Ep. 151: Angelina Jolie – Top 6 Movies

August 18, 2024 Peter Jans

Intro

Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.

I’m Jans your Mnemonic Man and today's episode will be on actress, filmmaker and humanitarian Angelina Jolie.

Born in Los Angeles, California on June 4, 1975 she was born into an acting family. Her childhood was mainly spent in New York before relocating to Los Angeles at age 11. She attended Beverly Hills High School but during her teen years suffered with depression, self-harm, and drug abuse.

Her first leading role was in Hackers in 1995 before her critically acclaimed role in the film “Gia” where she plays Gia Carangi an American model considered to be the first supermodel. Four years later she played sociopath Lisa Rowe in “Girl Interrupted” where she took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Along the way she has had a colourful love life having been married three times to Jonny Lee Miller (1996-2000), Billy Bob Thornton (2000-2003), and Brad Pitt (2014-2019).

Another thing I found in my research was the number of music videos she has appeared in. These include “Stand by My Woman” by Lenny Kravitz, “Wonderin” by Widespread Panic, “It’s About Time” by the Lemonheads, and one of my favourites “Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through” by Meat Loaf.

Today’s mnemonic will be on Angelina Jolie’s top six movies.

So, with that being said, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Angelina_Jolie_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg

Wikipedia Summary

Angelina Jolie[3] (/dʒoʊˈliː/; born Angelina Jolie Voight;[4] June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award and three Golden Globe Awards, she has been named Hollywood's highest-paid actress multiple times.

Jolie made her screen debut as a child alongside her father, Jon Voight, in Lookin' to Get Out (1982). Her film career began in earnest a decade later with the low-budget production Cyborg 2 (1993), followed by her first leading role in Hackers (1995). After starring in the biographical television films George Wallace (1997) and Gia (1998), Jolie won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing a sociopath in the 1999 drama Girl, Interrupted. Her portrayal of the titular heroine in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) established her as a household name. Her fame continued with roles in the action films Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Wanted (2008), and Salt (2010). She also received acclaim for her performances in the dramas A Mighty Heart (2007) and Changeling (2008), the latter earning her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Her other commercial successes include the fantasy film Maleficent (2014), its 2019 sequel, and the superhero film Eternals (2021). She played a voice role in the Kung Fu Panda animated film series from 2008 to 2016. Jolie has directed and written the war dramas In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011), Unbroken (2014), and First They Killed My Father (2017).

Jolie is known for her humanitarian efforts. The causes she promotes include conservation, education, and women's rights. She has been noted for her advocacy on behalf of refugees as a Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. She has undertaken various field missions to refugee camps and war zones worldwide. In addition to receiving a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award among other honors, Jolie was made an honorary Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George.

As a public figure, Jolie has been cited as one of the most powerful and influential people in the American entertainment industry. She has been cited as the world's most beautiful woman by various publications. Her personal life, including her relationships and health, has been the subject of widespread attention. Jolie is divorced from actors Jonny Lee Miller, Billy Bob Thornton, and Brad Pitt. She has six children with Pitt.

Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelina_Jolie]

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Angelina-Jolie_cropped_(squared-trim).jpg

Mnemonic

Angelina Jolie – Top 6 Movies Mnemonic – GLAM Girl Croft

(Simply picture Angelina Jolie playing the glamour girl Lara Croft)

1. Girl, Interrupted (1998)

2. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)

3. A Mighty Heart (2007)

4. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

5. Gia (1998)

6. Changeling (2008)

Five Fun Facts

1. Angelina Jolie was born in Los Angeles, California to her acting parents Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand. She has quite the eclectic ancestry with German, Slovakian, French Canadian, Dutch, and Iroquoin ancestry.

2. She made her onscreen debut at age seven alongside her father in the comedy “Lookin’ to Get Out” in 1982. But acting was not her goal and at age 14 she aspired to be a model or a funeral director

3. Her first major leading role was in Cyborg 2 in 1993 where she played Casella “Cash” Reese. But it wasn’t until her role portraying the model Gia Carangi that gained her recognition and acknowledgement. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider brought her international fame which was also augmented by the fact that she performed her own stunts.

4. In 2013 Angelina Jolie took the very brave step of having a double mastectomy in order to mitigate the risk of both breast and ovarian cancer. She is a carrier of a faulty gene BRCA1 and believes this has lowered her chances of developing breast cancer from 87% to under 5%.

5. As of 2023 Angelina Jolie has 16 tattoos. Some of her tattoos are as follows:

· She has tattoos for her six children’s birthplace coordinates

· Subtitle to a Tennessee Williams play

· The Latin translation of the phrase: “What nourishes me destroys me.”

· A Bengal tiger on her lower back

· A Buddhist spell tattoo

· Arabic script tattoo

· And; the date in Roman Numerals of Winston Churchill’s famous speech where he states “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.”

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Angelina_Jolie_-_In_The_Bag,_Vogue_Taiwan_02.jpg

Three Question Quiz

Q.1. Who did Angelina Jolie co-star with in “The Bone Collector” released in 1999?

Q.2. Is Angelina Jolie right-handed or left-handed?

Q.3. What is Angelina Jolie afraid of? Options are Snakes & Lizards, Insects & Spiders, or being buried alive

Bonus Q. What did Angelina Jolie always want to be when she was a child? Options are Cat Woman, Wonder Woman, or a Vampire

Bonus Q. Why did Angelina Jolie continually nag Brad Pitt to do squats?

Mnemonic Recap

Angelina Jolie – Top 6 Movies Mnemonic – GLAM Girl Croft

(Simply picture Angelina Jolie playing the glamour girl Lara Croft)

1. Girl, Interrupted (1998)

2. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)

3. A Mighty Heart (2007)

4. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

5. Gia (1998)

6. Changeling (2008)

Three Question Quiz Answers

Q.1. Who did Angelina Jolie co-star with in “The Bone Collector” released in 1999?

A. Denzel Washington

Q.2. Is Angelina Jolie right-handed or left-handed?

A. Left-handed (Southpaw)

Q.3. What is Angelina Jolie afraid of? Options are Snakes & Lizards, Insects & Spiders, or being buried alive

A. She had snakes and lizards as pets and she has eaten a myriad of insects and spiders. She is afraid of being buried alive (Taphophobia).

I share the same phobia after being indelibly scarred after watching the original Dutch version of “The Vanishing” in 1988. They did make a remake in 1993 with Keifer Sutherland, Jeff Bridges, and Sandra Bullock which had a different ending which I won’t give away. But I urge you to see the original or both and let me know what you think.

Bonus Q. What did Angelina Jolie always want to be when she was a child? Options are Cat Woman, Wonder Woman, or a Vampire

A. A Vampire

Bonus Q. Why did Angelina Jolie continually nag Brad Pitt to do squats?

A. Because she was tired of a bottomless Pitt!

Word of the Week

bumfuzzle

[ buhm-fuhz-uhl ]

verb

to confuse or fluster

Example

Angelina Jolie’s antics as Mrs Smith in “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” left audiences in a bumfuzzle as to whether she actually did love her husband.

Extracted from: [https://www.dictionary.com/]