This week’s guests are Take fave Joaquin Phoenix and writer-director Todd Phillips, who tell Simon all about ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’, their musical thriller follow-up to the 2019 smash hit ‘Joker’, which sees failed comedian Arthur Fleck meeting the love of his life, Harley Quinn, while incarcerated at Arkham State Hospital.

Mark also gives his take on the film, as well as offering his thoughts on various new releases, including ‘Harder Than the Rock’, a documentary exploring the overlooked impact and influence of the UK’s first reggae band, Cimarons, as they persevere against all odds and follow their dream of playing to live audiences one last time; and ‘A Different Man’, a black comedy psychological thriller, which sees an aspiring actor undergo a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance, only for this new dream face to turn into a nightmare when he becomes obsessed with reclaiming what was lost. An interesting companion piece with ‘The Substance’, we reckon.

Another brilliant session with the Good Doctors.

Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!):

Harder Than The Rock Review: 08:05

Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips Interview: 32:11

Joker: Folie À Deux Review: 48:13

A Different Man Review: 58:39

We're doing a LIVE show: Kermode and Mayo's Christmas Movie Spectacular - December 8th at 2.30pm at the Prince Edward Theatre in London. Tickets are selling fast at www.fane.co.uk/kermode-and-mayo

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Introducing The power of Granite in business from Smart Talks with IBM.

Follow the show: Smart Talks with IBM

As the scale of artificial intelligence continues to evolve, open technology like many of IBM’s Granite models are helping enhance transparency in AI and improve efficiency across businesses. In this episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Jacob Goldstein sat down with Maryam Ashoori, the Director of Product Management and Head of Product for IBM’s watsonx.ai, where she spearheads the product strategy and delivery of IBM’s watsonx Foundation Models. Together, they explored the shift from large general-purpose AI models to smaller, customizable models tailored to specific needs.

This is a paid advertisement from IBM. The conversations on this podcast don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions.

Visit us at https://ibm.com/smarttalks

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DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to [email protected].

This week’s guests are Saoirse Ronan and Paapa Essiedu, who are on the show to tell Simon all about their addiction recovery drama ‘The Outrun’, which sees Ronan star as a young woman fresh out of rehab, as she returns home to the wild Orkney Islands after more than a decade away. The pair discuss everything from their characters’ chemistry to Stephen Graham’s influence on Ronan’s performance – and there’s even more in Take 2!

Mark also weighs in on the film, as well as giving his take on various new releases, including ‘My Old Ass’, which sees a girl’s 18-birthday magic mushroom trip bring her face-to-face with her wise-cracking 39-year-old self.

And brace yourself for one of Mark’s finest hours of criticism with his take on Francis Ford Coppola’s long-awaited ‘Megalopolis’. You’ll be replaying this one, that’s for sure.

Another great week at the Take!

Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!):

My Old Ass Review – 10:19

Saoirse Ronan and Paapa Essiedu Interview – 32:58

The Outrun Review – 46:47

Megalopolis Review – 56:52

We're doing a LIVE show: Kermode and Mayo's Christmas Movie Spectacular - December 8th at 2.30pm at the Prince Edward Theatre in London. Tickets are selling fast at www.fane.co.uk/kermode-and-mayo

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We're excited to announce the xmas show, click here for an exclusive chance to secure your tickets:

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This week’s guest is Kathryn Hahn, who talks to Simon about her starring role in ‘WandaVision’ spinoff ‘Agatha All Along’, a dark comedy superhero miniseries, which follows witch Agatha Harkness, as she recruits some unlikely allies on her quest to regain her former powers.

Mark gives his thoughts on the show, as well as reviewing various new releases: ‘The Goldman Case’, a French-language courtroom drama based on the real-life trial of left-wing revolutionary Pierre Goldman, who was accused of several armed robberies and the death of two chemists; “Girls Will Be Girls’, an Indo-French coming-of-age drama and Sundance hit, which follows 16-year-old Mira as she discovers desire and romance, only to have her rebellious sexual awakening disrupted by her mother, who never got to come of age herself; and ‘The Substance’, the much-talked about Demi Moore-starring body horror, which sees an aging aerobics star, who, after being fired on her 50th birthday, takes an experimental substance that promises to transform her into a ‘better’ version of herself – with horrifying consequences. Mark’s gonna have a field day with this one, we’re sure!

Enjoy!

Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!):

The Goldman Case Review – 08:49

Kathryn Hahn Interview – 28:38

Agatha All Along Review– 43:51

Girls Will Be Girls Review – 51:23

The Substance Evil – 56:39

You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo

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For the last episode of this season, team STB gets real with those pesky inner monologues (as promised in the Carrie: Sex and the City episode). Plus, what's the connection between 80s comedy-thriller Lovejoy and The Matrix? We explore actors who have come back from obscurity with aplomb.  

