Kermode & Mayo’s Take

Latest Episodes:

We Made Mark Kermode Watch Sex and the City 2 Again Aug 01, 2024

Show notes

It’s a bumper week for reviews, with Mark giving his thoughts on a raft of releases, including ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’, Frank Cottrell-Boyce's adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s beloved novel about a young boy swept overboard and stranded on a desert island with a mysterious stranger; ‘My Neighbour Totoro’, the classic Japanese animation about two sisters who move to the country to be near their ailing mother only to find themselves in an adventure with the wondrous forest spirits who live nearby; and Sam Raimi’s much-loved Spider-Man trilogy, which is back in cinemas this summer.

Simon reveals the results of the World Cup of Tom Hanks, along with the 1984 draw. Will Mark be able to predict the winners?

Plus, a special gift for all you Take devotees; Mark sits down to rewatch one of his absolute favourites, ‘Sex and the City 2’. You’re welcome! Mwahahaha!

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

Kensuke's Kingdom Review – 7:10

World Cup of Tom Hanks Draw – 18:02

My Neighbour Totoro Review – 27:03

Spider-Man Trilogy Review – 35:58

Sex and the City 2 Review – 47:21

World Cup of 1984 Draw – 59:36

You can contact the show by emailing correspondence@kermodeandmayo.com or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo

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PEAKY BLINDERS’ Polly Shelby: the silent observer in all of us – SHRINK THE BOX Jul 30, 2024

Show notes

Ben and Nemone discuss Helen McCrory’s iconic Poly Shelby from Peaky Blinders. She’s a devout Catholic, but up to her neck in the murky world of bootlegging and murder. Nemone gets into the thorny question of how she might match those up, and reveals how each of us has a ‘silent observer’ inside. We also dive into the history of women’s rights in 1920s England. Look out for some killer lines from our Polly, too. If you like this, you’ll love our look at Cersei Lannister and how to lead violent men using more than physical force, and the toll that takes.

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): shrinkthebox@sonymusic.com

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

Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins, The Wire (Season 1)

Moira Rose, Schitt's Creek (Season 1)

Raymond Holt, Brooklyn 99 (selected episodes)

Jackson Lamb, Slow Horses (Season 1)

Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City (selected episodes)

CREDITS

We used clips from Seasons 1&2 of Peaky Blinders. It’s available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Starring:

Tommy Shelby - Cillian Murphy

Polly Gray - Helen McCrory

Arthur Shelby - Paul Anderson

Ada Shelby - Sophie Rundle

Finn Shelby - Harry Kirton

Lizzie Shelby - Natasha O'Keeffe

Linda Shelby - Kate Phillips

Created by:

Steven Knight

Directed by:

Otto Bathurst

Tom Harper

Colm McCarthy

Produced by:

Katie Swinden

Laurie Borg

We would love to hear your theories: shrinkthebox@sonymusic.com

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 podcastadsales@sonymusic.com.

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Deadpool & Wolverine: Top or tiresome? Jul 26, 2024

Show notes

This week’s guest is novelist and screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce, who tells Simon all about ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’, his adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s beloved novel, which sees a boy become stranded on a desert island after being swept overboard during a storm on a sailing trip with his family. The conversation is so good that we’ve got more in Take 2! Mark will be reviewing the film next week.

The Good Doctor Kermode gives his thoughts on various new releases, including ‘The Echo’, a Mexican-German docufiction film, which blends detached observation with incisive commentary to capture the rhythms of life in the traditional Mexican village of El Echo; ‘About Dry Grasses’, a Turkish-language drama about a disillusioned teacher in a remote village who, facing allegations of sexual misconduct, meets a colleague who may help make sense of the challenges at hand; and ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’, which sees Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman don their superhero costumes and join forces for another Marvel outing in which Wolverine, recovering from his injuries, crosses paths with the loudmouth Deadpool, reluctantly teaming up to defeat a common enemy.

Expect some A+ witterings from Simon and Mark, who bravely and boldly ask: how can we be more ‘Brat’ this summer?

You can contact the show by emailing correspondence@kermodeandmayo.com or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo

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A Sony Music Entertainment production.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts

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ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK’S “Taystee”: Adoption, Child States and Attachment Theory – SHRINK THE BOX Jul 23, 2024

Show notes

Ben and Nemone discuss Tasha Jefferson, aka Taystee, from Orange is the New Black. We get fascinating insights into child states and how difficult they are to escape; attachment theory and why prison can be a better alternative to living in the outside world. Expect to laugh and cry while reliving one of the early bingeable series on Netflix. And if you’re interested in looking further into issues of adoption and racism, check out our episode on The Queen’s Gambit, from Season 1.

