Kermode & Mayo’s Take - Nicholas Hoult, Renfield, One Fine Morning, Obsession

Episode Date: April 14, 2023

Super subs Rhianna Dhillon and Anna Bogutskaya stand in whilst Mark and Simon are away. Nicholas Hoult talks to Rhianna about taking center stage as Dracula’s long-suffering servant in ‘Renfield��, plus he discusses sharpening his craft alongside Nicholas Cage once again. Anna reviews ‘One Fine Morning’ - a French film about a single mother struggling to take care of her father who has a neurodegenerative disease; ‘Obsession’ a Netflix drama from directors Lisa Barros D'sa and Glenn Leyburn about an esteemed doctor who has a steamy affair with his son's girlfriend, as well as comedy-horror Renfield.  Time Codes (relevant only when you are part of the Vanguard):    11:25 One Fine Morning Review  21:49 Box Office Top 10   33:43 Nicholas Hoult Interview   48:24 Renfield Review  52:28 Laughter Lift  53:51 Obsession Review  01:02:37 What’s On  EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! You can contact the show by emailing [e-mail] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo 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

With banking packages from Scotiabank, 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. Scotiabank conditions apply. Hello and welcome to the take. I would say Komodo Mayo take except it's clearly not. It's Rihanna Dylan and Anna Bogart Skaya. Hello. Hi. Hi. We're the superstubs, right? That's what you get to know ourselves. The most superstubs We are super, super subs. I always love doing the show, but can I just say?

Yeah, I'm so excited for today. I am giddy, I am ecstatic. I am literally just jumping in my chair. I know the engineers will hate that sound, but it's worth it. The squeals we let out when we saw each other. It's so exciting to do this, because we both have done the show before,

we've done the take before, but never with each other. And it feels exciting to do this because we both have done the show before, we've done the take before, but never with each other. And it feels like the stars have finally aligned. I know. For the listeners and for people watching this on YouTube. They've never met before. There's the first time and it's instant love. It's like love at first podcast. The joy. I'm so excited about this. So Anna, I'm trying to think when was the first time that we met? Oh my god, I don't remember. I don't remember but since it whatever it was, we have developed a lovely relationship. You're in my wedding. I know. We've podcasted together a few times. You podcast more with my husband actually. I do. Me and your husband have a little podcast. I'm going on right now.

I think they're like four podcasts that we're doing together. You've spoken to my, so many more times this week than I have. In fact, you spent much more time with him than I have, which is fine. I mean, go for it. It's an infiltrating your marriage via podcasts with the both of you. I'm okay with it. So, tell us, you have got so much, you are one of the busiest women I know. Tell me what is going on in your life. I think this is a stigma that's attached to me, because most of the time I'm like,

I'm not doing enough. That's so not true. Every time you have a different project going on in half, I want 10. Yeah. Well, that's because you're psychotic. Yeah, that is also true. Uh, no, it's been, I mean, sometimes do you ever get this

Reana? Because, you know, we do a similar job, we do a lot, we're both film critics, we do a lot of talking and broadcasting, we're both right, you know, we both like go to a lot of things, go to a lot of the screening events, you know, the benefits of living in the Ornier London. And, do you ever get those feelings? And when you're walking down the street and you you know, the benefits of living in the or near London. And do you ever get those feelings? And when you're walking down a street and you're like, I can't believe I get to do this for my job.

Yes. I do. You've been doing this for such a long time as well. I've been doing it for just over a decade, I suppose, 12 years or so. And I do still get that really excited. I think it's when I do projects that feel new, like this feels new, working with you on this, is one of those things that I'm just so excited

that I get to sit opposite a friend and talk about movies. I feel incredibly lucky, it's a great job. Absolutely. And you, so whenever I see you, you're always, like I said, you've always got something new on the go. You've just finished writing a book, is out? It's not quite out yet.

Is it not? No, you very kindly read it, really early on, and gave me a blow, which I'm really deeply thankful for. It's out in May in the States, and it's out on the 9th of June in the UK. It's called the likable female character, is the women pop culture, once you to hate. 9th of June in the UK. It's called the likable female characters, the women pop culture wants you to hate. And honestly, it's because it's weird that I announced that the book existed and that was going to be out the last time I did the show. And then since that happened, there's been actual people, not just friends, broadcasters, other authors who have read it to give me blurbs or you know their feedback on it

actual people who do not know me have read it. Oh my goodness. And it is paralyzing. I kind of tell I do like I love it was always my dream to write a book Yeah, and I'm working on I'm actually working on three others at the moment in different stages Yeah, you don't you don't do enough. Yeah, you're right. God. What a lazy person you are. I know it's disgusting I really should be working on for earlier to get more in Six am was not early enough. Stop it. But The it's this constant dynamic of oh, I want to be seen. I want my work to be out there I want to be a part of the conversation and then when you get to be a part of the conversation Which is one of the greatest privileges of this job. You're like Oh, no, don't look at me. Don't read my stuff. I don't want to be seen. I don't want to be known. Don't don't engage with it. Don't tell me what you think. I know I can do better.

You absolutely can't. You are top of your game. through on today's podcast. So tell us what's coming up on the show. Well, it feels like today's week has been specifically designed for my very different cinematic tastes because we have a vampire comedy starring Nicholas Cage called Renfield. Yeah. We've got the new Mia Hanson movie film One Fine Morning and a new Netflix erotic thriller series obsession. It ticks all of your boxes. I know, it's like, this is all my jam. Plus, our very special guest this week is Nicholas Holt, who plays Renfield in Renfield.

And I just always think how cool must it be to be opposite, playing opposites on a light Nicholas cage? So I asked him quite a lot about that. I can't wait to hear your interview. There's gonna be a lot more stuff in Take 2 for subscribers. Slash the Vanguard. Extra content includes bonus reviews of Raging Bull. It's the 4K restoration.

And I, again, because this is the film that we don't really get to review very often, I'm really fascinated to hear what you have to say about Raging Bull. Because it was the first time you watched the film, wasn't it? Yes. I'm excited. We also have chiro conspiracy. We have the feature pretentious. What? And Anna, this is gonna be your first ever stop at this.

