Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Signatures: Kate Winslet

Adam of Club Silencio here with a look at my favorite actresses and their distinguishing claims to fame.

It's hard to keep up with Kate Winslet. If the Academy Awards were a marathon, Kate would be making her sixth glorious lap with her nomination for The Reader. Baffling it is to think that she's lost so many statuettes just by the skin of her teeth. The sex appeal, the cool Hollywood connections, but without that holier than thou attitude -- Kate's perfect for the win, and she'd handle it beautifully. Plus, that whole "Holocaust drama" thing should have given her an early start.

"We get it. It was grim. Move on."

Like any true champion, Kate Winslet won't take it lying down. She's been in constant training. Her two ravishing star turns of 2008, in The Reader and Revolutionary Road, gave Kate a showcase for her entrancing vibrancy and flair for devastating nuance. She also got a full day's workout. During one of her character's most desperate moments in Revolutionary Road, Winslet flees with break-neck speed to the seclusion and safety of the woods, which looks to be a site she's all too familiar with. That suburban home can be so stifling, but then this isn't the first time Kate's needed to blow off some steam, and maybe even some calories.


Didn't Kate's parents teach her not to run on a cruise liner?



Obviously not. But then maybe it's better if her mother keeps her opinions to herself...

"Mummy... She's terribly hurt!"

Kate needs to take a breath... and the Oscar, ideally. For the sake of her mother and all those years of extensive training. Would you want to be the one to break the news to her?


No matter how it ends, I've got some Gatorade and some hopeful spirits.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

1) I love it that her being nominated gives every fan one more reason to go back and admire her past roles.
For example: http://www.insidethegold.com/2009/01/case-for-kate-winslet-2000s.html

2) The last pic, is it The Holiday? It doesn't remind me of anything but I think that was the only film she seemed happy. :p

Anonymous said...

The happy scene was from Little Children when Patrick Wilson does a touchdown at his football game.

NATHANIEL R said...

it's funny that scene in Little Children because it just reminds what an absolute delight she is when she's happy (see also a few scenes in Heavenly Creatures) and yet she does often play these terribly depressed women.

and sort of at the same time which is intriguing.

Anonymous said...

I think her happy moments make the sad ones even more tragic.

Anonymous said...

Oh man, that 'Reader' cameo is all the more funny considering her nomination.

Anonymous said...

You forget to mention how utterly boring her acceptance speaches have been and how overrated an actor she is.

gabrieloak said...

I didn't find her speeches at the Globes boring at all. She was kind of boring at SAG but that was because the British press had trashed her for being emotional.

Did anyone see her in that crazy John Turturro film, Romance and Cigarettes? She was really something in that film.

Murtada said...

love Kate, she's the best
I think Rev road is her best performance ever, I felt that she was exploding with emotion in that movie, like she was going to burst out of the screen and into the theater because she was feeling so much and had so much to show, give and say

Beau said...

She WAS really something in 'Romance and Cigarettes'.

And she was perfectly adequate in 'The Reader', but it was BY NO MEANS her best performance. She's been stronger in just about every other film I've seen her in for the last...

I can't even think, really.
But I found issue and lay the bulk of the blame with the film itself. Daldry and Hare have jointly made one masterpiece before, it's surprising they couldn't pull such magic off with this one.

Anonymous said...

I think Meryl could win... and Kate could wait (again...). I Love Kate, but it's about TIME for the greatest Living Actress won her third... no matter She say "There's no such a thing like the Greatest Living Actress..." GREAT SPEECH, by the way... God I wish the fraud prevail just this year... Kate and Meryl... what a hell of winners... Kisses, Daniel.

Anonymous said...

i still say she is nominated for the wrong role!!! and in the wrong category

Peter Chan said...

I'm convinced she should've been EW's 2008 Entertainer of The Year instead of that "dude who plays a dude disguised as some other dude". Or is it just all wishful thinking here?

Anonymous said...

I want Winslet to win now since OBSVIOUSLY Meryl will get nominated (and win?) for her Julia Childs flick.