Kermode & Mayo’s Take - Aisling Bea & Lara McDonnell, No Hard Feelings, Nimona & Asteroid City

Episode Date: June 23, 2023

Work experience with Kenneth Branagh. A guardian angel dance troupe. The Simon Mayo cameo that could have been. This week’s episode features an interview with Aisling Bea and Lara McDonnell, who star as the younger and older iterations of the lead character in ‘Greatest Days’, a jukebox musical featuring the hits of Take That. Mark reviews ‘No Hard Feelings’, Jennifer Lawrence’s new, R-rated, coming-of-age sex comedy; ‘Nimona’, a computer-animated fantasy featuring the voices of Riz Ahmed and Chloë Grace Moretz, which sees a knight and a scrappy shapeshifting teen team up to prove the former’s innocence after he is accused of a crime he did not commit; and ‘Asteroid City’, Wes Anderson’s latest star-studded outing set at a stargazing convention in a retro-futuristic version of 1955. Time Codes (relevant only when you are part of the Vanguard): 09:33 No Hard Feelings review 20:47 Box Office Top 10 32:55 Aisling Bea and Lara McDonnell 51:14 Nimona review 56:55 Laughter Lift 01:03:36 Asteroid City review 01:11:40 What’s On You can contact the show by emailing [e-mail] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To support sustainable food production, BHP is building one of the world's most sustainable pothash mines in Canada. Essential resources responsibly produced. It's happening now at BHP, a future resources company. I told you about that headline for the story about the big increase in syphilis and gonorrhea in the UK. This is for sure I'd remember if you did. There was a big increase in sexually transmitted diseases and the headline just last week.

I mean this is a genuine, this is a genuine thing. And the headline was clapped for the NHS. You think you can go? But before you lowered the time with that, we were discussing hidden tracks. Because last week you had said that setting suns is the jam's best album. And I think what I said was it's my favorite.

I think if you go back listening, you said whatever. I fact checked it because I went back and I listened to them back to back. All Moldcons is a better album. And then I said, it's nice. With the exception of... You know that thing where you're... And you're not allowed to do that at home. You're not allowed to do that here, right?

If I can't do it here, then where can I do it? In the privacy of your own bedroom. I can go outside on the street. I can go. Okay, later appearance into the best jam album discussion. Is a double cassette of the city in the city normal concept first two. Oh, modern world first two albums. Okay, there's a really funny thing. I didn't even notice this. On the front cover of this is the modern world. One of them is wearing a jumper that's got an arrow pointing up and an arrow pointing down.

And it's stuck on with gaffer tape. It's not, if you look at it, you can see it's clearly not a designed thing. It's just like a jumper that they've got from CNA and they've stuck it on with gaffer tape. The arrow's pointing up and the arrow's pointing down. I'm the man at CNA. It's a good song by the specials.

But the crucial thing is- A double cassette, a double cassette air is pointing down. I'm the man at CNA. It's a good song by the specials. But the crucial thing is. Double cassette, double cassette though, is too bulky. It's like, that box is gonna break instantly. Oh double album on a single cassette. Yeah, so the equivalent of a C120. Very thin, very thin tape. That's gonna get... And they get very, very stretched, very, very stretched.

Anyway, if I can get to the point... What is the point? That's going to get very, very, very stretched, very, very stretched. Anyway, if I can get to the point, what is the point? The point was that I said, with the exception of English Rose, there I will find she, which is neither grammatically correct nor poetically on point. And you said, which of course, I think this is true at Aventractor. I think originally it wasn't on the running audit, it wasn't on the track listing on the album. It was sort of like a hidden track. And then on the subject of hidden tracks,

I said London Calling, of course, Traini and Vane is not written on the sleeve because as far as I understand, the sleeve was all done before they did train in there. And then they stopped because it's meant to end with revolution rock. They can arrive too late. But it's written on that it's scratched into the out groove.

That's a kind of hidden track because they were just a little bit chambolic as opposed to what became the art of the hidden track was we've got this really weird freaky thing which no one will like, I know let's put it as the last track. So then when you're on the CD and the last track lasts for 32 minutes, you go, what is this and it's because it's a hidden track. And there is a story that the reason, Elizabeth is, I just say,

are you recording all this? Good. Good. The reason that Elizabeth is a very fine woman and never to think that the reason that that's at the end of, is it Abbey Road, which is the one which ends and in the end,

the love you give it to. That is Abbey Road, isn't it? Abbey Road. Then there's the thing, then there's that weird thing, the Queen Elizabeth song, the reason it's in the end the love you give it to. He's Abbey Road, isn't it? Abbey Road. Yeah. But then there's the thing and then there's that weird thing, the Queen Elizabeth song. The reason it's on the end was because they recorded it. They didn't know what to do it. They stuck it on the master tape and then somebody forgot that it was there

and then it was like a kind of cool. You'll have to repeat that because otherwise the listeners can't hear what song it was. Okay. So the reductor has just said this, right? Say it again. You'll have to repeat that because the listers can't hear what's on your phone. So the redactors just said this, right? Say it again. X, X, X, poached boiled or fried. They're good for you. I don't know.

I have no idea what that is. Tonight at noon by the jam, which is a track I don't know. By the way, do you remember when in a pre-using carnation, we did our own version of a hidden track. We went silent for about a minute or two. Oh, yes, that's right. By the way, do you remember when in a pre-sync carnation we did our own version of a hidden track? We went silent for about a minute. Oh yes, that's right. And then scared people senseless because they were carrying in their shopping with headphones on and they couldn't find the stop button.

So they were just carrying on, forgot they had headphones on and then we would go, I know where your pins are. Something like that. And scared people. We should do that again. Fashion. What are you reviewing on this week's show? I'm going to be reviewing no hard feelings,

which is a new film with Jennifer Lawrence, a pneumonia, which is an animation, an asteroid city, which is the new film from Wes Anderson. Is it my pneumonia? Is it one of those? Do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do the Nax other hit. No, no, no, precisely didn't. And there we are. They were the new Beatles apparently. Yes, according to them. Actually, being Lara McDonald are going to be talking about greatest days, which Mark reviewed last week, but people have been saying this week, so we'll be speaking to them, actually takes more of this uncontrollable nonsense. The weekend watchlist and the weekend not list, five of which are going to be great and three you're going to hate bonus reviews are going to be one month.

The super eight years and the last rider. Pretentious Muah is currently Mark Kermode 15, Mark Kermode 15. Boom. I don't know quite which way I'd like that. I would like to say that the last one I won unfairly because you did leave in a character name. I wouldn't have got it if you hadn't said no. Well, you know, take the win.

Take the win. Take the win. One frame back is going to be about Stargazes. It's about Stargazes. Yeah, because of Asteroid City. Oh, yeah. It's about Stargazes. But Stargazes.

I thought it was about something else. Stargazepie. You can spot us via Apple Podcast so you can head to extratake.com for non-fruit related devices. If you're already a van Gogh at Easter, as always, of course, we salute you. Okay, so cheesy music time. Hey Mark, hey Simon. Do you ever find yourself in a press show needing to jot down some bon-mo or mojust or whatever the heck you do in those things?

But are let down by the quality of your notepad? Yes, until recently I've waved goodbye to a substandard notebook misery with this beautiful hardcover notepad signed by Simon Mayer and Mark Kermode, just in case I forget who I am. That is indeed a very, very handsome item. Is it an A5 case-bound note book with lined ivory pages? Yes, 96 pages, 192 sides. The perfect size. So why not make a note?

Why not make a note? Why not make a note? Because it's a make a emphasis head to why not make a note because it's a notebook. I know that's why I emphasize make a note to head a store head to store. I was fine until you mind. So why not make a note to head to store.carrot and mayo.com

now and secure yours the rushes on. Ed Hyde in Wellington, New Zealand, dear, Sybok and Syborg, I'm writing in response to your correspondence last week from Richard Hanoff. I hope this is right. He mentioned that he had married into a complicated Bulgarian surname, who explained how his father had kindheartedly but bizarrely given him terminated to on VHS one Christmas when he was six. I had a similar experience. I grew up in Plymouth in the 1980s

where my parents had a friend called Julian who was in the merchant navy. He traveled to and from places such as Singapore and Hong Kong and would often bring back films on VHS as this was the time when there was often a delay of months between films being released in the US or the far east and the UK. One day I was home sick from primary school with a nasty cold. I can't remember exactly why now, but Julian was on Shulleave and had come over to our house and learning that I was at home had offered a couple of his latest VHS acquisitions for my entertainment. I asked if I could watch them and my mum replied offhandedly, yeah, that's fine. for my entertainment. I asked if I could watch them and my mum replied offhandedly, yeah, that's fine.