Listen, I'm gonna leave Hillary. I'm very pretentious. I know. Oh, I know. I'm very an apologetic. I'm on my pretension. We've got to take it or leave it. You decide our word of mouth on a podcast feature

this week is Pachinko. I'm so excited to review that. I had not seen the show. No, I'm really, it's wonderful. I'm really keen to hear what you have to say about it. And then we have one frame back, which is of course, all about vampire comedy films. Shrink the Box is also ad-free on Tuesdays,

alongside all our other extra content on the take channel. And you can support us via Apple podcasts or head to extratakes.com for non-fruit related devices. So our first email of the take today is from Andy in Birmingham. Just a quick thought on the way that we pronounce words, more specifically the word pronounced itself and its various forms. On a recent podcast, you, NOS, were discussing Simon's favourite German word and Mark told Simon, his therapist has said, he was pronouncing it wrong. Simon corrected Mark's pronunciation of the word pronouncing, suggesting it was pronouncing instead, even though this is a odds with its spelling. It's probably a regional thing, but as a

northerner, I use nouns in all forms of the word, pronounce, pronouncing and pronunciation, even though the spelling of this suggests I'm wrong, is this a North versus South thing or is there more to it? Also, in reference to Americans, pronouncing words differently, aluminum, Caribbean, et cetera, it's always been a goal of mine for an American

to tell me something is patronizing. And for me to reply, I think you'll find that it's pronounced patronizing. Thanks for the show and the ST production, Andy and Birmingham. A lot to unpack there. And I'm so delighted that we've started the show talking about pronunciations because pronunciation is how I pronounce pronunciation. How do you pronounce pronunciation? I pronounce pronunciation pronunciation. So you pronounce pronunciation? I pronounce pronunciation Pronunciation so wait, but you just said it two different ways you said pronunciation and then you said pronunciation Do you know what this is why I was dreading this I was dreading this email because you know me

You know I'm from multiple places. Yeah, which is where I remember having a drunk in conversation With you and I was so for once. And I think I was like, I know, I just need to ask. Everybody needs to ask. I needed to, I had a hospital appointment just yesterday. And the nurse was like, where are you from? And I'm like, I'm from Spain.

And she's like, no way, so am I. She was from the bass country. So we switched to chatting in Spanish. We had a lovely conversation. And, you know, she was like, I would never tell. And she spent about five minutes telling me the different nuances of my accent. I'm like, oh my goodness.

Madam, I have never even thought that deeply about it. But what? How do you pronounce the word pronunciation in Spanish? Brunonciad is the verb. Brunonciad. Brunonciación. Oh my goodness. Is the noun pronunciation?

Uh-huh. And would you put other different ways of pronouncing that in the North and South Spain? Probably yes. But this is the thing about me. Because I learned several languages at the same time when I was a child. And a lot of them, a lot of my learning came from movies. It meant that I genuinely think this is the reason why I sound vaguely American or vaguely Canadian, depending very much on who I'm speaking to. So as a child, as an immigrant child, I learned

to read the mimic, people's pronunciations, people's mannerisms, and speaking the way that certain words are more usual and more common in different parts of different countries. So I'm using words here having lived in London for almost 10 years now that I have never used in English. In my entire life learning the language. So I really absorb how people speak. That said, I do not have an ear. I don't have an ear from music and I do not have an ear for nuances and pronunciations. So it is so deeply and stintual for me the way

I've always learned languages that sometimes when I read emails like this I'm fascinated because I have not noticed things because they just click into place in my head in a really organic way. I understand that there's some people who learn, people learn in different ways. This is the fact that people learn languages in very different ways. I always learned languages by listening. It really came in through my ear,

and then I sort of mimicked and learned the language that way. So even though I don't make mistakes or typos when I'm writing, and while I do make some typos, but I will blame that on the Google Doc. But that comes from essentially mimicry, and that's the way that I learned Spanish is the way that I learned English, the way that I learned French. So the more I've been merciful on language, the more it stuck to me, and it shifts. You know, the way I spoke English was very different when I lived in Madrid than when I moved to London. And then, you know, essentially, that became my central language of my working and personal life.

I love it. It's so complex, but an absolutely kind of fascinating delve into how people learn languages. I agree. I find it really interesting. I was talking to this nurse yesterday. I was like, she'd been in the UK for 31 years and she said she was, you know, she learned, she, sorry, let me rephrase that. And she said that she had kind of forgotten hearing Spanish in a way because it's not, well, it's not that common. And she was listening to a lot of podcasts at night, Spanish language podcasts just to get going. Which in her ear. I love that. So let's go to our first review. This is One Fine Morning.

So we had a really lovely interview with Mia Hanseluva that Simon did last week, which really opened my eyes to all of the sort of nuanced moments of the film. So let's hear a clip in French of One Fine Morning, and then we'll get to hear what you think about the movie. Est-ce que vous voulez bien me donner son maille? J'aime bien lui être tué. Oui, je vais vous donner le lien parce qu'il a des difficultés pour lire. Il vaut mieux que vous m'écrit de dire et je lui ai dit, je l'irai. On y va bien? Il a des problèmes de santé. Ah, je suis sûr que c'est pas trop grave.

C'est une aide. Pardon, oh pas. So that was our central character, Sandra, getting quite emotional about having to relay the fact that her father was really quite ill. What did you think of this movie, Anna? So I saw this movie for the first time in Cannes at its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last year, and it gave it a five star review then. I don't know. Spoiler, we're going to do that again now because I revisited the film to re-familiarize myself with it and there is something so unique

about me, a Hanson Lovis filmmaking where it is usually quite simple narratives, really simple stories about big emotions, but they never feel slight and they never feel small. You know, because in the case of Sandra and one fine morning, she's a translator, she's played by the LESA-Doo, sporting just as an aside, a very, very beautiful Jean-Cieberg-esque pixie cut. And she's in the middle of two really intense emotional jerseys. On the one hand, her father, who is an academic, who is dedicated his entire life to learning towards two books, is slowly dying through the generative disease, so she has to be his career, but also really wrestle with the idea of his upcoming death, and the slow loss of his faculties.

And the clip that we just played, it's her also having to deal with the logistics of, for instance, this man telling his vast library of sharing that with his former students, with people who knew him, people who don't know him that well. And the devastation of essentially taking apart someone's life's work and life's interest

into just mere books and objects. And on the other hand, apart someone's life's work and life's interest into just mere books and objects. And on the other hand, the big thing that's happening with Sandra is that she starts an affair. She is a single mother to a small child and she runs into this friend, Climond, who's played by Melvin Pupon, who is an amazing, I'm not sure if this is a

made up movie job, is an astrochemist or cosmochemist. So he does something to do with space. It sounds hot and it involves a lot of travel. And it should be, yeah. And they start reconciling their friendship. They're so obviously incredible chemistry between them. And that develops into an affair. But Clamont has a partner who he's been with for 10 years.

He's got a child. So eventually, Sandra becomes the mistress. But their romance is filmed and plays out like a romance. But it is entirely done from her point of view, from the point of view of a mistress who does not fit into the bill of any mistresses that we've seen kind of so far. As you would expect from Mia Hansen-Luvis films, she doesn't really do anything in the way that it's been done before. She's very concerned with the interior life of her characters, especially with the interior life of women. And it is really a beautiful film that is about care, because Sandra is sort of, she's a

care, she's a person who is caring for her child, caring for her father, caring for everyone around her, and has essentially forgotten about herself and put herself on eyes. And this affair, ill advise as it is, the film doesn't really pass any moral judgments. It's not interesting in that. It's interesting in her awakening herself to herself. On the one hand, it's this physical way of awakening through the sexual relationship she has with, come on. And then it's the emotional one of her falling in love and demanding that it is a real relationship, not this, I get you for two hours while your wife is a white doing something.

