I think it might have been while watching The Devil’s Advocate, probably when it first came out in ’97. Pretty good flick, and I thought “You know, this girl Charlize Theron is good but let’s face it, she’s no Ashley Judd.” And I started referring to her as the poor man’s Ashley Judd. This of course was unfair but Hollywood. Ashley was the absolute best and then I never saw her again.
Then only a few years later when Charlize was doing guest shots on Arrested Development did I realize that she was the best ever and Ashley Who? Because Hollywood. Also, I guess I’m fickle.
I figured Judd just retired from acting, bought a farm, took up marine biology, etc., who knows? Because she was never heard from again.
But in researching this blog to determine when she utterly and completely abandoned Hollywood, a quick look at her IMDB page told me that she never left. She just hasn’t done anything I’ve really been interested in for the last couple decades. Sorry Ashley. Mind you, I also hadn’t *heard* about anything she was in fir 20 years, so maybe that’s on her press agent.
However, I am all about Charlize Theron.
The whole family was watching The Old Guard on Netflix the other night–thumbs up– and it’s a testament to Ms. Theron, that the “question of “what do we all want to watch” was answered more quickly than at any time in history. It’s a very good film adaptation of a comic that deals with a group of immortal commandos who try and do good.
Recommended.
Afterward, I thought back to a few other recent Theron films like Atomic Blonde and Mad Max: Fury Road and I realized that Charlize is really one of our top level movie action heroes these days. Roughly the same type of heroes we’ve seen in the Rambo, Die Hard, Terminator, Transporter, Fast & the Furious and John Wick films over the decades. But here’s an unexpected added dimension regarding all the leads:
She can actually act and her action films have a bit more depth.
Quality acting is certainly never a given in these films. You know what I’m taking about. T2 is still one of the all time greatest action films of all time, John Wick manages an unparalleled kill count and the F&F films have somehow built and maintained a huge audience but these films are definitely not huge because of the acting prowess of Arnold, Keanu or Vin. They just cleanly deliver a certain amount of cheesy dialog that works in the pertinent scenarios. Lots of cliches to go around.
Tom Cruise is not exactly a great actor nearly as much as he is a magnetic movie star, who somehow manages to make us forget how batshit crazy he is in real life. That is impressive though, admittedly.
Speaking of Cruise, Charlize does do a lot of *her* own stunts too. She worked out a long, single cut, brilliant fight scene on a staircase in Atomic Blonde that should be seen. There’s a sequel in the works and I believe one for The Old Guard as well.
Yes, Charlize is going on 45 and like any other action hero, that means she’s got *at least* another decade in her before she says enough is enough with what can be a very strenuous routine.
To Hollywood, I say continue to take advantage of this amazing resource now. She is just too good to let get away.
In fact, if Hollywood really wants a guaranteed blockbuster action hit, gather together a host of the kick ass women’s brigade of film. Charlize, Halle Berry, ScarJo, Gal Gadot, Tessa Thompson, Kate Blanchette, Milla Jovovich and Angelina Jolie, with maybe Helen Mirren as the leader. Hell, throw in Sigourney Weaver!
No, don’t resort to adapting a previously male property and redo it, (Ghostbusters, Oceans 8), DO SOMETHING ORIGINAL.
Yeah, yeah, I know, Hollywood, where “remakes are king”.
And yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, we don’t have *any* strong women roles in movies. Right.
Eh, I tried.
thingis.home.blog 