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

Polly, Peaky Blinders (seasons 1&2)

Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins, The Wire (Season 1)

Moira Rose, Schitt's Creek (Season 1)

Raymond Holt, Brooklyn 99 (selected episodes)

Jackson Lamb, Slow Horses (Season 1)

Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City (selected episodes)

CREDITS

We used clips from Season 1 of Orange is the New Black. It’s available to watch on Netflix.

Starring:

Taylor Schilling as Piper Chapman

Laura Prepon as Alex Vause,

Michael Harney as Sam Healy

Michelle Hurst as Miss Claudette Pelage

Kate Mulgrew as Galina "Red" Reznikov

Jason Biggs as Larry Bloom

Uzo Aduba as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren

Danielle Brooks as Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson

Natasha Lyonne as Nicky Nichols

Taryn Manning as Tiffany "Pennsatucky" Doggett

Selenis Leyva as Gloria Mendoza

Adrienne C. Moore as Cynthia "Black Cindy" Hayes

Dascha Polanco as Dayanara "Daya" Diaz

Created by:

Jenji Kohan

Directed by:

Michael Trim

Andrew McCarthy

Uta Briesewitz

Jodie Foster

Matthew Penn

Produced by:

Jenji Kohan

Sara Hess

Tara Herrmann

Lisa Vinnecour

Neri Kyle Tannenbaum

Mark A. Burley

We would love to hear your theories: shrinkthebox@sonymusic.com

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 podcastadsales@sonymusic.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Does EVERYONE love Twisters… except Mark? Jul 18, 2024

Show notes

Another guestless week but that just means more musings, fun and general nonsense from your favourite Good Doctors.

Mark gives his thoughts on various new releases, including ‘Blur: To The End’, a documentary depicting the comeback of the classic Britpop band; ‘Thelma’, a June Squibb-starring comedy about a 93-year-old who gets duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson, prompting her to set out on a treacherous quest across the city to reclaim what was taken from her; ‘Chuck Chuck Baby’, an emotionally charged musical drama in which a chicken factory worker sees her dreary life interrupted when her schoolgirl crush arrives back in town; and ‘Twisters’, a sequel to the 1996 Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton-starring disaster film, which sees a retired tornado-chaser and meteorologist persuaded to return to Oklahoma to work with a new team and new technologies.

A packed-out week of new movies and takes for your listening pleasure!

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

11:44 - Blur: To The End Review

16:48 - BO10

28:58 - Thelma Review

36:26 - Chuck Chuck Baby Review

44:52 - Twisters Review

You can contact the show by emailing correspondence@kermodeandmayo.com or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo

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A Sony Music Entertainment production.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts

To advertise on this show contact: podcastadsales@sonymusic.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

REESE WITHERSPOON and JENNIFER ANISTON’s Alex and Bradley tackle sexism and false selves on The Morning Show - SHRINK THE BOX Jul 16, 2024

Show notes

Ben and Nemone put Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon’s The Morning Show characters, Alex and Bradley, on the couch. We ask how a person creates a false self at work, what makes Bradley break the mould and find out how Alex could ever have respect for her male boss in the middle of a #MeToo scandal. Stay tuned for more on false selves in our upcoming episodes on Jackson Lamb and Polly Shelby too!

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

Tasha, Orange is the New Black (season 2)

Polly, Peaky Blinders (seasons 1&2)

Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins, The Wire (Season 1)

Moira Rose, Schitt's Creek (Season 1)

Raymond Holt, Brooklyn 99 (selected episodes)

Jackson Lamb, Slow Horses (Season 1)

CREDITS

We used clips from Season 1 of The Morning Show. It’s available to watch on AppleTV+.

Starring:

Jennifer Aniston as Alexandra "Alex" Levy

Reese Witherspoon as Bradley Jackson

Billy Crudup as Cory Ellison

Mark Duplass as Charlie "Chip" Black

Néstor Carbonell as Yanko Flores

Karen Pittman as Mia Jordan

Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Hannah Shoenfeld

Bel Powley as Claire Conway

Desean Terry as Daniel Henderson

Jack Davenport as Jason Craig

Steve Carell as Mitch Kessler

Created by:

Jay Carson

Directed by:

David Frankel

Lynn Shelton

Roxann Dawson

Tucker Gates

Produced by:

Jennifer Aniston

Reese Witherspoon

Kerry Ehrin

Michael Ellenberg

Mimi Leder

We would love to hear your theories: shrinkthebox@sonymusic.com

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 podcastadsales@sonymusic.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fly Me to the Moon, Hundreds of Beavers, Longlegs & Despicable Me 4 Jul 11, 2024

Show notes

No guest this week, but that just means more from your favourite professional witterers – and a whole load of reviews!

