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    Film Reviews

    Kermode & Mayo’s Take

    Essential film reviews, TV reviews, and all conversations around movie and non-movie related stuff brought to you by Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo. Plus a whole bunch of recommendations to watch in cinemas, on all streaming services and on physical media.
     
    Want more Kermode & Mayo? Subscribe to Kermode & Mayo’s Extra Takes to get ad-free listening plus access to our subscriber-exclusive show, TAKE TWO, with new episodes every Friday. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or at extratakes.com to get access on your preferred podcast platform.
     
    There’s more to discover at kermodeandmayo.com.
     
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    Copyright: © Sony Music Entertainment

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    Latest Episodes:
    Is CHRISTY a knockout? + Noah Baumbach on JAY KELLY Nov 27, 2025
    Show notes

    Some exciting news—The Take is now on Patreon: www.patreon.com/kermodeandmayo. Become a Vanguardista or an Ultra Vanguardista to get video episodes of Take Two every week, plus member‑only chat rooms, polls and submissions to influence the show, behind‑the‑scenes photos and videos, the monthly Redactor’s Roundup newsletter, and access to a new fortnightly LIVE show—a raucous, unfiltered lunchtime special with the Good Doctors, new features, and live chat so you can heckle, vote, and have your questions read out in real time.

    American indie darling director Noah Baumbach joins Simon in the guest spot this week to talk ‘Jay Kelly’, his new film starring George Clooney as the titular aging movie star in crisis. On an unexpected European tour, he looks back on a life of stardom and its effects on those around him—not least the long serving entourage who trail after him. Noah sits down with Simon to unpack his writing process and more on this sweeping showbiz tale.

    Jay Kelly is out on Netflix next week, so listen out for Mark’s review then. In the meantime, we’ve got this week’s biggest releases reviewed for you right now. First up, ‘Pillion’—whose star Alexander Skarsgård was our guest on last week’s show. It’s an unbashful BDSM biker drama, following the unconventional romance between Skarsgård’s Ray and Harry Melling’s Colin. Does Mark think it’s a pleasure or a pain? Either way—maybe not one to watch on family film night...

    Plus, ‘Christy’--the boxing drama based on the true story of women's boxing trailblazer Christy Martin, played by Sydney Sweeney—and ‘Zootropolis 2’, the long-awaited sequel to the animated animal cop drama for all the family.

    All the best of the Box Office Top 10, and top correspondence too, including some excellent ‘Pluribus’ discussion—keep the emergency-mails coming, folks!

    AND Don’t miss our upcoming LIVE Christmas Extravaganza at London’s Prince Edward Theatre on 7th December—with special guests Nia DaCosta, Jason Isaacs beaming in from the USA, and more! Tickets here: fane.co.uk/kermode-mayo

    Timecodes (for Vanguardistas listening ad-free)

    Pillion review: 12:33

    BO10: 27:34

    Noah Baumbach Interview: 47:45

    Christy review: 01:01:38

    Laughter Lift: 01:10:39

    Zootropolis 2 review: 1:12:57

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

    Please take our survey and help shape the future of our show: https://www.kermodeandmayo.com/survey

    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


    Now & Ben: Benedict Cumberbatch on THE THING WITH FEATHERS Nov 21, 2025
    Show notes

    Howdy Take listeners—it's about time for another Now & Ben, don’t you think?


    This time it’s Benedict Cumberbatch—who chats to our Ben about his new film ‘The Thing With Feathers’, alongside director Dylan Southern. Based on the bestselling Max Porter novel, the movie follows Cumberbatch’s character ‘Dad’ through his grief at the sudden death of his wife, and his efforts to raise their two sons alone. It’s a hefty subject matter and emotional performance—but as you’ll hear there were some pretty hilarious on-set antics too. When you’re working with two child actors and a guy in a giant crow costume, things are bound to be some laughs...


    Enjoy, and watch out for more of these bonus interview nuggets dropping into the Take feed every ‘Now & Ben’.

