Kermode & Mayo’s Take - Daniel Craig and Rian Jonson, The Pale Blue Eye, The Enforcer, I Wanna Dance with Somebody & Corsage

Episode Date: December 23, 2022

Detective Benoit Blanc is back!! Simon sits down with Daniel Craig, and director Rian Johnson to chat all things ‘Glass Onion: A Knives out Mystery,’ the sequel to ‘Knives Out.’ (2019) Mark reviews ‘The Enforcer’- an American action thriller starring Antonio Banderas who must sacrifice everything to save a young girl from his femme fatale boss (Kate Bosworth), ‘The Pale Blue Eye’ - a gothic horror starring Christian Bale, Gillian Anderson and Henry Melling’s as a young Edgar Allan Poe, ‘I Wanna Dane with Somebody’ the new biographical musical about American icon Whitney Houston starring Naomi Ackie and Stanley Tucci, and ‘Corsage’ - a fictional account of a year in the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria played by Vicky Krieps. Plus your correspondence, the Box office Top 10, What’s On, the Laughter Lift and much more! 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! TIME CODES FOR THE VANGUARD (apologies we can’t put out time codes for those who don’t subscribe as the ad times fluctuate Time Codes: 00:12:25 – The Enforcer 00:18:02 – Ad 00:19:26 – Box Office Top 10 00:36:16 – Interview 00:53:27 – Laughter Lift 00:55:43 – Ad 00:58:32 – The Pale Blue Eye 01:04:26 – Corsage 01:08:34 – I Wanna Dance with Somebody A Somethin’ Else & Sony Music Entertainment production.    Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts   To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Metrolinx and cross-links are reminding everyone to be careful as Eglinton Cross-town LRT train testing is in progress. Please be alert as trains can pass at any time on the tracks. Remember to follow all traffic signals. Be careful along our tracks and only make left turns where it's safe to do so. Be alert, be aware, and stay safe. It's come out and my ears take, it's come out and my ears take. Take one take, two, it's up to you, it's come out and my ears take. Wasail, wasail, wasail. You know, it's funny we haven't had one of those in a while, isn't it? Well, for at least a week, I think that's the way that goes.

Again, thanks to Ken for doing that, because there's something about his voice, which makes me feel festive. Where's Ken from? I don't know actually. Do we know where he's from? He's got a bit of a Cornish tinge to his... in this in Scotland. Well, literally the other end of the country. So you know that Cornish tinge. Yeah, that Cornish. He could be Cornish tinge, Miner, and he's actually now living in Scotland. Very good. Also, it's the Gallic fringe, isn't it? Well, the Gallic fringe, the Gallic fringe, whatever it is, we've been down that rabbit hole.

We have, because there's a thing that goes, there's a Celtic fringe. That's what I meant. Thank you very much. Celtic, sorry, brain slow, because there is a tradition, a folk tradition that goes Cornwall, Isle of Man,

Upper Island, Shetland, and then theoretically on to Norway. And you can, we once were moving in Scotland. Yes, we didn't mention that. I did, you know, you went... I said, Isle of Cornwall. Isle of...

It's more than Isle of Cornwall, it's everything. No, but the fringe is the island. Also Breton. Oh, okay, yes. Breton area of France, apparently, is also part of the Celtic fringe. Is it Celtic fringe like a bob cut? As exactly.

That's exactly what Wilco Johnson has. I don't think so. Ruth Davidson, did she have a Celtic fringe? Wilco Johnson was famously described in the enemy once as the pioneer of the non-Sexist haircut. Does that work? I don't know. I've laughed when I read it. It sounds like a nice turn of phrase. You know that he will be sadly missed very much so.

I established yesterday I think there are two types of Christmas singing. There's the kind of bright jolly Kylie Minogue Santa Baby, where's he? And there's the kind of end of year exhaustion. Can I see? So, oh, tell the listening public, your fantastic mistletoe and wine fact. This is because you and I had breakfast this morning because I stayed in your house not once, but twice this week. I have now part of my van officially in your drive. And so this morning you delighted me with the following fact. Well, apparently, Missal Term wine, perhaps the ultimate cliff Christmas. And as soon as you say Missal Term wine, there is a certain image, and it's that cozy

Christmas. It's the children singing Christian rhyme. Christian rhyme. You know, which shouldn't really have three syllables, but does that particular song. And it's the ultimate kind of warm-hearted, trad 90s Christmas, you know. And Cliffs 99th single, as I remember, something. No, really?

Yeah, but in origin came from a musical where it was supposed to be sung lustily by the local lady who has lots of friends. Which I love that euphemism. Yeah. And you think you... Now that's a very different misal term. I would like to hear that version of Missal Tom Wyenth. I don't suppose there's a lot of Christy and Ryan in the original lusty version, sing lustily.

I think that's fantastic. Anyway, but you know that kind of level of exhaustion. Yes. So I've got a poem here which only saw about two hours ago. You know that also the exhaustion that comes with arguing with people, people who just not worth arguing with. Yes. Right. Mostly online.

Yes. What's the phrase never argue with an idiot, they will just beat you with experience. Right. Well, this is a poem by Wendy, I'm going to read a poem. It's Wendy Cope and it's called Difference of Opinion. Okay. Okay. It's very short.

Everywhere. Is there a copyright to you on this? I don't know. It's fine. We've flagged up the name. So the name again. Wendy Copes' differences of opinion. He tells her...it might be called he tells her, actually, and the chapter might be called him anyway.

He tells her the earth is flat. He knows the facts, and that is that. In all occasions, fierce and long, she tries her best to prove him wrong. But he has learned to argue well. He calls her arguments unsound and often asks her not to yell. She cannot win, he stands his ground, the planet goes on being round. Very good. Very good. Now the twain shall meet is just that you're right. Very good. Because the earth carries on being round. That was like a class he start to

the show. We discussed everything, I think, my cliff and everything. My grandfather and grandmother on my dad's side had a phrase, which is my dear, we are arguing about a matter of fact. And what that meant was, let's stop arguing about it and look it up. Alternative facts, though. I have my facts, you have your facts. This was in the agent which you had in cyclopedias

and things were written down and they were true. My lived experience goes against your facts every day. Okay, well that's the end of that then. So what are you doing on the show today? Well my lived experience today will be that I'll be reviewing the pale blue eye which you've seen but we may have different opinions about. The enforcer, I want to dance with somebody which is the biopic Whitney Houston andorsage. A special guest today. A super special guest, Ryan Johnson and Daniel Craig, talking about glass onion, which arrives on Netflix today,

today being the 23rd of December. Do you think the world is just a great big onion? That would be an interesting idea. Or is it an apple swirling silently in space? I'm not sure. Or is it an apple swirling silently in space? I'm not sure. Or is it flat? The planet goes on being round. I quote Wendy Cope.

We should say that although this is the last show before Christmas, it isn't. It is because tomorrow, for the Vanguard, you get an extra one. And then also for the Vanguard, join now. It's a great thing. What a great thing to be to be a Vanguard. Something every day. Every day. The 12 takes of Christmas. Every day. I think I'm actually going to say that however, this is the last show that we are recording before Christmas, which is why it has a slightly schools out feel about it. Yes.

Anyway, there's a little great stuff on the way. That's what I'm saying. Yes. If you're a Vanguard Easter as ever, we salute you. Thank you very much. Lucy Beresford, dear Holly and Ivy, I've lived in Central London for decades and have won particular film, Cleeshae, in British films, set in London.

Okay. This is our regional Cleeshae section of the program. Yes. The protagonist hops on a bus, which always crosses Westminster Bridge going south. So you get to see the bus with big Ben and the House of Commons in the background. The protagonist hops on a bus, which always crosses Westminster Bridge going south. So you get to see the bus with big Ben and the house of commons in the background. Sometimes they throw in the sight of a black cab for good measure, but then the protagonist

gets off the bus somewhere north of the river. The bus usually says something like Lambert or Peckle on the front, yet our protagonist is next seen casually furtively or lustily given the film genre, stepping off the bus at bank or in Islington or worse still, not in Blumin Hill. Honestly. Do they not know how to use the TFL app? DWTN and up with the Deskant on Harks of Hartley, how are they? Oh, you were Deskanta. Well, because you're a musician. Okay, now here's the most brilliant thing. The good lady professor, her indoors, has a wonderful singing voice, and she loves choir singing. And it only transpired after many, many years

that our kids thought that when mom was singing the Deskant, that mom was just making crazy jazz stuff up. That's essentially a scandal. She had absolutely, they had no idea that what she was singing was an established line and they would stand there being really embarrassed thinking why is mom doing a different tune it must be because she's a crazy jazz cat there are some people who if everyone is singing a song they automatically do the harmony line and do the desk and I couldn't do that to save my life I can I'm

sure you can because you're a musician. I didn't know. I tell you what I can do, which is very good, is I can do a third. So it's like a third above. So if Mike in the band is singing the lead, I can, I can instant, it can do the, you know, third or fourth, but I can sing the, I can do the Eveli Brothers thing about singing very, very close with him. I'm not a very good lead singer, I'm a very good singer, sing the second part.

