Kermode & Mayo’s Take - Charlotte Rampling, Blonde, Don’t Worry Darling, Catherine Called Birdy and Juniper

Episode Date: September 23, 2022

This week Simon and Mark are joined in the studio by the extraordinary Charlotte Rampling to discuss her new film ‘Juniper’. Mark reviews the highly anticipated psychological drama ‘Blonde’- a fictionalized take on the life of Marilyn Monroe; Olivia Wilde’s new film ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ - starring Harry Styles, and Florence Pugh; ‘Catherine Called Birdy’ - a coming of age comedy set in Medieval England, directed by Lena Dunham; and ‘Juniper’- Starring this week's guest Charlotte Rampling, about a fraught relationship between Grandmother and Grandson. Plus your correspondence, What’s On and the Box Office 10. You can contact the show by emailing [e-mail] or you can find us on social media: @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Somethin’ Else & 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 [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Something that's... Well, hello, it's us again. I'm Mark Kermord. And I'm Simon Mayo. Now, what is your... No. Who is your... Not what is your favourite Pope, but that doesn't work, does it? Who is your favourite Pope? That doesn't work, does it? Who is your favourite Pope? Would it be Gregory III, maybe Gregory IV, Pope Urban IV,

the hipster's choice, or maybe Pope Boniface IV? Whichever Pope it was that employed an artist because they were able to draw a circle, freehand, and also the Pope that hick up to death, thus making hiccuping a sign of demonic possession. The only English Pope was, if I remember correctly, it was Pope Adrian, who sounds those like a made up character. That's right.

Pope Adrian said like a multi-pilot thing. Anyway, your favourite Pope should of course be Bonneface IV. Why, I hear you ask. Why? Because in the early seventh course be Bonneface IV. Why I hear you ask? Why? Because in the early seventh century, Bonneface IV, not to be confused with Bonneface III, consecrated the pantheon in Rome, formally a temple to all the gods, as a church dedicated to St Mary and the martyrs, and ordered that the date of the 13th of May should be celebrated every year. That then became all Saints day at the behest of Pope Urban the Fourth, not to be confused with Pope Urban the Third.

Then in the 8th century, Pope Urban was a bit more streetwise than some of the other folks. Quite a good name, it is. It is like a one extra Pope. Sorry. Then in the 8th century, on the 1st and November, Pope Gregory the Third dedicated a chapel to all the in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Then Pope Gregory IV made the festival universal throughout Christendom,

and the 1st of November has subsequently become what mark? All Saints Day. Correct all Saints Day for the Western Church, and what comes just before all Saints Day Mark? All Hallows Eve. Correct mark. The vigil was held on all Hallows Eve when the faithful would prepare themselves with prayer and fasting prior to the feast day itself, all Hallows Eve, which was also known as What Mark?

Halloween. What's happening on Halloween this year in London? It's our live show. Oh yes, you're quite right. It's at the end-a-go at the O2 in London, Monday 31st October. We'll have some very special guests. We'll have some extra spooky special features, including the final of the World Cup of Horror films,

in which the winner of the online knockout will be announced alongside the least scary horror movie of all time. That was your idea. So head to, that's the one I want to watch. Head to comatomeo.com, tickets are on sale right now. I have a cutting. Are we recording this? Is this just us talking? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, this is part of the magic. Is it? Yes, I'm clearing out a lot of my mum's stuff right from my mum's house and

she's got lots of cuttings from my past. Oh, well. Here is Simon Garfield's review of... Simon Garfield from Time Elderld. Exactly. Well, Simon Garfield is deemed author. Yeah, who wrote a book about... Radio one. ...and lots of other books, uh, since... Anyway, here's his review of my show. Mm-hmm. ...once upon a time, new films opened at the cinema. Now they open on the radio as well.

On Monday, Simon may have broadcasts from the Grenada Hills above Los Angeles a few hours after attending the premiere from the Grenada Hills above Los Angeles, a few hours after attending the premiere of the New Star Wars movie. Oh, it was then. The film was clearly disappointing. Everyone on Mayer's team was clearly knackered and no one could quite believe that so much money had been blown on, so flaky and excuse to get out of the office. In Los Angeles, Mayer walked that tricky line of distancing himself from the hype whilst up to his ears in it. The show came from the home of a newsbeat reporter, as Peter Bowe says. Peter Bowe's is porn-

Peter Bowe's is porn- And Mayo was delighted that it had previously been used for porn movies. It also played host to two competition winners, no radio one show, Genuine Withoutam, who were asked what they thought of the movie. I enjoyed all the stuff about Tatooine said when a Luke... What's that, Mayo asked for the benefit of Baffled from Bredlington? The planet Luke said as if Mayo was a moron. It's a song.