And so it was that at the tender age of eight, in the same way, in the same day, I watched the first Star Trek V, the final frontier, back-to-back with the Terminator. I was utterly traumatized by Arnold Schwarzenegger's eye gouging scene. So much so, I kept rewinding it and watching it again to check that I hadn't imagined what I had seen. As a doctor, I know that this is called a nucleation. But at the time, I was simply speechless. That scene is seared ironically onto my eyeballs, and I can see it just as clearly now as I could then. It seems curious that I now live in Wellington and can see part of the, is it wetter studios complex for my house.

Where Terminator director Cameron is still busy making the Avatar sequels. Happy birthday to Mark for the second of July. A birthday shared with my son Alex, who will be 11 this year. He will be delighted if you could give him a birthday was up if this was possible, please. Was up Alex. Happy birthday.

Thank you, thank you to people. And down with keeping nuclear secrets in the bathroom. And let's face it, we've all done it. We all have. We all have. Who can honestly say they don't have a... They've never kept nuclear secrets in the bathroom. And that's face it, we've all done it. We all have. Who can honestly say they don't have they've never kept nuclear secrets and plans to invade foreign countries in the in the car. Ed Heide, fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians of Gynecologist, Squadron Marksman 1876, King's Bridge Squadron Air Training Corps 1993.

Ed, thank you. Keep those qualifications mentioned on your emails if you have any. Correspondent to Kermitomeo.com. Tell us a movie that's out that we can go and see that you might like or dislike. No hard feelings, which is the new film starring Jennifer Lawrence, who is also a producer of it, directed by Ukrainian-born American film and TV maker Jean Stupnitsky, who has a, who was a writer and director on the US version of the office, which I never saw did you. I heard good things about it. Also, his feature film writing credits include Year One and Bad Teacher, and he co-wrote and directed Good Boys. So, in no-hard feelings, Jennifer Lawrence is an Uber driver who is in danger.

At that point, no. Meg Ryan was a helicopter pilot. Jennifer Lawrence is an Uber driver. She lives in this resort town where people come for holidays and nobody likes a tourist. And she lives in a house that was left to her by her mother, but she is in danger of not being able to pay her taxes and therefore losing the house. A situation made worse when her car is repossessed,

so now she has no way of earning any money. She then answers an advert on Craigslist. You Craigslist? No, where's the thing? Oh, what is it? Well, I only know about it for movies. It's a classifies, but it turns up as a device in many movies as a way of anyway. So, Ava on Craigslist posted by the parents

of a 19-year-old called Percy. He is going to Princeton University, but he has apparently spent most of his adolescence in his bedroom. And they are worried that he has no interest in anything outside of playing computer, hiring Jennifer Lawrence might help. They, you know, have you seen the film? I don't need to. Here's a clip. I meant to ask this on the phone, but how old are you? Well, I know you were looking for someone early to mid-20s.

I'm slightly older. Right, how old? I just turned 29. or looking for someone early to mid-20s, I'm slightly older. Right, how old? I just turned 29. Recently, last year. So you're 29? Last year. And how old are you, like, right now, one more year older?

So 30? Yeah. 32. Mother! So the arrangement is that she will date the son. That's quite a funny clip. And as a funny clip in the film, and in return, they will give her a Buick. And she says, now, when you say date, you mean date.

And they say, yeah, we want you to date him. And she agrees that she will date the heck out of him. Right. So, the parameters are all kind of clear. What they want her to do. So, dating the heck out of somebody. Dating the heck out of somebody means, you know, means, yeah. And I see.

So, it kind of like pretty woman, if Richard Gear was a 19 a 19 year old and Julia Roberts was hired by his parents without telling him. They're not really like pretty woman. If you've seen the posters, it's the picture of her and him and the word over her is pretty. And the word over him is awkward. Yes. So pretty. She's tweaking his cheek. I have to say pretty awkward, also pretty much sums up the whole of the rest of the film. Because what follows is this really misjudged, tonally all over the place. And frankly, sorry, what? Sex comedy coming of age hybrid that takes all the Ikea elements from like risky business and weird science and tries to cross them with something which is, you know, at once has got, you know, enough gross out stuff to put in the trailer, but also touching, you know, so, you know, maybe a little bit.

Low points include Jennifer Lawrence trying to get the 19-year-old who looks like he's about 12. To have sex with her in the sea before a nude beach fight with some people who've tried to steal their clothes, the whole existence of that scene just made me go, sorry, which film, Sorry, which film, why? I mean, at least in, I mean, I remember seeing risky business when it first came out, and there's a whole, there are big problems with risky business. At least Rebecca de Mourney doesn't look like she's Tom Cruise's mother, which lends this very, here's the main problem is this. There is something really creepy about the fact that Jennifer Lawrence is playing this, actually, you know, quite

convincingly believable, feisty young woman, you know, 32. Somebody who, you know, speaks to his nose-er-own mind, she does her own thing, she, you know, she's very, very independent and you can believe in her. And the person who she's playing opposite is basically played like a character from Revenge of the Nords, like not like a person who is a real awkward 19-year-old, but like the kind of 19-year-old that would have been in a movie like Revenge of the Nords, or one of the side characters in Paul Key. So it's like they're in two different films, and then you put the two of them together in this thing. I don't get the tone of this. It's, at times it feels really kind of like, okay, this is really, really totally misjudged. At times it feels like this, I mean, there are a couple of laughs in it. None of the laughs are to do with the central thing. I mean, that scene that you were just laughing

at then. One of the people in that scene was and Matthew Broderick, who is creditators and Matthew Broderick. Okay. So and Matthew Broderick is there, which makes you think, I like Ferris Beelas Dayoff. Now, I know And Matthew Broderick did a lot of other things after Ferris Beelas Dayoff,

but when you have them in this kind of movie, it's Ferris Beelas Dayoff is a much better film than this. And I literally spent the whole film thinking, feeling either really this is this kind of borders on being like really, really creepy and then just not very funny. And Jennifer Lawrence produced it or co-produced it and I don't get why, because she's a brilliant, talented actor who's got an amazing career,

and I just don't understand the thing. Now, I accept that I've got a tinny for comedy. Afterwards, I spoke to two other people who are completely not me, who are different ages, different, you know, and they all said the same thing. What on earth was all that about? Correspondence to codemay.com if you've seen it and or if you're going to see it this week,

let us know what you think. Still to come, Mark is going to be talking about Nimonah and the new Wes Anderson film Asteroid City. We're going to be talking about the take that movie, which you reviewed last week, which isn't about take that. No, although it is. Although it is. Yes. And we'll be back before you can say the most thought-provoking thing in our thought-provoking time is that we are still not thinking. Who? Martin Heidegger, a boozy beggar who could drink you under the table. Happy Nord Christmas! Protect yourself whilst Christmas shopping online and access all the Christmas films from around the globe. Plus, when you shop online, you'll have to give websites your card details and other sensitive data like your personal addresses. Those websites should already have their own encryption built into their payment systems,

but to be on the safe side, you can use a VPN to ensure that all data coming to and from your device is encrypted. Even if you're using an unsafe Wi-Fi, you'll still be able to shop securely with a VPN. And you can access Christmas films only available overseas by using streaming services not available in the UK. To take our huge discount of your NordVPN plan, go to nordvpn.com slash take. Our link will also give you four extra months for free on the two-year plan. There's no risk with Nord's 30-day money back guarantee. The link is in the podcast episode description box. Highest team podcast listeners, Simon Mayo. I'm Mark Kermot here. I'm excited to let you know that the new season of The Crown and The Crown, the official podcast,

returns on 16th of November to accompany the sixth and final season of the Netflix epic Royal Drama series. Very exciting, especially because SuperSub and Friend of the Show, Edith Bowman hosts this one. Indeed, Edith will take you behind the scenes, dive into conversation with the talented cast and crew from writer and creator Peter Morgan to the crowns Queen Elizabeth in Melda Staunton. Other guests on the new series include the Crowns Research team, the directors, executive producers Suzanne Mackie and specialists, such as voice coach William Connaker and props master Owen Harrison. Cast members, including Jonathan Price, Selene Daw, Khalidid Abdallah, Dominic West, and Elizabeth Tabiki.