And I brought it occasionally with bands. That's when you leap in and say, you are a very good lead singer, and I say, oh, you don't need to say that. Well, I would assume that you were good at Descan because you are a musician, as we started this thing. I'm not a musician, I'm a bassist. It's a difference.

There are some people who, I just think they must be a thrill with doing harmony singing. If you, plus one other person, or four other people, whatever it is, you get together and you sing and you just get the harmony, it must be so exciting. It is, it's lovely. It's absolutely lovely. It's a wonderful thing. I can never. I can just dream. Maybe next year.

Rowan Walsh. Hello Rowan. And a dear rural islander who doesn't understand the mainland ways and city dweller, who's either aenny gangster or a posh boy with fantastic hair As my intro suggests, I'm writing to contribute further to the discussion on cliches Only last weekend one geographical cliche involving the country suddenly dawned on me when watching Amazon Primes latest feel good Christmas flick Your Christmas or mine? Who's in this? No, I haven't either In it. Hey, Haley. In it.

Oh, sorry. In it. No, your Christmas or mine. In it. No, no,za Butterfield, only to find he had the same idea and has traveled north to Huddersfield to be with her. The film itself was a just fine, cozy Christmas rom-com with funny performances and concept, but one of the cliches in the film got me laughing

with my girlfriend. I'm from Cornwall and grew up in a remote village near Bodmin Moore. And I don't think I can remember seeing a single farmer with a gun in my whole life living there, my whole time living there. Yet every film set in the country, such as your Christmas or mine, has at least one farmer with a gun. And they're usually talking gibberish and also slightly weird. I know they definitely exist and the sound of shooting is commonly heard in the fields, but urban filmgoers would be forgiven in thinking the countryside is full of these gun-wielding maniacs

desperately searching for city folk to threaten. On a more serious note, there's also an issue with Cornish, screen depictions involving idealism and a reluctance to show the shocking issues with second homes and poverty, but that's a rant for another time. Thank God for bait, which is B-A-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I-T-I- all the best around Welsh. By the way, I unblocked him and I voted to get rid of him. Also on the subject of bait in this main is coming out next year and it is fantastic. And we'll get to that. We will get to that.

Is it early? Is it January? Yeah, it's January, February. I think it's January, yeah. And how exciting is the new trailer for Barbie? Oh, wow. Wow, this was the other thing that happened at your house. I said, sitting at your breakfast table

is the best time of my, because it's like, have you seen the barbie, you said, no, what you said is, I'm sure you've seen the barbie trailer. I said, no, I haven't seen the barbie trailer. And you'll get this in five seconds. Which you did. Yeah, but it's brilliant. It's absolutely brilliant.

Can I apologize again for my cough, which in case I cough in the middle of one of Marx routines because Marx routines. Yes, that's right. But that's it. Wow. It's performance art. Wow Okay, is it that's what you do? Okay. It is performance art. It's a work of art. That's what it is Anyway, saving that shovel that I may dig myself out of this trench not at all I think I stand by that. I shall call them those from now on my routines. It is just like a comedy routine

Anyway, let's do a movie So you want me to routine a movie. Could you do that? All right, well, da da da da da da da da. New movie at this week. What is it? The enforcer, which is a sort of neo-noir B movie of the kind that in a former age would have gone straight to DVD,

directed by Richard Hughes, bookended by philosophical beach-bound flashbacks of Antony Abanderus' character, Kudah, which I think is short for Barra Kudah, looking back on his life, which has clearly been violent in a bedraggled fashion. We don't have a clip, but we have a bit of the trailer. Here it is, it pretty much tells you what to expect. You have been where I am right now.

I'm a made man! Tonight you are nobody. Corp! When did you get up? There is no space for mercy. Hey! Let's go. Even making quite a name for yourself in the art fight, I used to be like you. A fighter.

Your right is here. The mentor in his protege. You're gonna film me, eh? C'mon, that's... Give me my bag! It's ready! I'm going to punch you in the face. But also I have a soft side and I'll look after, if I see a young lady being robbed, I'm going to look after her. But I'm still going to punch you in the face. It's strange that you're doing it in a guy richy-ass. I don't know. But because he's actually a guy richy-ass, he's a guy richy-ass.

I'm going to punch you in the face. But also I have a soft side and I'll look after, if I see a young lady being robbed, I'm going to look after her. But I'm still going to punch you in the face. It's strange that you're doing it in a guy rich yet. I know, but because he's actually the voice of Puss in Boots. But so, essentially, yeah, essentially, I've seen it. I just haven't seen it on the basis of that. So he's a tough guy.

He has indeed got a heart of gold, because although he's been inside, he's got a daughter who is coming up to her 16th birthday. He's estranged from her, what with having been in jail and everything. Yes. But he wants to do something special for her 16th birthday, but she tells him on your bike sunshine.

So whilst he's out in the world punching people in the face doing bad stuff, he also does indeed see a young woman who's the same age as his daughter, who is, yeah, she's shoplifting a little bit, but she's obviously in a bit of trouble. So, shoplifting, a young woman who's the same age as his daughter, who is, she's shoplifting a little bit, but she's obviously in a bit of trouble. So, air shoplifting just a little bit. Just a little bit.

And so, he helps her out. On the other, put on that lead to a whole bunch of stuff that he shouldn't have got involved, he shouldn't have got involved. He should have known. He should have known. Meanwhile, Kate Bosworth, who is playing this femfertile, I think she's got this very kind of harsh haircut, enlists this street fighter,

Stray, Stray his name is, because he's a bit punchy. And then she says, as she did in that clip, then the mentor and his protégé. So, Antonio Banderos' character will have to teach Stray the ways of being an enforcer. And the ways of being enforcer basically mean being, you know, toughest nails and punching a lot of people in the face and also doing a lot of driving around Miami, you know, you know, kind of a very recognizable car. So very sunny during the sunny periods

and then, and then very neon-e during the, during the crepospial periods. And then there's a bit when there's a whole section when they go to a trap house and somebody actually says this is a trap house and you go, okay you miss just a and there's a an exactly one hour in there's a sort of implied soft core lesbian scene. There isn't an exploding helicopter. There is a scene with a woman in lingerie and a gun and is that is that the soft core lesbian? No, no, that's a different that's a different thing. gun. And is that the soft-core lesbians? That's a different thing. That's a different thing. And then some of the stabby bits are a bit squelchy. Now, Roger Corman made a very good living,

funding movies like this, but Roger Corman knew that they were trash. The thing with this is, it desperately wants to be drive, which is, looks fantastic. And me drive is a very, very upmarket exploitation movie. This is a very, very mid-range, nine o'clock, you know, what do they think of you with a used to call you? Like in the evening.

Nine o'clock in the evening, four beers in a beery arne and sit down and watch Antonio Banderas worry about his soul whilst occasionally punching somebody in the case. Okay, well that sounds to say, it might be it. All right. And I use this phrase, it is perfectly fine. Well, I'm quite happy with that sometimes. Good. You know what? That's perfectly fine.

But you know, here's the real irony. He tried to save her, but I think she might save him. So, and again, I haven't seen it. No, no, but you, his daughter who he is having a few problems with, my guess is by the end of the film she says, all right dad, I can see that there's a good side to you. And he goes thanks doll. Yeah, that doesn't happen. Oh. But, but you're on the right track. But that can't happen because of a thing

that's obviously happening. Is it nicely set up because there's another enforcer on the way? Well, the other enforcer on the way is Street Fighter Strike. Yeah, but I mean, is there another, is there a enforcer too, which is, well, if there is Antonio's not in it. Oh, okay. Who knows what's going to happen there?

