Congratulations, Kate Winslet! She has finally won her first Oscar for her role in The Reader. She received five previous nominations for her performances in Sense and Sensibility, Titanic, Iris, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Little Children.
Kate Winslet grew up in a family of actors and began performing for British television when she was thirteen. At the age of seventeen, she made her name internationally in Peter Jackson’s feature film, Heavenly Creatures. Off camera, Winslet is known for her mischievous pranks and familial devotion.
She is married to filmmaker Sam Mendes, who directed her and Leonardo DiCaprio in another notable film of 2008, Revolutionary Road.
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Titanic
By Cameron, James
Two and a half miles beneath the waves of the North Atlantic, a mystery is unfolding. A secret love, bravery, treasure and treachery, hidden by time but never forgotten. A beautiful socialite. A penniless artist. A priceless diamond. A romance so passionate that nothing on earth could stop it. A destiny so incredible that no one could have imagined it. A collision of lives that could only happen on Titanic, the ship of dreams.
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Finding Neverland
By Forster, Marc
Set in early 20th century England, the story follows J.M. Barrie and his quest to breathe life into Peter Pan. From the moment of inspiration to the debut of the play, Barrie's life mirrors the action of the story he has written and vice versa.
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Little Children
By Field, Todd
In a suburban town full of perfect parents devoted to rearing their children for Harvard futures, a stay-at-home mom has an affair with an ex-jock, stay-at-home dad who rebels against his wife's wishes that he become a big-bucks lawyer.
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The Holiday
By Meyers, Nancy
Two women on opposite sides of the globe, Amanda Woods (Diaz) and Iris Simpkins (Winslet) find themselves in a similar predicament. Desperate for a change of scenery, the two women meet on the internet and swap houses for the Christmas holiday discovering that a change of address really can change your life.
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Iris
By Eyre, Richard
Iris Murdoch was l'enfant terrible of the literary world in early 1950s Britain—a live wire who thumbed her nose at the conformity of the era via a voracious sex life that included male and female partners. In this snippet of her life, Murdoch faces the onset of Alzheimer's disease alongside her adoring husband.
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The Reader
By Daldry, Stephen
Michael Berg reflects on the formative sexual relationship he had with older woman Hanna Schmitz as a young teenager in this poignant drama set in post-World War II Germany. The passionate affair ended when Hanna disappeared. But years later, Michael learns she's on trial for horrific Nazi war crimes.
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William Shakespeare's Hamlet
By Branagh, Kenneth
Murder and violence, revenge and intrigue, sex and desire, paranoia and madness. The heady brew of passion and emotion that makes up Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet has intoxicated audiences of all ages. The story of the Prince of Denmark, who seeks revenge for his father's murder at the hands of his perfidious uncle, delves into fundamental issues about humanity and the nature of being. |
Movie Posters/Previews and descriptions courtesy of Bookletters. |