Saturday, October 29, 2011

LAMB Acting School 101: Kate Winslet


Each month, The LAMB has a series where bloggers get together to write reviews of a particular actor’s work. Here at Never Too Early Movie Predictions, I look forward instead of backward, so I thought it might be fun to look ahead at what the actor of the month has coming up on her calendar for the next several years.

This month’s actor is Kate Winslet. She has won one Oscar for The Reader, and been nominated an additional five times for Sense And Sensibility, Titanic, Iris, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and Little Children. She also recently won an Emmy for Mildred Pierce. So obviously an Oscar predictor like me is well advised to pay attention to new projects on Winslet’s horizon:



Earlier this year, Kate portrayed a CDC doctor for Steven Soderbergh’s film Contagion. (Read my review here.)

In Roman Polanski’s Carnage, Winslet stars alongside Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly as two sets of parents who meet after their sons get in a fight. Based upon the play by Rasmina Reza, the characters spiral downward as their cordial veneers fall away, revealing each character's flaws and prejudices.

Titanic, James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster which thrust Winslet into international superstar status, will be re-released in 3D in April 2012. The film, which co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio and won 11 Oscars (including Best Visual Effects, even in its 2-D rendering), portrays a love story set upon the famous ship which (SPOILER ALERT) sank.

Movie 43 is a series of short, independently directed films strung together by the conceit of being the internet search results of three teenagers searching for the banned “Movie 43.” The 17 comedic shorts are each being done by different directors, including Elizabeth Banks, Steven Brill, Steve Carr, Rusty Cundieff, and Brett Ratner. Winslet’s short is being directed by Peter Farrelly and will send her on a date with Hugh Jackman, although as you might expect from Farrelly, there is a raunchy twist.

Labor Day, based upon the novel by Joyce Maynard, is a coming of age story involving a 13 year old boy, his depressed single mother, and an escaped convict who teaches them about life and love. Winslet will star alongside Josh Brolin in this Jason Reitman directed film. Given the set up and the talent attached, expect this one to show up in my future Oscar predictions.

Americana is a film about an 1860’s confederate slave owner who flees to Brazil to escape the the Civil War. He finds love in a mutli-racial environment, and is then faced with the repercussions of his former life. Paolo Morelli will direct and the screenplay is being written by Garrett Knight. While casting still seems to be underway, it has been rumored that Winslet, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Stellan Skarsgard and Jack Nicholson have all been considered for parts.

So readers, do you think that any of these films have what it takes to make it into future Oscar races? Let me know in the comments!

You can keep track of Kate Winslet’s Oscar chances for each of these projects on my Lead And Supporting Actress page.
Read what my fellow LAMBS have written about Kate Winslet HERE.
Search for other actors featured in LAMB Acting School 101 HERE.
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8 comments:

  1. I don't know about Americana or Labour day, but Carnage, although is a very good movie with amazing performances, won't be giving Kate Winslet a nomination- if you can believe, out of the 4 main characters, I'd rate her to take the 3rd or 4th place!My opinion, still, this year's race is a tight one!

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  2. Thanks Aziza! I agree that this doesn't look like her year, but I am looking forward to seeing Carnage, as I think it seems like a lot of fun.

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  3. First, I just loooove that you do this crazy thing with very early predictions. I mean, it's fun thinking what could happen in the 2014 race and all that.

    In regard to the Subject at hand... Well, she's my favorite subject.
    I can't wait to see Carnage (even if I don't have high expectations) and I'm already thinking about her Oscar future.

    I do think Labor Day has potential even without having read the book, but I'm really not that sure she will be in Americana. I mean, this "rumoured" thing usually evolves into "someone else has been cast".

    I hope she breaks many more records in the future but she can't afford to have long breaks like the one she had after the Oscar.

    Did I mention I love her? :p

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  4. Thanks James!

    I'm more and more thinking that even if the rumors on Americana are true, that Kate will only have a supporting role, based on what I've been able to gather of the story. I think Labor Day has more potential, especially with Reitman in charge.

    Quite right that she has to be careful not to go too long between nominations. The academy has a history of nominating some people over and over, and then suddenly forgetting all about them. But I don't think she's in too much trouble of that just yet, especially if you count the Mildred Pierce win in her favor.

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  5. Nice work my friend, I have always had a lot of respect for Kate Winslet as an actress, though she has never been a favorite of mine!

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  6. Thanks Matt! I understand what you mean. I like her well enough, but she's not someone who immediately guarantees I'll buy a ticket.

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