And you know, this infatuation that she has makes sense because she doesn't need to care for Clamon. She's not performing that role for him. So her time, they're flading time together becomes the only moment where she is getting into herself. So it's, you know, for LASA, do, who's a wonderful performer. time, they're flading time together becomes the only moment where she is getting into herself. So it's, you know, for LASA Do, who's a wonderful performer and sometimes does in the English language at least, roles that are a little bit more to do with how she looks. And I have a bit more of the of the arm candy, bone girl variety, right? Here

she is a woman who is torn between all these different roles. You know, she's a daughter, she's a carer, she's a mother, she's a lover, and which one or which intersection is the one where she exists. It's wonderful and it's just a beautiful film to watch as well. It feels like a bomb, you know, it's shot in a beautiful sunny Paris. Everything is effortlessly gorgeous. And it's realistic. It feels like a realistic interpretation still of Paris, but also of, as you say, of caring because, you know, the depictions of parents kind of growing old and that role reversal

of having to care for your parents on such a level where she's, she's kind of embarrassed to take her father to the toilet, but you cannot go by herself. But it's that very sort of quite, I feel quite British, but clearly quite French thing of like almost repression, where a nurse sort of like scolds her for not being able to take her father to the toilet, but because of embarrassment and she sort of says, you know, you should be grateful for every kind of moment that you have with them. But I can't imagine that would be incredibly hard for somebody who has gone through that in their real lives with their own parents to watch, but also possibly and hopefully quite cathartic.

Yes, and also interesting. I didn't actually know this, but it's loosely inspired as many of her films are by Mia Hanson Louve's own experience with her Aileen father and you know the the seed of the story I'm not calling this autobiographical in any way and I think all her films are personal not necessarily autobiographical and there's a difference but she at the time where she was caring and for her Aileen father she was also falling in love with a new partner. So the weird dissonance between an extremely brilliant joyous experience that is falling in love happening at the same time, a something like you said, really jarring, really deeply sad and difficult

to grapple with, which is the role reversal of care for a person, a parent who you've loved and who's taken care of you for your entire life. Now, going to be reduced to someone who can't take care of themselves. It's really devastating. It is. It's also a very sexy film as well, we should say. I mean, God, the kissing, the snogging in this film is some of the best snogging that I've seen on screen in a very long time. Absolutely. Also, as an outsider, I would love someone to email

in about the word snog, because it's not something I heard ever until I moved to London. I really. But that first kiss, my goodness. Oh my goodness. Sandra and Clamont. Oh my Lord. I was kind of clutching the sofa. I was like, this is, but that first kiss. Oh my goodness. Sandra and Clamont. Oh my lord. I was kind of clutching the sofa. I was like this, this is, but this is what sex should look like on screen. It's chemistry.

It is pure and utter chemistry and we'll get into what happens when there is no chemistry, perhaps later on. We have an email from Lucy who has said, I'm sure I was not the only listener holding my breath during the powerful conversation Simon had with me at Hanson Loover on the subject. Later explored between you both of care homes and the physical impact they can have on their residents. Me as description of her father being hunched over

was exquisitely if painfully observed. While truthfully, I'm looking forward to seeing one fine morning when it's released next week. I suspect kind souls will be staring at me on the tube as I travel home afterwards and applying me with tissues. Note to self, take tissues. So I thought you'd like to know about some uplifting research, which has long fascinated me as a psychotherapist. This research was conducted by a well-known global beauty brand who took their beauticians into care homes in France, offering free makeup and

hair sessions to the residents. What the research showed was that after such interactions, care home residents suffered fewer falls and broken bones, whether it was the well-being impact of having someone engage tenderly one-on-one with residents, or the mood uplift that comes from feeling better about ourselves through beautification. The research shows quite simply that the care home residents stood more upright, walked with more stability and greeted each day with greater confidence and that this resulted in fewer falls.

I'm now off to stock up on tissues. Very best wishes, Lucy. Lucy, thank you so much. What a wonderful email. Really lovely email. And also just a really hopeful one, I think. There is hope in this film. It is not all doom and gloom absolutely not. It is very uplifting and joyful in parts.

If not just seeing the love that Sandra has for her father. But how lovely to have an optimistic take on this as well. I agree. Still to come, we've got reviews of Renfield, the Vampire Comedy Star Nicholas Holton, Nick Cage, and Netflix's new erotic thriller series Obsession. We'll be back before you can say Feeding Time. Christmas. Protect yourself while 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 Nord VPN 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 bank guarantee. The link is in the podcast episode description box. Hi, esteemed 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 16thth 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 Crown's Queen Elizabeth in Melda Staunton. Other guests on the new series include the Crown's research team, the directors, executive from writer and creator Peter Morgan to the crowns Queen Elizabeth in Mel Distant. 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 propsmaster Owen Harrison. Cast members including Jonathan Price, Selim Dor, Khalid Abdullah, Dominic West and Elizabeth Tbicki. You can also catch up with the story so far by searching the Crown, the official podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe now and get the new series of the Crown, the official podcast, first on November 16th. Available wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is brought to you by Mooby, a curated streaming service dedicated to elevating great cinema from around the globe. From myConnect directors to emerging oturs, 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 it 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 Coppola 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 Kermit and Mayo. That's M-U-B-I.com slash Kermit and Mayo for a whole month of great cinema for free. Time for the box office. So at number 12 in the UK box office, it's not charted in the US. It's Rylane.

Just amazing rom-com. Beautiful. Loved it on screen. Lived in peckin' myself. So appreciated so many aspects of this. Have an email saying, dear dominas, MTL and FTE, I just wanted to thank Mark for recommending Rylane. Although I'd seen the trailers and like the look of theTE, I just wanted to thank Mark for recommending Rylane. Although I'd seen the trailers and like the look of the film, I needed a nudge to take

the next step and put tickets. Normally, I hate rom-coms. What? But it was amazing to see Blackjoy, Blacklove, and a different side of the Black Experience represented on screen. Black nerdiness, Black quirkiness, and the Black middle class. We out here. Very often, Black films focus on the

many injustices that people from the African diaspora have been forced to endure. While we have many wonderful and heartbreaking films, it was such a relief to see something so light and warm and not have to go into a film afraid of being traumatized. It also made me question why so many films with black protagonists focus on those at the margins of society, whereas films with white characters are often from the middle and upper classes. I also wanted to commend the soundtrack and the beautiful way the city is shot. I moved to London 15 years ago and love being reminded of how fortunate I am to live here. It felt important to use my money to help send the message that this is the kind of film

we need more of. Down with the Nazis and up with waving to people on boats, Dr. Monique Davis. It's a wonderful email. Could you agree more? Fantastic. Yeah. And I absolutely agree with you. I kept sort of waiting for a policeman to walk down Rylane and it just didn't happen.

And that was genuinely a thrill. So UK number 10, US number 16 is Pussin Boots, The Last Wish. You know what? Good for Antonio Banderas. Good for cats everywhere. Good for cat lovers everywhere. Which is you as a cat owner myself. I mean, I do think my cat Vladimir deserves the Pussin Boots treatment. He deserves a biopic. He's left a, he's left a, you know, lived a really wonderful extraordinary life.