Then the station's erudite film critic, Enter Mark Kermode delivered his verdict. He liked the big pod race in the middle and the new baddie Darth Maul, but there were minor drawbacks like the complete lack of plot and a character called Jar Jar Binks who kind of wanted to strangle. I stand by that. He reckoned the movie would play well to the under 10s. And I was right. And then he reviews a show on talk radio. So I had completely forgotten that we he reviews the show and talk radio. There you go. So I had completely forgotten that we'd done the show, but Simon Garfield, thank you very

much. Check out all these books. That's very good. I just say on the subject of that, last night, you very kindly came along to see the Dodge Brothers. It was lovely to see you there. Thank you very much. What a rocking gig it was.

Tom Robinson came on for the encore and did that. I thought the law. Many years ago, in the previous band, I was in the Rail程 botters, we ended up playing some competition, at which there was a guy that saw the writer, who said, he said, you know, he was from, so forgive my terrible accent.

He went, you know, the problem with modern popular lyrics is, nobody writes songs for the under 10s. Where's this guy from? He saw somewhere around about Birmingham, but he was kind of, he was not supposed to be. He says, nobody writes songs for the under-ten's. And I thought he said, nobody writes songs for the undertones. And we then, he said, a very long thing.

He was a songwriter for the under-ten's. He said, I skipped the light, Fandango, turned cartwheels across the floor. I said that to somebody, they said, get a mordon. I said, that's a modern popular critic because no one writes songs for the undertay. He was from, it sounds like he was from Pretoria, South Africa. Not Birmingham. Anyway, anyway. It was coming up on the show today, Mark.

Well, I'm very glad you asked me. I'm going to be reviewing Catherine Colberti, which is a new film by Lena Dunham, Blonde, which is based on the historical fiction novel by Joyce Carolos about the inner life of Marilyn Monroe. Don't worry, darling, which you cannot have avoided all the publicity for. This is the new Olivia Wild film that played at Venice, and there's been lots and lots of stuff about whether or not Harry Styles spat on Chris Pine at the premiere.

I don't think he did. Pretty certainly didn't. And as the giant night in last week's Watch Along said, bring me a strawberry so we have. I'll be reviewing Juniper a bit later on in the show. The Watch Along of Holy Grail, by the way, is available for Vanguard Easter's right now. And I'm interviewing the one on only Charlotte Rampling,

who's the star of Juniper. And as if that wasn't enough. I'm Monday for the Vanguard, we'll be going deeper into the world of film and film adjacent television with another extra take in which you'll get a bonus review, which this week is. After Yang, which is a very strange and ambient science fiction, or science fiction, inflected drama with a great central form by Colin Farron, Jodie Turner, will be expanding your viewing and our feature one frame back inspired by Catherine

called Burdy, more of which in just a second. We've been asking you for your medieval slash high middle age movies. That's the middle age is not high middle age, meaning when you get at ancient, 50. On our social channels all week, Lost to Choose from, Mark, I would have thought there. Yes, and yes, there is lost to choose from.

It just literally says response in the things I'm going to respond and say, yes, there is lost to choose from. Thank you. It's very good response. Yes, thank you. And in take it all, I'll leave it. You decide I would have mouth on a podcast feature. Mark's going to be talking about pray currently available to watch on Disney plus, which was suggested by you.

Yes, send your suggestions for elite streaming stuff that we might have missed to correspondents at kermitermayah.com. And if all that sounds right up your strasser, please do sign up to our premium value extra takes through Apple Podcasts, or if one prefers a different platform, then one should head to extratakes.com.

And if you're already a Vanguardista, as always, we salute you. We salute you. Merci, Bia, et cetera. Daniel goes first. I wanted to send my girlfriend a link to Mark's review of Ticket to Paradise. Looks terrible, but I'm going to watch it. And instinctively, as an LTL, I just typed Ticket to Paradise, Kermode, into YouTube to get the corresponding video URL. I hadn't even considered it, but you've changed platforms since then. And I was totally enamored

with your new setup. It's intimate. This is a polite way of saying small. But what was best of all is that there aren't 15 monitors and micalms between the lot of you. The studio looks lovely, and I was really happy to see you both. Well, that's very nice of you, Daniel. I didn't even know he says you had a YouTube channel. I think you should tell your listeners to go find it.