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


    WICKED: Which Witch Wins - Is the Sequel/Prequel Equal? Nov 20, 2025
    Show notes

    Some exciting news—The Take is now on Patreon: www.patreon.com/kermodeandmayo. Become a Vanguardista or an Ultra Vanguardista to get video episodes of Take Two every week, plus member‑only chat rooms, polls and submissions to influence the show, behind‑the‑scenes photos and videos, the monthly Redactor’s Roundup newsletter, and access to a new fortnightly LIVE show—a raucous, unfiltered lunchtime special with the Good Doctors, new features, and live chat so you can heckle, vote, and have your questions read out in real time.


    A leather-clad Alexander Skarsgård is riding into this week’s Take as our very special guest. That’s because he’s here to talk about ‘Pillion’, the one-of-a-kind comedy drama where he stars as mysterious BDSM biker Ray. The film follows his unfolding relationship with Colin, a shy small-town boy played by Harry Melling—who you might have heard on the show a few months back chatting to Simon about ‘Harvest’. Colin begins to discover his submissive streak under Ray’s dominant hand, as their complex relationship develops. Alexander sits down with Simon to unpack the film—a ‘Dom-Com’, as he calls it—and gives us the lowdown on what a Skarsgård Christmas looks like too.


    Don’s miss Mark’s review of ‘Pillion’ on next week’s show. This week we’ve got his verdicts on three more juicy new releases for you as usual. First up, ‘Sisu: Road to Revenge’--the Finnish action sequel to 2022’s ‘Sisu’, where seemingly unkillable action man Aatami Korpi goes on a revenge rampage against the Red Army. Plus, Bizarre biblical horror ‘The Carpenter’s Son’, starring Nicolas Cage going full Nicola Cage yet again—and ‘Wicked: For Good’ – the sequel to last year’s musical smash spectacle.


    The Good Doctors run down the box office top 10 too—and from the top of the charts to the bottom of the barrel, there’s the Laughter Lift. Plus your excellent and erudite correspondence answered.


    AND Don’t miss our upcoming LIVE Christmas Extravaganza at London’s Prince Edward Theatre on 7th December—with special guests Nia DaCosta, Gurinder Chadha, and more! Tickets here: fane.co.uk/kermode-mayo


    Timecodes (for Vanguardistas listening ad-free)


    Sisu: Road to Revenge Review: 13:44


    BO10: 22:21


    Alexander Skarsgard Interview: 37:37


    The Carpenter’s Son Review: 51:15


    Laughter Lift: 01:01:28


    Wicked: For Good Review: 01:05:51



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


    Please take our survey and help shape the future of our show: https://www.kermodeandmayo.com/survey


    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


    Edgar Wright on THE RUNNING MAN Nov 13, 2025
    Show notes

    Some exciting news—The Take is now on Patreon: www.patreon.com/kermodeandmayo. Become a Vanguardista or an Ultra Vanguardista to get video episodes of Take Two every week, plus member‑only chat rooms, polls and submissions to influence the show, behind‑the‑scenes photos and videos, the monthly Redactor’s Roundup newsletter, and access to a new fortnightly LIVE show—a raucous, unfiltered lunchtime special with the Good Doctors, new features, and live chat so you can heckle, vote, and have your questions read out in real time.


    The fabulous Edgar Wright joins us on this week’s Take to talk ‘The Running Man’—his new adaptation of the Stephen King dystopia. You might remember the Arnie version from 1987, but Wright’s is a refreshed take starring very angry action man Glen Powell. He plays Ben Richards, an out-of-work dad living in the slums of a sci-fi totalitarian state, who enters a deathmatch gameshow in the hope of winning the cash he needs to save his sick child. Edgar and Simon talk action classics, staying on Arnie’s good side, and why Stephen King called the film ‘Die Hard for our time’.


    Mark reviews it too—plus two more big movies out this week: a blockbuster and an exciting indie. In the arthouse corner, the Palme d’Or-winning ‘Titane’ director Julia Ducournau’s latest, ‘Alpha’. In her usual out-there style, it follows a troubled teenage girl who returns home with a mysterious tattoo, amidst a terrifying bloodborne epidemic. And from Hollywood, ‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’, the latest entry in the slick magician‑heist franchise... which has left Mark wishing it would do a disappearing act. Ladies and gentlemen, be marveled as a Kermodean rant is conjured before your eyes!