You know, you've not written a kid's book yet. Have you on it? No. Maybe that's the next project. Yes. Maybe it will be about my cat, about my cat moving from Madrid to Barcelona to London. At UK number nine, US number seven, it's Creed three. I really enjoyed Creed three. It was brilliant. It was. And honestly, I understand the Jonathan Major's character is the antagonist. I, he's such a compelling performer, I ended up rooting for him. But it's the same thing that Michael B. Jordan did for me in Black Panther. He sort of flipped it on me. Yeah, and by the end of it, you'll just entose for both of them.

He's a Gravel, and also I really loved the relationship between Creed and his daughter. Yes. Which I'm waiting for the spin-off with her in the lead role. Yes. Because also a deaf, black female boxer. That kind of film is not going to get made unless they do it. Yeah. Less these. Part of the Creed franchise.

Exactly. I can see this in the future. A UK number eight, US number five, it's Scream 6. You know I loved it because your husband and I made a whole podcast about the screen movies. It's called Hello, Sydney. It's great, it's a great podcast. And also the film is, I really enjoyed the film.

I think it was a snowfest. Do you know what I disagree? I was very tense throughout the whole experience. And I actually enjoyed it more than Screen 5, which I liked, but this one I genuinely was gripped. And I think they did a few things that was very new for the Screen franchise. You know, it's an interesting franchise in and of itself

because it needs to constantly up the ante. And this one, you know, they move to New York, it's the continuing characters from Screen 5. And I think, you know, spoilers are a big thing for ScreenFan, so I'm not gonna go into too much detail, but I enjoyed it, although the one thing I will say, and it's a choice, and they stuck with it, doesn't have a smudge humor.

Yes, I agree, because one of the best things about Screen is how funny. They're funny. Yeah, well, they big up Hayden Panasier, always. Yeah, always happy to see her. UK number seven, US number eight, it's Shazam, Fury of the Gods. I sort of feel like less said about this the better.

You know, why does Shabby Subtitles Fury of the film critics? Because God damn, this film was bad. I felt I felt furious at Lucy Luse and Helen Miren's agents for putting them in this. UK number six, US number 25, it's mummies, and neither of us have anything to say on this, because neither of us have, isn't it?

Good for the mummies. UK number five, and it's not charted in the US, it's the Pope's exorcist. Anna, we've not heard about this on the podcast yet. So, I had a wonderful time in the cinema watching this. Oh my goodness, really? It is Russell Crowe in his Hami era where he is going full-tilled,

being extremely everything in every single scene. It's not scary, it really isn't. Is it supposed to be? I think it is, but it's not. I think it really works as a Hami sort of B movie, almost with relatively bad special effects. There's a whole Pope conspiracy. There's the chief Pope exorcist, you know, it's vaguely inspired by the real life cases of Father Gabriella Morph, who's, you know, very, very notable for horror fans because he's part of the inspiration for the XSS film and William

Friedkin has done another film about him and there's been numerous films kind of made about him and his legacy. And Mark has also written one, I think, as well. Yeah, I've written a film. And, but this is, this is just silly. I will tell you one of the why, I cackled many times, not especially when there are multiple shots of Russell Crowe on a teeny tiny mobed rushing through Spain to go attend the dexasism. Oh my goodness. And also when he is such a coffee snob, there's a wonderful scene that I related to a lot. You know, he plays an Italian and an Italian praise and he's somebody offers him a latte. It's, we'll talk about Super Mario later. Okay, got it. But, you know, he, someone offers him a coffee.

He's like, oh, a cafe latte. This time of the day, are you possessed? Which I'm stealing. That's a great idea. Because I'm a coffee smell. Are you okay number four US number three? It's air. So we have an email from David Thompson.

Dear the shoe and the person standing in the shoe, LTL and the production team fanboy I have all their albums. Having just returned from an opening night's screening of Ben Affleck's air in the gloriously restored Odin in Banga, Northern Ireland, I thought I would offer up my thoughts. In short, I thoroughly enjoyed it. In many ways a companion piece in style and feel to Argo, my wife and I laughed nodded along and squirmed at all the right moments.

Matt Damon, Jason Bateman and Ben Affleck can do this sort of thing in their sleep, while Viola Davis continues to be utterly peerless in almost every roll she embodies. Correct. As a director, Ben Affleck has mastered the needle drop, and while at times his scene stealing CEO is 180 sun visor away from going full fame, it's impossible not to root for the whole team. The six laugh test and the under two hour test were both passed, and the film also includes a Martin Luther King fact that leaves one open-mouthed. As perhaps the most famous sports personality of all time, I'm pretty sure Mark won't

have heard of Michael Jordan before, however I'm delighted to say in my opinion the film can be enjoyed by both those in and out of the know. Tinkety Tonk, up with Jason, BHFs and packed out cinemas, David Thompson. So Michael Jordan is not actually in the film? No, which is what one of the things that makes air interesting. So film about Michael Jordan, actually it's a film about a very influential licensing deal that Michael Jordan strikes with Nike. Because on paper that does not sound appealing. Well, there is something to be discussed and we don't have time for this right now, but we probably will in the pub about the recent glut of films around IP and most essentially about the licensing deals.

Tetris being another one. Tetris is another one, Blackberry, which is coming out a little bit later this year is also another another kind of biopic of a product that is coming out, which is a weird format. And air is essentially the biopic of a sneaker, the Air Jordans. And there's multiple different readings about, you know, the impact that it had on Michael Jordans' wealth, the creation of wealth, that it had a Michael Jordan's wealth, the creation of wealth, and also the impact that it had on further deals for other athletes. But as a film, as a whole, I love Ben Affleck as a movie star, as a celebrity, and as a film director. I think he is a wonderful director. I don't think this is necessarily a great film, but it is thoroughly enjoyable. I did laugh. And one person who I think

needs to be shouted out that email to Don't Mention is Chris Messina, who plays Michael Jordan's agent and has one of the all-time biggest laughs in this film, where he goes full hog, goes way up to 12 as angry, belligerent agent. And he's so good at it. And I think he's, you know, I think he's one of the top chrissers out there. And everybody forgets about Macina. Oh, Macina. He's fantastic always. I think I would get PTSD from seeing a really terrifying

agent though, because we've all dealt with them and it's horrifying. Um, UK number three, US number two is John Wick, chapter four of the UK number two, a US number four, it's Dungeons and Dragons, honor among thieves. And then a UK number one and US number two, a US number four, it's Dungeons & Dragons, Honor Among Thieves, and then a UK number one and US number one, it's Super Mario Bros. So we have an email from Andrew and Belfast,

Deer Mario and Luigi. My wife and I took our kids to see Super Mario Bros. Child one, 10-year-old, and child two, six-year-old. With the exception of child two, who could barely contain his excitement from the first homies or the trailer, expectations were fairly low. Child 1 had heard my wife and I discussing the review of the movie by Robbie Collin, occasionally of this parish, and on the way in, she said, apparently, this movie is awful. The kids loved it.

