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I've seen LEE 4 times:
LEE (Kate Winslet in leading role) accomplishes its vision: To tell the truth of Lee Miller, and thus tell the truth of the life, pain, joy, & death, embedded in her photographs. The way the audience gets to see everything through Kate Winslet’s eyes as she uses every single eye movement, mouth/lip wrinkle, breath, more. Love that #LEE doesn’t have to show the already-known shocking scenes, but WE CAN SEE THEM just by looking at them through Kate’s gaze. This makes the film so powerful. Lee is not about the war. It’s about a beautiful woman who is also intelligent, genuine, and daring (thus Kate is perfectly cast as Lee Miller). The IMMEASURABLE challenges she faced to seek the truth, then tell the truth by recording these images.
The well-known bathtub scene is magical. The careful anticipatory build-up to one of the most iconic images is worth the price alone. The film manages to include some conviviality, as if giving the audience a needed brief respite during this historical moment. Brilliant.
The effectiveness of 2 door slams. There is also some funny “drunk acting” that brings some levity to some of the most horrific circumstances from WWII.
I’ve seen this film 4 times at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival): 2 public screenings and 2 press & industry screenings, from 4 different spots in the theatre, on purpose. Discovered new important details & distinctions each time.
#KateWinslet #LeeMiller #LEE #LeeMillerArchives
I LOVE that we get to see some of the most important and shocking images just by how Kate expresses everything through her eyes and face, i.e. Kate's gaze lets us see what Lee Miller sees, and it's so clear.
Older/first review:
Review of #LEE starring Kate Winslet about WWII photojournalist Lee Miller. Women are either too old, too young, but never perfect. This is not a promotion, not sponsored, not an ad. It’s my honest review of the film which had its world premiere at TIFF tonight (Sept. 9) in Toronto. As a working actress, I fully support the SAG-AFTRA strike. This review is meant to be honest, but NOT elegant, polished, or promotional. Just the brutal real truth, like the movie itself. “Only a woman could have taken these photos.” I was captivated by every scene. I love movies even more than I thought I did. The parallels between the struggles & roadblocks Lee Miller had as a woman, and the struggles the female filmmakers had to fund, make, & distribute this film, are agonizingly similar (though Ellen Kuras said tonight that Lee’s struggles were way more paramount). And then the parallels between the magazine not wanting to publish Lee’s images because “the images will disturb people” to how some people today want to change/erase history in order to not tell the truth. Thank you Antony Penrose for telling the truth about your mom.
Without giving any plot away: LEE lets us see and live the WWII experiences that Lee and her photographer partner David Scherman had, as they encountered the scenes, no matter how brutal, real, and sometimes intimate. As Antony later said tonight, without sensationalizing anything, we as the audience get to see, hear, & (yes) smell what they did. And I agree, though knowing the truth behind the images we see was disturbing (as it should be), nothing felt sensationalized or unneeded. The film jumps back and forth between important moments of time, telling the story in an easy to understand manner (I say this because sometimes I have to google a movie after seeing it to understand the story, ugh). Without giving anything away, we get to learn the truth about Lee, even if some truths are hard. I love acting as much as I love movies. Not surprising that Kate met every one of my extremely high expectations. As a Canadian growing up having to learn French in school, Kate speaks French fluently to my trained ear. I was also surprisingly delighted by Andrea Riseborough who plays British Vogue’s Audrey Withers. Not going to mention the name of my uncle Oscar who “supported” me in becoming a non-elegant movie reviewer.
As a World War 2 aficionado myself, this is imo NOT a World War 2 movie. There are many wonderful such movies & documentaries. It’s a movie about Lee Miller wanting desperately to share the truth through her photographs. I actually felt like I was in Hitler’s home when it goes silent as they walk on the Nazi symbol. I was fortunate to be able to ask the panel at the Q&A after. I remember Antony saying that Kate Winslet, like Lee Miller, is beautiful and also intelligent, genuine, and daring. And this was evident throughout the film. I hope everyone in the world gets to see this film. My understanding is that this film has still to acquire a U.S. distributor. Perhaps it signifies the continued roadblocks that female / women filmmakers, producers, and actresses have. Please let’s stop this. Let’s SUPPORT women in film whether in front of or behind the camera (no pun intended). As the movie states, women are either too old, or too young, but never just perfect, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE!!!!! (5 exclamation marks just like in Kate Winslet’s email to Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF. Speaking of which, Cameron gets a star for condensing my question to a perfect 10 seconds). LEE stars Kate Winslet, Alexander Skarsgård, Andrea Riseborough, Marion Cotillard, Josh O'Connor, Andy Samberg & Noémie Merlant. To find out more about Lee, go to the Lee Miller Archives https://leemiller.co.uk #LeeMiller #KateWinslet #TIFF23
#TIFF2023
HIERARCHY SUCKS: I'm so thankful to the amazing nice volunteers (blue shirts) I've met so far. Most have been very helpful and nice. I chatted with one and asked if they get any other perks than just some kind of volunteer pass. They said no. I don't think this is right. All the highest paid TIFF executives get to mingle with and meet the celebrities, and I believe volunteers should get to meet at least 1 celebrity they admire, or put into a draw in order to win this. Because let's face it, only the rich or powerful people get invited to the celebrity after parties, and yet the people who do the most work, don't. Absurd reality of life and of TIFF. Hierarchy sucks.
August 25, 2023: After some incredibly helpful Kate Winslet and TIFF movie fans helped me, I got a ticket to both public screenings of Lee. I'll still try to attend the press & industry screenings too, as I can try to access them via waiting in a rush line.