    Plus more exquisite dad jokes and guaranteed groans in The Laughter Lift, and we’ll hear plenty from you lovely lot as always—including some prizewinning pedantry. Keep it coming!


    AND Don’t miss our upcoming LIVE Christmas Extravaganza at London’s Prince Edward Theatre on 7th December—with special guests Nia DaCosta, Gurinder Chadha, and more! Tickets here: fane.co.uk/kermode-mayo


    Timecodes (for Vanguardistas listening ad-free)


    Alpha Review: 13:11


    BO10: 21:42


    Edgar Wright Interview: 38:14


    The Running Man Review: 53:04


    Laughter Lift: 1:03:12


    Now You See Me: Now You Don’t Review: 1:04:40



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


    Please take our survey and help shape the future of our show: https://www.kermodeandmayo.com/survey


    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


    Daniel Day-Lewis and Ronan Day-Lewis on ANEMONE Nov 06, 2025
    Show notes

    Some exciting news — The Take is now on Patreon: www.patreon.com/kermodeandmayo. Become a Vanguardista or an Ultra Vanguardista to get video episodes of Take Two every week, plus member‑only chat rooms, polls and submissions to influence the show, behind‑the‑scenes photos and videos, the monthly Redactor’s Roundup newsletter, and access to a new fortnightly LIVE show — a raucous, unfiltered lunchtime special with the Good Doctors, new features, and live chat so you can heckle, vote, and have your questions read out in real time.


    It’s a pretty special week for guests over here in Take town. We’re welcoming debut filmmaker Ronan Day-Lewis, and his dad who’s come with him and is apparently quite famous or something? Yes, that’s Sir Daniel Day-Lewis, star and co-writer of ‘Anemone’—the father-son co-created drama that has brought him out of retirement. Day-Lewis stars as reclusive and damaged former soldier Ray, who reconnects with his brother Jem (Sean Bean) after years in the wilderness. The pair unpack the film with Simon—including how a 16th Century manuscript partially inspired it, their family history in Ireland, and what it was like to write and shoot an intense father-son story as a real life father-son team.


    Mark reviews it too, along with three more big movies you can head down to the cinema to watch this weekend—code compliantly, obvs. First up, ‘Predator: Badlands’—the latest instalment in this very loooong running sci-fi action franchise which the classic villain turns hero and the hunter turns hunted. In calmer territory, we’ve got ‘The Choral’ too—a cosy drama about a Yorkshire village choir during WWI, led by controversial new conductor Dr. Henry Guthrie (Ralph Fiennes). And finally, the new and long-awaited Lynne Ramsay film ‘Die My Love’—a dark family drama starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson. Reckon Mark’s going to be excited about this one...


    All the usual email excellence, bantz, rantz, and everything you’ve come to expect from a top Take too.


    AND Don’t miss our upcoming LIVE Christmas Extravaganza at London’s Prince Edward Theatre on 7th December. Tickets here: fane.co.uk/kermode-mayo


    Timecodes (for Vanguardistas listening ad-free)


    Predator: Badlands Review: 11:33


    BO10: 19:21


    Daniel Day-Lewis & Ronan Day-Lewis Interview: 29:13


    Anemone Review: 30:30


    Laughter Lift: 57:21


    The Choral Review: 1:02:41


    Die My Love Review: 1:12:44



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


    Please take our survey and help shape the future of our show: https://www.kermodeandmayo.com/survey


    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


    Is BUGONIA out of this world? + Ruth Wilson on DOWN CEMETERY ROAD Oct 30, 2025
    Show notes

    Some exciting news — The Take is now on Patreon: www.patreon.com/kermodeandmayo. Become a Vanguardista or an Ultra Vanguardista to get video episodes of Take Two every week, plus member‑only chat rooms, polls and submissions to influence the show, behind‑the‑scenes photos and videos, the monthly Redactor’s Roundup newsletter, and access to a new fortnightly LIVE show — a raucous, unfiltered lunchtime special with the Good Doctors, new features, and live chat so you can heckle, vote, and have your questions read out in real time.