Excellent. That's it for us. Right. Still to come. Mark will be reviewing these entertaining items for you. Pale blue eye, which you've already told us you like very much. Cousage and I want to dance with somebody. Next though, we've got the ads unless you're in the Vanguard, in which case back before you can say Simon G. Hi, I'm Steve Podcast, listen, 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 November to accompany the sixth and final season of the Netflix epic Royal Drama series. Very exciting, especially because SuperSub and Friend 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 crown's Queen Elizabeth Imelda Staunton. Other guests on the new series include the Crown's research team, the directors, executive producers Suzanne Mackie and specialists such as Voice Coach William Connaker and propsmaster Owen Harrison. Cast members including Jonathan Price, Selene Daw, Khalid Abdullah, Dominic West and Elizabeth DeBickey. 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 podcast, subscribe now and get the new series of the Crown, the official podcast first on November 16th. Available wherever you get your podcasts. 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. 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 Karazaki film Fallen Leaves, which won the jury prize at

Cannes, that's in cinemas at the moment. And if you see that and think I want to know more about Aki Karazaki, 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 can 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. And we're back, unless you're a Vanguard Easter, which case, that's a mysterious reference, because you've been ever away.

Just out of the chart, La Pupi-Lay, is that where we settled? It is, and we also settled on Alice Rovacca. According to our YouTube La-pupi-lae, is that where we settled? It is, and we also settled on Aliciero Vacca. According to our YouTube correspondent, the Drunken Sailor, this movie was a delight, totally recommended it, felt like 20 minutes, we'll check out other works from this filmmaker.

She's great. Aliciero Vacca. Now I have, as I've apologized for my cough, so I will apologize again. It reminded me that many years ago, I'm five live when I was afflicted again with one of these coughs that hang around for a long time. I was interviewing Patrick Stewart. The Patrick Stewart, and I think it, yeah, it doesn't matter where the studio was, I think

we were at Millbank, but anyway, so I'm sitting interviewing Patrick. I can just feel that this cough is going to come back. So I start coughing, can't stop gesture to Patrick that I'm gonna have to leave. He answers the question, I'm coughing outside for about a minute, he keeps on going because he's Patrick Stewart, I come back in, he's still answering the question, I sit down,

he finishes, we carry on. That is, that is just fantastic. You're not gonna get that level of close with me, you start coughing, I'm gonna ask what's happening. is, wow. Fantastic. You're not going to get that level of class with me. You start coughing. I'm going to ask what's happening. Okay. Okay. You're not Patrick's due. No, I'm not. It's so many ways. I'm not Patrick's due. Box office top 10, at 22, nutcracker, and the magic flute. You know, dubbed into English from, I think it's Russian cartoon, and best thing to say is not in the same ballpark as Barbies won, like. Number 10 here, number five in America is the menu.

Just not much better than anybody expected. I think Ray Fines is having fun as the post chef on to whose celebrity island a bunch of people are brought, which will lead us very nicely into the fact that we're going to be discussing glass onion in a bit, which is kind of the same setup. With our special guest, I'm very proud of. Number nine is Muppet Christmas Carol. With the missing song put back in again, although, you know, I still the Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker song isn't in there, but it's marvelous.

A child won, went along to a sing-along version of Prince Charles in London and said it was smashing. UK number eight, it's a wonderful life, 75th anniversary. I mean, interesting to remember that Capra always said he never thought it was a Christmas film, and it wasn't a huge hit when it opened, it became a Christmas staple from being played on television, and that's like the Shawshank Redemption, It's one of the most celebrated films of all time that was discovered on the small screen. Just worth mentioning at that point, if you're a Vanguard Easter over the Christmas period

for one of our specials, which includes an interview with Tom Hanks and Mariana Trevino, stars of a man called Otto, in which Tom Hanks, right at the end of the year, we have a lot, I ask a little question about its wonderful life and he does a long answer about Capra. Oh wow. So which is really, really interesting

because he suddenly becomes Tom Hanks, the film student, who clearly knows a lot about film. And do you know what Capra's critics used to refer to what they used to think of his brand of shmaltz and center mentality, you know the used to call it? Do you know the answer is no, I don't. Cap Procorn. Very good.

Which actually is quite a good thing. So look out for that. Home Alone is at number seven. I mean, you know, we were talking about the science of home alone, which was a TV show on Sky, and guess what? All of those traps would kill you. Elf is at number six. I mean, I would just remind everybody that when Elf came out, I gave it a bad review.

So what do I know? Strange world is at number five. More to say about the design than to say about the film, although partly on the vacuum theory, it's doing okay in the box office here because there's nothing else around, but it is, you know, it did tanked in America. Violent night, is it number four, number three in America? Kind of fun, you know, in the, in the same spirit as black Christmas or clown, or anything like that.

It's, it is, it's home alone meets die hard, meets crampers. And number three is black Panther, we're kind of forever, number two things. Have you, have you got to the end of it yet? Are you still waiting? I'm waiting for child one to reappear, and then we'll sit in one cell. Okay, so in the new year, we will have your full review of what kind

of the forever. I hope so. Yeah, okay. Let's hope I get there. And whether child one makes it in because of the the Border Force strike or not, I don't know. Or I would say is that if you're going to have a movie with blue fish people, I'll have this one rather than the other one. Number two, we'll get to that. Number two in the UK, not in America, nothing in America, a Matilda the Musical. Now, it's a lovely email I hear from Laura Welsh, LCL, and sometime email her. So I'm in a marker.

I think 14-year-old girls must be one of the hardest audiences for cinema to crack. The TikTok generation have no patients, asassy and cynical and wise, but still loved Paddington and Nativity. See, this is true. Unless they are into Marvel, they're very little for them to watch in the cinema anymore. And they also now have a little of their own money to spend

and given that they're going to see a film as expensive, they are very selective about what they'll leave the confines of their bedrooms to watch. So I was subsequently thrilled when my own 14-year-old, who for context, has a horror film club that she runs with her friends. So, you know, we're very good. Announce that she was off to see Matilda the musical on the opening night with a gang. What follows is her text review that she sent me immediately after. All right, not during. I'm glad to hear that. Immediately after. But adds Laura, trigger warning for non-code compliant behavior.

Okay. I've spoken to her about this. Don't worry. The following message is all in caps. Okay. So this is the text that was sent from Laura's 14-year-old daughter. Okay. Go.

Mum exclamation mark. Yeah. It was amazing exclamation mark. We stood on our chairs in the back row and danced the whole way through. I want to go again tomorrow. She is now seen it three times. Once with me and her 16 year old sister who sang the whole way through and despite agreeing about the fat suit with the previous emailer, we all thoroughly enjoyed it. So hats off to the production team and the cast for providing this group of tricky teens

with a truly memorable cinema experience. That's cool, just... PS, Barbies Swan Lake has saved the sanity of many apparent at 5am. Its powers should never be under arrest. No, I'm not underestimating it. I mean, believe me. That's what I said. The whole thing is not crack on the magic flute is not Barbies Swan Lake. Down with fat suits and up with teenagers

leaving their bedrooms, Laura Boschett. But it's just interesting, but she's absolutely right. If you can get 14-year-old girls to go in a gang to see your movie three times, then that's... And stand on the seats. Yes, that was a trigger boy. I know, I know, it was a flight up. Thank you very much, yeah.

So number one, is it all of which brings us to... Number one in America, number one in the UK, number one around the world. Avatar way of water. So let me just, I'll just go... Ooh, the way of water. Well, before you go any further on that. Yes. Lucas McQueen from Edinburgh.

I'm just checking the box, obviously, go ahead, go on. I was six years old when I first saw Avatar back in early 2010, but only recently rewatched it in anticipation for this release. Now an avid camera and a holic Titanic since confidently in my top five films of all time. I put off watching it for years because I knew that as soon as I did see it,

I would become absolutely obsessed with it. And yes, without fail, in the two weeks that have followed my rewatching the original film, dreams that have not featured huge or some blue people have been as unobtainable as the precious, unobtainium. Which they forgot to mention in the second film, The Surface of the McGuffin Planet. It was just incredible.

