked a few columnists to respond to one of his impassioned topic du jours -- i.e., does Oscar have a grudge against Angelina Jolie? Sucker that I am, I bit. I meant to tap out a brief reply, but it turned into something longer. Happens every time.
Angelina Jolie during filming of Changeling
"She hasn't been nominated since 1999," O'Neil argued. "And last year she won heavy praise for her Mighty Heart performance (receiving Golden Globe and Spirit award noms, among others) but got snubbed by Oscar. Is this the price that Hollywood's most fabulous star must pay for her life in the tabloid headlines? Or can that Oscar magnet Clint Eastwood change things with Changeling?"
Here's what I wrote:
"I'm not sensing a punishment mentality directed at Angelina Jolie because she's a gossip press mainstay. Perhaps subconsciously there's a certain resentment aimed at anyone whose life has become a pageant of relentless tabloid fodder and thereby is adding to the idiot wind sandstorm out there that does none of us any good. I think we could all do well to focus less obsessively on the perks and pleasures of abundant wealth, which is what every vapid, under-educated status seeker in every corner of the globe dreams about every waking day.
"AJ is a likely...okay, certainly a possible Best Actress nominee for Changeling, although much of what viewers are feeling from that performance is sympathy/ empathy for her real-life character, Christine Collins, being unfairly pushed around and beaten up by politicians and bureaucrats, and, of course, admiration for her steel and determination. It's not so much about who she is and what choices she makes as much as her character's refusal to buckle under.
"As such, the performance, good as it is, is a wee bit one-note. As it was given to her, I mean. It's a bit of a noble endurance test. Oh, how I suffer but they won't keep me down because I will not rest in my attempts to find my real kidnapped son. Maybe I'll find him and maybe I won't. but I will nonetheless cross that finish line because Christine Collins doesn't back down.
"Jole is a very beautiful actress who knows how to emote and play to other actors in an honest, untricky way that doesn't prod or grate. But her performance is somewhat less interesting and less penetrating than the performances by Kristin Scott Thomas (I've Loved You So Long); Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married), Melissa Leo (Frozen River) and Kate Beckinsale (Nothing But the Truth).
"And yet to come is Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road, The Reader) and Meryl Streep (Doubt).
"But AJ will probably get nominated....maybe. I don't know, really. I wouldn't have a problem with this if it happens. Did I come out of Changeling feeling respect and admiration for her performance? Certainly. Do I really care if she gets nominated? Honestly? No, I don't. Not really.
"You know why? Because she's too famous, has too many kids, has too much money and spends it too conspicuously, is too drop-dead beautiful, is too ambiguous in her position about Iraq (does she support the Bush-Cheney war effort because more American money means more Iraqi families will have a chance at restoring their day-to-day lives to where they were before the 2003 invasion?...something like that?), and because she and Brad pay some ridiculous amount each month to live in a 35-room mansion (i.e., Chateau Miraval) in the south of France.
"And she wants an Oscar nomination on top of all of this? And if this happens, then what? Will she want to lead her own space shuttle mission? Will she use her fame and influence to fund the construction of a huge European style stone castle somewhere in the Rocky Mountains that will provide food and shelter for homeless people and the terminally ill, and allow them to learn computer skills while providing access to high-def/Blu-ray TV watching in the evening hours, 7 to 11 pm?
"Angie has convinced most of us that she's basically a good lady of talent and taste, myself included. She's a not-untalented actress whom I very much respect (her work in A Mighty Heart was more compelling that her Changeling performance), but on the other hand she really is quite the queen, and I'm not sure how I finally feel about that. I do think she has quite enough on her plate as it now stands. And I think that plate is quite large (you could say banquet-sized) and nouveau-riche flamboyant and gold-plated, and at the end of the day I'm not sure that I find the Brad-Angie brass band/circus caravan/media show all that appealing.
"Consider a parental values piece I tapped out last July called "A Lesson in Modesty," which focused on their opulent lifestyle:
"'My interest is in Chateau Miraval, the $70 million dollar, 35-room estate near Aix en Provence which Pitt and Jolie are reportedly intending to lease for three years. Who needs 35 rooms? Little kids always share bedrooms, Brad and Angie will share a room with the twins plus..what, a nanny and a couple of assistants? They could all probably make do with a ten-room mansion. Fifteen might be a wee bit extravagant. Twenty would be, like...whoa, take it easy. But thirty-five friggin' rooms?