    Another top Take this week where the Good Doctors are giving you the lowdown on all the most enticing movies hitting cinema screens—and the small screen too, with our very special guest Ruth Wilson. She’ll be chatting to Simon about Down Cemetery Road — the new TV thriller based on Slow Horses author Mick Herron’s novel, where she plays the ordinary woman pulled into a mystery involving a huge explosion, a missing child, and a shady coverup. She unpacks her unlikely sleuth character, Sarah Trafford, the show’s tonal twist on TV crime, and hunting for clues alongside Emma Thompson’s gutsy gumshoe Zoe Boehm.


    Mark reviews it too—along with Relay — another taut thriller starring Riz Ahmed as a mysterious fixer who cuts deals through an anonymous phone service between his clients and the dodgy corporations they take on. And Bugonia—Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest oddity that asks whether Emma Stone might actually be an extraterrestrial...well, haven’t you wondered? All that plus the Box office Top 10, the ever- hilarious Laughter Lift, and top correspondence from you lot—keep it coming please!


    AND Don’t miss our upcoming LIVE Christmas Extravaganza at London’s Prince Edward Theatre on 7th December. Tickets here: fane.co.uk/kermode-mayo


    Timecodes (for Vanguardistas listening ad-free)


    Relay Review: 10:44


    BO10: 19:14


    Ruth Wilson Interview: 36:04


    Down Cemetery Road Review: 49:58


    Laughter Lift: 58:30


    Bugonia: 1:05:03



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


    Please take our survey and help shape the future of our show: https://www.kermodeandmayo.com/survey


    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


    Did Mark ‘Louvre’ Josh O’Connor’s timely heist movie THE MASTERMIND? + Does SPRINGSTEEN deliver? Oct 23, 2025
    Show notes

    This Week on the Show: Josh O’Connor, Kelly Reichardt & the Art of the Heist


    Fresh off the headlines of a real-life Louvre robbery, indie auteur Kelly Reichardt and breakout star Josh O’Connor join Simon to talk about their buzzy new film, The Mastermind—a stylish 70s-set art-heist drama that’s suddenly feeling very timely. O’Connor plays JB, a slacker dad whose low-stakes gallery theft spirals into something far more chaotic. Expect Nixon-era nostalgia, vintage fashion deep-dives, and awkward ovation etiquette. Plus, Josh spills on his upcoming Spielberg project—yes, that Spielberg.



    Mark Reviews:



    The Mastermind – Does Reichardt’s latest live up to the hype?

    Regretting You – A romantic drama with a title tailor-made for snark. Mark’s rant radar is fully activated.

    Sketch – A family film where kids’ drawings come to life. But does the magic hold up?

    Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere – Jeremy Allen White stars as The Boss in this hotly anticipated biopic. Does it rock or roll off the rails?


    Whether you're here for reviews, behind-the-scenes stories, or just want to know what’s worth your cinema ticket this week, we’ve got you covered.


    And some exciting news: The Take is now on Patreon! Find our page here: www.patreon.com/kermodeandmayo


    You can now become a Vanguardista—or join the new ranks of the Ultra Vanguardistas, on our Patreon page. Get a whole extra show with Take 2 every week, plus...


    Access to our new member-only Patreon chat rooms

    Polls & submissions — vote on the films we cover, send us questions to answer, and try your best (or worst) jokes for the Laughter Lift.

    Behind-the-scenes photos and videos you won’t find anywhere else.

    Video versions of ALL upcoming Take Two bonus episodes

    A new monthly newsletter called The Redactor’s Roundup

    And, most excitingly...