Insert, how do you find a YouTube channel segment here? How do you find a YouTube channel? You just find a YouTube channel. There you go. Very good. Thank you very much. Adam says, my dear and good and great doctors, greetings from a colonial commoner in Brooklyn, Longtime fan, first time caller. A question from an ignorant American about a phrase markers use several times. Okay. What does it mean to be, quote, on one's bike? I've noticed Mark saying he's been on his bike about things in the past and had gathered from context clues that this meant he was angry. However, I check with a friend in London who informed me that the term is usually more friendly way

of telling someone to go away on your bike, you, etc. You can imagine my confusion. I admit I was quite on my bike about it. Or was I? Have I used that wrong? Impossible to say. So how do you use the wrong one? Can you help me? Love the show Steve, which he, certainly I admit, I was quite on my bike about it. Or was I, have I used that wrong? Impossible to say. How do you use it wrong? Can you help me? Love the show, Steve, which he certainly doesn't know what that means. Tickly tongue down with Frank. Can I just say, Tickly tongue and down with the Nazis?

I know. Kirsty Young. Kirsty Young, again, showing herself to be a listener. I think she's signaling, isn't she? When she had these... It's like Donald Trump's signaling to Cueanon. Yeah, Kirsty Young is signaling on the... To us, on her brilliant coverage of the Royal Futus fantastic. She asked very moving particular Royal expert about the Tinkley Tonka

Down the Narcissus, whether the Queen Mother actually signed her letters like that, which the answer was yes. And thank you to everybody who got in touch to say, you've just been on the Royal coverage of the funeral and proof that Tinkleyickety Tonka down with the Nazis did indeed originate with the Queen Mother. It was fabulous. On the subject of getting on your bike and getting off your bike. So the way it works is... Before you review that, he signs off by saying, Tickety Tonka down with frankly about 40% of American voters if I'm perfectly on this.

Adam in Brooklyn. That's very good. Yeah. So it's getting off your bike rather than getting on your bike. Say get on your bike means off you go, get on your bike. Yeah, on your bike means off you go, go away, go away. That's to get on your bike.

But to get off your bike means to get, you know, lary about something. So he's really got off his bike about it, means. But he says on one's bike. Yeah, but that's incorrect. To get on your bike means to be sent away. But to get off your bike means to stop your bike and have an argument about it.

So if I say, for example, I was talking to my good friend Nigel Floyd about a film, he really got off his bike about it. It means he really went, right, here's the thing. See, I think he means on your bike. I think he means it's the kind of, does on your bike mean, go away? On your bike means go away. Get off your bike means,

mean means to have a, you know, have a, have a stop about it. Happy to help at him. It's interesting though, isn't it, that getting on and getting off your bike can mean so many different things. And I'm just gonna park my bike, means I'm just gonna have a wee.

Yes, that reminds me of a very good joke about the Vicar who... I was just wondering where this is going. I was preaching about the Ten Commandments. That's what his plan was. I'm gonna get this horrendously wrong. I'm looking forward to it already. I was planning this so many,

and then he got back home and his wife said, how did this sermon go? He said, well, it was okay. I was preaching about the Ten Commandments. He said, yeah, okay, what's wrong with that? He said, well, it was okay. I was preaching about the Ten Commandments. He said, yeah, okay, what's wrong with that? It says, well, it's okay until I got to the, Bouchon, oh no, it doesn't matter. I'm gonna tell a different joke a bit later on

and claim that it was all serious. Okay, okay. Look, I think, I've got lots of stuff I wanna do, but I think Catherine Colbert, he needs to be reviewed now and it needs to be reviewed clearly and precisely before one is entitled to get on one's bike. To get on one's bike, okay fine. Catherine Colberti, which is in cinemas now, comes to Amazon Prime on the seventh adaptation of the 1994 Children's Historical Novel by Karen Kushman.

It's written and directed by Lena Donum, creator and star of the HBO series Girls and writer director of the film's Tiny Furniture, which I reviewed with you some time ago in Shopstick. Set in 13th century England. So that would be... Okay. ...medieval times. Middle medieval times. Although the dialogue is all modern. So Bella Ramsey, who was in the CBBC TV series of the worst witch and in Game of Thrones, is young

Lady Catherine, also known as Birdie. She's a free spirit. She has no intention of doing what she's told. She wants to live her life her own way. We meet her covered in mud and causing chaos. Her father and mother played by Andrew Scott. Exactly. Sexy Priest. Yeah, absolutely. I'm up for this. And Billy Piper, who wrote it, they're in the process of producing yet another child, although so far, Birdie is the only one of her siblings who has survived.