You can also catch up with the story so far by searching the Crown, the official podcast, wherever you get your podcast. Subscribe now and get the new series of the Crown, the official podcast first on November 16th. Available wherever you get your podcasts. An email from Matt Not in Stevenage, L-T-L-M-T-E, member of the Blue Light Transcept. Not K-N-O-T-T or not. K-N-O-T-T. Yes. Yes. As in John Not, the old Defence Secretary. Wow. Well done. To whom Robin Dey, a hair today gone, gone tomorrow politician

and then John not got up and walked out. Is that right? Yeah, it's a, do you know what, you know, in 2001, Kier Dey of whom, Noghoud said, Kier Dey, gone tomorrow. That's also good. So the aforementioned Matt Nott also says, hello to Toby Jones and Eddie Marzane. By the way, Toby Jones is in

Indiana Jones. Splendidly in the dial of Destiny. And surprisingly in the Indiana Jones film. And he gets to do a lot of stuff. He doesn't just, he doesn't just have conversations. He does action stuff. Yes, on trains and everything. On trains and everything. Anyway, today is a, is a Toby Jones show. So further remarks, declaration that smoking made him want to go for a poo. I too had the same experience after having a puff. I also had the same problem when I tried to select films from Blockbuster. So much so that I had to watch many films solely selected by my girlfriend as I had to rush out to the Scottish restaurant opposite.

Here's to Bluehead feminist movies. So there's an awful lot that working in that particular paragraph. So he has a cigarette and wants to go for a poo. He selects films from blockbuster, and that makes him want to go for a poo. He might just have interest in my own issues, I think. But the blockbuster video, it's back to the browsing thing, isn't it? That's the...

Garth says, dear nicotine and caffeine, as a proud recipient of toxicologists tabaji, apparently it's a room designated for smoking tobacco and socializing, a tabaji. You can know. I decided to look into Marx' experience with cigarettes. Both nicotine and caffeine function

as physiological stimulants. And while the link hasn't been definitely confirmed, it's likely that both of these drugs will cause muscle contractions in the digestive system, which may indeed cause some individuals a sudden need to try hard. What was the French phrase was, coffee cigarette poo? Yeah, caca. Yeah.

Yes. Caffe clop caca. That, caca. Yeah. Yes. Cate clop caca. That's the one. Yeah. At this point, I must add, the obligatory don't smoke. It's bad for you, obviously. Of course.

But obviously do have a poo because that's okay. Also, other thing about cigarettes, the fastest way of getting your money into the hands of fascists. Thanks for the many years of entertaining and excellent production. My brother wants a defestival. A defestival. You know, a a festival, at a festival, you know, a music festival, the toilets were so bad he didn't go for a, he didn't have a poo for the whole festival. Yeah, I have heard. I didn't know similar. It's such a thing to pause. I didn't even know

it was possible to have such bowel control. When I presented Channel 4 Goes to Gastonbury, famously the worst television I ever did. A celebrity of annoying reputation. Somebody who, in real life, is every bit where you'd expect them to be. Yes, I know this to be locked, themselves, in the Winnipego that had the nice toilets and didn't come out for a couple of days. And so... It's not possible to entertain yourself in a toilet for that amount. No, when the toilet was the whole large Winniabago, just turned up, locked himself in there, and

then so no one was able to go to the loop. And you know, I'd be interested to know as we're approaching a kind of infestible season, whether, you know, is that how common is that? Where the, I mean, obviously the lose now are a whole lot better. But to not have a poo for a whole weekend is extraordinary. Glastonbury last year had a sawdust toilets throughout because they've gone eco-friendly, which I'm sure it's saving the planet, but on the other hand, I could stay up, watch on the telling.

So box office, top 10 inch second. But so a big streamer this week, oh, I'm just popping out for a big streamer. Have you streamed recently?. Oh, I'm just popping out for a big streamer. Um, have you streamed recently? No, but I can, oh, now you mentioned that. I'd be downstream. It's any better than being upstream. Anyway, extraction to is what we're talking about.

That's also bad. I'm just off for an extra. Aurora says, I've just finished extraction to. I think it's not as good as the first one. The plot was a mass. So the plot is a mass. The dialogue actually says the dialogues were especially bad. I guess they were written by the same AI that Netflix always used and pretend that it was written by Joe Rosso.

Gary Sheen, extraction too, is an irredeemably soulless experience. I remember being told that video piracy could harm future film production. Where do I sign? Anyway, once you've said, is that it? So we just got two negative, even on extraction two years. Well, my colleague Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian gave it one star and told it soulless. I didn't think it was. I thought the action sequence was terrific. There were three really good action sequences in it I intend to have an extraction this week. I think I've had one so I can now have a second Yeah

In need because you are an extraction firm That's right. Yes, which was funny. Well, it was funny. And number 30 is inland. This is in the charts now. Yes, in the charts. I liked inland. I mean, it's a very, it's a micro budget production. It's got a terrific soundtrack. Mark Reiland's had the script put through his door by the director, who at that point, if it's off-ride, was in his teens and Reiland's Reddit and thought this is worth getting on board with. And I think we are going to see great things from the director in the future. Number 17, Pritchie Reddress. Pretty Reddress, I like very much. It's three central characters, Guides just out of prison,

his partner, their daughter. Each of them have secrets that they're keeping from each other. And it's a kind of transformative story about how they get this dress so that she can audition for a role as Tina Turner and how the dress. Has this this transformative role I think it's I thought it was really really good like it very much number 10 super Mario bros full stop movie comment. Looks like the last week of it in the charts that is 11 weeks that it's been in the charts and it has taken a staggering amount of money, which for a film which is so ordinary is really remarkable. It'll be back. There'll be more. Number nine is the Boogieman. Generic horror from a director who has done less generic work in the past and I hope does less generic work in the future. Number eight is fast 10, you're seatbelts.

Yeah. I mean, I want it to be out of the charts now so that we can stop making that joke. Yes, that's true. Although repeating jokes has never kind of troubled us in the past. Repetition is a form of comedy. Repetition is a form of comedy too.

Also, the thing about fast X is, I don't know if I can, can I say this? If I can't say it, it'll be a bit of a get bleed. When you've seen Mission Impossible, the new one, fast 10 looks a little bit shabby. No, it does, it does. And a little bit fake. Yeah, we can't, we probably can't.

Can I say that? Well, we can say that we've seen, we can't say anything else about it. I mean, I haven't said anything. No, you haven't. No, no. Did you, or I'll show you, although that bit, where the thing happens.

Did I show you the last page of, sorry, just, you can't keep it, it's in the last page of, because you and I saw, okay, we could be talking about anything now. You and I went to see a film and I sat next to you. And as I was, as, you know, we would do the thing, I was making notes. Okay, make notes. I made notes. And I did say, this page is a page of notes. That's the last page of my notes. Okay, I can't read a single word apart from, because you're scribbling in the dark. Blumineck, I can spot,

you wanna do something to your hat. That's it, the last bit you know, the last bit is just the sign off thing I think, but yes, I literally sat there writing expletives because it's so extraordinary. Because it was so extraordinary. Anyway, where are we? Oh yes, number seven, Guardian.

Yes, Guardian to the Galaxy volume three is seven. Very much. Eddie Purush, the Hindi film is at number six. Yes, so I haven't seen that because it wasn't press screen, but I can tell you it is an Indian mythological action film based on the Hindu epic Ramayana. If anyone has seen it, please let us know. Greatest days, to take that movie,

there's not a take that movie. But we're going to hear more about it in just a short one. Yes, because Ashlingby and Laura McDonald are going to be with a shortly Transformers Rise of the Beaces at number four. Not as good as Bumblebee, but better than all the other ones. Yes, Transformers Rise of the Beasts at number four. It's also number four in the States, by the way.

Number three here, number five in the States is the Little Mermaid. David Neumann says, Mark and Simon, I know I'm a bit late with this, but maybe just in time, with the Little Mermaid. David Neumann says, market time, I know I'm a bit late with this, but maybe just in time, with the Little Mermaid still in the top 10. The original Little Mermaid is a film that is very dear to me, and I have never even seen it in capital letters.