Mark gives his thoughts on various new releases including ‘Fly Me to the Moon’, a romantic comedy-drama starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, which sees sparks fly between a marketing executive and a NASA official as he makes preparations for the Apollo 11 moon landing; ‘Hundreds of Beavers’, a zany slapstick comedy in which a drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero to become North America’s greatest fur trapper by defeating, you guessed it, hundreds of beavers; and ‘Longlegs’, a serial killer horror in which Nicolas Cage plays the eponymous homicidal maniac.

Mark also gives his take on ‘Despicable Me 4’, the fourth instalment of the animated comedy franchise, replete with his beloved minions, which, this time, sees Gru, having just welcomed a new member to the family, have his peaceful existence threatened when criminal mastermind Maxime Le Mal escapes from prison and vows revenge against him.

A chocka-block week, indeed!

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

08:19 – Hundreds Of Beavers Review

11:56 – Box Office Top Ten

29:33 – Fly Me To The Moon Review

37:30 – Longlegs Review

48:44 – Despicable Me 4 Review

You can contact the show by emailing correspondence@kermodeandmayo.com or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo

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A Sony Music Entertainment production.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts

To advertise on this show contact: podcastadsales@sonymusic.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Addiction in “Euphoria”, Analysis vs. Therapy and Sir Salman Rushdie! - SHRINK THE INBOX Jul 09, 2024

Show notes

Ben and Nemone answer your questions and explore your suggestions. They talk about whether they have any friends who are spies and explore some brilliant female led comedies you've either missed or forgotten.

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

Michael, Office (USA. Season 1)

Chandler, Friends (selected episodes)

Sydney, The Bear (season 2)

Tyrion, Game of Thrones (seasons 1&2).

Alex and Bradley, The Morning Show (Season 1)

Tasha, Orange is the New Black (season 2)

CREDITS

We used a clip from Girls, Series 6.

Starring (in the clip we used):

Lena Dunham as Hannah Horvath

Adam Driver as Adam Sackler.

Created by: Lena Dunham. Written by Lena Dunham and Judd Apatow.

Directed by: Jesse Peretz

Produced by: Home Box Office.

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

To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ti West, Maxxxine, Blue Lock The Movie – Episode Nagi & Kill Jul 04, 2024

Show notes

This week’s guest is director Ti West, who is on the show to tell Mark all about ‘Maxxxine’, the hotly-anticipated third instalment of his cult horror trilogy made in collaboration with its star Mia Goth, which sees the action taken to the adult film scene in seedy 1980s Hollywood. With Mark and Ti geeking out over all things horror, the chat is just too good to cut it down, so head to Take 2 for more!

Mark also gives his thoughts on the film, as well as reviewing ‘Blue Lock The Movie – Episode Nagi’, a feature-length extrapolation of the popular manga and anime set in a football training academy, which explores the origin story of football prodigy Seishiro Nagi.

The big review of the week is ‘Kill’, an Indian action-thriller, which sees a pair of commandos face an army of invading bandits on a train trip to New Delhi.

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

07:50 – Blue Lock The Movie – Episode Nagi Review

14:06 - Box Office Top Ten

28:29 – Ti West interview

40:21 - Kinds of Kindness Review

50:39 - Kill Review

You can contact the show by emailing correspondence@kermodeandmayo.com or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo

EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee!

A Sony Music Entertainment production.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts

To advertise on this show contact: podcastadsales@sonymusic.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TYRION LANNISTER knows how to play the Game...of Thrones SHRINK THE BOX Jul 02, 2024

Show notes

Ben and Nemone put Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones on the couch. Tyrion doesn’t conform to society’s norms. How does he use that to his advantage? He’s booksmart, cunning and the most open-minded man in Westeros. This ‘half-man’ is, in fact, three times as impressive as any of his peers. We look into difference, diversity and skulduggery in this latest episode. Don’t miss it!

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

Alex and Bradley, The Morning Show (Season 1)

Tasha, Orange is the New Black (season 2)

Polly, Peaky Blinders (seasons 1&2)

Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins, The Wire (Season 1)

Moira Rose, Schitt's Creek (Season 1)

Raymond Holt, Brooklyn 99 (selected episodes)

CREDITS

We used clips from Season 1 of Game of Thrones. It’s available to watch on NOWTV.

Starring:

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister

Sean Bean as Eddard Stark