"'I'm talking about passing along decent values to your kids. I realize that Chateau Miraval is a working wine vineyard so you need facilities for the guys who work it, but it's not a good thing to instruct your children through day-to-day experience that nouveau riche extravagance is the norm. Even if you pass along the best kind of emotional and spiritual upbringing by your words and deeds, an opulent lifestyle will always create a sense of swagger and entitlement and a nonstop litany of lusts and appetites.
"'The best thing you can do is give your kids to a natural, non-flamboyant, modestly-scaled life. They should have love and comfort and occasional perks, but mainly within the framework of a life based upon need and nutrition and not whimsical indulgence. The lives of Brad and Angie's kids should not be about what they'd like to taste or fuck around with or splash around in on a daily whim because their parents are loaded and 'why not?' The Jolie-Pits are doing their kids no favors by bringing them up this way. 99% of the world lives in a world of limits and natural proportion.'
"What am I saying at the end of the day? That at best, Angelina Jolie is a third-place contender right now behind Kristin Scott Thomas and Melissa Leo. She has the power of Universal and her own fame behind a campaign effort, and I imagine she'll prevail nomination-wise, which will be fine if it happens. But I don't think she'll win because of what I wrote in paragraphs #5 and #6 (as well as the three that follow, plus my view that Changeling is at best an A-minus or B-plus). I don't think I'm alone in this view. I think a lot of people probably feel this way."
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on October 4, 2008 at 9:38 AM
comment #1
BurmaShave
says ...
Having not seen the movie, it would seem to be that if Mel Gibson didn't get a Best Actor nomination for repeatedly screaming GIVE ME BACK MY SON!!! in RANSOM then Jolie probably shouldn't get one here. I could be wrong though. Also Jeffrey Donovan, an actor I've never been sure about, really seems to be doing a shitty job. Fingers crossed though.
Posted by BurmaShave
at October 4, 2008 10:27 AM
comment #2
btwnproductions
says ...
She already has an Oscar. What's the big deal if she's never nominated for another?
Posted by btwnproductions
at October 4, 2008 10:39 AM
comment #3
The Winchester
says ...
I must be a crazy man, because I don't see Angelina Jolie as "drop-dead beautiful". Every time I look at her I just see Jon Voight. And who wants to have sexual fantasies about Jon Voight? (especially at this site).
I'm starting to feel like Angelina Jolie is becoming another Nicole Kidman or Julia Roberts, just one of these actresses people love to talk about, who do decent to OK work (but is nothing discernable from others) that people just flip out over. And whose movies I tend to avoid.
Burma- I'm a huge Burn Notice fan, and think Donovan does pretty terrific work in it each week, but I agree that something is strange with his performance from the trailers. Maybe it's the accent.
Posted by The Winchester
at October 4, 2008 10:44 AM
comment #4
JD
says ...
Just look at all the movies she's been overlooked for since winning an Oscar less than a decade ago:
-Gone in 60 Seconds
-Tomb Raider 1&2
-Original Sin
-Life or Something Like It
-Beyond Borders
-Taking Lives
-Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
-Alexander
-Mr. and Mrs. Smith
-The Good Shepherd
-Beowulf
Boy, that Academy really holds a grudge. She would have won at least 5 Oscars by now!
Posted by JD
at October 4, 2008 10:47 AM
comment #5
calraigh
says ...
She just doesn't, nor has she ever convinced me that she feels real emotion. In any of her movies, A Mighty Heart included and even with the supposed ''heart-wrenching '' scream at the end of it. And that's a particularly strange thing to consider in Jolie's case, seeing as that all she seeks to do is to convince us that she cares , oh so very much, about everything.
From the trailer, Eastwood's direction notwithstanding, all I'm getting from this is her Girl, Interrupted character, except a few years down the line, married, and with a kid. The beautiful, tortured-woman-in-chains type of role that Jolie seems drawn to for some reason.Why should she win an Oscar for essentially playing herself?