Okay. I think this is quite interesting. So it films that you really important to you, but you haven't seen it. Bear with me whilst I explained. Some years ago, I remained at work whilst my wife took herself in the children away for a few days to Gernsey, where she grew up. With a friend and her young ones, she took the children to see the little mermaid. Child 2 became increasingly agitated as the film progressed, needing

to sit on my wife's lap as the implications of the final act became clear. She burst into tears and howled to the whole cinema, but she'll never see her daddy ever again. Given the emotional resonance of the film, it is probably about time I read it a hanky to mop up my tears and watch the whole thing. As a 59 year old man, I am surely not part of Disney's target audience, but if I had a small child to borrow, I would also be off to see the new version. Take a little tongue down with fashion and both historic and incipient, David Neiman, for use of the word incipient which doesn't come up very often. Thank you very much. I would like to know if there are, if there's anyone else who has movies that they are very important to them, but they've never seen. Yes. Well, kind of, weirdly

enough, an example of that is exorcist for you. It's important to you because we've talked about it a lot, but you have never seen it, and I believe you will never see it. Well, I'm quite happy to see it, but I just think it's funny. Funny. Yeah, if you haven't, if I haven't, so you can still keep talking about it. And I still can, I feel as though I have seen every scene. Exactly. Number two here, number three in the state, Spider-Man across the spider-verse. Well, there's a fascinating thing in number two, and number one, so could it do the number one, and then I'll do the,

okay, well, you have some emails. Oh, yeah, yeah, okay, fine. Well, I will therefore reserve, reserve what I have to say about spider-man across the spider-man, which I like very much until we discuss number one, so you do this. So number one is the flash which we'll get to just a second. So UK's two, spider-man across the spider-verse.

We have had lots of emails along these lines. Okay. Callum says, dear Toby McGuire, spider- across the Spider-Verse. We've had lots of emails along these lines. Okay. Callum says, dear Toby McGuire Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099. After listening to Last Week's program, I just thought I'd throw my two cents regarding the listener from last week's very literal reading of the moral of the Spider-Verse films

being anyone can wear the mask. Much like Ratatouille's moral of anyone can cook, which is later elaborated to mean, not everyone can be great, but greatness can come from anywhere. I feel Spider-Man follows a similar thread. Not absolutely everyone can be Spider-Man, but everyone is capable of bravery. And even if these moments of bravery aren't spectacular or heroic, we're asked to be brave from time to time.

We're all asked to be brave from time to time. In the larger sense of the phrase, we only need to look at the citizens of Ukraine, or Russian newspapers defying Putin. In the smaller sense, we probably have a moment where we almost talked ourselves out of doing that thing, applying for a dream job or asking that hung out, whatever. Very literal readings of morals in films that are essentially parables and fairy tales, I find troubling. I felt that societies become increasingly cynical, and when these morals are read very literally and scrap all the nuances that those morals intend, out in the world right now,

a young fan of the Spider-Verse may be inspired to act in a way that's brave, and how can anyone say that's bad? To conclude, I'll leave a quote from Stan Lee that was included after the end credits from the Spider-Verse film. Quote, that person who helps others simply because it should or must be done and because it is the right thing to do is indeed without a doubt a real superhero.

Okay, I agree 100%. Okay, number one here and number one in the States is the flash. Lots of correspondence on this. We'll put some more in later on, but for the moment, Darren Leithley in Dublin. As the summer heat broke on Friday night to persistent rain, scuppering my walk, I decided to go to the cinema and for one to have a positive choice settled on the flash.

I hadn't seen a DC related movie since the Dark Knight, in Good grief, that's now 15 years, and a whole Marvel Cinematic Universe ago. And it's the influence of the MCU that colored my response to the flash. And the middle hour or so, well, I quite enjoyed the two barriers coming to terms with and without powers

and each other, Michael Keaton, seemingly having an absolute ball as Batman again, and genuinely exciting action sequences. Unfortunately, this came sandwiched between two bouts of CGI set pieces that, like many a Marvel film before, completely disengaged my interest. I was genuinely bored in the opening scenes, poorly rendered babies and all. That Ben Affleck instance of Batman was literally thrown from pillar to post in defiance of even the most comic book of physics tested my patience to near breaking point. I was close to actually walking out. That boredom returned at the climax

where I began to care less and less what happened. The visuals were more like a demo reel for the FX houses than any attempted storytelling. I've seen other films that have more coherently relayed the notion of a multiverse far more wittily, trusting the viewer to follow what's going on. The Flash's psychedelic's cradle gone haywire was just silly. In short, not completely a flash in the pan, but neither wholly flashy to Darren. So, I understand that completely. So, I think the interesting thing is that you have at one and two,

two films which are doing multiverse stuff. And one of them, which is Spider-Man, across the Spider-Verse, is doing it in a really exciting, interesting way. And he's inspiring that email that we just had, which I know is in response to the thing about. And then you have the flash, which, you know, there are things in it that are all right, and there are things in it that are all over the place, some of the special effects in it are unbelievably shonky, which is really surprising for a movie that costs that much money. And I think when they are right next door to each other in the chart like this, you go, okay, one of those is doing something interesting and has a heart and soul and the other one

isn't and doesn't. And I think having them right next to each other, that comparison is made, you know, just all the more pronounced. When you said the thing last week, which was in response to, there was an emailer who said, you know, that these messages about anyone can be anything, that was what provoked that conversation. The point about the spider-manacross, the spider-verse thing is that although it is flitting through multiverse at a rate of not, it's doing it because it's using animation and it's understanding that that's what animation can do. It's doing it in a way which is completely visually involving, but it always has a heart. It always has at its central thing this message.

Whatever you think about the message, it has that message. The flash doesn't. The flash has some interesting little bits. Michael Keaton as the bedraggled Batman is interesting. There are moments of Ezra Miller, I don't get the Ezra Miller magic thing because I don't particularly see it,

but the film is kind of empty. And I think that the comparison between, you know, got one of them is full of ideas and the other is full of stuff is pretty clear. We'll do some more correspondence on Flash later on and Ashling B. and Laura McDonald will talk about their new movie, Greatest Days in just a moment. This episode is brought to you by Mooby, a curated streaming service dedicated to elevating great cinema from around the globe. From my comic directors to emerging otters, there's

always something new to discover, for example. Well, for example, the new Aki Karri's Mackey film Fallen Leaves, which won the jury prize at CAN, that's in cinemas at the moment. And if you see that and think I want to know more about Aki Karri's Mackey, you can go to Mooby the streaming service and there is a retrospective of his films called How to Be a Human. They are also going to be theatrically releasing In January Priscilla, which is a new Sophia couple of film, which I am really looking forward to since I have an Elvis obsession. You could try Mooby free for 30 days at Mooby.com slash Kermed and Mayo. That's M-U-B-I.com

slash Kermed and Mayo for a whole month of great cinema for free. as the world's population grows, so does the need for resources like potash to support sustainable food production. This is why BHP is building one of the world's most sustainable potash mines in Canada. Essential resources responsibly produced. This is what BHP has committed to Canada. The future is clear. Mines in Canada. Essential resources responsibly produced. This is what BHP has committed to Canada. The future is clear. It's happening now at BHP, a future resources company. To discover how visit BHP.com slash better future. Now we've got some special guests on the show this week. They are Ashling B and Laura McDonald. They both star as Rachel. Yes, they're both the same person. It is. It is. Oh, my goodness me. Imagine if this was a multiverse film. They both star as Rachel in the film Greatest

Days, which as we've already told you, is at number five in the top 10. Anyway, we're going to talk to them about their new movie after this clip. Oh! Oh, are you? Oh! Oh! Yeah. So, what's everyone's going to do? Well, I'm not sure if you remember,

but, er, are cocktails? I mean, you probably don't even drink this stuff anymore. Oh, I remember. I remember I remember. Yeah. Oh, God, why did we do this? That's right. What do you think the odds are, then,

what am I doing? That thing where they pull me off on stage and do a whole song around me? Oh, my God. So high. Very high. God, I hope one of them doesn't like luck. I use a me from the crowd because I will not be responsible

for my actions. I you, you've got a partner. I have three of them, Ron Brinkard of all. They're not, are they? It will be when I get out there. As a clip from Greatest Days, delighted to be joined by Ashling B and Lara McDonald to of its stars, Hello Ashling, Hello Lara.

Hello Simon Meal. It's very nice to welcome you to the program. And you both play the same characters. So introduces to, well, maybe we should say right at the very beginning, this is a take that movie, but it isn't to take that movie. So how do we best describe it? Lara, you go first. How do you describe this movie to your friends? Okay, so I would explain it as a jukebox musical. And if I was describing it to my friends, I would say it's basically Mamma Mia, but with take that music.

It's not entirely about take that, but their music is what brings the story around and what we use as a tool most of the time. But it's about these five girls who are all from Manchester and their best friends and they bond over their obsession with this boy band. And then we flash forward to 25 years later when the girls reunite for a reunion tour.