So there is a regular family tragedy about, you know, about a death in childbirth. Meanwhile, her father's extravagance, her father played by Andrew Scott Sexy priest, like buying a tiger means that they've run out of money. Here's a clip. Well, how's this happened? Fenyous. After all, you're paid to prevent things like this. In essence, my lord, you have ignored me.

You have spent profanely and without censure. No, in essence. I can't have spent so much. Give me one example of an expense, not strictly necessary for the survival of my family. Really? My tiger has arrived. It's dead.

One of the things is, in a way you kind of have to see that look on Andrew's cosplay. Is he loving that role? He is. He's loving the robes. He's loving the casual wear. think he is. He's loving the robes. He's loving the casual way. So he strikes upon the idea that the only way they can save the family is they're going to marry Birdie off

and Birdie is a young teenager. And but you know, he marries her off. That will somehow prop up their finances. Apparently this has been a long-term passion project for Dunham. It's very easy to see why. It is a coming of age tale that isn't squeamish about the subject of menstruation, features a young heroine who is smarter, funnier, altogether more powerful and resourceful than almost anyone around her.

And it's really funny, but also really moving. Now, in the past, some of Lena Dunham's work has kind of straddled that awkward thing between quirky and irksome, and I think this is banging the mainstream sweet spot, that it could be loved by and embraced by anybody. I just looked to check, and the BBFC certificate is 12A for moderate sex references, violence, upsetting scenes, and strong language. So, you know, it's a slightly more mature, it's not, you know, completely everybody, but I think the 12-base certificate is exactly right. And I think it has real universal appeal, Bellaramzi, is fantastic

as Burdi. She's just such a thrilling screen presence, like a whirling dervish of, you know, uncontrolled ideas and, you know, and the enthusiasm and annoyances. And she's just huge fun to spend time in a company. Andrew Scott gets a really good mixture of comedy and tragedy as a slightly idiotic, but essentially loving and conflicted father. And Billy Piper is so good as the mother. I didn't recognize her for the first 20 minutes that she was on the screen, and I've interviewed Billy Piper, and she's really, really good in that role. Also, supporting roles, thumbs up for Paul Kay, who is one of the stinky bearded suitors, less of a thumbs up for Russell Brown, who was in, thankfully, much.

Exactly. He comes on and it's about four minutes, and it's like, yeah, fine, okay, just just and the music is by Carter Burwell. There is some songs by the Drowsy Lads. And then there are these cover versions, these kind of folky cover versions of modern pop songs, like Supergrass is all right. And which kind of, you remember a night's tale? It had a bit of a kind of night's tale vibe about about using modern songs, but using them in a, you know, an acridistic setting. Anyway, it's terrific fun terrific fun. It's well worth seeing on the big screen, but it does come to prime on the seventh. And I thought it was, I was just a real treat. I knew nothing about it before seeing it. I hadn't read the book.

I just thought the title was kind of slightly baffling, but it's it's really, really good. Excellent big thumbs up. Thank you still to come. Still to come, I'm doing the new Olivia Wild Film Don't Worry Darling and Blonde, which is coming Excellent, big thumbs up. Thank you still to come. Still to come, I'll be doing the new Olivia Wild film, Don't Worry Darling and Blonde, which is coming to cinemas for Netflix, and we'll be reviewing Juniper, which brings us to our special guest. We shall at Rampling, and you can hear from the star of that movie in just a moment. It's time for the ads, and let's you're in the vanguard in which case we'll be back

before you can say, Laurie McNanamy. Happy Nord Christmas! or you can say, lorry magnenomy. [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ [♪ [♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ [♪ [♪ Those websites should already have their own encryption built into their payment systems, but to be on the safe side, you can use a VPN to ensure that all data coming to and from your device is encrypted. Even if you're using an unsafe Wi-Fi, you'll still be able to shop securely with a VPN. And you can access Christmas films only available overseas by using streaming services not available in the UK. To take our huge discount of your NordVPN plan,

go to nordvpn.com slash take. Our link will also give you four extra months for free on the two-year plan. There's no risk with Nord's 30-day money bank guarantee. The link is in the podcast episode description box. Hi, esteemed podcast listeners, Simon Mayo. I'm Mark Kermode here. I'm excited to let you know that the new season of the Crown and the Crown, the official podcast,

returns on 16th of 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 hosted 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 crowns Queen Elizabeth in Melda Staunton. 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 props master Owen Harrison. Cast members including Jonathan Price, Selim Dor, Khalid Abdullah, Dominic West, and Elizabeth the Bikki. 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 my connect directors to emerging otters, there's always something new to discover, for example.

