In The Ladies Guide to Dude Cinema, comedians Alex Jae and Bec Charlwood watch and review all the movies men have "aggressively recommended" to them in the past, regardless of their disinterest or objection.
The pair define "dude cinema" as "any movie a dude has a heavy emotional connection to, is personally offended when you haven't seen it, and feels no shame in making you feel bad about that".
"Bec and I were hanging out one night, and I was dating a guy whose favourite movie was Lord of the Rings, and he just couldn't believe I hadn't seen it," explains Jae. "I just felt really embarrassed, but then when talking to Bec later we realised this kind of thing happens to us all the time."
Alex Jae and Bec Charlwood review testosterone-fuelled classics on their podcast The Ladies Guide to Dude Cinema.
"We realised it was just such a common experience, women being shamed by dudes for not seeing their favourite movie. So many women have told us they've been in that situation, and [to avoid embarrassment] they have lied about seeing Star Wars or Reservoir Dogs. And since we've been doing the podcast, we've had a lot of dudes write in as well, saying they've also lied about seeing some dude cinema classic when all their friends have started talking about it."
Jae and Charlwood approach each film with an open mind, and offer a unique and hilarious perspective on the movies they review. To date, that has included testosterone-fuelled classics such as Heat, The Terminator, Taxi Driver and Fight Club; the pair are saving the most requested movie, Die Hard, for a live show.
"We've seen a few conversations on message boards that dudes think that it's going to be man hating and it's definitely not. It's mainly just that we're watching these movies now, for the first time, and so our podcast is our current take on them. We don't have the emotional connection for the past 40 years around Blade Runner. So instead we're seeing it without baggage, with modern eyes," says Jae.
According to Charlwood, "the one thing dudes never seem to get is all these movies were written by a man, directed by a man, starring a man, for a male audience".
"That's why these movies mean a lot more to them, and they use that emotional connection to connect to other people. And women just don't have that, we're only now starting to see mainstream movies written and directed by women," says Charlwood.
The comedians believe podcasting is helping them find new audiences, and open new doors for their stand-up careers.
"For stand-up comedians, especially when you're starting out, it's really hard to create an audience just doing live performances," says Charlwood. "But if you have a podcast, then you can create an audience all around the world of people who would never normally get a chance to see your comedy."
Source: Read Full Article