UPDATE AUGUST 24, 2023: Despite my TIFF membership access to pre-sales and me being online/ready 1 hour early, all Lee screenings sold out in 30 seconds. :( Meaning only way I'm going to see Lee is using my industry pass but on a rush basis only. Even Kate Winslet isn't worth all this stress! I want to say though that there are some fantastic most amazing people I've met in this journey of supporting Kate: These people are all over the world, including the mother that Kate helped with a donation for her and her special needs daughter, so I'm glad that these people were brought into my life. <3 So Juan, Carolynne, L.A. if you ever see this, thank you.
And I recorded a new podcast about the strike, TIFF, and how I will not be able to see Lee at TIFF:
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UPDATE JULY 2023: I'll be attending TIFF in person as an industry delegate as an actress and acting podcast host. (to anyone that knows me: Feel free to say hi to me if you see me!). UPDATE: I'll attend, but as an actor, won't be able to talk about or promote any SAG related work as I also support them #SAGAFTRAstrike #SAGAFTRAstrong. BUT HAPPY TO SAY that Lee is having its world premiere at TIFF !
But this also means I won't be doing any new podcast episodes of "what would kate do?" because I understand that past works also can't be promoted in any way.
Update March 12, 2023: Can't wait for the release of Lee (maybe in 2023 at the Venice Film Festival), the story of Lee Miller, American photographer and photojournalist. And Vogue World War II correspondent. Stars Kate Winslet, of course.
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December 16, 2022: I don't have time to update this page much, but need to highlight this interview by Joshua Horowitz that came out today that is so invigorating to watch and listen to as an actor. Beautiful and also triggering (the part about arrogance and mind games in the business of acting):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L22JpW6an-o&ab_channel=JoshHorowitz
YES PLEASE more interviews with Kate Winslet about acting, it's so helpful for actors but also for people because the best and long lasting actors are those that are also good people (I believe so much in my heart that this is true).
Also from this interview, Kate says: "I just wish there weren't quite so many comments on the physical form of actresses... You know, bodies are bodies. Everyone's beautiful however they are and whatever they came with, you know. It still drives me kind of crazy. I definitely think we can do better with that stuff."
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This site will be about many things including those we have an "actor crush" on. This is when you develop a crush on someone's acting skills, think Philip Seymour Hoffman (RIP), Clifton Collins Jr., Rachel McAdams, Viola Davis, Emilia Jones (Coda) and now Kate Winslet. Kate, specifically the one in her mid 40s, the one now. She's just gotten more beautiful with every day.
Where have I been? Not until I binged-watched Kate Winslet's interviews on the acting PROCESS, I realized I want to do this. I want to be an actor (actress). This was BEFORE the Mare of Easttown hype. Watching her movies/shows is the best free actor's guide/education EVER. Even just looking at how she takes in the persons she's speaking with or the environment she's in. SHOULD note that it was Francis Lee's 2020 film Ammonite and then learning about the why / what / acting process from Kate interviews, that sparked something amazing and unexpected.
I am a minority: Female, Asian (Chinese), and LGBTQ+. My pronouns are she/her.
Many years ago, I had an agent. Then I really got into my day job (which I still enjoy). Enriched my life by dancing and performing on stage for years, and traveling around the world visiting my friends in different countries/cultures. Now I'm back in Calgary Canada (close to Vancouver) with the money and work flexibility to pursue this. Plus, my job as a Project Manager allows me to strategize, communicate, adjust my communication styles to suit the audience, and learn about different persons, personalities, and cultures. I'm also an experienced Toastmaster & public speaker. I love public speaking if the message is positive, educational, or funny.
I get it: It's one of the hardest jobs to do. Acting isn't about pretending; it's about being real and becoming the character using your own process that works best for you. It's not glamorous, and never perfect. I'm excited and more importantly, I'm scared but in an awesome way. And this shows my passion. I'm starting at the very beginning again. I'm female, Asian (Chinese), and LGBTQ+. Yes, I'd rather admit outright because I don't have anything and thus, I have nothing to lose. I'd rather not worry about hiding but more importantly, I don't want to do any disservice to the LGBTQ+ community or to my LGBTQ+ friends by perpetuating any type of "hidden shame". And for the record, it's very easy for me to play straight, been doing it most of my life. And people who meet me assume I'm married to a man, and have children LOL.
Quote from Kate from 2022 International Women's Day: "Try not to be hard on yourself if you don't get a role you really wanted, just keep going." She adds, “Don’t scrutinize your appearance, it will only make you self-conscious and becomes a distraction.” The bottom line is to “enjoy it,” Winslet says. “Acting is a joy and a pleasure. Just keep enjoying what it feels like.” SIDE NOTE: It may be easier for her to say something like this, as she can have any role she wants now, since Titanic, without auditioning!;)
These are some of the amazing quotes from Kate about acting and being an actor/actress:
It is difficult, it is definitely a hard job to do and you do have to keep working at it, you do have to keep practicing things you have to allow yourself to make mistakes.
You have to keep at it, if it’s the thing you really want to do with your life you just have to keep going and keep yourself busy! Don’t wait for the phone to ring! Fill your life in other areas – the more you enrich your life, the more you will enrich your life as an actor and as a person.
- Quote from someone else: “If you want to be a magnificent actor, aim to become a magnificent human being. If you really want to improve and be the best most interesting artist you can be, then be the best most interesting person possible.