Friday Face/Off: Angelina Jolie

Kob (bookmarked Total Film’s feature on the 30 sexiest Jolie moments)

Now, Angelina isn’t everybody’s favourite cup of tea. Lord knows there’s someone out there who harbours a grudge from her stealing Brad Pitt. They call her trout face (but what a trout face, eh?), and all sorts of superficial things but one thing they overlook is that she always gives her best. More importantly even when those films are a piece of crap, Jolie keeps them watchable. Changeling, isn’t the best Eastwood film but she keeps the viewer interested and same goes for some of her earlier films. Some actresses have that “allure” and Jolie is one of the very few who have that attraction.

Sarah (would like to kung-fu kick Jolie’s trout pout all the way back to Cambodia)

Angelina is more like everybody’s cup of marmite. Extensive plastic surgery and dietary issues aside, her best performances just aren’t good enough for the media furore that surrounds her. In Changeling she spent most of the film wearing a strange hat and simpering at the screen for 3 hours – that is not acting, that’s over-indulgence. She likes to look the part but never fully engages. In Tomb Raider she had the outfit and the accent but she looked dead behind the eyes running around as an action star, and for all her mass popularity, her best performances go largely unseen (A Mighty Heart). Her glory days are far behind her.

Kob

Ouch. Evidently, why are you looking at her best performances from the view of the media furore? She can’t control what they say or print. Considering A Mighty Heart was 4 years ago and Changeling 3, I’ll hardly say her glory days are behind. In fact I’d have a little more respect for someone who’s won an Oscar; judged by her peers to the best actress in her category. Regardless of whatever revisionist tosh you’ll come up with next, history records the winner and Jolie is a winner.

It’s not her fault she’s good looking, blame that on God!

Sarah

You’ve hit the nail on the head, the last time she made a really good film was 4 years ago, and shall we take a look at what she’s made since then? Wanted, Salt, Kung Fu Panda and The Tourist. Do I really have to say any more? History is history, it’s what she makes today that counts, and her choices are confusing to say the least. Why has she never made a comedy, or a romance? Is it because she’s too busy trying to fill the vacuum left by Schwarzenegger whilst sporadically breeding?

Kob

Wanted and Kung Fu Panda are good, enjoyable films. Salt has its problems but Jolie just about redeems that film, and The Tourist is so rubbish that no one came out of smelling like roses. Why has she never made a comedy or a romance? I hope you’re not talking about your silly rom-coms again because if you are then Jolie (and most Hollywood actresses by the way) are above that level of tripe. Comedy? You don’t like Mr and Mrs Smith? With your last comment I assume you’re about to jump into her private life? Go on then, jump in, you can’t seem to talk about anything else.

Sarah

I don’t want to talk about her private life, I just think she is an example of someone whose private life is much more exciting than their films. She’s turning into one of those Hollywood stars who is famous for being famous rather than for making quality product.  She used to be thought of as a talented, off-beat up and coming actress and now she hams it up for easy money. Where is her sense of invention? Kung Fu Panda is nothing new, Wanted and Salt were laughably similar in parts and Mr and Mrs Smith was not funny. I mean let’s see her in a Farrelly Brothers film or something Sci-fi, but please no more of the all action heroine, it’s patronising.

Kob

Patronising? Do you not like intelligent women who play roles typically reserved for men? Is she not up to the level of Sigourney Weaver in the Alien franchise? Her adopting babies is more exciting that jumping off the roofs of trucks?! Listen, Angelina is one of a few women in the whole film industry (I honestly can’t think of another) that can open a film with her name alone. She is a star and she uses that power so she can get passion projects like Cleopatra off the ground, more power to her. Everything you’ve said is more in line with the insipid Megan Fox than Jolie. End of Line.

Sarah

The problem is Ellen Ripley would kick Jolie’s butt, sheesh Ellen Page would kick Jolie’s butt. Cleopatra is a good start, because if she doesn’t start showing some range soon, it will be Angelina Jolie’s career that has reached the end of the line.

Kob

Redunkerlus! Jolie could gobble up Ellen Page. She has shown variety whether it’s in action-comedy, action, drama, thriller, suspense, voice acting for animation, motion capture acting for Beowulf. She’s a far more daring actress than you give her credit for and her willingness to put herself out there gives people a bigger target to hate. Let them dribble over Megan Fox, January Jones and other talentless hucksters. I’ll keep my Jolie until they realise just how poor the films they watch are without her.

Sarah

You can have her (can I have Brad?).

Kob

Yes, yes you can.

By Kob Monney and Sarah Louise Dean

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