Podcast: Carol Aird of Manhattan, Mark Watney of Mars.
Monday, October 5, 2015 at 1:00PM 
Katey, Joe, Nathaniel and Nick, get stranded on Mars with Astronaut Matt Damon. After rescuing each other they fall for shopgirl Rooney Mara with Cate Blanchett. Yes, we're discussing Ridley Scott's The Martian (now playing at a theater near you) and Todd Haynes's Carol (opening November 20th but surely already playing in your head).
Nathaniel is sick -- apologies for the vocal germs! -- so Katey hosts this one.
43 minutes
00:01-14:30 The Martian. How often must mankind save Matt Damon?
14:31-40:00 The miraculous healing powers of Carol. Struggling with/loving on Rooney's remoteness and Blanchett's range and roll.
40:01-43:00 Oscar fanfare / Sign-offs
You can listen to the podcast here at the bottom of the post or download from iTunes. Continue the conversation in the comments won't you? Especially those two prompt questions: What did you think of The Martian and when were you most turned on by Cate Blanchett?
Reader Comments (11)
Oh this is what I've been waiting for, can't wait to listen tonight.
And I fell for C8 in Heaven. I was starting to pay attention to movies and this left field, not entirely succesful adaptation of a Kieslowski screenplay blew my mind. The open ending left me sleepless for days but the leading lady cast a spell on me that's still working. The scene when she finds out what her acts really caused is a masterclass.
I have to wait with the podcast to after I have seen Carol. That is gonna take a while
I fell for C8 as the Virgin Queen in Elizabeth. Good heavens she blew me away with that performance. And I was hooked. Blanchett was hilarious in The Talented Mr Ripley, tragic comic in Bandtis and mysterious in The Gift. Then Veronica Guerin and Heaven happen along with Coffee and Cigarettes. The latter gave me actressorgazm
There is no version of Cate more sexy to me than "running mascera crazy mad Cate." Thus, I'm gonna have to go with Sheba Hart. Not just for her student seductions, but because of her fantastic tirade against Judi Dench towards the end. Sheba just radiates sex appeal to me (don't know what that says about me).
@Chris James
Yas. "You wanna fuck me Barbara???" Lmao. Soooo good.
And also this which I stole from wiki:
You think this is a love affair? A relationship? What, sticky gold stars, and - and a strand of my hair? A sticker from Pizza Express? It's a flat in the Archway Road and you think you're Virginia frigging Woolf! And where did you get my hair? Did you pluck it from the bath with some special fucking tweezers?
A "Carol" podcast almost two months before most of us will get to see it? Diabolical. Not to be a spoiler baby, but how in depth would you say this goes?
Yes, Chris James. Yes, Lem. YES.
Jows-- I know the exact scene you mean, from Heaven! How she just unravels in that chair... And for all the accusations of theatricality / affectation, that's one of her more naturalistic performances, if I remember correctly.
I fell for her in The Aviator... and, although I'm embarrassed to admit, from watching her Elizabeth sequel Oscar clip ("I have a hurrikin in me!").
Loved hearing your thoughts on Carol. Only wets my anticipation.
Wished I could've heard more on Paulson though? Is she given much to do?
I've been rewatching AHS: Asylum and I so desperately want her to get a meaty part in a film. As much as Ryan Murphy shits me, he must be thanked for giving so many actresses the parts they deserve.
Blanchett's most enigmatic character is Galadriel, it's a leading role in a cameo's body. Daisy comes next.
I'm with Dave S., this is unfair and now I need to see Carol. And it's nice to hear someone praise Kyle Chandler and Jake Lacey and especially Sarah Paulson since its leads have (understandably) taken up all the conversation space. It's a shame that Paulson probably isn't
going to contend with Rooney Mara (and Alicia Vikander) pulling their nonsense in this category.
Let me also shout out Blanchett's flashback scenes in Blue Jasmine where she's just the picture of glamour. And the ones where she's with what's his name who she dates for a while. When she's rich and comfy she's just magnificent to look at.
Look, I thought Paulson deserved a nomination for 12 Years a Slave. I even thought she was best in show in that film. She stood out in an unthankful part, which is a lot harder than standing out in an obviously great part.