Opens Fri Jan 9.
There are many things that work in Monster, beginning with the much-praised performance by its lead, Charlize Theron. Saddled with 20 extra pounds, buried beneath grime and makeup, Theron is outright amazing in the film, and her performance as killer Aileen Wuornos will surely rank high on lists this year. However, on the whole, the picture is so bleak and depressing that it is nearly intolerable. There is almost no enjoyment to be had with Monster, and though this may seem fitting given the film's subject matter, the merciless gloom soaking the picture raises a question: Why would anyone want to see it?

For those who do choose to see it, here's a brief rundown: In the early '90s, Wuornos was a Florida streetwalker who found herself in two fairly remarkable situations in quick succession. First, she fell in love. Then, she began killing johns. The object of her love was a young woman; her reason for murder was a brutal attack she'd survived that sent her toppling over the edge of sanity. Savagely gunning down men who aimed to purchase her, Wuornos was eventually caught and sentenced to death. In 2002, she was legally snuffed by the State of Florida.

Co-starring Christina Ricci as Wuornos' object of affection, Monster is tastefully (if somewhat blandly) directed by first-timer Patty Jenkins, and the entire enterprise is shaped with suitably solemn hands. But once the film was finished I was filled with regret for having witnessed the entire grim spectacle. This doesn't make the film a bad one--it's not--it just makes it impossible to recommend. Actually, I will recommend it, but with a warning flare: You will find yourself feeling quite miserable once the picture fades. BRADLEY STEINBACHER

Girl with a Pearl Earring

dir. Peter Webber

Opens Fri Jan 9.
Girl with a Pearl Earring is beautifully photographed and splendidly assembled. It is also surprisingly inert--not technically, but emotionally. Based on the novel by Tracy Chevalier, the film muses over the life of a housemaid named Griet (Scarlett Johansson) who is employed by the painter Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth). Do you see where this is going? Yes, Griet inspires Vermeer, and yes, her wide eyes and milky tone eventually appear on canvas, but really--and I state this as someone who normally finds himself fawning over meticulous period works--who cares? Girl with a Pearl Earring is stuffy to a fault, no matter how many shots of Johansson's pout director Peter Webber can fit in, and the final tally falls somewhere between the best of Merchant Ivory and the worst of Merchant Ivory. Which is to say this: It is a well-made but nonetheless empty and, quite often, outright dull affair. BRADLEY STEINBACHER