Actually, I think, is there anything left to say? I think Lara's just... Yes, I play a young Garry Barlow. That's all. No, is there anything I'd say? I'd say if you're confused, Mama Mia is a good reference, as Lara said, in that Mama Mia isn't about Abba. It's about another story that uses Abba's songs to judge us along. And this is the same. This is about a group of

five friends. And we see them in the past and the future and take that songs, judge them along through life. I also thought as another reference point, the Sunshine on Leith, the Proclaimers film. Oh, I haven't seen Sunshine on Leith that. On my list. Yeah. No, and also there's a nice cameo from Greg and Charlie in the same way that through, you know, take that guy's do a little cameo. Okay, so you both play Rachel Lara, your young Rachel, Ashley, your just go on, describe it. Why would you call it Simon? Just slightly older than young Rachel. Yeah, it's very good. Well,

or you're just Rachel and Lara is young Rachel. Yeah, there we go. You're all well done. What kind of a 16-year-old and what kind of a slightly older woman is she? Ashley, go first. What kind of a woman is Rachel? I think that when we meet, and one of the reasons I kind of sign up to do this is because it's a little bit of a love letter to And sometimes you watch movies and everyone's trying to get out of where they are in an external circumstance Rachel is a pediatric nurse and NHS worker and she's a very passionate nurse is very happy

With where she is in life, but it's an internal struggle that's something a sort of missing something's not quite clicking and there's a fearfulness in her of trying to keep everything together. And I like the idea that there was a big swing in musical about this character that more people could relate to than not. And we then flash back and see potentially the seeds of where her character and why she ended up in that role. She's someone who tries to keep things together as I say, and then we flash back to younger Rachel, and we see her in a similar vein in her earlier years with her gang of friends, where she's kind of similarly, but a lot more free than we see her later on. So we're like, oh, what happened? And so begins our mystery. Yeah, life happened basically. Life happened exactly.

happened and so begins our mystery. Yeah, life happened basically. Life happened exactly. Lara, did you manage to have much time, either before the filming or during the filming where you could get to go to the actually and discuss your character and the traits that you would have maybe some mannerisms that you would both share? I think we both, I think Ashley and I are very similar. Like we already had a big connection when we met. I think, I think you were saying, most Irish people,

we just seem to, we find each other. Yes. And then because of that, we got on very well initially. My mother had seen Lara do her star turn in Belfast as a cheeky little shoplifting cousin. And she was like, Ashley, that's you. Like that's, we get hurt, play your game. And I'm like, that actress will not be available for the next 50 years.

She's so talented. And so when I heard that Lara was auditioning for the part, I was like, oh my god, her, yes, please, yes, please. She'd been in my mind and Jamie Loveder and Trey and I loved her so much. And I was like, oh my god, imagine if she got that she was playing Little Me. And there were times when, yeah, we, to be honest,

we didn't have to do much work. And I were times when, yeah, we, to be honest, we didn't have to do much work. And I saw sometimes when the casting feels right, you don't have to do as much work. The one thing I will say is I was never prepared to wear contact lenses and Lara, wore big plastic blue contact lenses for the entire show filming because she's a lot more of a committed actress. I feel as though I should mention just Laura that Ken Branna came on the show to talk about Artemis Fowl. We had a great conversation with him in which you were an elf. It is.

Always, always. I remember. And is it, is it true that you did work experience for him? I did. Yeah. So when I, I was working on Arshmiss and I was 14 when we were initially filming and then we came back here later to do reshoots. And in Ireland we have a scheme, we have a thing called Transition Year where you do work

experience and I think I like mentioned this in passing to him about that I need to sort out doing something for my work experience. And he just very casually mentioned come do it with us. And so I went and did two weeks of work experience on Death and the Nile with him, which was the most surreal experience ever, and very different to what a lot of my peers were doing for work experience. But yeah, I enjoyed it so so much because I got to work in every single department over the two weeks. And I just, I, it was such an education because I got to understand what was like to be in every single role that I work with.

And it made me very appreciative and how much I love my job, but it also made me so grateful and appreciative of everything else everyone does for us. I think, and I know this is a film podcast, so excuse me Simon for saying this, but I think the one thing in our industry that jars a lot is that we all in every different department don't understand each other's jobs enough, don't understand the pressures of being the accountant or being the D.O.P., the costume person, the costume assistant, the actor, the supporting actor, the background artist, and the one thing that's such an amazing thing to have gotten early on your career, because I only got that with my own show, where I had to experience so many different things,

and my sister's a film costume designer as well. So I suddenly have an insight that I definitely didn't have early in my career about how hard it is, or what things can go wrong and right, right around the industry, and as much of that, as we could get, where everyone learns different jobs, would be amazing for our industry generally. Actually, that's fantastic that you got to see that.

Almost everyone else's work experience is, you know, down at the supermarket, or working at the shop on the corner, and yours was working with Ken Branagh, definitely. Yeah, absolutely fantastic. Can you both explain how the music and the dancing performing band, the boys, whatever we call them, how does that magic happen? So, you know, they kind of jump out of cupboards and appear as a, and appear as a statue,

just to explain how that device works. I think Tim Firth explained it very well and that he describes him as kind of a Greek chorus in Rachel's life. But I think the way that we approach is chorus in Rachel's life. But I think the way that we approach is the boys I think represent in this, I think they just represent music as a whole. And I think we don't realize how much we all rely on music to get us through so many tough times. And it's only when we look back, we realize that that one particular song really helped us through that time or really understood and said what we were feeling. I was able to comfort us for that. And the boys are the actualization of that.

And that's when she, whatever Rachel is going through throughout the film, whatever the girls are going through throughout the film, the boys are always there for her, whether it be in an upbeat popping number, where they are, jumping out of cupboards. Or in a really comforting, protective manner, I would describe them as her guardian angels. They're just always there looking out for her to shelter her and protect her.

It's almost like a gentle version of Drop Dead Fred for when they come back later on in that she's pushed away this kind of, this coping mechanism she had as a child. And it was something that she looks back on as probably like an odd moment. And then suddenly when Rachel, adult Rachel, wins these competition tickets, old feelings that she's tried to repress come up. And suddenly, I pop her coping mechanisms again,

the lads are suddenly, you know, at the caravan site, when she's trying to go on holiday, and they're back for good. What was interesting was the casting of them was absolutely incredible. Those five lads were cast in the original incarnation of this film, Pre-Pandemic. They survived the pandemic. They're all dancers when dancers were completely out of work. And they're such a gorgeous group of men and they end up becoming a real, like, you know, we had very little time to make this film. It was a lot of pressure. And in true at all, you had this gorgeous group of five dancers actually sort of Myself and Lara's people really look after us because they're so gentle and kind that those five dancers and actors who play the characters

The way you describe them both of you talk about it I mean they sound like you know to use a different style of language. They're like your guardian angels Yes, yeah exactly and they sort of became that during the filming as well. Yeah, definitely. Like there's such a good group of eggs. And it was funny. There's like all my life I'm kind of surrounded by actors, but it was quite funny watching a group of trained dancers move together,

because dancers tend to move more in sync and actors kind of move back and forth with each other for the job or for the scene they're in. Then you'll be like, right, fine, I'm off from my launch. I'm not sure if you're on launch yet, but by where's dancers and forth with each other for the job or for the scene they're in, then you'll be like, right fine, I'm off from my lunch, not sure if you're on lunch yet, but bye. Whereas dancers wait around for each other and really hold each other. And so, yeah, they did become like guardian angels in real life as well. Was was the singing and dancing just something that you expect to do occasionally in a movie or is it quite scary? I wish I wish it was more comfortable. Yeah. Oh my god, that part of it was the kind of joyful part of it.

I think there's something to physically dance and have to learn dance moves is good for your brain to engage the left and right side of your brain to sing out loud. It's why people do karaoke, no matter what level of skill they're at. It's because it genuinely does something to your soul to be able to belt out a song at a level that you're not technically allowed to

because of fear of the wrath of your neighbors. So to be able to do that was quite joyful, but not something I definitely would have ever expected from a film career, truthfully. I feel as though I was almost in this film in a way, because I introduced Take That on top of the pops and then I found some of the times. Oh, cheers!

Yes, yes, yes. So I know it's not take that, but it kind of is. And so, and there's lots of discussion about, did you see them on top of the pops and they're very excited. So that was the good moment. I like that. Yeah. So you introduced them for the first time. No, no, I don't think it was the first time. Very, very early on. I think I did it for back for good. You don't remember what they were wearing to you, because they had some outfits when they were in their original incarnation. Robbie had and Robbie had some fantastic red hair and glasses. Wow. Oh my goodness. Is that recall anyway. But actually because it's not, it is about take that because their music is all the way through it. It's actually far more

about female friendship isn't it? I mean that's the heart of the story. And I don't even think just female friendship. I think looking back at your childhood friends, and I suppose the question that lingers over my character as she gets the gang back together is, will it be the same? And I think we all have that with our old friends. Were we just friends because of geography, because of our location, because of our parents' location, our education, is that the reason we were friends? And the intensity of young friendships, and when they sort of float away, slowly, but surely, it's like a tragic death of a friendship. And when you come back together, no matter what gender or background you have, you're like, oh no, will it gel? Is it going to be awkward? Will we feel the same?