Child 2 was mesmerized the whole way through the movie. Child 1, disagreeing with Robbie, announced that it was brilliant at the end. They are clearly the target and it really delivered for them. My wife thought it was fairly heartless and I spent large parts of the movie wishing I had a controller to play it like a game and wondered how good the game would be hooked up to an iMac screen. Keep up the good work, Andrew and Belfast. I do feel like it is, you do want to delve into this film as a player, 100%. It is absolutely for kids. There's no shame in that. No, there isn't.

No, I'm trying to allow to have a platform. They're allowed to have films that are made specifically for them. Absolutely. The history of screen, the history of video game to screen adaptations is mostly littered with failures rather than successes. Although obviously we've had the massive roaring acclaimed the last of us really recently. I'll admit this is one of the only films on this list that I haven't seen. I'm very happy for the kiddies to see it.

Go forth, enjoy it. I'm not going to sit on my high critical horse and say that it should not exist. Of course it exists. Go enjoy it I'm glad you did. Not everything needs to satisfy everyone. I went with a pint of wine and I Absolutely, that's not an audible typo. It was a pint of wine and I had a thoroughly brilliant time. I feel like Jack Black singing Pitches, Pitches, Pitches, Peeches, Peeches, Peeches. Just to get back to school of rock, I just, you know, what a performance as Bowser.

We, we, in, with these kind of films, like with Dungeons and Dragons, for instance, which is number two, I have never played D&D. My fully, I know the impact that it has had on pop culture. I had a great time. There is an owl bear. There's one of the other two top creases, Chris Pine. And you know what, I think if it satisfies both fans of the game and regular

going audiences, that's the win. I agree, 100%. That was the box office. Now it's time for our very special interview. Today's guest is someone you might remember as the genius child actor from about a boy starring alongside Hugh Grant. He then went on to be Tony in the much-loved TV series, Skins, and Maurice, I tell you what, Skins made me really feel like I was doing Teenagey as wrong. Yeah, same. More recently, he starred in the movie, The Menu,

with Ray Fines and Agnia Taylor Joy, who is also in Super Mario Brothers. It is, of course, Nicholas Holt, so you'll hear my interview with him right after this clip of Renfield. Renfield, this is co-dependency 101. A narcissist will take full advantage of a co-dependence low self-esteem, but you're the one with the real power and all you got to do is take it back. How do I do that? Focus on your needs.

I mean, I just haven't thought about any of my needs and years. But if you were to stop focusing on his needs, what would happen? If it didn't... Yeah, what would happen? Stop focusing on his needs, what would happen? He won't grow to full power. Exactly. He won't grow to full power. What?

That's so weird. Why would you phrase it like that? But yes, he's right. That was a clip from Renfield, and I'm delighted to be joined by its star, Nicholas Holt. Hello. How you going? Yeah, good, how you? Good, thank you.

Good. I wanted to ask you, how freeing is it to have a very secondary character like Renfield in Dracula come to the fore in this compared to the character of Dracula himself who we have seen so many iterations of? It's fun because you obviously have the root of Renfield, the character from the novel and previous iterations of a male on film. But then, you know, setting this movie 100 years on from there and making Renfield the kind of titular character, you get this freedom, I guess, from my standpoint as an actor

where I get to go, okay, I know where it's all come from and I can base some of my work in that, but also I'm free to just kind of bounce off the walls and do what I feel as well. And how much of a conversation was that about you, bouncing off the walls or not, or how far were you able to take it? You know what, I guess that was the exciting thing was the script that Ryan Ridley wrote and was just really fun and very different and original.

And I think that was what appealed to all of us when we came to this movie was this idea of being like, okay, so we've seen Dracula movies, we know his story. What can we discover within Renfield and what can we discover within that relationship? This idea of this kind of the most narcissistic, horrible boss and his servant and how their relationships developed over a hundred years

and how they kind of get out of that codependency. It's such a brilliant movie to watch with an audience. You know, like I was, we were kind of clutching at each other and elbowing each other at this brilliant moment. So fun. But how reluctant an action hero is Renfield? Because he really, you know, does throw himself into it.

Does he enjoy being unleashed with those bugs that he finds power in? I don't think so. I think if we'd gone back 100 years, there was probably a Renfield that enjoyed they're having these powers and that feeling that Dracula gave him when he was sent off on these kind of missions to bring him food or whatever,

but by the time you meet him in this story, he's run down by it, he's not enjoying it and then the violence is a means to an end, I suppose. And he's trying to find it. Loop holes where he's like, all right, well, I've got to take him food. But maybe if I take people that have been hurting, these other people that have now my friends

and this codependency group, maybe if I take him those people to eat, then it's kind of me doing a good deed in a weird way. So he's reluctant action, he's a reluctant action hero, I suppose, or definitely doesn't view himself as that. There are some incredible stunts that you get to do. Yes, some common ones. And I'm assuming some aren't you, but some definitely are.

Yes. So which were the ones that you sort of were taking part in going, actually, this is really cool that I get to. There were some quite long fight sequences that were really fun. There's some team on this were incredible in terms of how they choreograph things, that we could have long flowing sequences. The one that I was kind of got and I didn't get to do is there's a sequence in this, it's called the apartment fight, That was what we referred to it

Where myself and awkward Venus character Rebecca are trying to escape from the department and the kind of local police and mobster teams have all descended upon to try and stop us And there's a shot the end of it where Renfield rides The body of one of the goons down onto a truck and then it explodes in a huge hour of blood And I got to do like parts of that. I didn't get to do the actual impact of blood squirting and flying that was James, my stunt double who did that. And I

was kind of a little bit embarrassed because I was like, oh, that looks like a fun one to do. That was the, I mean, the fact that you get to, do you use somebody's arms? Oh, yeah, I read some of the arms in that and use them as, I can't remember what they're called, but I would practice. I had like, I'm gonna to call them batons, that's not like a jelly-dune potato. I can't remember, but I had these like foam martial art practice batons in the hotel that

I would practice with and trying all these different configurations and moves because then they would give me these arm, these limbs that I would wield against people, yeah. I loved the limbs. Yeah, there was a fun one, and using them as like a javelin to pierce other bad guys to walls. It's fun. It's mad. Across your career, you've been able to do

quite a lot of unusual things on screen. So is there anything that you were, you had to learn from scratch for this particular film. I guess there were a couple of stunt moves. There was one called a pasher roll that I'd never, I'd never really done anything like that, which is kind of this jump where you end up jumping and twisting your legs horizontally, landing on one hand, and then rolling through and then getting back onto your feet. it sounds difficult to describe, but when you see someone do it,

it looks like a glitch, you're like, what just happened? And then the stunt team taught me how to do that. And they taught me how to do a backflip, which I didn't have to learn for the film, but they just taught me. Can you still do a backflip? I think I'm gonna ask you to do an hour flip.