I mean, it's not a new take on the Avatar franchise to say that the visuals are stunning. It was all anyone could talk about when the first film was released. I mean, it's not a new take on the Avatar franchise to say that the visuals are stunning. It was all anyone could talk about when the first film was released, that and the slightly off-putting white-savian narrative that is thankfully put to rest in this installment. But I just have to emphasize how beautiful a world Cameron has created in these films. There's a reason that people left the cinemas in 2009 and felt deeply upset that they would never be able to go to Pandora themselves. The meticulous way in which every tribe, landscape, animal and fauna has been plotted out by Cameron and his team,

puts them on a different level. You can tell there is genuine heartfelt passion behind the creative decisions within this production, something that is really refreshing to see in modern day popcorn blockbusters. When so many others feel much more like something devised by a team of suits, working on a spreadsheet than something created by a group of artists with one sole vision of the kind of film they want to make. The sheer sight of it all brought me to tears. Mad respect to the both of you, and Merry Christmas, Lucas McQueen. Karen Lomere, sad that you missed out on any emotional attachment to the, of you, a Merry Christmas Lucas McQueen. Karen Lomere, sad that you missed out on any emotional attachment to the quotes,

smurf people. I found myself deeply caring about them, teared up at the end and felt all warm and fulfilled as I left the theater. The visuals, the mood created by the water, produced an immersive experience, the spectacles at the end were amazing and impressive, that's not the 3D spectacles, I don't think. But it was the relationships that inspired my love for the movie. Conor says,

Mark and Simon, a couple of weeks ago, a listener wrote in comparing Opera to Horror, in that they are both genres that you either get or you don't. Mark added the caveat, that when you're a horror fan, people tend to act like there's something broken in you. I would argue that the fantasy genre has a similar problem. The people assume that if you're a horror fan, people tend to act like there's something broken in you. I would argue that the fantasy genre has a similar problem, that people assume that if you're a fan of epic stories involving magic and monsters and mythical lands, you'll childish or emotionally stunted. Speaking as a fantasy fan, there are definitely those who are childish and emotionally stunted, see the racist blowback to the rings of power TV series for one example. Just as there are horror fans who only care about gore and nudity,

Avatar 2 is definitely a fantasy story of the old-school variety, where the scope and scale and the world building are part of the appeal. You either get it or you don't. In my opinion, the visuals alone are enough to justify the movie's existence. What I find interesting about Mark's reaction to Avatar 2 is how he uses a sing-song nonsense voice when parodying the movie, despite that not being close to how anyone in the movie actually sounds. It's as if Mark defaults to an infantile voice, because that's what he assumed the mindset of the Avatar fans is. I'm not the world's biggest Avatar fan. Yes, the dialogue offer means feels like a placeholder left until something more interesting

could be put in. But that doesn't bother me. What I appreciate about Avatar 2 is its sincerity. It doesn't wink at the audience with fourth wall breaks and smugger sides to acknowledge how silly it all is. I'm looking at youth all of them thunder. James Cameron says what he means and he really means it. And what he means is that we should be awed by the biodiversity of our planet and actively working to save it by opposing those who look to exploit

it for profit. In my opinion, that message doesn't deserve subtlety because despite decades of films with similar themes, the trajectory of environmental collapse hasn't changed. Down with wailing, strip mining, colonialisation and so on, up with using cutting edge SFX to make such a message palatable to a mass audience. And one more from William Janssen, Van Gott Easter. Mark and Simon, love you both. With that out of the way, let's talk Avatar Wavewater. I've stood in front of Van Gogh's Starry Night, and the fact that the village in the

background is plain and boring did not impact on my experience. Reviewing the village would be a silly approach to Starry Night. To me the new Avatar movie was not a series of plot points in character moments but an ambience. It was not a space opera like Star Wars but a tone poem in the vein of, and I always have to go twice at this, Coyonis Quatt. Coyonis Cazzi. There you go, that one. I submerged myself in a beautiful world, floated on its waves, and the fact that I shared the world with cliché spouting cardboard cutouts

had no bearing on my surrender to it. James Cameron has created a whole new way of making pictures move, 3D that actually works. I've had cinematic experience, experiences where my disbelief was suspended by a confluence of great acting, great direction and great scripts, but Cameron destroyed my disbelief while stinking at everything else except the wonderful way he made his pictures move. 80% of the movies I've seen in my life had better plots, and more interesting characters than Avatar, the Way of Water.

It was still a profound experience, and the three hours I spent on Pandora felt like 60 minutes, as always. Thanks for a great show. Anyway, that just to balance. Okay, well, in response, I'd say no. Firstly, in terms of the visuals, I think Avatar Way of Water is a horrible looking film.

I would refer everybody to the fact that there was actually a lawsuit by Roger Dean against the first Avatar, which had clearly ripped its ideas off of his album cover designs. The lawsuit was thrown out, but wrongly so. So, its visuals are... Is that an American court case? I believe it was. Yeah, it says Judge Jesse Firmman, so that does sound American, doesn't it? That happened. Anyway, I think the visuals are ugly and I think the digital work is actually bizarrely weightless in a way that I think they should have solved by now. I think that

the immersion in the World of Pandora and talking about the, you know, people coming out of the first film, you know, that I didn't feel like that. I felt completely disengaged from it and I find that the 3D thing, I'll say this, you know, 3D does not work for me. It does work for some people evidently, but I think there are some examples of films which have been improved by 3D. I mean, I think Flash for Frankenstein is better in 3D because it's an exploitation movie in which when Udo Kier pulls a bunch of awful out of Somebody's you know inside and then holds it towards the camera. That's quite Interesting and I like gravity in 3D, but other than that. I don't like it at all

I think the plot is fantastically derivative. I mean some people go, oh, you know If you mention Fern Gully again, I'll get really cross it. Well, sorry, you know, there we go It's that's what it is Fern gully and Pocahontas and all the rest of it. And although actually, in terms of the way of water, it doesn't have the coherence of the first one. Even the first one, they're there to get unobtainium. And the second one, they've forgotten about the unobtainium

and they're just doing something else now to do with the brainstem of whales, but they're not whales, they're some other creature. No, I stand absolutely by what I said. I thought it was completely self-indulgent, fatuous nonsense. I am delighted to hear that some people are having an immersive experience with it.

I'm, and a huge hit. So obviously, as I said at the time, I have no idea how it's going to do, but if so far it looks like it on, this is from Box office Mojo was 497 million worldwide so I mean it's on it's well on the way to hitting the two billion that it needs to to wash its face and Actually from cinema's point of view that's great on Conor's point. Why do you use a sing song nonsense voice when Okay, the movie fine anyone who's a regular listen to this show will know that the voices that I adopt

when talking about anything are nothing to do with. I mean, we all know, that he do not, doesn't talk like that. We all know that Helen Mirham does not talk like Bob Hoskins. We all know that in the film we were just talking about a moment ago, when you suddenly defaulted to a Cockney Geeser thing despite the fact that that's not what the voice sounds like. And when I talk about everything like that, it's because that's the voice that goes in my head with it.

I kind of slightly bridal at having to explain this, but the voices that I talk in are not representations of voices in the real world, they're not based on real characters, they are entirely fictional, and any, what's the phrase? Any resemblance to any living or dead is entirely... It's just, it's just how I talk and I find it funny and I think there's no such thing as a cheap laugh, but I do think that the minute I see Avatar, I'm never going to stop doing that voice. However, the bigger point I would like to make is this, firstly, it does prove once and for all something which I have been saying for years, which is critics don't make any difference to box office. Critics do not hurt movies. I went off on one for 12 minutes about Avatar. Robbie Collin gave it an absolute

slating in the telegraph, Pete Bradshaw, gave me a kicking and guardian. What effect has it had? None. The film is doing rip-roaring box office and clearly is delighting a key part of the audience. So firstly, don't ever come complaining to me that critics killed a movie. And finally, on the subject of fancy filmmaking,

I love fancy films. I am not one of those people who thinks that fancy filmmaking is childish. I thought the three Lord of the Rings movies were the best movies of the year for all three of them in the year that they were released. I thought they were they were fantastic. I think time bandits is one of the greatest movies ever made. I'm a huge fantasy fan. My problem is Avatar is not a good fantasy movie or at least it isn't in my head but I'm delighted that everybody else thought it was.

