Let me take this opportunity to publicly declare my awesome affection for the ultimate chick - Kate Winslet. I fucking love her. Why? Because she is bad ass. Hot, talented, down to earth, intelligent and NORMAL. No ridiculous fake breasts (all natural, as confirmed to Oprah), no Botox, no entourage, no crazy stick-thin figure. She totally rocks my world on so many levels, and I have been crushing hard on her all week since she won her Golden Globes last Sunday.
I am sorry, but if you have ever seen Kate Winslet in anything else besides Titanic, you know she is deserving of every single accolade she has ever received. This bitch can act. Her masterful characterizations can make you feel sympathy, creep you out, fall in love - whatever the role calls for she delivers in spades. I've been a devoted fan of hers since her first movie, Peter Jackson's "Heavenly Creatures". This is a MUST rent if you haven't seen it. She plays a delusional New Zealand teenager who forges a bond with another girl to the point where they ultimately commit murder. It is incredible how normal she makes seriously disturbed look.
In addition to this film, there are two others from her impressive body of work that I would recommend. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is nothing short of exhilarating, heartwrenching and astoundingly creative. Her portrayal of Clementine required a delicate balance - the character is equal parts maddening and endearing, and the wrong interpretation could have made Clementine seem grating and tiresome. Kate was balls on. The entire movie is a refreshing change of pace from cinema rote, but for me her performance is what makes it my very favorite screen romance of all time, second only to "True Romance".
The third film is one that was released to little fanfare (outside of critics, who gushed so hard they practically creamed their pants), but has steadily built a cult following since. "Little Children" is a study of marriage, societal expectations, and adultery. Again, she nails it - but it's the subtleties she brings to the film that make her a standout. She can emote for sure - but she is equally powerful when she speaks softly and with conviction. Anyone who's heard her in an interview knows she has a very clipped British accent, so the fact that she can adopt a clean American dialect just goes to prove she doesn't fuck around. She is hotter than Streep ever was, but can hold her own in that league. Her cred is undeniable.
So congratulations on the double-win, Kate. Keep liberally sprinkling your interviews with the word "fuck", continue to be unapologetic for not playing into the Hollywood head trips, and keep beating the haters at their own game with your bad-ass talent. I'll look forward to seeing "Revolutionary Road" when it goes into wide release next week.
And for us girls who crush on your talent, intelligence and wit...keep rockin that great rack.
Oh I love Heavenly Creatures.. I thought it was just me! And her in Eternal Sunshine was the only thing that could make me stomache Jim Carrey! Little Children was a tear jerker. Oh see there are so many reasons I HEART you! You taste in chick crushes not the least among them.. though I have to confess my longtime crush on Angie is still stronger... how very predictable huh?
This blog's creation is kinda like Athena's birth - sprung full-grown from the cranium. The title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the hope that this attempt to indulge my whims for writing hopefully won't annoy too many people. I have mood swings, but not in a manic way. I am painfully honest, and I despise cheating in all forms. I am equally loyal. I am an excellent judge of character. I do not get star struck. I try to remember to thank God for the little things that go right when bad times roll around, since I've been blessed with so much in between. My husband is the greatest guy in the universe and we have a pretty bad ass life.
"And though our parts are slightly used/New ones are slave labor you can keep" - Regina Spektor, "Us". This song could be interpreted so many different ways, but the independent spirit of the lyrics suggests a political slant. Any way you choose to read it, Ms. Spektor is a musical gem.
"They scream your name at night in the street/Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet" - Bruce Springsteen, "Thunder Road". The crescendo in this lyric always gives me the chills.
"Now I have seen that sad surrender in my lover's eyes/I can only stand apart and sympathize" - Billy Joel, "Summer, Highland Falls". My favorite song, for its sweeping melancholy. This part echoes what you know before you say it's over.
"I don't get many things right the first time/In fact, I am told that a lot/Now I know, all the wrong turns and stumbles and falls brought me here" - Ben Folds, "The Luckiest". A simple song that expresses the peace that is found when you find the one. Simply beautiful.
"'Cause I still love to wash in your old bathwater/Love to think that you couldn't love another/Share a toothbrush...you're my kind of man" - No Doubt, "Bathwater". Girls can't help but compare themselves to everyone their guy has been with in the past, and seek evidence to confirm that said guy loves them more/better/deeper than any of the others.
"And I can't wait to see you rise/And I can't wait to see you shine/But I can wait for you if all you need is time..." - Butch Walker, "Maybe it's Just Me". Captures the emotion of what you say to someone you love when they're not yours anymore, and what you REALLY want to say.
"The letters you wrote me have hollow point headers/If you think you got it like that, find somebody better" - Gavin Degraw, "Untamed". Girls are infamous for writing the "this is what you need to fix about you" letter, in the hopes of inspiring the exact OPPOSITE reaction of this song...
"Sooner or later/We'll be looking back on everything/And we'll laugh about it like we knew what all was happening" - Michael Tolcher, "Sooner or Later". The whole way things look different in the sepia tones of maturity.
"Even if I stop wanting you/And perspective pushes through/I'll be some next man's other woman soon" - Amy Winehouse, "Tears Dry On Their Own". Cutting self-admission of bad habits with men
"Even though I carry your picture everywhere I go/I use it for a coaster/And drink the overflow" - Prince, "Tangerine". Leave it to Prince to perfectly summarize the longing that goes along with trying to convince yourself that you're over him/her.
Oh I love Heavenly Creatures.. I thought it was just me! And her in Eternal Sunshine was the only thing that could make me stomache Jim Carrey! Little Children was a tear jerker. Oh see there are so many reasons I HEART you! You taste in chick crushes not the least among them.. though I have to confess my longtime crush on Angie is still stronger... how very predictable huh?
ReplyDeleteshit I can't spell worth a d-ham-e tonite! must be the wine. The cab we made this year kicks butt! I'll send/bring ya sum!
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