I think so, yeah, definitely not in here. Yeah. Because that's what actors always say, that they learn stuff, and then they immediately forget it as soon as they leave their pretty much. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It is very much because there's just a quick turnover of like, right, you need this information for this and this dialogue or whatever. It does leave very quickly, but the backflip has so far stuck with me.

There is an incredible set where Dracula has a throne made out of blood bags. Yeah. Alex, incredibly cool. Who needs an iron throne when you have this blood bag? Can you tell us about the production design and what really helped you get into this vampiric world? Alex, the production designer was incredible in terms of, because it is modern, but you want it to bring elements of the classic, Dracula era and their tale into this. But also, it's not a time when they're living in a particularly opulent world. Renfield and Dracula have kind of fallen upon hard times. So they're in an abandoned

hospital, is their new home. It's kind of a little bit grim for them. But then there's also the counteract that is when Renfield kind of tries to break free and them. But then there's also the counteract to that, is when Renfield kind of tries to break free and he rents his own apartment and paints it all these beautiful pastel colors and puts up inspirational posters and things. So Alec was having a lot of fun with the production design and it was a great world to inhabit.

That was a very sweet shift actually, seeing what Renfield could have been or might have been from the beginning. Did you have any say in the pastels and the jumpers in the mantras? I really wanted to push as terrible as possible in terms of the costume evolution from him going to lake. There was this whole string of jokes about Old Navy. I know we didn't end up wearing Old Navy, so we couldn't do it. But there was like a whole string of jokes

throughout the film where after Renfield went to Old Navy and changed his attire that everyone was commenting on how nice he looked. It was always responding with, thanks, it's Old Navy, which didn't make it into the film. But yeah, we did the chinos and the pastel jumper and swear. It was kind of this idea of going to a shop and being sold things that don't really suit you, but felt like warm and fuzzy.

Do you think that is going to surprise people who are coming expecting, you know, a more traditional Dracula film, vampire film, and then they're faced with these beautiful, colorful jumpers and Renfield? I think so. I think that's the fun we're having them with the movie. It's just, I mean, I think Nick Cage describes it as it feels like you're getting slapped around the face. And like in this film, and it's like, you don't know where it's going to go next. You don't know if it's going to be a gory, horrific moment, or if it's going to be something funny, or if there's going to, yeah, just taking what people's ideas and beliefs might be and flipping them a little bit.

We're talking about Nick Cage, seeing kind of having a front row seat to him, doing his thing. Can you describe that for us? It was honestly pretty magic, because you know, I've worked with Nick before, and now I'm an adult and I get to have watched a lot more of his movies and kind of not studied him,

but you know, just become a real fan. I then get to watch him how, where he draws inspiration from, the twists and turns he makes within films, how he can make Dracula, you know, someone who's terrifying in one moment to playing this kind of hurt, kind of wounded, gaspying, animal in the second, in the next moment, and then lashing out again, it's, it was really fun to be in those moments with him and also just the kind of tiny little, yeah, details that he put in that were like a lot of fun.

He talked in another interview about Nick Cagism's. Yes. Like what? What are Nick Cagism's to you? Well, it's interesting because he based Dracula somewhat in terms of where he was pitching the character What are Nick Cages' to you? Well, it's interesting because he based Dracula somewhat in terms of where he was pitching the character as his father, in terms of how erudite and eloquent he was as a character and being the smartest man

in the room and this sort of thing. But then he also had this and Bankcroft idea from the graduate, there's peppers of that where he's quite Predatory towards Renfield as well at moments, but there's I think the one that stands out when you are at the moment Is there's a line where he says he says let me tell you something Renfield Okay, he's just like a little okay, and I'm not gonna do it fully Okay, but then he carries on and it was and and seeing it, I remember just being like, my heart had a little flutter

on it, I was like, oh, that feels just perfect, it feels perfect, Cage. You are opposite. So many people who I feel like would just crank you up in a second, like Aquafina, Benchwalt. So how do you sort of maintain that sort of dignified Renfield kind of bambiolized. Honestly, that's probably just the editing out me

when I break and when I giggle, because I mean, yeah, both of them are so funny, Ocarfina and Ben, and so sharp and great improvisational comedy and bringing new things to each moment. So there's just times that they'll catch you off guard and they'll say something I do something in there and you just try not to break.

Is that something you're used to sort of being able to respond in the moment to somebody who is improvising? Not exactly. I've never really worked with like improvisational comedy like legends like them. So it was kind of new to me because I was like, oh, this is different because there is like a free form and and and spontaneity and sharpness to them, which if you're not expecting it catches your off guard, yeah.

Going back to Nick Cage for a second, in terms of his Dracula, when you're watching that, why do you think that it does work so well for this film, for this audience, for this time, because we have had so many iterations, but this one particular was such a pleasure to watch. Why do you think that? I think partly because Nick's having, he's rooted it in so many believable qualities as a character, but he's also having so much fun with it. So it's impossible not to enjoy being around that character. I think when someone's having that much fun as a performer,

you just want to be around them. So even when Dracula is being at his worst in this movie, he's still enjoyable to watch and you want to kind of see more and be around it more. I know that different actors take inspiration in different ways from people that they work with. Some people might sit and watch and absorb. Some people ask lots of questions. What kind of actor are you if you're trying to sort of absorb from somebody that you're working

with? You gained a lot from just watching and seeing how they interact or seeing how they, for instance, take notes or like how prepared they are. Like some people you'll come in and like, for instance, Nick, five weeks before he started chewing, he came in and we were having a meeting in Chris McKay, the director's office and he put the script down and was off-book and knew every scene pretty much at that moment. That's how prepared he was. I've worked with other people who, you know, in the morning, you'll be on set and they'll be looking at the sides going, all right, I think I know it, they'll be learning it right then and there and then they don't kind of embed it as early on. So it's interesting because you can just see how different styles and approaches can work differently

for different people and particularly for me because I'm not necessarily set in any way of acting. I don't feel like I've got to figure out exactly what my approach or style is. So it's fun just to watch other people and what what they do and how they approach things because then I'm like okay well maybe I can try that and maybe that'll work for me. And finally we're seeing you next in Nosferatu. Oh yeah we're shooting at the moment. I'm really excited. Working with Robert Eggers, what kind of director is he? Because wow I still am as a boy old. I mean yeah, I'm like as a fan I'm just like a little bit in awe of it. I love his movies so much. And so that's been an incredible experience for me.

I feel like I've been in the Robert Eggers School of Acting, which is a great one because I love the performances that these people have given in his previous movie. So I'm like, all right, how can I learn? What can I do to become someone that fits into one of your worlds that you create? So I feel like I'm learning a lot, and his detail, his precision, it's really challenging, but very fun

and hopefully we'll make a good movie. I can't wait to see it. Nicholas Holt, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. So that was Nicholas Holt. What did you think? What did you think of the film?