They're just wrong. Your correspondence is welcome, please, for future weeks, correspondentsacurbino-mau.com. Lots of stuff coming your way, if you're a Vanguard Easter between now and January the 6th. But when we're back, we'll obviously take notice of all this stuff, correspondentsacurbino-mau.com. Okay, can I make something clear?

The debate will continue. No, no, the debate is carrying on. You might get it. I just want to make something absolutely clear. I mean, I know that I sound techy sometimes and I'm very, very aware of the fact that my resting face is apparently in a noise face. But I am delighted, genuinely,

that people are enjoying a movie that I think stinks the place up to high heaven. And the most important thing being, as you have just said, if millions of people are going back to the cinema to watch it, then cinema absolutely needs people through the doors. Yes. And it owes James Cameron a debt. You know, a correspondence account.

A commercial debt if not an artistic one. And this conversation will continue next year. Guest Today, I need no introduction. But so. So here this conversation will continue next year. Guests today need known production. But so, so here's a clip from there, film, which is about to be on Netflix. Yes. Glass onion. Mr. Braun, I've learned through better

and experienced that an anonymous invitation is not to be tried forward. Okay, look, come on. I'd love to have you visit me in my home. There, you've been invited. Well, you're an official guest now I'd love to have you visit me in my home. There, you've been invited. Well, you're in official guests now. Thrilled to have you. I mean, relax.

Enjoy yourself. Hey, try to solve the murder mystery if you can. I don't want to do it my own horn, but it's pretty next level. I'm gonna foil. I'll see you at the pool. That's a clip from Glass-Sonyen, a knives-out mystery written and directed by Ryan Johnson. Hello, Ryan. Hello. It stars Daniel Craig. It's Ben Marbleong.

Hello, Daniel. How are you doing? I'm doing very well. Thank you. We're speaking on the day after the premiere. Mm-hmm. And it was very, very interesting to watch a movie so close to all the people who are responsible for it.

But I was intrigued to know what it was like for you. Is it comparatively rare to see a movie with all the cast with a full house, whooping and applauding all the way through? I, yes, I suppose it is very rare and what a wonderful thing. I mean, sort of confirmation of why we do this. And listen, we thought the gags were funny, but it doesn't necessarily mean everybody else is going to think the gags are funny. So when you get that reaction and when you get, and they're not just the gangs, but sort of picking up on what's going on

on the plot and getting all the kind of into, you know, all the stuff that just brilliant writer has put in there and everybody appreciating that. It's just, it's a win-win. Do we laugh in all the right places, right? There's no wrong places. There's no wrong places. You'll have any place you'll like, we'll take it.

No, yeah, yeah. We're in that proud. There's no wrong place. You can't live any place, you can't take it. We're not proud. We're a broad church. Is it just one of the things that you do? Or was it actually genuinely reaffirming to hear an audience that size reacting like it is? Oh, it's reaffirming, it's relief, it's the best. I mean, it's the reason really these movies are made.

They come from me remembering what it was like to watch the I Get the Christie adaptations when I was a kid, death on the Nile, evil under the sun, and just how they felt like the most fun experience you could have at the movies. And this was made to try and capture that and kind of do that again. And so to see an audience having a good time, that's the whole reason for being for all of this. As the lights were going down, I'm sure I heard someone shout,

everybody take your seats. God knows you're that. That's a thing. I think it's a very rude. It was someone doing an impression of Daniel Craig. That's what I was thinking. Rages. I was thinking it's your movie.

Well, there's events which, you know, there's lots of people to thank and there's lots of people because it's the end. It was a wonderful festival. I'm just like these people have been sat here for a while and let's get on with this. I don't like people, keep people waiting. You were speaking for everybody. There's lots that we can't say about the film, but introduces to the movie so that when we go and see it, we know a little bit about what's going on. So this is called Glass Onion. It's the follow up to Knives Out and it's another murder mystery with Daniel playing Benoit Blanc, the detective. But it's not really a sequel.

It's not a continuation of the last story. It's like a whole new Agatha Christie novel. So it's a whole new cast, whole new mystery. In this case, there's a private invitation that this billionaire gives to his friends and Benoit Blanc to come to his private island in Greece to play a murder mystery game. And as you can probably bad things go awry. I was listening to the song, glass on you, to see if there were any clues in there. And I was going through the lyrics line by line. And I concluded that there weren't any clues to be found. But the song is kind of about the illusion of a mystery

that isn't actually there. The song is drawn, you know, having fun with all the conspiracy theories that fans had made about their lyrics. And that itself also kind of plays into the film. It's in a fun way, I think. Becoming Benoit Blanc, is it all about the accent is there a posture and a gate that you have to slip back into, Daniel?

Was it just wardrobe? Just wardrobe. Start from the shoe, it's darling. I, yes, all of those things. I mean, it's sort of me sitting in front of my computer with my acting coach and just sort of sitting and talking and just talking up through and getting in there. And I'm a big Jack Taty fan.

There's a little bit of an homage to him in it and sort of like they've kind of just, but not just to spoil anything, the sort of the part of the movie where he's one thing and not the part of the movie where he's one thing and not the part of the movie where he's another thing. And both of those had to be as accurate as possible. I don't find accents easy. I'm not a mimic or I'm a very bad mimic.

And so I have to work really hard, but once it's in, it affects you. And as that accents goes, it's difficult. It's not the hardest American accent. I mean, whether I get it completely accurate, I'm not sure, but what I wanted to do is it, I need to sound like me. It's nice to sound like a human being, that's all.

And when you're writing a story like this, Ryan, is it exactly the same as any other screenplay, or if you're writing a who-done it and who-done it and a why-done it, do you start at the end, do you start with the puzzle and sort of work backwards, or is it just another screenplay? Now, in many ways it's like another screenplay because kind of the trick of approaching these movies, for me, is to not approach them as puzzles or as even really mysteries first, but they're really narratively more like comedy thrillers. And so it's trying to figure out how to keep an audience engaged, give a truly satisfying

ending in terms of a narrative as opposed to just satisfying with being a surprise. And then the mystery elements are kind of then layered within that. So that's kind of the second step. But in terms of it's the same job as any movie, it's trying to keep an audience entertained and keeping their butts from going numb. Do you worry about spoilers? Yeah, but we have this experience with the first movie. I think people are cool. I think critics and audiences alike, we don't really have much spoiled online in the first movie. And I think

if people see a movie and enjoy it and recognize a part of the enjoyment is kind of the thrill of discovery. They're going to want their friends to have that enjoyment also. And so yeah, I mean, you're always worried about but I'm not that worried because I feel like we're going to be all right, you know. And I guess we learned from your last film, people can keep secrets. They do, I mean, amazingly, and refreshingly and wonderfully so. Because the assumption was, in the internet age,

everything is out immediately, and that just isn't the case. Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I think things changed over the past couple of years, though. I think it used to be much more like that. It was sort of like, maybe it was a free-for-all in that sense, and everybody was sort of out to spoil things. Tell us about where you filmed its spetsis. Tell us about the location and what that was like because I think you all kind of stayed there didn't you?

We were staying in, when we were in Greece we were staying in separate places, but we filmed in one place at this place called Villa 21. Villa 20, yeah. That's what I was talking about. There's a good note to go, which is an amazing location. We went, we're on the mainland, which is an amazing location. We went, we're on the mainland, so the island is in fact not real, so that was sort of done all in post. But how amazing, it was hot, but that was the worst. And we were still in lockdown, and that

kind of restricted us in many ways. But I was very keen to get everybody together, so I sort of had a kind of big, I threw a cocktail party like as quick as I got keen to get everybody together, so I sort of had a big, no, I threw a cocktail party like as quick as I got there to get everybody. You make it sound like it was Mama Mia 3. Yeah, without music. Without music. Without me singing, which is a blessing for everybody. You mentioned lockdown and you have not a lot of fun, but there are lots of references to COVID particularly at the beginning. And it's interesting to see how it works its way into a story, just masking and hygiene and the idea of distancing, which actually was quite liberating, I would have thought.

Yeah, I mean, I also wrote this movie in 2020. I wrote it during while we were, I were sitting at home during the middle of lockdown. A big part of these movies is taking a genre I love, but that has mostly been done as period pieces as I get the Christie adaptations and setting it very much in the present moment. It would have felt, and we handled it with a very light touch, I think, because it's a very serious thing, and these are not incredibly serious movies, but it would have felt strange to have this thing. We all went through not represented it all, I think, you know.

