Woman of the Week #3 - Angelina Jolie

[{ Emilia }]

Apparently the "Babe of the Week"-thread does not have a monopoly on nominating beautiful actresses.

She's certainly one of the most influential actresses in Hollywood and what I've always loved about her is that she is a complex character and doesn't try to hide that. She never was and never will be everybody's darling but who cares?

We've probably all seen and admired her acting and the fact she never shied away from accepting tough and challenging roles. I've seen her in quite a few films now and her performances have always been stellar: Scary, sexy, disturbing, captivating, funny... all that and more.

Like many other talented and intelligent actors she has also decided to give directing a shot, probably because she felt she had a story worth telling. She wrote and directed In the Land of Blood and Honey, a movie about the war in Bosnia that Clint Eastwood described as: "I think it's a tough movie and that it's extremely well made, and tough movies that are extremely well made are very hard to do."

Clint Eastwood and Angelina Jolie: Interview Magazine

Apart from her acting career Jolie is obviously also well-known for her involvement with UNHCR (the UN's refugee agency) ever since she went to Cambodia to film "Tomb Raider" in 2001. She travels a lot and raises awareness for the situation of displaced persons around the world and she keeps pushing humanitarian interests in Washington. She has established and supported several charitable organizations and used her status as a celebrity to support people in need.

Oh, yeah... and there's Brad Pitt and the 6 children.


What are your thoughts on her, her work (both acting and humanitarian), her personal life?

 

[Thestral]

She's undeniably beautiful and strikes me as a talented actress, but I've not seen any of her "big" movies. I've seen her in Hackers, Alexander, and Beowulf and thought she did really good in the last two (Hackers is... well, it's Hackers ).

I'm impressed by her charity work and advocacy for important groups; don't care much either way about her personal life or the "homewrecker" label that seems to get thrown her way. I figure she'll be remembered as a good actress (and director?) first, and then advocate second. Though people are complex of course.

 

[Misfit Toy]

This is one actress that has changed my mind. I thought that she was another Hollywood flavor-of-the-month who was more interested in being a celebrity than she was in being an actress.

I now see her roles as building blocks, taking the big-hype role in order to get the smaller, more interesting parts that she really wanted. She has used her fame to bring attention to topics that she felt deserved notice, and she seems intent on making the world a better place for her children.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I'm only vaguely aware of her personal life-- most celebrities have some kind of scandal or controversy going on and I generally don't care. I'm aware of her status as a major actress, but I've only seen one or two of her movies. I guess I would remember her more for her humanitarian work, but she will probably be remembered in cultural memory as an actress who did humanitarian work.

 

[sojourner]

It's nice that she grew out of her knife, blood, and Billy-Bob obsessions.

 

[The Dominion]

I like her much better as a person and director than I do as an actress most of the time. Although it's probably just that I don't care for a lot of movies she's been in. I think she's best when she's in playing tough role in a serious movie, rather than any of the cookie cutter action flicks she keeps popping up in.

I've never seen In the Land of Blood and Honey, but it's cool that she can write as well as act.

 

[Balrog]

I've always been impressed by her humanitarian work.

 

[Count Zero]

I can't say I ever noted her acting in any of the movies I've seen her in as being especially great or outstanding. But maybe that's due to the roles I've seen her in. Dominion made a good point about that, I think. The movies I've seen her in were either standard fare or even downright bad (according to my opinion, of course ) and that may have clouded my view.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

From what I've seen of her recently she definitely needs to eat some sandwiches.

I was smitten with her in Girl Interrupted and I think she's a very interesting person. I think she's going to take on more and more of a Lady Diana image. Kudos to her for both keeping the public fascinated and doing good in the world as well.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Thumbs u- oh wait, wrong thread

I honestly can't think of that many movies I've seen that she's done, but her career is undeniably prolific. She's had a pretty good variety and isn't afraid to branch out and try something new.

On the personal side of things, she's used her resources for good in helping others. I'll admit that, at the time, I felt her adoption efforts bordered on compulsion, but, in retrospect, I can't see how that can possibly be a bad thing. She has the resources to provide for them and improve their lives. So good for her.

 

[Pingfah]

I have seen her in a few films, the only one I particularly liked was Sky Captain, althought the Tombraider movies were OK in a stupid fun kind of way. She is certainly quite talented herself though, and she seems to be very charitably minded which is good.

Also, she seems to have avoided turning out a paranoid, right wing, bible bashing douchebag like her father, so that's good too.

 

[trekkiebaggio]

I loved her performance in Changeling.

 

[JarodRussell]

Thumbs u- oh wait, wrong thread

Thumbs up for her work and achievements.

Regarding her acting career:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEzuBwifyAk[/yt]

 

[Mr Silver]

It's nice that she grew out of her knife, blood, and Billy-Bob obsessions.

Yeah, she's always come across as being a bit of an oddball. Nonetheless, her humanitarian work and genuine passion for the good that she is doing has highlighted her true person.

She is definitely deserving of being featured in WOTW. I just hope she never makes another movie like Life Or Something Like It!

 

[{ Emilia }]

I'm surprised to see so many people state they haven't seen many of her movies. I've never been a huge fan but somehow I seem to have watched most of her films.

As a trip down memory lane... I just remembered where I saw her the first time. Yes, this is Angelina Jolie in a Rolling Stones video clip from 1997.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BinwuzZVjnE[/yt]

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Looking at IMDB:

I turned off Alexander half way through.
I only watched about five minutes of Beowulf (I saw her scenes, though, by coincidence).

That's apparently literally all I've seen of her, oddly enough.

 

[iguana_tonante]

What about Antonello Venditti's Alta Marea?

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcwEP3HBhZk[/yt]

I too haven't seen most of her movies (I think the only ones are the Tomb Raider movies and Changeling), and I was more tham impressed by her acting in the latter.

As for her adoptions, yeah I though it was weird at first, but then again wealthy people like her could adopt tens of kids and still be fine. As long as she acts as a loving mother and not just a provider (and I have no reason to believe differently), I think it's kinda awesome.

I'd say she will be remember as an actress who did a good deal of humanitarian work.

 

[trekkiebaggio]

I've seen quite a lot of her films, I don't think many of them are that stand-out though. Changeling, Salt and Girl, Interrupted are probably her three best (of the ones I've seen). I did enjoy Mr & Mrs Smith a lot as well.

 

[JoeZhang]

From what I've seen of her recently she definitely needs to eat some sandwiches.

I saw Salt recently, I know it's a movie but she was so painfully thin I couldn't take it seriously when she was throwing around all those 6ft 5" guys.

 

[Count Zero]

As someone mentioned Girl, Interrupted yesterday and I realised I had totally forgotten that she was in that one, I checked her IMDB page and it turns out that I've seen plenty of films with her. But none of the ones where she probably has more possibilities to shine like The Changeling. Though some of them were enjoyable or good, none of them really stuck in my mind. But that's generally a problem with me and Hollywood movies. I tend not to find them all too impressive, even the ones that are generally lauded as impressive. I'm weird that way.

As a trip down memory lane... I just remembered where I saw her the first time. Yes, this is Angelina Jolie in a Rolling Stones video clip from 1997.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BinwuzZVjnE[/yt]

I must say I found this video hilariously bad. The parts without the Stones were ok but their rockstar antics made me laugh. I guess, if you live long enough as a rockband you see yourself turn into a caricature. (No offense to Stones fans intended.)