Oh, I'm really sorry to disappoint you. You didn't love Renfield. Oh, he did not love Renfield. And on paper, it's got a lot of things that I love. I love vampires in film. I love Nicholas Cage very dearly. You can read a 4,000 word essay about Nicholas Cage. I wrote for BBC Culture last year.

That is over and above. Yeah, I love Dracula, the mythology. I'll watch every single Dracula movie or TV show ever read. I should happily well. And I like the spin of this on paper. We meet Renfield, who's a side character, who's Dracula's slave, essentially,

who's familiar, and a support group of victims of abusive relationships. And in the whole dynamic is that he's in a toxic relationship with his boss. Dracula played my Nicholas Cage. And now I would have given you any money in the world to see Nicholas Cage play Dracula. But this is not a film that's going to let him do that. I am really here for his performances, but I have to say it really felt like a mix of

a remix of his performance in 1989's Vampire Kiss and a weird sort of impression of Donald Trump. I did not say this, but now I need to go back and watch it with Fred and I. So once I started clocking that that was the voice he was doing, I could not unsee it. And you know, the kagisms are great to watch. They're always fun, even if they're not precisely clicking. But fundamentally, this film fails for me as a comedy. It tries to do too much action, because it's trying to earn its horro chops by adding quite a lot of gore and action into it.

And it's just a necessary. Because when you have performers like Nicholas Cage, like Nicole, who is essentially playing the straight man in this, you know, when he's doing again a remix of his performance in warm bodies, which is the zombie rom-com that he plays. It is very similar. Yeah, and then you've got Ben Schwartz, who is amazing always worst.

Yes, and that's a part of the... Parks and Rec reference, by the way. For people in the know, they will get it. He is incredibly funny and dynamic as the sort of nepo baby gangster called Teddy Lobo. And he's got Aquafina who is hilarious, whatever she does. She's so good with physical comedy, so good with improvisation as well.

And she's essentially playing kind of a variation of the straight lace cop. Yeah, she's very, she's very reined in for up beat right? Exactly. She only gets a few moments. I actually think it works really well for her brand of humor. But then you get distracted with these 10 minute long violin set pieces. I'm like, I don't care. I'm not in Renfield for the horror, for the action. I'm here to see Nicholas Cage play Dracula. I'm here to see Ben Schwartz be a gangster. I'm here to see Acrofina like lose her mind

over some unresolved rage issues. So I just think it does very little with a really fun premise. And it was, you know, I didn't hate it. I was just disappointed. I found so much humor in those action scenes. I thought the action was hilarious and so stupid and so over and over the top.

And I really was. I saw it with a friend and we were kind of elbowing each other and like really honking with laughter at how silly and grotesque it was. I mean, it's incredibly visceral. Glad it's going everywhere. It is kind of like, there's a lot of ripping off limbs. Yes, ripping off limbs and bodies exploding for no apparent reason.

And you know, it's not trying to be subtle in any way. I kind of enjoyed those moments where Nicholas Holt, who seemed to be channeling Hugh Grant almost, sort of early Hugh Grant as the very, again, very straight-laced Brit, who stuff just happens to him, but when he kind of does lean into the action, I thought he was excellent, very, very funny. So split opinion on Renfield.

So it's the ads in a minute, Anna, but first we're gonna experience the renowned Loft-Elif. I'm gonna go into the Loft-Elif together. P.S.A.R.T.A.R.T.A.R.T.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.D.O.D.D.O.D.O.D.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O.D.O. to live together. We're dancing. So Anna, the production team and I were talking before the show, and since it's a bit of a vampire themed week, we thought we'd theme the laughter lift with vampire jokes that you can really sink your teeth in. I'm on board. I'm on board with the vampire puns.

I'm so happy. The first one Why don't vampires use autocorrect Tell me because they love type O's Daniel is love it Where does Dracula always read the best reviewed newspaper? Why because someone told him it had good circulation This is genuine love to people. I don't know how.

Why? I am here for the blood pods. Anyway. What if we still got to come, Anna? We have got the new Netflix erotic series Obsession starring Richard Armitage. So we'll be back after this, unless you're a Vanguard Easter in which case we'll be back before you can say, let's go! Your business has grown fast, from opening your first location to planning an expansion

in no time. And with your business platinum card from American Express, you can access spending power and payment flexibility to fuel your growth. Sarah, the contractor is here with the plans. American Express, don't do business without it. Terms and conditions apply visit mx.ca slash business platinum. 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. Now it's time for our review of Obsession. And before we start, not only does Anna have a content warning, but I will say that we scared off the lovely camera operator Charlie when we were talking about this before we started. We got very explicit. We didn't. We shall not be doing this in this review. Not that explicit, but I just wanna set the scene, okay?

I love erotic thrillers. It's one of my favorite genres. I'm more in the disappearance of the genre every other day. I've written extensively about it. I am here for this attempted resurrection of erotic thrillers that we've been having every other year. Obsession, the new Netflix series though, is not it. And like you mentioned, Rihanna,

I just wanna give a little quantum warning for listeners because the show is very explicit and dealing with sex and sexual obsessions. So we're gonna be talking about erotic scenes, we're going to be talking about sex. So if that makes you uncomfortable in any way, or it's not appropriate for someone to listen to this, who regularly listens to the show, please give a head. We don't want to make anyone uncomfortable, but there is no way to discuss obsession without discussing sex. Should we hear a clip first? Or do you want to introduce it to our listeners?

So I shall. It's a Netflix series, four part series based on the Josephine Heart novel, which has been adapted into a film before 1992, Lee Malfilm called Damage, which started Jeremy Irons, Julia Binoche and Tasha Richardson. And this series adaptation starts, starts Richard Armitage as a successful surgeon who begins an obsessive illicit affair with a young mysterious woman called Anna Barton, played by Charlie Murphy. So Charlie Murphy in case you don't know her has been in happy valley, tried Anne in happy valley, brilliant role. Let's have a listen to this clip from obsession

and then go to we are we gonna dig deep. Are you secretive about you? I think he's worried about introducing us. Oh, should he be? So Anna, I mean, I sort of feel like you've made your feelings pretty clear already, but what did you think of obsession? I mean, I hated it. I am furious at this series. First of all, let me just list all my series of complaints with this in this review. First of all, why is the list all my series of complaints with this. And this review, first of all, why is it a series?

There are four episodes, three of them are about 30 minutes long. The third one is about 40 minutes long. This is a film. It has been forced into a series. There is no dramatic tension in between the episodes. It absolutely does not even need to be a two plus hour film. Let alone a four part series. The format is all wrong.

It's a B movie. It's a 90 minute B movie at best. I would have loved it if it was a second-rate erotic thriller that is just there for the sexy scenes and for the death, which is what all erotic thrillers are. If you boil them down to it, it's dangerous sexuality. It's dangerous affairs. It's sex and death. It's very on the nose.