It's the second time you've mentioned Agatha Christie. And I interviewed a crime writer, Ragnar Yurnison, who's one of Iceland's great crime writers. And his first job in publishing was translating 16 or 17 Agatha Christie movies into Icelandic. Wow. And from that he says his interest in crime came. And I found that very interesting because he's a very edgy contemporary writer. And yet sometimes Agatha Christie is dismissed as not sort of relevant to him. Yeah.

Which I think anyone who actually knows her work knows that she was an incredibly innovative writer and she was transforming the genre with every new book that she did and doing things that frankly if we did them today in the movie people would say my god You're subverting expectations. What would I get a christie thing? She was doing that every single time and that's the other thing that I'm hoping to Reach towards with these movies is to have that same amount of constant reinvention and have each film be as different and as innovative as Christie's books were. There's a movie which you've mentioned right, a number of times, which I now need to definitely go and see. Last of Sheila. Yeah. Written by Stephen Sondheim. And Anthony Perkins. Anthony Perkins. Yeah. And it just sounds like the perfect

primer for coming to see this movie. Or it's spoiler, I don't know. No, not at all. We take kind of it's very lately kind of the setup is a reference to the film, but there's no, it's not like there's anything woven into it, but you should have some. We borrowed. Yeah, yeah, but you should see it. Definitely see it. It's so cute. Yeah, it sounds, and it has a terrific cast. I wonder in these castes. As between you, you've been involved in two of, the greatest movie franchises in history.

When you're working on this project, you're starting, it's a new property. It's sort of, although it's familiar to us in the genre, it's sort of brand new. Is that quite liberating? Yes, simply for it. It's incredibly liberating, but it's also, you know, I mean, I've been talking with Ryan for years

about working together and I've wanted to get together. Just being Ryan wrote a great script when you get there aren't many of them around. And when you get one it's like it's such a joy and something that makes you laugh out loud when you read it. That's what's liberating. The fact that you're sort of like, okay, we can do something good with this. I mean, how fortunate am I? I mean, I mean, I mean, I sort of just chance to do with this amazing thing in my life, with Bond and for this to come along

and to play with Ryan. Did you take anything out of it, so? I don't steal anything. I think that acts as a kleptomememiac. Well, actually, that's true. I don't want that I'm saying that. I'll have that one. I'll have that souvenir. And Ryan, when you were watching it go through,

I mentioned the premiere just at the start of our conversation. Did you see anything in there that you thought, oh, I could go back and just go back and change. Always. Always. Always. Give me just one more chance, and I'll get the next one right That's how you have to feel coming out of anything. Yeah, yeah When Sam Endes was on the program, I think he was talking that sky full

But he was saying he has to be dragged away It's reaching fingernails coming away from the avid just yeah, like let me keep cutting And is it is it the same from an axis point for you? You can just go back so can't wait to go back. I just can't wait so much. I could go back and so, you know, I've done this. And I'm looking at stuff that I know people have just, they're not, it's not on their radar.

And, you know, and I shouldn't be just watching myself. It's like, because there are other things and other wonderful people on screen. But I kind of, that's, I wish I could go back and change so many things. And our assumption is there are more to come. I mean, as long as we're definitely- Yeah, we can get it right.

Yeah, jimma, jimma, jimma. Yeah, we can do it. I mean, I think if we feel like we can't get it right, then we won't do it. Yeah, I mean, we, or if we stop, I'm fun, you know. What do we get next when you run? Well, I, I mean, right now, my plan is to dive right into the next one of these.

I mean, honestly, I have other things that are floating in my head, but there's nothing more creatively exciting to me right now than figuring out what could a third permeation of this be that's as different from the first two as this one was from the second, and that I don't know the genre and the form. I feel a bit addicted. I feel like it has so much potential to be so many different things. That to me is the most exciting thing at the moment. Daniel, will you get next for me? I don't know. I mean, I'm just sort of taking it easy and taking

things slowly right now just to get this out the way. Sell this and then we'll see. Daniel Craig Rangeland,, thank you very much. And deep your time. Thank you. Thank you for your pleasure. Love you to see you. Sell this and then have a time off, which is exactly what they're doing.

Daniel Craig and Rian Johnson. And just hearing Daniel, because I did the interview before the movie came out in the cinemas briefly. Yeah. Before it came out. It's one week, it plays seven days at play. Now it's on Netflix.

You know, when Daniel Craig said, how lucky am I, how fortunate am I? I think it's quite interesting that he said it with some feeling I thought that you come out of bond and you are so identified with a very successful franchise and he's kind of slipped into another. Another one, yeah. And you would, of course, there's gonna be a third.

And a character who could not be more different and clearly who he is having great fun playing. I mean, we talked about glass on you And you would of course there's going to be a third and a character who could not be more different and Clearly who he is having great fun playing. I mean we talked about glass onion when it opened for that one week in the cinema Obviously most people will see it on Netflix I think it will prove a huge Christmas favorite. I really enjoyed it. I think it's It's really interesting to see what Ryan Johnson has done in terms of reinvigorating the who done it. You have to see the last of Sheila. The last of Sheila is mad.

I mean, it's really dark. It's really strange. It won't spoil anything about glass onion. I wonder whether the top production team can we find that if the last of Sheila is available anyway, because it's really worth seeing. But the performance is in you know, great fun. I mean, I really enjoyed seeing it on the big screen because the design of the, you know, the island

and the literal glass-on-you-n-in, which the whole thing kind of seems to play out. Look spectacular on the big screen, but I don't think there's only, there's no question that with dialogue, this crackling and performance is this enjoyable. Anyone's gonna lose very much at home. And it's on Netflix from today.

It's on Netflix from today and check it out. And I think it's perfectly, it is exactly as they think, if you need a film to watch Orphamy and everyone is gathered multi-generational, you can kind of get it, you can see why this is gonna be a huge hit. And it does remind viewers of a certain age, meaning me, that when I was a kid, our whole family went to see murder on the Orient Express, and our whole family went to see Death on the Nile.

It was a family trip out, and it was, you know, it was, again, I mean, actually not unlike the disaster movie. You know, you made the joke about it's like Mama Meer without the songs, but with a murder. But it's also like a disaster movie, but without the disaster but a murder. You know, you made the joke about it's like Mama Mia without the songs but with a murder. But it's also a like a disaster movie, but without the disaster but a murder. You know, it's a bunch of people who you, you know, you want to be in the company of them playing these characters on some kind of exotic setting, whether it's a tower or a boat or an island or whatever.

Something happens and then they all have to run around being entertaining. The last of Sheila is available on US Amazon. So if you had a VPN, I haven't got one of those, but I understand all the attractions of having one. That's the way to do it. Okay. Yeah, I, you know, if I was going to pick one, which one would it be? Well, I did pick one, in fact. I do have NordVPN on my computer right here, right now. So there we go. So you can actually watch it.

I can actually watch it right, while you're doing whatever you want. I could just turn on my NordVPN and I could just watch away. Class only and then on Netflix from today. And once you've seen it, we'd love to know what you think about it. Correspondence at kermada-mau.com. The correspondence will continue.

Although, obviously, won't be in the chart, but it's obviously going to be a big part of the festive season, so we'd like to know what you think. Anyways, the ad's in a moment, Mark. But first... Your opinion, is it? First, it's time to step once again into our very exciting and very beautifully crafted laughter lift. It's so tough. Excellent. Hey! Going down. Hey, Mark.

It's so good. What currently tops the charts on the planet Pandora? No, it's not Iful 65, I'm blue. It's in the Navi by the, by the Cheyade of Village people. Why don't the Navi smoke cigarettes, Mark? Not even players, Navi cut, because they have a tar. Because they have a tar. Yes, and players, Navi cut, I think, are Never tar, good fact. Yes, and players Navi cut, I think, are super heavy tar. That's very good. There's lots and lots of tar.

Yeah, there's a lot of tar. Anyway, it's nearly here, Mark. Navi dead. Actually that, extra, extra Christmas bonus joke. Also, Noel, Vynachten, Jules Tide, Krimbo, Jure, a magical day for most of the world, but unfortunately, not for the good lady's ceramicist herendors. Due to an unfortunate incident when she was younger, she has a terrible fear of being trapped

in an enclosed space with Santa. She has claustrophobia. That's very good. Very good. I mean, it's cracker, tasty. Mark, you remember in last week's laughter lift that I had no idea what my job's... Mark, you remember from last week's laughter lift

that I still have no idea what my wife's job is. That's right. Well, I discussed it with her at length this week, as you can imagine, but it's still hard to say. She sells seashells by the sea shore. And she's a ceramicist. What's still to come? Pale blue eye.

