AHFW Top 20 Films of 2020: #11 ‘Promising Young Woman’

11. “Promising Young Woman” – Carey Mulligan deserves an Oscar nomination as a femme fatale striking fear in the hearts of men.  Cassie (Mulligan) is a vigilante of sorts, but rather than ride NYC subways like Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) in “Death Wish” (1974), she pretends to be inebriated in local watering holes, dance clubs, and Irish bars.  She then terrifies her aggressors when they overstep their bounds.  Director/writer Emerald Fennell’s sobering – but also playful – screenplay takes dark turns and steers into some levity with Bo Burnham’s breezy,…

‘Promising Young Woman’ Interview with Carey Mulligan and director Emerald Fennell

Carey Mulligan deserves an Oscar nomination as a femme fatale striking fear in the hearts of men in “Promising Young Woman”.  Cassie (Mulligan) is a vigilante of sorts, as she frequently pretends to be inebriated in local watering holes, dance clubs, and Irish bars.  She then terrifies her aggressors when they overstep their bounds.  Director/writer Emerald Fennell’s sobering – but also playful – screenplay takes dark turns and steers into some levity with Bo Burnham’s breezy, accessible arc.  Ryan (Burnham) could be the male outlier to melt Cassie’s heart, as…

‘Promising Young Woman’: Mulligan deserves her second Oscar nomination

“Promising Young Woman” – Cassie Thomas (Carey Mulligan) is on tour. No, Cassie doesn’t play in a band and trek across the country, although she could double as a punk rock act’s dismissive lead singer or perhaps, a local symphony’s cellist.  Ms. Thomas is attractive, thin, whip-smart, and she just turned 30.  She also turns most men’s heads, while working as a barista at Make Me Coffee or frequenting the clubs around town. Cassie’s on tour alright, but she’s embarked on a sneaky, seductive side-journey.  On a typical night, she’ll…