    A whole brand new fortnightly LIVE show from the Good Doctors – and the chance to message on the live chat during the show

    AND Don’t miss our upcoming LIVE Christmas Extravaganza at London’s Prince Edward Theatre on 7th December. Tickets here: fane.co.uk/kermode-mayo

    Timecodes (for Vanguardistas listening ad-free)


    Regretting You Review: 10:51


    Box Office Top Ten: 19:54


    Josh O’Connor & Kelly Reichardt Interview: 33:31


    The Mastermind Review: 48:15


    Laughter Lift: 57:40


    Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere Review: 1:01:04


    Sketch Review: 01:15:57




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


    Please take our survey and help shape the future of our show: https://www.kermodeandmayo.com/survey


    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


    Has FRANKENSTEIN got Mark (re)animated? + Russell Tovey Oct 16, 2025
    Show notes

    Vanguardistas have more fun—so if you don’t already subscribe to the podcast, join the Vanguard today via Apple Podcasts or extratakes.com for non-fruit-related devices. In return you’ll get a whole extra Take 2 alongside Take 1 every week, with bonus reviews, more viewing recommendations from the Good Doctors and whole bonus episodes just for you. And if you’re already a Vanguardista, we salute you.

    Another packed show this week with four movie reviews for your listening pleasure. First up, ‘Black Phone 2’ -- the sequel to 2021’s comms-based chiller, starring Ethan Hawke. Like a lot of horror movies, the fact that his character died in the last film isn’t really a big deal. Speaking of reanimation, we’ve got Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein too—a fresh take on the much-adapted classic horror novel, this time starring Jacob Elordi as the monster. ‘Roofman’ sees Channing Tatum hiding in a Toys ‘R’ Us in a crime caper based on a bizarre true story from ‘The Place Beyond The Pines’ director Derek Cianfrance—and finally, a new Luca Guadagnino out this week too. ‘After The Hunt’ stars Julia Roberts as a Yale college professor frustrated by her student’s allegations against a colleague... and it’s ripe to get under Mark’s skin—so buckle up for that one.

    Plus, those of you who enjoyed Mark’s review of ‘Plainclothes’ last week will be pleased to hear that this week we’re welcoming the very lovely Russell Tovey to the show. The charged drama follows an undercover cop assigned to arrest gay men at cruising spots—and Russell plays a target who becomes an unexpected love interest. He and Simon unpack the film and how it speaks to today—plus a bit of art chat and a mysterious arty paperback too...

    Strap in too for what we think is an especially good Laughter Lift, if we do say so ourselves—and more of your top correspondence answered—including a fascinating neuroscientific take on tearjerkers. Link here to the article mentioned in that one: https://medium.com/@itsanavidreader/why-we-cry-at-movies-but-not-real-life-the-psychology-behind-emotional-processing-de18f2dbf624

    And don’t miss our upcoming LIVE Christmas Extravaganza at London’s Prince Edward Theatre. Tickets here: fane.co.uk/kermode-mayo

    Timecodes (for Vanguardistas listening ad-free)

    Black Phone 2 Review: 09:04

    Box Office Top Ten: 15:35

    Russell Tovey Interview: 28:23

    After The Hunt Review: 43:56

    Laughter Lift: 52:30

    Roofman Review: 59:31

    Frankenstein Review: 01:08:14

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

    Please take our survey and help shape the future of our show: https://www.kermodeandmayo.com/survey

    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


    TRON: ARES: “It was like my brain was atrophying” + Kathryn Bigelow & Rebecca Ferguson Oct 09, 2025
    Show notes

    Vanguardistas have more fun—so if you don’t already subscribe to the podcast, join the Vanguard today via Apple Podcasts or extratakes.com for non-fruit-related devices. In return you’ll get a whole extra Take 2 alongside Take 1 every week, with bonus reviews, more viewing recommendations from the Good Doctors and whole bonus episodes just for you. And if you’re already a Vanguardista, we salute you.