Well, for example, the new Aki Karazaki film Fallen Leaves, which won the jury prize at Cannes, that's in cinemas at the moment. And if you see that and think I want to know more about Aki Karazaki, you can go to Mubi the streaming service and there is a retrospective of his films called How to Be a Human. They are also going to be theatrically releasing In January Priscilla, which is a new Sophia couple of film, which I am really looking forward to since I have an Elvis obsession. You can try Mo's m-u-b-i.com slash kermodon mayo. For a whole month of great cinema for free. And we're back box office time in a moment. First mark reviewed Pinocchio. Are we Pinocchio-ing or Pinocchio-ing? I always say Pinocchio. Okay. Anyways, currently streaming on Disney+. This from sunny Warwick,

and Warwick being the name of the person who sent it in. Oh, not from Sunny Warwick. No, from Warwick, age 50, exactly no achievements. Right, says Warwick. Welcome, yes. Hi, Pip and Squirt, also my goalfish's name. I'm listening to your podcast,

and I wanted to write in defense of the refreshed Pinocchio and Lion King. Okay. The original Pinocchio, I always found inac inaccessible and I couldn't get past the accents in the strange animation and I could never absorb the story. Admittedly, I gave up on it decades ago. I'm finding the new 2022 Disney Plus version to be a delight. I'm three quarters of the way through.

For the first time in my life, I now understand the story and I now understand who Jiminy Cricket is. With Lion King, I adore the original's animation story and especially the music. I found the new version to be a delight as well. The animation was a lot softer. I found it to be a more melancholic version and I love them both. Nick Cameron via our YouTube channel, disheartening accountancy-driven fare.

Quotes from Mark. His description was spot on. I think this is a systemic problem with Disney right now. Even the Marvel movies and TV shows seem like soulless remakes of stuff they were doing only four years ago. If the only thing you can do is copy yourself and not be as good, you're in trouble.

Give us a new Muppet Show Disney. Anyway, here's hoping for Avatar. Says Nick. I just say in response to Warwick, if you haven't seen the original cartoon of Pinocchio recently, and you've just enjoyed the Zamekis version, go back and watch the cartoon. I think you'll find that all the things you like

about the Zamekis is in there. I mean, one of the reasons the cartoon is quite hard is the kid is because they're really scary bits in it. Like the donkey bit is really, really creepy. What happens in the donkey bit? When the kids, because they, you know, they're ass scary bits in it. Like the donkey bit is really, really creepy. What happens in the donkey bit? When the kids, because they, you know, they're asses in line. Oh, yeah. And they turn into donkeys. And it's really frightening.

Now on the subject of Blackbird. Yes. This is from Stuart Taylor. Fellas, having now seen both the room and Black, just one sentence on the, not room both the room and Black just one sentence on the not room the room. The worst film ever made by Tommy Wiseau that has now become a cult favorite thanks to it playing consistently at the Prince Charles cinema in Lassersworth. Okay, so Stuart says, having now seen both the room and Blackbird at the Prince Charles, I can say both are a fun experience in a large group of similarly primed people.

However, what makes the room stand out is that while Wizu is not particularly adept at writing, directing or acting, he does all three fullheartedly and at times full-throttedly, his is a true passion project and at no point is he afraid to completely expose himself through his creation and performance. Flatly, on the other hand, does not have the bravery. He barely emotes or even moves for most of the film. His dialogue shields himself from any emotional engagement from the audience as such, his project is hollow, where Tommy Weasers is raw and honest.

Therefore, the room remains unusurped, a word I haven't seen before, as the so bad it's good champion. Yeah, I mean, I would say that I understand why the room has become a cult thing. Blackbird is just terrible. I don't think it's fun. I just think it's awful.

Incidentally, after promising me last week that I would hear by the end of the week that who the other people were in contention for the best act of prize at the 2021 Monaco streaming Film Festival, which as we now know, the company is based in Cork, Cork. They haven't come up with a list. I emailed them again yesterday. Well, let's just assume there weren't. Well, I mean, I'm sort of finding it hard to believe it can be that hard to go back into the archives for last year. Yeah, I mean, I'm sort of finding it hard to believe it can be that hard to go back into the archives for last year. Yeah, I mean, there's pages and pages.

