The Talented Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet is an extraordinary actress and has been a favorite of mine since 1994's Heavenly Creatures was released. Like many of her films this one's a dark twisted coming of age flick. I've always respected her with film choices from Titanic to Hideous Kinky. Her acting just draws you in, she has a way of seeming relatable in every role she's played. Her range is huge. She is also very beautiful and has a very sensuous nature. I think she's been nude in ten films or so, which also makes her fearless and able to truly embody her characters.

I had a chance to watch her work some while working on the set of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. No communication was exchanged, but I still love to say I saw her and maybe, just maybe I followed her into the bathroom and proceeded to do my business with no words exchanged. It was hard for me to approach talent while on the job, I thought it was unprofessional. I did finally open up a little to the director, Michel Gondrey, which then led to a backstage concert invite to the White Stripes contest. Taking more occasional risks could have led to more exciting ventures, but life goes on and I still have at least a few exciting stories.

Wow, I really just got off topic.

Last night I saw Kate in her most profound role to date, The Reader. It was an extremely moving and heartbreaking film. Kate truly deserves her best actress win. She explained in the "making of" that this was the most groundbreaking film she's ever been a part of. This was also the first time she had to endure a make-up transformation. She aged from 35 to 65 years old as the film went on and she loved this experience.

She is a profound actress with a real joyous personal sensibility. She has stretched the female roles beyond the norm. I can't wait to see what she does next. If you would like a little Kate 101, I would see Heavenly Creatures, Hideous Kinky, Quills, Eternal Sunshine, Finding Neverland, Little Children, and The Reader.

Purposeful Confusion

Kate and I just watched "Synedoche, New York", Charlie Kaufman's latest film. I'm normally a big fan of his work. "Eternal Sunshine" and "Being John Malkovich" were brilliant, and I really enjoyed "Human Nature". "Adaptation" was good, though not quite on par with rest. But Synedoche...I don't know. I'd really like to like it, but I'm afraid it's just not warranted. The jury is still out, but leaning toward the gallows. The film was just too taxing to enjoy, without any real payoff at the end for all your efforts.

But any film that leaves you feeling some emotion strongly at the end was at least worth the time expended on it. And, as with Kaufman's other movies, the baggage ripped open for you by the viewing is a tangled mess of emotional odds and ends, dangling wires, and unwashed questions.

I love that feeling, that experience of having most of your presuppositions about the world smeared across the microscope slide, their stuffing pulled out, and their gears and machinery splayed out for examination. That moment when how you think you see the world and how the world actually is temporarily stop agreeing. When the deck is reshuffled and then thrown into the wind. It's fleeting, but it's moments of purposeful confusion that help us reevaluate, take stock and prioritize.

Ultimately we're just wet-wired circuitry on legs. Self-assembling feedback loops that sometimes need a little extra current to form new connections. A little creative short circuiting. Targeted confusion aimed at clearing out the cobwebs and greasing up the machinery, breaking you out of repetitive behaviors and thought patterns. Sometimes you just have to go a little crazy to maintain your sanity. Purposeful confusion is a release valve.

So go read "Naked Lunch" and rewire.

Soundtracks

I love a film that moves along with an equally profound soundtrack. Two films came out this year that had astounding performances, intriguing plots, and brilliant music. One was Vicky Christina Barcelona and the other is the award winning, Slumdog Millionaire. Vicky featured beautiful Spanish guitar pieces that captured the glorious Spanish locales. Slumdog's Indian tunes did quite the same thing, featuring Mumbai in its caotic, colorful nature.

I really enjoy collections of music tracks that tell a story and provoke a mood. My love for film has always been connected to my relationship with music. I think of films like Dancer in the Dark, Eternal Sunshine, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) and how they were carried with such thought-out musical pieces. I admire the talent that lives behind such creations. A good soundtrack can be enjoyed for years and think it's time I explore that world again.