We mean so much to each other, but can we work now as adults with all of our histories and stories? And I think that's the, when we remeat the girls together as a group, that's the first, the first bit is the weirdness that it doesn't totally gel right because they haven't talked about this big thing that happened. Is that how you see it, Lara? Yeah, definitely. I mean, because I was so much more focused on the 16 year old re-iteration of the girls And it was just that pure celebration of that beautiful friendship of when Koki described it really well about that age. They feel Immortal they feel invincible and you do when you're that age that like your biggest worry is

Can we get to this concert to see the boys and how will we get home on the bus? It isn't about all those big existential questions And so I think that it was just the simplicity of those friendships and how will we get home on the bus? It isn't about all those big existential questions. And so I think that it was just the simplicity of those friendships, I think, is what a lot of it harbors on in the 16 year old versions of the girls, it's just how beautifully simple and easy these are. But then as you grow up and obviously you learn more

and you experience more, which we see in the 25 years later, as similar as certain traits of each character is, none of us are the same person that we were here for many years ago. And so because of that, will they, like you were saying, will they, will they, will they be able to still be friends? But I think what's so beautiful about this film is that celebration of that part of us will always stay with us. And so no matter what, there's always a bit of a 16 year old self in every single one of us that just everyone still needs to be brought out and celebrate. Mine gets brought out far too much. Ashley Lara, we appreciate your time. Thank you very much indeed. And thanks for being

back for good. I just totally thought about that. That worked for me. Absolutely worth it. Thank you me. Thank you, Laura. Thank you, Ashley. Thank you. Bye-bye. Laura McDonald and Ashley B talking about greatest days. And I've... I have slightly re-appraised my position of last week. You were a bit sniffy last week.

Well, yes, I have done. I've watched... Watched the whole thing, obviously. And I just watched the last half-hour again. And I just think, I understand. I understand why people will love seeing this film. It isn't for me, but I get why. I don't think it's as good as Mama Mia.

I don't think it's as good as the Proclaimers movie, but I do think that they've done a good job, and it is about female friendship, but as Ashton says, it is slightly broader than that, and the colors are spectacular. I mean, we're just watching that clip again. You said, is that a clip from the new Wes Anderson film, which we'll talk about in a bit.

The color palette is, it was great. There was an interesting thing, as I said, I watched it with the good lady presser, her indoors, who I don't think has ever been a take that fan. But she what she really liked about it was the friendship between the group. And as I said, I'll go back to the thing I said before I turn at one point and I said, this is rubbish.

And she went, when are you crying? And I think that that sums it up. It's, it works. And it's got a kind of, it's got naive energy that works because actually it is in the end about friendship. I love the comparison with Drop Dead Fred, which is not a movie I've heard referenced in quite a long time, but that is a really smart comparison.

Because you, drop dead Fred revolves around, you have a fantasy friend as a child, and then you grow up and the fantasy friend reappears. And it's about what are the things that got you through childhood? I mean, drop dead Fred is a, I know the people who like drop dead Fred really, really love it,

but it kind of, it's got lost in the mix. People don't talk about it very much anymore, but it's about that idea about the thing that got you through your childhood reappears in later life. What about if the thing that got you through your childhood is when you put on a particular jumper, you were Peter from Germany. Could you still get that?

Have you still got the jumper? No, I don't think I haven't got the jumper. No, I don't think it would fit, actually. No, but I just wonder whether you had it. Is that security, but is that the same as having an imaginary friend that when you pretend to be somebody else? I think it's like, and again, this comparison was made in the interview, that when you pretend to be somebody else. I think it's like, and again, this comparison was made in the interview, that when you said, who are the boys, the band, whatever they refer to, and the answer was, well, it's

music in general. The fact that we joke on this show quite a lot about the fact that I love the rubets, and I will always love the rubets. Regardless of everything I know about the construction and all the rest of it. Sugar Baby Love will always be my security blanket because of what it meant to me when I was 10. And I think that's a similar thing. I could listen to Sugar Baby Love now, and it will get me through things in the same way that it did when I was 10 years old. Peter from Germany is not very useful. I can't get through a crisis. Peter from Germany carried a handbag and had a jumper. No, that was, now carry

that, now handbag, the handbag full of marbles was something else altogether. That was that wasn't Peter from Germany. No, Peter from Germany wouldn't have had a handbag. He wouldn't be a lot of that kind of thing. He's Peter from Germany, that's what he needs. He's got a special jumper. The handbag with marbles was something else altogether. I'm sorry for confusing your weird alternative personalities. And I spilt them in Allowa, I believe, or the Scottish Grangels. Anyway, it does matter. That sounds like a Smith song, doesn't it? Oh, I spilt my marbles in Allowa. Anyway, feel free to interagency. Correspondence at

curinamoe.com. What else is out? Nimona, which is in cinemas now in a limited release and then on Netflix from June 30th. Based on, and I hadn't heard the phrase, but everyone else, where science fantasy graphic, novel science fantasy graphic novel, by American cartoonist Andy Stevenson, the source focuses on Nimona, who's a shapeshifter, who's in an aric force for change,

who teams up with Ballast Blackheart to overthrow the dominating institute. The source went from being apparently a high school hobby to a web project, to a senior thesis, to an officially published work in 2015, which was then optioned by Blue Sky. And then the option fell down when Disney bought Fox and Blue Sky ceased in Blue Sky, empty sky,

and the whole thing collapsed. And then was picked up again by Anna Perna and now on Netflix, but in cinema. Director by Nick Brino and Tony Cron, who made spies in disguise? Res Ahmed is the voice of Ballast a bold heart, formerly Ballast a black heart, now Ballast a bold heart, which tells you a little bit about the way the character has changed. A spy has to be a knight. This is a kind of retro, retrofuture setting. So, knight's in armor, but science fiction fantasies, if knight's in armor society has grown up into, you know, on the occasion of his knighthood because he is low-born,

his sword mysteriously turns into a futuristic weapon and does something awful with terrible consequences. He is forced into hiding, having lost and replaced an arm and meets Nimonah, voiced by Kloeger's murets, who presents as a punky young girl, but is, in fact, a shape-shifting can be anything. Here's a clip. Who are you?

The name's the Mona. And how did you... Whoa! Yeah! Sick arm! Did it read a lot? What? Did it let you keep the old one? No. Let's go! Let's run with you.

Can I have it? Put that down. That is not for little girls. Little girls? Uh-huh. Okay. How old do you think I am? I don't know, ten. All right, home here. More or less than ten. Not a lot of kids in your life, huh?

You know what? No. And I like it. Stay that way. You have to go. But I'm here about the job. Job? What job? Oh, it's all here in my application. This is just a bunch of drawings. Very disturbing drawings. Oh, look, it's me.

On a rhinoceros, skewering several guards like a human cabab. Yeah, do you like it? I thought a visual aid really matters me, Paul. So as soon as you hear Chloe Grace writes his voice in that, you know, because of the way the character, there is a touch of kickass about it. And weirdly enough, they also reprise banana splits, which of course appears in kickass in this. So the design animation, if you're just listening, you didn't see it. There's a lovely moment in that when she says, did it lead a lot? And she starts to turn her head in this mechanical way

that's actually, for me, is it an exit? Is it? Is it? Is it? Yes, I think it is. I think it genuinely is. But the animation style is interesting, because it's computer graphic, but it has an old-fashioned, you know, cell look about it. In fact, weirdly enough, I think in its design,

it owes something to Cartoon Saloon, In fact, weirdly enough, I think in its design, it owes something to Cartoon Saloon who do, you know, who I'm in love with their work. I think their work is great. I think there is a kind of echo of that when you see that, you know, it's, there's something which is old fashioned, but also, you know, modern at the same time. It also has a debt to anime. There is a huge section of it, which is kind of a riff on the Japanese kaiju traditions of, you know, really, really big monsters, doing really, really big monster things. The thing that I liked about it's, firstly, it's, you know, it's fun to watch. I like the visual style. It's very eye catching. Secondly, I think those two central voice performances are very winning.