    Simon is off galivanting this week, so our supersub Ben Baby Smith is back—and ready to run down another big week of big screen action with Mark. We’ve got reviews of all the most exciting cinema coming up this weekend:


    First up, the foul-mouthed and warm-hearted drama ‘I Swear’, which tells the true story of Tourette’s activist John Davidson’s struggle with the condition after a teenage diagnosis. Another indie gem this week, ‘Plainclothes’ starring Russel Tovey and Tom Blyth, depicts the dilemma of an undercover cop discovering his sexuality after being assigned to arrest gay men at cruising spots. Finally, the biggest, shiniest and blockbuster-iest release of the week is TRON: ARES—and we’re not exactly sure how to pronounce that, so we’re going with TRON: HAIRIES. We can’t reveal Mark’s verdict before you listen... but we can say it stars Jared Leto, and that Mark treats it with the respect that it deserves. Strap in for this one—it’s a corker.


    Plus, if you heard Mark’s review of ‘A House of Dynamite’ last week, you might be excited to hear that its star Rebecca Ferguson—of ‘Mission: Impossible’, ‘Dune’ and many more—and its director—none other than the legendary Oscar trailblazer Kathryn Bigelow—are our very special guests in this week’s show. They unpack this super-tense nuclear thriller with Ben, and he gives them a little nugget of British 1980s nuclear panic to take away with them too.

    Plus the box office top 10, the Laughter Lift, and all your top correspondence answered!

    Don’t miss our upcoming LIVE Christmas Extravaganza at London’s Prince Edward Theatre. Tickets here: fane.co.uk/kermode-mayo


    Timecodes (for Vanguardistas listening ad-free):



    I Swear Review: 10:43


    Box Office Top Ten: 18:46


    Kathryn Bigelow & Rebecca Ferguson Interview: 33:09


    Plainclothes Review: 50:33 -


    Laughter Lift: 55:36


    Tron: Ares Review: 1:00:28




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


    Please take our survey and help shape the future of our show: https://www.kermodeandmayo.com/survey


    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


    Aimee Lou Wood on Film Club + a DOUBLE BILL of films of the week Oct 02, 2025
    Show notes

    Vanguardistas have more fun—so if you don’t already subscribe to the podcast, join the Vanguard today via Apple Podcasts or extratakes.com for non-fruit-related devices. In return you’ll get a whole extra Take 2 alongside Take 1 every week, with bonus reviews, more viewing recommendations from the Good Doctors and whole bonus episodes just for you. And if you’re already a Vanguardista, we salute you.

    Our very special guest from the small screen this week is Aimee Lou Wood. The White Lotus star is back on British screens this month in ‘Film Club’—a BBC rom com that celebrates the healing power of love and, of course, movies. Wood has co-written the series too, and she sits down with Simon to unpack it. She shares what her writing debut has taught her, how she’s channeling the spirit of classic rom coms and bringing back “neurotic chatterboxes falling in love”. We might even have a scoop on her next big writing project...

    Plus Mark reviews the week’s most exciting cinema releases. First up, ‘The Smashing Machine’—Benny Safdie’s UFC fighter biopic starring The Rock as you’ve never seen him before. Plus, the much-anticipated directorial debut from Harris Dickison—who you’ll know from ‘Triangle of Sadness’, ‘Scrapper’, ‘Babygirl’ and more. His social realist tale ‘Urchin’ stars Frank Dillane as the homeless Mike—and it looks an indie treat. Last but not least, another nail-biter from Kathryn Bigelow, ‘A House of Dynamite’, which charts the terrifying moments following a nuclear missile launch headed towards the US. Not soothing viewing.

    We’re keeping the banter coming too though with the Laughter Lift and the Good Doctors’ thoughts on your stellar correspondence—plus news of our upcoming LIVE Christmas Extravaganza! Tickets here—available from 3pm TODAY: fane.co.uk/kermode-mayo

    Timecodes (for Vanguardistas listening ad-free):

    Urchin Review: 03:39 (clip 05:37-06:32)

    Box Office Top Ten: 12:06

    Aimee Lou Wood Interview: 22:47

    Film Club Review: 38:23 (23:14 – 24:02)

    Laughter Lift: 45:18

    The Smashing Machine Review: 51:19 (clip 53:02-53:57)

    House of Dynamite Review: 1:01:34 (clip 1:02:52-1:03:45)

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