We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, what you’ve thought of the show so far and your character suggestions. Please drop the team an email (which may be part of the show): [email protected] 

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This week’s guest is the one and only Sir Ian McKellen, who is on the show to very eloquently tell Simon all about his starring role in ‘The Critic’, a period thriller in which a powerful – and pompous – London theatre critic lures a struggling actress into a blackmail scheme that has deadly consequences.

Mark also weighs in on the film, as well as reviewing ‘Lee’, a Kate Winslet-starring biopic of photographer Elizabeth ‘Lee’ Miller, a fashion model who became an acclaimed war correspondent for Vogue magazine during World War II; ‘Speak No Evil’, a psychological thriller with James McAvoy, which sees an American family’s dream holiday turn into a living nightmare when they spend a weekend at a British family’s idyllic country estate; and ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’, the long-awaited sequel to Tim Burton’s beloved 1988 comedy horror classic, which sees the mischievous poltergeist Beetlejuice return for more supernatural chaos, as a new family stumbles upon his bizarre afterlife realm.

By all accounts, a stellar week!

Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!):

Lee Review – 06:00

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – 22:37

Sir Ian McKellen Interview – 29:11

The Critic Review – 43:41

Speak No Evil – 54:56

You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo

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In our final character episode of this season, we put Carrie from Sex and the City on the couch. Nemone looks at why Sex and the City hasn’t aged well, and Ben talks about diversity in the privileged, white world of the show. We get into Carrie’s shopping habit, low self-esteem, and why everyone in the show is SO obsessed with relationships, even though the women really have no need for them. We also get a primer on the Bechdel test, and how you can tell if a show is sexist without knowing it. And if you want to check out more on the patriarchy and diversity, have a listen to our episodes on Sydney from The Bear.

We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, what you’ve thought of the show so far and your character suggestions. Please drop the team an email (which may be part of the show): [email protected]

Find how to view the shows we’ve talked about here.

CREDITS

We used clips from episodes of Sex and the City. It’s available to watch on NOWTV/SKY.

Starring:

Sarah Jessica Parker – Carrie Bradshaw

Cynthia Nixon – Miranda Hobbs

Kim Cattrall – Samatha Jones

Kristin Davis – Charlotte York

Created by:

Darren Star

Candace Bushnell

Directed by:

Susan Seidalman

Nicole Holofcener

Alison Maclean

Michael Fields

Darren Star

Produced by:

Darren Star

Michael Patrick King

John P. Melfi

Jenny Bicks

Sarah Jessica Parker

Cindy Chupack

We would love to hear your theories: [email protected]

A Sony Music Entertainment production.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts.

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We have a fantastic selection of new releases and nostalgia for you this week. First of all, we look at Meryl Streep’s best films and put it to you to pick one. The final result was almost too tight to call - around 52/48%, if that number sounds terribly familiar...

We also look at brand new releases Starve Acre and Robot Dreams, as well as looking forward to next week, when we’ll review Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Of course we didn’t forget! Starve Acre is a chilling tale of British folk horror at its finest, while Robot Dreams is a touching animation which anyone in the world could watch and still understand – just one of those things animation does.

Finally, we get to the bottom of why all these Spiderman releases have happened in the same year, as well as Mark looking at the “best” deaths in cinema history – if you can call them that.

Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!):

Meryl Streep World Cup – 06:36

Starve Acre Review – 10:51

Spiderman: Homecoming Review – 19:34

Robot Dreams Review – 34:46

Meryl Streep Cup Final – 42:36

You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo

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Ben and Nemone put Jackson Lamb from Slow Horses on the couch. Gary Oldman’s version of Mick Herron’s character has become household name, and you can see why. A man with many layers, a million secrets, and a lightning rod for other’s emotions – perhaps he is the perfect Freudian analyst. Nemone gives us a crash course in transference and counter-transference, looks at why people mask and create false selves, and what drives people into a career where they hide their true selves from everyone, including themselves.

This is the PERFECT watching companion to Season 4 of Slow Horses, coming 4th September on AppleTV+!

And if you want to look at false selves, then listen back to our episode on The Morning Show’s Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.

We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, what you’ve thought of the show so far and your character suggestions. Please drop the team an email (which may be part of the show): [email protected]

NEXT CLIENTS ON THE COUCH. Find out how to view here

Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City (selected episodes)

CREDITS

We used clips from Season 1 of Slow Horses. It’s available to watch on AppleTV+.

Starring:

Gary Oldman - Jackson Lamb

Jack Lowden - River Cartwright

Kristin Scott Thomas - Diana Taverner

Saskia Reeves - Catherine Standish

Rosalind Eleazar - Louisa Guy

Christopher Chung - Roddy Ho

Created by:

Mick Herron

Will Smith

Directed by:

James Hawes

Jeremy Lovering

Saul Metzstein

Produced by:

Iain Canning

Hakan Kousetta

Jamie Laurenson

Gail Mutrux et al.

We would love to hear your theories: [email protected]

A Sony Music Entertainment production.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts.

To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected].

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