Thirdly, this is the kind of move. Had Disney made this movie, as opposed to it, passing through with them going to another company, had Disney with this is exactly the kind of movie that Rhonda Santis would have called Woke. You know, Rhonda Santis is trying to shut down. Yeah, it's Woke, because, okay. One of the central relationships is Gay.

The heroine is a young girl who can change her identity and her shape. The voice artists include a RuPaul, and the source material author identifies as non-binary transmasculine and bi-gender. So this is literally the kind of thing that Rhonda Santis would have gone out and said, I'm gonna go see this film just,

just well, although Disney didn't end up making it, but you know, it's the kind of thing that is really deeply upsetting for those right-wing Christian wing-nuts who believe that everybody should have the right to carry guns and therefore be potentially able to kill lots of people, but not to choose who they are and who they like.

And I think you should put Christian in a vertical message. Exactly. I mean, it's the best thing about it is, it's got all those things, but that's not the reason for liking it. The reason for everyone else to like it, it's a lively adventure, which is, it's a story which is well told. The visuals are very eye catching. It's got a very good score by Christoph Beck. I really enjoyed it, and I really, I like the fact that it's got all those, you know, it's very much about defining yourself and being who you want to be and it's very, very open-minded. But the best thing about it is that that's not the best thing about

it. The best thing about it is it's an exciting adventure with nights and science fiction and shapeshifting and, you know, these two characters thrown together because of this mad situation. And I enjoyed it very much. It's the answer in a minute, Mark. But first, it's time once again to step into our much-loved, laughter-lifters. Oh dear. Very good. Hey, Mark. Hey, Simon.

Good lady's ceramicist, her indoors, is threatening to leave me. Again. Again. This is so regular. Yeah, because of my obsession with wearing... A new band t-shirt every hour. Wait, I said I can change. Right, what?

I have to wear a, no, yeah. Oh, I see, I see, wait, wait, wait, I can change, I can change. I can change. I was thinking was it a song? I can change. No, but it's just because you can change a T-shirt every hour. That's, okay.

That's what I was aiming for. Doesn't quite work, that doesn't it? I think it does if you pay attention. Just thinking ahead to the summer holidays, Mark, I'm certainly beach body ready. In the sense that if you're going to the beach and you've got a body, your beach body ready. I don't have fond memories of every summer holiday

in the 70s, inappropriate Uncle Selwyn to give him his full name. Once told me in my insecure teenage years that if I put a baked potato in my swimming trunks, I'd attract more girls. He forgot to tell me to put the potato in the front, though. So... I don't know where...

It's a lower quality of gag this week, isn't it? It's... I'm building up for a big finish. It's building up for a big potato. Yes. Is that a hot potato with your swimming trunks? Oh, you just... No, it's a chip.

I've made life a little easier. I've made life a little easier in these days of sunshine and vino mark. I've trained my dog to go and fetch me a bottle of wine. He's a bordo collie. Okay, that, yes, there, there, that's good. And redeemed. Redeemed.

It reminds me of the time when our dog Shark got lost on the beach, we were not popular. Anyway, what's still to come? Because you were shouting Shark. Well, it kind of didn't need saying. Yeah. Because it's funny, isn't it? Because jokes never sound funny in court.

Pun? I told you, with a liable thing, I said something in a book. The editor said, you have to take that out. I said it's a joke. He said, it's funny thing about jokes. All right. He never sound funny in court.

I'd forgotten the asteroid city. All right. We'll be back after this unless you're a Vanguardista in which case I love how you don't care how you come across. We'll be back out to this. Get holiday ready at Real Canadian Superstore. Where you'll find more legendary ways to save than any other major grocery. Until December 13th, you'll get a free PC turkey when you spend $300 or more.

That's right, free only at your Super Holiday Store. Conditions apply to fly for details. With banking packages from Scotia Bank, you can put money back in your pocket. That's how Marcus was able to invest in everything he needed to launch his podcast about his pets. Welcome back to PetGas. Visit ScotiaBank.com slash welcome offer, Scotia Bank, Conditions Apply.

Now, in response, so back on the emails here, correspondentsacerminero.com, in response to Richard's tale of watching Terminator 2 at the age of six. This is an email by the way from Benjamin Russell, B-A-N-G-M-L-I-S, second place grade four spelling competition, Harold Martin School, and he's in Concord, New Hampshire. Okay. Yes, Terminator 2 at the age of six. I wanted to mention at the time when we were both about 15 and my friend Amy came to tell me about the movie her dad had left for her to watch when he went away for the weekend. All right. I rented these films for you.

He said on his way out of the door, I loved them when I was your age. Amy said she wasn't quite sure if she could look at her father the same way. After she popped one of the tapes into the VCR, something she'd never heard of was called Caligula. What? It was well known in school that I had parents who wouldn't let me watch our rated films until I turned 17.

Had a middle school party on a couple of years before, I'd been mockingly pushed out of the room during a viewing of Die Hard in order to inquire, it's protect me from the scene where the terrorists find a couple having a very good time in one of the offices. So I was a little surprised, Amy wanted to commiserate with me about this experience. I still wonder if she was telling everyone, or if she figured I would nerdily know enough about the historical figure that I would be suitably appalled without having had to experience the sweaty footage firsthand. Anyway, the latter was certainly correct enough that it meant I was avoiding eye contact when we both subsequently reported to the science class, have further taught,

taught at our school. You don't want to watch that Kalegula at primary school. What is it? Was it, was it, was it, was it getting the title mixed up with something else? Is there a child-friendly version of Caligula? I mean, I suspect. I've seen many versions of Caligula. I don't think any of them could be described as child-friendly. Yes.

Anyway, Algo Bargall-Walgo Dragon, which was my favorite location message I once saw on the sadly departed, I went to At Benjamin Russell. Did you remember where that came from? It was Jeff Bridges going, you know, I just had to even say something, I literally, all the Wagle Farglow Dragon. And it's what he actually said was, you should have stayed a dragon, but you could not understand that.

And I did beat it from Germany and Henry from Manchester. This is, who is it in fact? Simon in Amsterdam. Oh, Nick Nolte, sorry, who did I say, Jeff Bridges? Nick Nolte, thank you for, they are, but they are, they are kind of the same. Right, yeah, they say the same impression. So, so Peter, a Simon in Amsterdam, long time listen, the first time emailer, but you did read a DVD of the week, tweet of mine years ago. On recent travels with work, having exhausted all potential conversation topics,

including what's your favorite vegetable. My colleagues and I came up with a game I thought you'd appreciate. The rules are simple. One person describes a situation Tom Hanks finds himself. Everyone else tries to be the first one to guess the film. Okay. Okay.

So, Tom Hanks in a plane. Plain, is it called plane? It's the one where he lands the... Sully. Sully, thank you. Tom Hanks in a boat? Er... Castaway? No. No, no. Go Captain Phillips.

Yep. Tom Hanks is a child. Big. So it provided a surprising amount of fun, mostly taken up by everyone, trying to think of more Hanks movies from which clues could be made. We're open to suggestions for alternative actors to extend the life of this game. Can I just say no? It was Jeff Bridges in seventh song,

not Nick Naltige, his mind pressure and sound of the same. Particularly to Tungle, for it up with Jason Sande, even Toby Down with messy head populist liars who are thankfully seemingly getting there, come up as well. Other suggestions, Tom Hanks with a fish. Hang on, hang on. Tom Hanks with a fish slash woman, his flash. Tom Hanks with it. Oh, fish slash woman.

It's a flash. Tom Hanks on a stank do. A bachelor party. Tom Hanks is in a falling down house. The prop, the money pit. Tom Hanks is a detective. Old fashioned. Turner and Hooch.

Well, I've got Dragnet here. Oh, Dragnet, of course it's okay. And Tom Hanks in the sub-Burbs. A burbs. Yes, there you go. So it may well be this is a short lived game, but anyway, and there may well be other actors. Yeah, but I mean, with Tom Hanks,

it's kind of, it's an easier thing if it was Jeff Bridges in a diner, it would be harder. Yeah. Anyway, Asteroid City, as already we mentioned a couple of times, I saw a lovely still from it and thought, there you go, we're in, where's, where's, where's, where's, where's, where's, where's, where's, where's, where's, where's, where's, where thought there you go, we're we're in, where's it? Where's it? Where's it? Where's it? I'm just going to. I saw all these friends calling that.