I can tell how much you and I will both be talking about. Kosage and I want to dance with somebody. And can I just say that those jokes are written by producer Simon Pull who took his whole family to see Avatar the Way of Water and they all thought it was a massive pile of poo. We'll be back after this unless you're a van Gogh Easter in which case your service will not be interrupted. 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 PetGasd. Visit ScotiaBank.com slash welcome offer. Scotia Bank conditions apply. And we're back. We always love your emails. Thank you very much for sending in the correspondence, which comes to correspondence at covidameyer.com just to heads up on this next email, which does contain a reference to suicide from John In's London, John thanks for the email. Tonight my sister and I braved the cold and headed to the BFI Southbank for a

screening of my favorite film of all time, Frank Capra's classic It's a Wonderful Life. One of the advantages of your favorite film being a Christmas film, you'll guaranteed cinema screenings at least once a year, which it hadn't occurred to me, that's absolutely your tree. I've seen this beautiful film around 50 times, two or three times every Christmas for the last 20 odd years. With this screening hit different. You see, back in April, I had my own George Bailey moment, things had been getting on top of me for some time,

and after a particularly bad day where everything went wrong, I was intent upon ending things. I don't know what stopped me, I'll probably never know. Certainly wasn't a guardian angel showing me how things would be if I'd never existed, but something did prevent me in that moment. The last eight months have been a matter of rebuilding, trying to get myself confidence and worth back, trusting myself again, reminding myself how much I am loved by those closest to me, every day giving myself reasons to still be here and trying to be thankful for being so.

Tonight was a key point in my recovery. To watch a film where the key plot point is somebody in that same dark place that I was is a crucial part of facing up to what nearly happened. At the moment where George stood on the bridge my sister took my hand and held it, letting me know that I'd be okay. We both cried a lot and I thanked her for being there for me at the end of the film. I can honestly say that I've never been so emotionally affected by a cinema screening. For a film that you've seen as many times as I've seen this to suddenly hit me this hard, for me to appreciate it on a whole different level.

That is the power of cinema and storytelling through film. And watching with others in a cinema setting just adds to the appreciation. After all, no man is alone who has friends. John and East London. Thank you. And you can, I mean, I appreciate the email

and appreciate you wanting to get in touch and telling us that, because you can almost appreciate, that it can be your favorite film. And then all of a sudden, if you've been in that place, then you watch it and it becomes a different movie altogether. I mean, I'm sorry, that sort of slightly reduced me to tears. So the Samaritan's number, by the way, save you looking up for it if you need it, 116123. We appreciate all the emails and

If you'd like to get in touch for the new year correspondence at kubernetes.com lots of other stuff to review Yes, the pale blue eyes you're pointing out somebody said oh you only did a sniffy avatar review because because your interview pulled out Wasn't avatar that the interview pulled out of it's pale blue eyes Why are we we weren't I don't think we were ever offered an Avatar interview, so we were. Well, we didn't ask for one. Anyway, there we go. So, Paul Bluoy, which is a Gothic-inflicted murder mystery thriller from writer at the Scott Cooper, whose impressive CV includes Crazy Heart, Out of the Furnace, which I like

very much, Hot Styles, which is one of the very few films to feature a Yeh Bahar on the soundtrack. So what? A Yeh Bahar, it's an instrument of which there was only one at the time that they made hostiles. It literally looks like a bed turned into a strange cacophonous metal instrument, and it makes a sound like a synthesizer, it's really weird.

I'm not making this up. So the film is adapted from a novel by Louis Baile, which I confess I haven't read. Set in 1830, Christian Baill is Augustus Landle who is called in to investigate an apparent suicide at the US military academy at West Point. Whilst he is there he meets the young Edgar Allan Poe played by Harry Melling known to audiences as Dudley Dursley and apparently grandson of Patrick Trouten. Blimey, blimey, blimey. Um, who does a great job also of reminding us just how much egg gerala and poe looks like

Daria or a gentle because I don't know what Daria a gentle looks like. It looks like Harry Melling as a gerala and poe is what he looks like. So poe is great with puzzles and mysteries and there is a hanged man, you know, this is this suicide was a hanging but it becomes very evident early on it, you know, it wasn't a hanging, it looks like it was something suspicious. There was a piece of paper clouched in his in his hand and Landre and Poe pieced together the evidence and concluded that firstly it wasn't suicide. Secondly, there is something of the night about this case. Toby Jones is Dr. Daniel Markey,

and Julian Anderson is his very, very difficult wife, Julia, his equipment. Please let me introduce you to my wife, Julia. I've heard so much about you. That's a pleasure. Aren't you the gentleman inquiring after Mr. Fry's death? I am.

Well, we were just discussing the matter. Indeed, my husband informs me that despite his own heroic efforts, the body of Mr. Fry has been judged too far along for public display. Hmm. His poor parent. No, no, no, no. are along the public display. He is poor, parent. No, no, no, no. Well, his whole matter has shaken us. Be assured, I won't rest until we've apprehended him. Gillian Anderson is enjoying the highlight of the show.

And looking in sound like Margaret Thatcher. And what, which of course she played, in his... You don't get from that clip is Toby. Well, there's Toby who's just a presence, but it is fantastically cold this movie. And it is, it's, I mean, in other contexts, you think that was like a Christmas card scene

because the snow everywhere and Christians got snow in his beard and everything. And this snow on her bonnet and this snow on Toby's head. But Jillian Anderson clearly relishing the challenge to me. And actually, as the film goes on, her character becomes more inadvertent, comers difficult, leading to a spectacular dinner table scene, redefining the concept of difficult. Of being difficult, yeah.

So both the film and the novel take their title and inspiration from the Telltale Heart. So this is both a Who Done It and a kind of origins of a Gerala and Poe and you know, where all this stuff comes from. It does have an atmosphere to it. I think that Mellie is terrific as Poe. I think he's really, really good. He is one of a number of actors like Christian Baill, Toby Jones, Simon McBurney, Tim Spall, all putting US actors out of jobs, totally, while playing Americans, apparently more convincingly than Americans

can do it, which is kind of interesting. I mean, I think Scott Cooper is very good at atmosphere and the first thing you said, as you know, he said, it's very cold. It has a chilling feel to it. And of course, it is a chilling tale, as I said, you know, you said it's very cold. It has a chilling feel to it. And of course it is a chilling tale, as I said, it has something of the night about it. And it is on one level a tale in a very agarallan poe way of, we're all doomed. We're all doomed.

And I mean, it's a little angriest. And the fight, what I think we have to be described as the fourth act is like what? Really? Yeah. But I did enjoy it. I mean, it's in cinemas, limited cinemas release, and then it's on Netflix from January the 6th. And what it has is, it has, and people were talking about, um, avatars being immersive, which I didn't find it to be immersive at all, but I did find myself immersed in the world of the pale blue art and shivering.

Yes, in as much as I wanted to wear a coat and a scarf and a hat and some gloves and have a warm toddy and have a fire going at the same time because it's very, very cold. But I can't let you like it, do you? I thought it was terrific. And just when you go through that cast list, I think it's amazing. And they all put in very fine performances. And Christian, I always find Christian Bell very compelling to watch, but opposite him, Harry Melling matches him. And so well, you know, well done to him. He's, I think Harry made me one day will get to speak to him.

Who knows? Who knows? But you worry if you're listening. So all of those actors, you know very well, and I've seen in countless films. Who knows? Who knows? But you worry if you're listening. So all of those actors, you know very well and have seen in countless films. Harry Melling is the one that you haven't seen in, I mean, obviously there's Harry Potter,

but that's for that to work. I didn't even say, I didn't recognize him. But you watch it and think, we're gonna see a lot of you. We are, we're gonna see a lot of you. Very good. Yes. And you can do accents. Pale blue eye is the movie.