Posted by calraigh
at October 4, 2008 10:47 AM
comment #6
Sonic Boom
says ...
Since her Oscar:
GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS
TOMB RAIDER
ORIGINAL SIN
LIFE OR SOMETHING LIKE IT
TOMB RAIDER 2
BEYOND BORDERS
TAKING LIVES
SKY CAPTAIN
ALEXANDER
MR. & MRS. SMITH
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
How could they have robbed her a nomination since 1999 with a stunning filmography like that?
And A MIGHTY HEART came out too early and made no money.
Posted by Sonic Boom
at October 4, 2008 10:49 AM
comment #7
actionman
says ...
while her performance in Good Shepherd was merely adequate, that film is a masterpiece, and looks funny lumped in with the rest of those. Alexander isn't great but isn't anywhere near as bad as people make it out to be. at least she had fun in her role, and looked mighty hot to boot. she works best in the action hero mode. beyond borders should have been good.
Posted by actionman
at October 4, 2008 10:49 AM
comment #8
Scott Feinberg
says ...
Nice piece, Jeff. And I agree about Donovan--he struck me as a second-rate Guy Pearce in the movie.
Posted by Scott Feinberg
at October 4, 2008 10:50 AM
comment #9
CMAC
says ...
I really can't watch her in films because she for my taste is too one note. By that I mean she knows exactly how to fuck the camera and that is the extent of her ability. Oh and ANYBODY can work up tears and if not for a shot or two, there's always fake tears on standby.
I will say, she has the corner on "fucking the camera acting" these days. I can't think of anyone other than Marilyn Monroe who did or does it more effectively. As a result men and women are seduced and lulled into thinking it's hot,good "acting".
Best Actress nomination? I think not. The supporting oscar she got for the film (the name escapes me...hmn wonder why) with Winona Ryder? The "acting" she did in that film, she's been playing the same role ever since, only the costumes have changed.
Posted by CMAC
at October 4, 2008 11:14 AM
comment #10
Radewart
says ...
Wells says at the start there's no grudge against Jolie for her lifestyle in judging her work. He, then spends several paragraphs attacking her way of life. Yeah, SURE, there's no grudge.
Posted by Radewart
at October 4, 2008 11:20 AM
comment #11
MilkMan
says ...
Alexander is about as campy as you can get. The Good Shepherd was lifeless, and she was totally miscast. The rest of her filmography is pretty much crap. She's an okay actress, nothing special, certainly not in the class of say, a Samantha Morton. And her public persona is another case of tremendous PR misdirection. She's still the same girl who married Billy Bob, the 'dangerous wild child' with sado-masochistic leanings. Lord knows what goes on behind the scenes with her, but I don't buy her Mother Jolie act at all. I agree that she has pretty much been handed The Good Life on a silver platter, so she's going to have to earn another statue, the hard way.
Posted by MilkMan
at October 4, 2008 11:22 AM
comment #12
SmilingPolitely
says ...
It's just so hard to believe that Jolie and Billy Bob fucked on a consistent basis. The realized fantasy of a redneck Judd Apatow.
Posted by SmilingPolitely
at October 4, 2008 11:32 AM
comment #13
George Prager
says ...
"What's with all these awards? They're always giving out awards. Best Fascist Dictator: Adolf Hitler. " -- Alvy Singer
Posted by George Prager
at October 4, 2008 11:52 AM
comment #14
George Prager
says ...
She has a two cent head, just like her father.
I think we'll be getting a MOMMIE DEAREST type memoir out of one of her rent-a-kids.
Posted by George Prager
at October 4, 2008 11:54 AM
comment #15
p.Vice
says ...
The proof is in her work. Look at what JD already pointed out -- she's just not a very well regarded actress. Usually you have to be good in a few films before the academy'll take notice.
Posted by p.Vice
at October 4, 2008 11:55 AM
comment #16
JD
says ...
actionman, I agree that The Good Shepherd is a masterpiece, but it would have been dishonest to exclude it from a list of Jolie's work just to make a point more persuasively. Also, I think she's the weak link in that film, just as she is in A Mighty Heart.