If I'm not going out for a stream, I'm going out for a was Anderson. Anyway, tell us about Asteroid City. Okay, so, okay, you don't like it, I can tell it already that you don't like it. How can you tell that? Because you went, okay, so you've already got... All right, so, opens in boxy black and white, four by three, Brian Cranston as the host who is introducing you behind the scenes of a play, which we're going to see from start to finish the creation of it. I'm created by an author, Conrad Erk, played by Ed Norton, and it is to be set in the American Southwest of the mid-50s, and it's going to address infinity, and I don't know

what else. Cut to wide-screen, full-color, massively-color, saturated, titular town, asteroid city, in the mid-50s, where the drama is that the group of people are converging there for a conference of young stargazers and space cadets. At the very beginning, we see the town and the town basically consists of a motel, a cafe, a half-finished bridge, an observatory, and a crater created by the asteroid. I think it says asteroid city population 80 something. So it's very, very small. And through the main street,

or until the only street of the town, regular intervals race cops and robbers like they're on a scale, extra tracks. So everything is very, very, wears out and some very artificial, very much like a set. They turn up there, the cast is incredibly starry. I mean, it likes to, you know,

till the Swinton, Jeffrey Wright, Jason Swartzman, a, a, a, Scarlett Johansson. So Jason Schwartzman plays this central character who is a war photographer who arrives with his family. He also has in a Tupperware box, the ashes of his wife. He hasn't yet told his children that their mother is dead. And when they're in a diner, his eye is caught by Scarlett Johansson and her daughter, his clip. You took a picture of me. Uh-huh. Why? I'm a photographer. You didn't ask permission.

I never asked permission. Why not? Because I work in trenches, battlefields, and combat zones. Really? Uh-huh. You mean you're a war photographer? Mostly. Sometimes I cover sporting events. My name is Augie Steenbeck.

Mm-hmm. What are you gonna do with that? That picture. Mm-hmm. What are you gonna do then? That picture. Huh. Well, if it's any good, I guess I'll try to sell it to a magazine. Now that you're mentioned it. Mitch Campbell, eating a waffle. He's got a pipe in his mouth, which is why he's speaking in the slightest.

Because he's in a Wisconsin film. And everyone will talk like that all the way through the film so it's all very very arch none of it you know Realistic although oddly enough during the all the stuff with the With the television Rappramp which they keep going back to which there would be the people that we see there Being those characters are actors playing those characters,

talking about the development of the characters, in a way that's meant to kind of evoke a heyday of the actor's studio. So there's a connection between Scarlett Johansson's character and Marilyn Monroe, for example. She keeps talking about the fact that she's, that she has abusive relationships, but in fact, she has a great talent for comedy.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Co-written by Wes Anson and Roman Coppola, absolutely littered with very, very Anson-esque, you know, people saying, Gadsouk's, and that sort of stuff. And a very, very starry cast full. I mean, completely full of celebrity cameos, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Manga, Robbie, Joby's Cocker, I mean, everywhere you look. So the whole thing has the air of, Joby's Cocker was to stand out name there in Tim,

no, he's not as big a star, but he, well, he's done stuff with, with Anson before. So it's just, but there's, everywhere you look, there are people, we go, we go, we go, we go, here is the thing. How one feels about Wes Anderson movies is often slightly conflicted. Everything, the way in which Wes Anderson does,

I always said this thing about the great, the Wes Anderson outtakes real, you know, the gags, the bloopers real, would be somebody sitting in a perfectly formed, corduary suit at a desk, and a pencil is slightly on the shunk and everyone falls about laughing because you know everything about his thing is he's created like a miniature world.

And sometimes this works really well. I thought Gran Budapest Hotel was really, really funny. I'm a big fan of Royal Tenon Bounds every now and then. He does stuff that, you know, that really feels like it has heart and soul. Also, at the other end of it, you have films like French Dispatch, which was just unbelievably tooth-grating. This isn't as tooth-grating as French Dispatch, but I found it sorely patient's testing. And the reason I did was it felt like it's something that was so full of its own construction and its own confection and its own color coding that you saw then in terms of the oversaturated

colours. That what it completely forgot to do was to actually have any heart. Now, weirdly enough, then what happens is that father-in-law played by Tom Hanks has to arrive because there is this whole... Tom Hanks, who is not the kind of person who does stuff that doesn't have heart. I mean, Tom Hanks is literally, I'd like my movie to have hot. Let's get Tom Hanks, because that's what he brings. Even Tom Hanks can't raise this above the level of the whole film conducted like somebody, you know, if you've had Mink DeVille Spanish show, finger on your eyebrow, left hand on your hip, And I can imagine the whole film

being directed with somebody with their finger on their eyebrow and their left hand on the arch. And it's that thing about the gap between quirky and irksome is really, really thin. And this, for me, tipped right over into irksome. And then there's a moment in it in which they play, you remember Mars attacks? Yes. You enjoyed Mars attacks, right? Yes, I haven't seen it since. Mars attacks is really good fun. I mean, it's completely all over the place and it's a mess,

but in it, that Slim Whitman Indian love call, the yodeling is used to make the aliens heads explode. In this film, it turns up in the background. And it immediately made me think, I really enjoyed Mars attacks. It's a total mess and it's got that weird bit about Tom Jones at the end singing, it's not unusual while the birds come and land on this thing.

And I don't know what was good, but I just want this film to to to exhale. You know that film waiting to exhale I I found myself sitting through Asteroid City for some times. Oh that's intriguing. Sometimes all this boxes within boxes they're actors playing actors playing actors and discussing them and sometimes just like okay enough enough of the sick, just enough. It's the most, I think it's the most Wes Anderson movie Wes Anderson has ever made. And I think it's made me realize that actually what I love about Wes Anderson movies

is when they step outside of the Wes Anderson box, but this has stepped right into it. And like that celebrity, I told you about Glastonbury, locking themselves into the Winnipego. This has locked itself into the Winnipego of Wes Anderson films and it ain't coming out even if you're desperate for a poo. Put that on the poster, see what happens.

Correspondence at www.curbidomeo.com, once you've seen it and tell us what you think. As far as what's on is concerned this week, this is where you send us information about your cinema related activity. By the way, this week I was doing a book festival in Southworld and the book festival was called Slaughter in Southworld because it was like a crime festival. And it was great and hello to everyone who came along to that. And at the end, this woman said that her son-in-law was making a movie.

Right. And it was his first ever movie. And I said, OK, well, in which case, get him to send us a voice note. So he did? No, I don't know. He hasn't yet. But I'm just saying, that's the kind of thing that we need.

Just tell us your stuff. And send it to correspondentsacurbidomeo.com. For example, like this, from Malika, who's from Chinichita. Hello Simon and Mark, this is Malika from Chinichita Italian Docks, a season of powerful documentaries screening a London's Bertha Dock house on the 24th and 25th of June. The film's portrait everything from Italian nurses, travelling to find employment, to a celebration of the famous Italian protest song Bella Belaccio, all presented as UK premieres and with the filmmakers joining for Q&As.

Don't miss it. From the 11th to the 28th August, the 31st Chichester International Film Festival will bring the magic of film to the picturesque city of Chichester. Launching with three open-air screenings at the iconic Priory Park, the festival will offer a diverse range of strands, including the captivating Kate Blancher, Luminary, Jean-Luc Godard, and many others. There will be silent films accompanied by live music

performances, plus you can join renowned actors and industry experts for engaging talks and exclusive Q&Aes. Celebrate this beautiful art that we all cherish. Visit chichitafilmfestival.co.uk. That was Malika from Chinichita and Walter Francisco. What a name. Yes. Cinema director and programmer

about the Chichester International Film Festival. So send us your 20 second voice note, something which Walter, I think, exceeded considerably. But anyway, keep it excited. I tell you my two Chinichita things. And send your voice note about your event anywhere in the world to correspondentsacurbanaMao.com what is that? Well, two of them.

Firstly, I'll be quick. Collegula was filmed at Chinichita. And secondly, that's in the studio, as opposed to the thing. And secondly, one of Ken Russell's favorite stories. He came out of Chinichita, a Rolls Royce pulled up, the door threw open, and a bloke said, Mr Russell, Mr Russell, he heard in Italy, they called me the Italian Ken Russell. It was Felini. And that's the end of take one.

This has been a Sony music entertainment production. The team was Lily Hamley, Ryan Amera, Sancia Panzer, Gully Tikell, Michael Dale, Beth Perkin and Simon Pull as ever, the red actor Mark. What is your film of the week? Nimonah. Thank you ever so much for listening and downloading this particular podcast. There will be another, well, in fact, there already is take two, which has landed alongside this particular. Simultaneous. Yes, that's right. It's already there for you to enjoy.

We haven't recorded it yet, but we're sure it's going to be great. And take three, we'll be with you on Wednesday.