That's a cinema release. That's not a kind of cinema. A cinema and then Netflix from the sixth. All's a cinema release. That's not a kind of cinema. The cinema and then Netflix from the sixth. All right, okay. What else do we have? A corsage, which is a drama by Austrian director, Marie Kroitsa, who made the fatherless

and the ground beneath my feet. This is Austria's submission for the 2023 International Film Oscar. Apparently trivia fans, one of five Austro-German productions about the Empress Elizabeth of Austria released between 2021 and 2022, one of five. The others being cis, Elizabeth, the Empress and Cicci and I, or is it Cicci, the other one, that one? Anyway, there are five of them. It's

a fictional account, so it mixes fact and fiction. It's set across a year in her life. Christmas Eve 1877. She's turning 40. She is deemed to be there for an old woman, but she is very much not that she is a rebellious person. She's played by Vicki Kreeps, who of course was so brilliant in Phantom Threat, and who shared the uncertain regard best performance winner at Cannes in May, you know, the uncertain regard category, which is the films at the festival views, uncertainly. Hmm. How do you view something uncertain?

No, it's not what it means. Uncertain regard doesn't mean it's a famous, anyway. So her Elizabeth of Austria, Empress Elizabeth is rebellious, she smokes, she thinks independently, she has little interest in her husband but not in other men, he's clipped. There's something rather right I like you. They were waiting with TV, I was told you didn't say good day. I know, I made it very badly,

but something was telling me to come and see the steve. How is Trident? Still no ring? He doesn't say a lot does he? She does all of that. That could be pale blue eye, but there's without the snap. Without the snap.

If you just heard that, you can imagine Toby Jones standing just to the right, looking disapproving. So, as I said, the film is a liberal mix of fact and fiction that are like to say that she can't actually remember what's true and what's not. For example, there is apparently no historical record of Elizabeth Evermeeting Louis de France, who was a pioneer historical record of, Elizabeth Evermeeting, Louis Lepranse,

who was a pioneer of cinema of the moving image, but the film constructs a meeting between them in which she becomes the subject of one of his early short reels, and it's a lot to do with image and the way that image is preserved, going from painting to photography and photography, meant to be objective, but it isn't, but he makes a sort of argument about the way

that the moving image is more objective than the standing image. Film is also full of an acoustic tropes, including a minstrel at one point singing, help me make it through the night. And so that obviously calls to mind Sophia Coppola's Mary Antoinette, which of course famously had anachronistic pop songs.

And that then was a trope that was repeated in WWE, the Madonna film, for which you interviewed Andrea Ricebrough. Well, remember, although the director of this film has said that she doesn't want anyone to be thinking about Mariantraunette, which the answer is, well, you know, slightly hoist by your own petard there. It's an interesting film. I don't think it's quite as brilliant as some critics do. I mean, some colleagues of mine have really, really taken to it and thought it was great. I think it's, it's got some ambitious ideas.

I was thinking about, you know, in Catherine Colberti, which is one of my top 10 films of the year, I absolutely loved it. They've got that thing about the reworking of popular tunes, again, put in anachronistic, that's another thing that that fits into. I think this is interesting. It's quite hard. It's not a particularly emotionally engaging watch immediately, all of the performances are all individually strong. I think it's an interesting film with some ambitious ideas. I don't think it's great. I think it's fine and interesting, but I didn't love it. Got our respondents from www.commanamand.com.

What else do we have? Oh, we got Winnie Houston. Yes, I want to dance with somebody which is the biopic of Winnie Houston, directly because he lemons who made he was biome, black nativity and Harriet, um, about Harriet Tubman. So Naomi Ackie, who you will remember was the one of the leads in that film that you interviewed Johnny Flynn for just recently. The name of which is the score. I remember and Johnny Flynn was very, very good. So she

is Whitney Houston, Clark Peters, who I love, who I've had the privilege of interviewing and he's just just really good. He's a top man. He's her father, John Houston, Roger, and he's a mother, Sissy Houston, and Stanley Tucci is Clive Davis. There is the man who signs Whitney to a rister, promises her that he will never get involved in her private life, because I don't get involved in the personal lives of my artists, but I will always be there for you musically. As in this clip, when he's helping her to find the right song. Maybe? Maybe. I know you're thinking of me. I tried to bump into the music. Maybe? Maybe.

Why? I know if he really loves me. I stay up right with every heartbeat. You know, I could do something with the chorus. Go up the key there, get me right there. Yeah, but that's not a reason to do a song. It's gotta have a hook. A hook? Yeah.

I'll give it a hook. And that's what she looks amazing. Yeah. I know. I have to say, he has a really impressive selection of receding hairlines during the course of the movie. Because obviously the movie goes over several years in indeed decades. So this feature follows in a number of documentaries and programmes and articles about the life of Whitney Houston. So most recently we had the Kevin MacDonald documentary, which is

2018, which itself was preceded by the Nick Brumfield documentary Whitney Can I Be Me? And if you remember, because I think did you interview Kevin? I did, he did find it. And his film had the blessing of the Houston State, which meant that they had an awful lot of archive footage, which I think Nick Brumfield didn't have access to. And Kevin McDonald said, I think in that interview that you did with him, he said that he hadn't been a Whitney Houston fan, but her agent, Nicole David, had said to him, look, I don't understand why she ended the way she ended.

And I want you to make a documentary to help me find out. And if you remember in that film, MacDonald comes up with what he calls a smoking gun. Yes. And the smoking gun is a really sort of horrifying thing at the end of which involves child abuse. Now, that does not feature in this film. And I have read subsequently that there has been some controversy about that particular smoking gun. What does feature in this biopic is her relationship with Robin Crawford, her marriage to Bobby Brown, the declaration that it wasn't Bobby Brown, who introduced her to drugs, that that, that, you know, precedes it.

And the late period dissent into the collapsing the things that the film is setting out to do is to correct a perceived imbalance which is that everything else about Whitney Houston so far has been about what went wrong and what this is trying to do is to go well these are the things that went right and these are the things that she is so you can see I mean I'm just reading this from having seen the film so I only literally only just saw it. It's a film which is setting it out to redefine the narrative partly by restructuring it, but by saying, can we not just concentrate on the tragic elements?

Can we also concentrate on the things, so we get all the highs, we get the early pop hits, we get the famous thing about being booed at the Soul Train Awards for being two milk toast, and then we get the National Anthem being son of the Super, which if you remember in that Kevin McDonald documentary, there was a brilliant thing about changing it

from a Waltz time, a 3, 4, 2, or 4, 4, and what that actually meant and taking its lead from Marvin Gaye. Naomi actually is terrific. I mean, it's a very, very good performance by her. It gets the right ups and downs. And the design is good enough to make you think, oh sorry, yeah that's not, I'm actually, I'm watching a reconstruction rather than watching

the original thing. It also, it does have emotional high points, and what's fascinating about those high points? I tiered up a few times, and most of the times that I tiered up was when you know, Whitney was knocking a power ballad out of the ballpark because that was something that, you know, blind me. I mean, I've never been a big Whitney Houston fan, but wow, you know, you kind of forget how much those things are spinding. And with three or four moments that I teared up and they were all musical moments,

they weren't moments of grief or, I mean, obviously, there is grief and anguish in some of the music, but they were moments in which the music grabbed me and moved me and I have to say it's long. It's you know, it's two hours 20 minutes long It's not the body-holy story, but then very few things are But it's pretty solid. It's more upfront than I expected it to be. It's in cinemas boxing day as is corsage That's the end of take one. However, if you're a Vanguard Easter, there will be so many extra takes over Christmas. So many. The fact that we're overflowing.

So you'll have Christmas Eve show, you'll have a Christmas day show, the 12 takes of Christmas. So in fact, you won't be able to get rid of it. You'll be like the guest that we like. You trying to get rid of me. You know, the crazy uncle that's still there on January the 12th. Anyway, but for now, that's the end of take one. Production management general all round stuff, Lily Hamley, cameras Teddy Riley, videos Ryan Amiris, Junior Engineer Paul Brogdon, the mix was John Scott, Flynn Rodham was the assistant producer,

guest researcher, Sophie Ivann, Michael Delves, the producer Simon Pulle was the redactore. Mark, what is your film of the week? You know, I think I want to dance with somebody. Thank you for listening. Our extra takes with a bonus review, a bunch of recommendations, and even more stuff about the movies, going to be with you tomorrow for Christmas Eve. Thank you for listening. Thank you for listening.