It's this very primal aspect of humanity, right? Because let's be real. Sex is one of the most universal experiences for human beings. And one of the most complicated ones, you know, to not to get to pretentious. It's not this section yet. But there's this famed Oscar Wilde quote, everything is about sex, except sex, sex is about power. And this is exactly the dynamic that the show tries to show us, you know, we meet this very successful surgeon, Richard Ormitage plays him and he meets and becomes instantly enthralled and obsessed with this young woman play, and a bartender play by Charlie Murphy. However, there was absolutely, and we're not given any reason for this obsession. There is him across a crowded room, doesn't it?

Oh, and that's it. And that's it. It's done. And that is enough for him to throw his entire life, a beautiful life that he has built with his wife, who is played by a dear farmer, who is absolutely catastrophically misused in the show. She's so cool and understanding, incredible job, incredible lifestyle, really loving, really intersect still with her husband. It's not like she... They have a great marriage. They have a fulfilling marriage.

They're a great match. They're really into each other. They have two beautiful children who work in a teenager and a young adult who's also a junior doctor trying to emulate his dad. And the crux of the matter is that William, that's the lead character, is having an affair with his son's fiance. So Anna is in a relationship with Jay, which is another one of my reasons to hate the

show because there was absolutely no chemistry between them. There was, what is this relationship? We don't spend any time with them. There's absolutely no reason for them to be in love with each other. We don't see any of that. And yet, and that is the crux of that taboo. So what is taboo? It's just a whole bunch of people who are deeply uninterested in one another. And the main thing, we talked in one Friday morning about the sizzling chemistry that exists in a film that is very much not trying to be an erotic drama. This is, this is supposed to all be about a physical obsession, so intense that you're willing to throw and explode your entire life because you just cannot help yourself about

this other person. You just want to touch them and you just want to have sex with them all day, every day, no matter what it costs. We get nothing of this. The sex scenes, I want to have sex with them all day, every day, no matter what it costs. We'd get nothing of this. The sex scenes, I wanna know what you think, Rihanna, because the sex scenes I found so achingly dull that I was offended on behalf of all sex having people. What is this five pumps and M. Alton nonsense? I think they took it from Nivomaniac, right? You know, like the two plus two, or two plus three wanted to in the front, three of the back. Al Nonsense. I think they took it from Nivamaniac, right? You know, like the two plus two,

two plus three, one and two in the front, three in the back. Oh my God. I gotta say, there is the one, I really love to read your drama to just perform it's actually. I think you really nails this. So it's simple. Oh, simple.

Don't think obsession is like addicted to this Anna character for absolutely unknown reasons because there's nothing to her. And I gotta say, he's got, there is a scene where he, you know, she's a Humps. Yeah, he has, let's say, like, a moment of self-gratification with a pillow because it has her scent. He has more chemistry with that pillow that he has with Charlie Murphy throughout the entire show. It's incredibly frustrating because the very first scene that you see them about to engage in some sort of sexual act

You think that it's very much going to be about female pleasure, but no, he completely skips over that area all together He's our show does. It's completely mad to me and also Anna is just not drawn as a real person And so when she emotes, it's kind of surprising because I'm expecting her to be some sort of like, I don't know I want to say basic instinct type character, but not even, but just sort of a moral, which actually she isn't. She doesn't go sad deep, but she doesn't seem to have any agency in this. They've got the whole idea of like the sort of submissive, dom relationship completely wrong. It's like, whoever wrote this does not understand that relationship. No, they don't.

And so it means that we don't understand where they're coming from. I fully don't think the show explains her, makes us understand why people are so obsessed with Anna. And I think it's actually really damaging and reductive. Why? Because she's young, because she's beautiful, or because she's the perfect sort of movie combination of damaged but in a hot way. It's like the idea of the cool girl, which is now feels ready to pass A with what a gong girl did with that. Yeah, idea. It feels like it feels like it's trying to do something interesting by essentially

aiming to center more on the female character in an erotic thriller, but it absolutely falls into the same traps that lesser movies or series have fallen into. And there's ultimately nothing to her. And because there's absolutely no chemistry between Charlie Murphy and Richard Ormitage, you don't believe the sex. There is no steam in us to it. And the soundtrack I found so coin and so trying to engineer a sense of danger and threat, there's none. There's absolutely none. So actually, it fails on every single base level. It fails to contrapp any radicism,

and it fails to be thrilling. I think that's a completely accurate and utterly damning representation of obsession. If you're gonna watch this, it's gonna be a hate watch. Don't watch it, go watch body heat, go watch the last seduction, go watch basic instinct. Honestly, where was the pull the hovens, please? Honestly. Where was the actual sexuality? Where's the sex? Where's the heat? Where was the pleasure? There was no pleasure. It was completely... Oh, yeah, it lost us. It lost us. So that's obsession on Netflix,

time for what's on now. This is where you email us a voice note about your festival or special screening from wherever you are in the world. Email yours to correspondentsatcermetermayo.com. Remember, you can spell correspondents anyway you like. This is Benjamin from Pew Street, filming Art Festival in Luzon.

I wanted to tell you about our exciting festival taking place, April 13th to the 15th. There will be Q&As of filmmakers, network and opportunities, live music and a stun art gallery and an award show. For more info please check out our program at UstjeetFilmFestival.com. My name is Alex and I just wanted to do a shout out but my first play which I'm producing for the Brighton Fringe Festival this year. It's called Homophobia on the Orient Express, a play about murder, mystery and suppression. It's about two agatha-christi fanatics who are travelling to Istanbul for very different reasons. It's on the 11th and 12th of May and tickets can be found through the Brighton Fringe Festival website. Thank you very much.

So that was Benjamin from the wonderful sounding butte street film on Art Festival and Alex, letting us know about his very exciting and fascinating sounding play, homophobia on the Orient Express. Send us your 22nd audio trailer about your event anywhere in the world to correspondence at kermodeameo.com. And that's the end of take one. Production management and general all-round stuff was Lily Houndley, cameras by Charlie Moore. Videos were by Ryan Omera. Studio Engineer was gulliverticle. Guest researcher was Bashak Erton.

Flynn Rodgem, it's her last week, by the way, was the assistant producer and guest booker. Johnny Socials was on the socials. And Hannah Talbot was the producer and the standing redactress. Anna, what is your film of the week? I mean, we know which one it isn't. Oh, it has to be one fine morning.

It absolutely is. It has to be, and I re-thing our people to go and see it in the cinema. I think there's something in that film for almost every audience to take away from it. And I think one of the beauties of it is that it will be something entirely different depending on where you're coming from.

And it's wistful in only a way that a French film can be. Yes. It's gorgeous to look at. Thank you so much for listening. Take two with bonus reviews, a bunch of recommendations, and even more stuff about the movies and cinema adjacent television is available on your podcast feed right now. Thank you so much for having us. I hope we did the podcast proud.

Thanks Anna. Thanks, Rihanna. Business notifications getting out of hand, buried under an avalanche of customer emails, texts, and social media messages? Keep your edge with Thrive Small Business Software and never miss a message again. Thrive offers one solution to communicate, market, and run your business. But simply, small businesses run better on Thrive. Get Command Center for free today at thrive.ca.

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