Posted by JD
at October 4, 2008 12:35 PM
comment #17
calraigh
says ...
'' The proof is in her work. Look at what JD already pointed out -- she's just not a very well regarded actress. Usually you have to be good in a few films before the academy'll take notice. ''
Tell that to Reese Witherspoon.
Posted by calraigh
at October 4, 2008 2:35 PM
comment #18
Doug
says ...
I'm impressed by Angelina because she's come so far as a person since the Billy Bob days.
I admire her as an actress because she hasn't let her humanitarianism determine her film choices - she's given us "Wanted" and "Changeling" in the same year.
I wish more actresses won Oscars for films people actually see. Angelina in "Changeling" could be one of those times.
Posted by Doug
at October 4, 2008 4:31 PM
comment #19
guylodge
says ...
Um, Calraigh, Reese Witherspoon was robbed of a nomination (and quite possibly the win) for Election, and was really rather brilliant in The Man in the Moon, Freeway, Pleasantville and (yes) Legally Blonde. She earned her Oscar fair and square.
I'm with the majority on Jolie. She's a not-untalented actress who has managed to get less interesting on screen over the years, and has the most over-publicised personal life in the business. I can think of at least five actresses I'd rather see acknowledged, beginning with Kristin Scott Thomas, Sally Hawkins and Melissa Leo.
Posted by guylodge
at October 4, 2008 5:04 PM
comment #20
K. Bowen
says ...
As to Oscar, Jolie seems better at generating Oscar hype than Oscar nominations. I expect that to hold until I see otherwise.
I haven't seen the performance, so I won't comment upon it.
Posted by K. Bowen
at October 4, 2008 5:47 PM
comment #21
actionman
says ...
yes, she was definitely the weak link in the good shephered. but calling that film "lifeless" is further testament to milkman's lack of taste and knowledge.
Posted by actionman
at October 4, 2008 6:34 PM
comment #22
EDouglas
says ...
"Nice piece, Jeff. And I agree about Donovan--he struck me as a second-rate Guy Pearce in the movie."
Makes sense since I'm pretty sure Eastwood was going for an L.A. COnfidential type movie.
Posted by EDouglas
at October 4, 2008 7:20 PM
comment #23
MilkMan
says ...
Anyone who professes to enjoy Alexander really shouldn't be commenting on anyone else's taste, actionman. I'm assuming you like it because it's the movie you and your boyfriend saw on your first date, so maybe I should cut you some slack. I'm just trying to give you some advice. Or you could just keep digging. Your choice.
Posted by MilkMan
at October 4, 2008 7:27 PM
comment #24
calraigh
says ...
''Um'', Guylodge, she was good in Election, not brilliant, certainly not Oscar material. Man in the Moon was pleasant enough, Pleasantville was dull as dishwater and Legally Blonde was, well Legally Blonde. However, Freeway? Seriously?
Posted by calraigh
at October 4, 2008 7:46 PM
comment #25
actionman
says ...
digging what? Alexander is a mess, but it has some great scenes and it looks fabulous. the battles are also some of the best ever, especially the one with the war-elephants in thailand. it may be campy but it was never boring.
the good shepherd is intelligent, stylish, moody, and extremely involving. at least it was for me. i bet you can't fathom that because nothing explodes, right?
Posted by actionman
at October 4, 2008 8:17 PM
comment #26
actionman
says ...
oh, and gay jokes coupled with mentions of Alexander are really clever, milkman. pretty original stuff.
Posted by actionman
at October 4, 2008 8:18 PM
comment #27
MilkMan
says ...
You're right actionman. Gay jokes coupled with Alexander are not original, but when it comes to you, originality has nothing to do with it. It's simply a necessity.
Posted by MilkMan
at October 4, 2008 10:11 PM
comment #28
MilkMan
says ...
Sometimes i get frightened just like you, actionman.
Sometimes i wake up and i ask myself if today is the day i can't perform.
Like yesterday.
I'm doing a scene with this girl and she's young and pretty, which only makes me feel older and uglier than I already think I am.
