DCT Episode 47: Promising Young Woman, or We Need Movies Like These Until Men Learn How to Behave

Vanity Fair

Da Couch Tomato Podcast, Episode 47, discussing Promising Young Woman, the timeliness of films like these, and the deeply-embedded culture of male dominance.

Sting Lacson's rating: 8/10

Rachel's rating: 7.4/10

Final rating: 7.7/10

Shame

Curiosity took the better of me, so I watched Shame for a glimpse of Magneto's... er, Michael Fassbender's thing without any idea what the film was about. And if I were to describe my first impression of this film after watching it: soft porn. But it's not really that; or rather, it's more than that.

Brandon (Fassbender) is a sex addict disconnected with his family and everyone else really, enjoying his privacy and indulging in several acts of sexual pleasure. But when his troubled sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) comes to stay with him, his whole world shatters. Change is the only solution, but how could he manage that?

Either he just had sex or he just pleasured himself.

If you look past the suggested sex scenes and the sex scenes per se, you will see how lonely and alone Brandon is. I think, his sex addiction developed as a coping mechanism for underlying family and personal issues—just like Sissy  developed  a coping mechanism of her own, too. The beauty of Fassbender's portrayal is that you can clearly see that Brandon is struggling. He's ashamed of himself in so many ways that he couldn't even try to open himself to another person for fear of being judged.

Stop walking in on my masturbating, okay, you cutter biatch?

Just a side thought though while watching the film: "Are these numerous sex scenes absolutely necessary?" The implied sex scenes really worked well. And while I don't squirm at sex scenes, actual pumping in the nude was kind of distracting. But I guess it comes with the story and to establish the character.

Yes, they're even kind of putting on a show.

Shame gets a six out of ten, for digging deep inside a sex addict's psyche, good casting choice, but bordering on "I can put as many sex scenes as I deem fit."



*screencaps by VLC

Drive

This movie is a bit heavy. And they killed Christina Hendricks with a shotgun to the head. No sex scene, and early death. Brilliant.

Anyone this pretty should have a sex scene.

You'd think that this movie is all about driving cars. You know, like Fast and Furious, or something like that. And it doesn't help that the font used in the opening credits looks like it was taken from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

Even the color is like Vice City: pink.

Yes, Ryan Gosling plays a driver, who is so good at what he does (aren't they all?). And yes, there are some car chase sequences that are adrenaline-pumping without being too stylized. But the car scenes are just a small fraction of what the film is about. This is more of a gangster flick. And who better to play gangsters than Ron Perlman and Albert Brooks? Wait, that's Albert Brooks the comedian, right? As a gangster? Well, it was pretty effective, anyway.

"Do I look like a comedian to you?"

Congratulations, Carey Mulligan. You've made it to Hollywood. And that's because you can do a decent American accent.

I think I like her better as a brunette.

They said this was an Oscar-buzz flick. Although I'm not sure if it's for Best Picture, Best Actress for Carey Mulligan (unlikely), Best Actor for Ryan Gosling (possible), or Best Supporting Actor for Albert Brooks (most likely). Although I'm betting it's on Best Sound Design. Great use of sound, which added to the already-suspenseful plot. The soundtrack was a bit retro, but I'm pretty sure this wasn't set in the eighties.


Drive. USA. 2011.


Rating: Eight out of ten.



*some info from IMDb
pics from VLC

An Education

Okay, first of all, I didn't like the subject matter.

I never really liked older man-teenage girl romance flicks. That's just...eeewww. At least for me.

But, this film was well-executed.

First, the screenplay was by Nick Hornby. That's the Nick Hornby. It's not based on a Hornby book; he wrote the screenplay based on the memoirs of Lynn Barber.

Second, Alfred Molina was awesome. Alfred Molina is a terrific actor, and he just nails every scene he's in.

Third, Carey Mulligan was surprisingly great. And she got a Best Actress Oscar nomination for this performance. Of course, she's not really sixteen. I mean, this is the movies, for crying out loud. No one really plays their age. And yes, sometimes she comes off as too smart for her age. But she is really pretty. She reminded me of Katie Holmes. A lot. Even her mannerisms and facial twitches were all Katie Holmes. And I also couldn't help but see the parallelism between Katie Holmes and Carey Mulligan's character. Hello, older man=Tom Cruise. Eeewww.

Fourth, Olivia Williams' acting was excellent. She brings out the human side in all seemingly bitchy teachers. And she's totally believable. It's like you've had, or you've heard of, a teacher like that, some time in your scholastic past.

Fifth, Peter Sarsgaard was despicable. Which means he's good. Older men who prey on vulnerable teenage girls should always be despicable.

So there you have it. Those five points I just mentioned override my abhorrence towards the subject matter.

And before I end this, let me just explain the title. The education in this movie happens on two levels: her education in school, and her education in real life. Just watch the film to figure it out.

*some info from IMDb

pic from pastemagazine.com

An Education. UK. 2009.

Rating: Eight out of ten.