But you just try and not think about it, you think about it and you're going to take yourself out of the scene, start commenting on what you're doing.
Thats when I lose control.
That's why you have to stay focused, actionman, pay attention to the other person, because at the end of the day that never ends, you're here to have fun, it's not that big of a deal.
At least not to me.
Maybe it is to you, I don't know, all I know is that the girl I did the scene with is the reason i joined the class in the first place.
Posted by MilkMan
at October 4, 2008 10:39 PM
comment #29
guylodge
says ...
"''Um'', Guylodge, she was good in Election, not brilliant, certainly not Oscar material. Man in the Moon was pleasant enough, Pleasantville was dull as dishwater and Legally Blonde was, well Legally Blonde. However, Freeway? Seriously?"
Yes, seriously. I think Freeway is a near-masterpiece of warped satire, and Witherspoon anchors it with fearless sexual energy. I'm not alone in this view.
And any actress who can singlehandely carry something as throwaway as Legally Blonde is pretty special, in my opinion. I think she's potentially the best of her generation, though I'd like to see her do some decent films again.
Agree to disagree?
Posted by guylodge
at October 5, 2008 2:49 AM
comment #30
alero
says ...
Yesterday The Envelope's Tom O'Neil asked a few columnists to respond to one of his impassioned topic du jours -- i.e., does Oscar have a grudge against Angelina Jolie?
..
Shouldn't that be The Envelope and editor of In Touch Tom ONeil? Lots of actors and actresses that do good work don't get nominated when they should. But ONeil wants to add the negativity of Jolie being hated by Oscar voters so that he and In Touch can keep their cash cow (everyone hates Jolie) flowing.
Also I see you did not write about them staying at her 3 room Cambodia home. But I guess that did not fit with the picture you were trying to portray.
Posted by alero
at October 5, 2008 6:43 AM
comment #31
actionman
says ...
take some medicine, milkman. you're clearly a sociopath. you need help.
Posted by actionman
at October 5, 2008 6:51 AM
comment #32
MilkMan
says ...
I'm not doing me, actionman. I'm doing you. That's what YOU sound like. I know, the shock of recognition can be a bitch.
Posted by MilkMan
at October 5, 2008 7:35 AM
comment #33
Chapman Carruthers
says ...
actionman calls another person a sociopath after an endless series of posts in which he categorically discredits the opinions of others and mentions, time after time after time, how he likes seeing shit blown up. Big shit, small shit, jerry burckheimer shit, shit stomped by elephants, special effect shit special effected. Have you put the downpayment on that cabin in Montana yet, actionman?
Posted by Chapman Carruthers
at October 5, 2008 8:57 AM
comment #34
actionman
says ...
you guys are both deranged. this is getting really weird. montana? really? are you guys fucking retarded or what?
Posted by actionman
at October 5, 2008 9:03 AM
comment #35
MilkMan
says ...
Yes, we are both fucking retarded. As a matter of fact, right now I'm sitting at the top of a slide at a park somewhere on the West side, with my arms crossed, refusing to let Chapman pass by, because this is my castle and no one goes down the slide except me. In a few seconds Chapman will start crying and biting down on his robot dog that he got with his happy meal. And both of us have full shorts.
And Chapman, it may have been a malaprop, but Jerry BURCKHEIMER is perfect, a rearrangement of one's man last name until it reveals the true name underneath. I've always thought Bruckheimer was almost too classy for old tight jeans Jerry. He is definitely more of a Burckheimer.
Posted by MilkMan
at October 5, 2008 1:05 PM
comment #36
actionman
says ...
do you write for a living? you're pretty decent at it, buddy.
Posted by actionman
at October 5, 2008 2:03 PM
comment #37
calraigh
says ...
Guylodge-absolutely. Any actor that decides to put '' Legally Blonde'' out into the ether is not worth any sort of consideration. I was momentarily shaken from this frame of thinking when Walk the Line came out and I thought she was outstanding in it, really, really excellent. A sign of things to come I thought. Then she played a suffering wife/cipher in Rendition, made Just Like Heaven, Penelope and 4 Christmases.
I rest my case.
Posted by calraigh
at October 5, 2008 3:25 PM
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