Pages and pages. So it's, you know, it's all looking as though he didn't meet anybody at all. But I, you know, I stand to be correct. Yes. But I will say this, any film festival that actually gave Michael Flatley an award for Best Actor is either insane or he was literally in a category with some IKEA furniture. If anyone else can help as to who he might have beaten

to that award, get in touch. Please follow us at COVIDaMan.com. Number 10 in the chart, Moonage Daydream. I loved it. It's so great. It's getting a wider release now. Funnily enough, they were talking about it on the news just this week because obviously I had a limited release now.

It's getting wider release. If you're a Bowie fan, there's so much in there to enjoy. Yes, there's loads and loads of stuff that you will have seen before. There are a couple of things that you haven't seen before. Not really to do with that. It's to do with the way in which Brett Morgan has put it all together as a collage of Bowie's life and ideas. And it's a celebration, it's absolutely made with love and affection. And you know, I keep saying this, I was at L's Court in 1978.

I just, I loved the film, I loved it, I thought it was fabulous. With apologies, I missed out the UK's number 32, which is Jackie Brown. I only want to mention it because people have been writing in because Pam Grievous on the show. Yeah, she was great. Ian in top-modern. When I discovered yesterday that Jackie Brown

was being re-released this week, I very quickly became braced for Mark's latest chance to theorize that the smaller box office of the film in comparison to Pulp Fiction, caused Tarantino to retreat in his immature postmodern, genre-abending playground that he has occupied most of the time I've seen. I hope I didn't disappoint.

As I beg to differ, I was pleased to hear Mark temper his feelings on the issue slightly and adopt a more diplomatic angle on Tarantino's over. That's me. Whether because of or in spite of being reminded of the economy and low key panache of this early high point, for my money, the nature of Tarantino's personality and B-movie obsessions that have been on display

over the past 20 years since Kill Bill, suggested his films since then have seen him really getting stuck into what he's been looking forward to doing all along, considering the romantic whistfulness of Max Cherry and the subtle tenderness of his relationship with Jackie Brown, I do feel that it's a pity Tarantino hasn't given his characters a of the years since, more depth of maturity and time to consider

the birds and flowers. I was delighted to see touches of sweetness and yearning creep in to Leonardo DiCaprio's character and once upon a time in Hollywood recently. But given that Jackie Brown made 75 million on a 12 million budget, I think it's a stretch to consider it a commercial letdown. I'm sure that after creating a cultural phenomenon in Pulp Fiction, Tarantino knew full well that nothing would approach the impact of that film and he was very shrewd to follow it

with a relaxed, contemplative film that would undercut it and exist on its own plane. It's unfortunate that Jackie Brown stands alone in his filmography. It's true that it just moves while all of the other films since then just, and here he says, sclomp, which is a word that I'm not- Sclomp.

Well, he says, sclomp. Anyway, but hey, hey, we get the message. I like all of them at least a little bit and think there are several candidates for the best one, but thank you for your lovely review. I just say very quickly in terms of the box office thing, thing you need to remember is the budget of a film is not the budget of a film. The film costs 12.5 million to make.

Then when you add in marketing prints, as you did previously, and everything else involved the equation used to be, that it was two and a half times the budget, but film, it's now much more than that. Jackie Brown washed its face. What it didn't do was pulp fiction numbers, and that was why it was a disappointment, because pulp fiction was a huge success. Mr Pickerwoof says, thank you, Mr Pickerwoof. Although I still rank pulp fiction above it, I pretty much agree with Mark watching

in glorious and Django in particular. I'm just forever feeling down about the films that they could have been. Brilliantly acted and directed in one scene, misjudged, totally weird, next scene, then another great scene, then a silly scene and so on. His first three films weren't about that. All his films, post-Jackey Brown, have individually felt like a great film and a terrible film, spliced together, and it makes my hand.

I couldn't put it better myself. Well, thank you, Mr. Pickerwuff. Very good. And so, Monet Day, James. Yeah, well, I've done that now. I just love it. Yeah, yeah, okay. So, James Cain in New Zealand, Kea Or a Chaps, when I worked with the news, this is quite an interesting point,

actually, which hadn't occurred to me at all. When I worked with the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, aside from recognizing the historic significance of the event, I felt nothing. However, the very public and widespread mourning absolutely reminded me about how I reacted to the death of David Bowie. I'd never met David Bowie nor did I ever manage to see him in person, though having been born in 1988 isn't much of an excuse. Even so, when on the 10th of January 2016 news of his death broke, 88 is much of an excuse. Even so, when on the 10th of January 2016 news of his death broke Black star still very much on hard rotation. I fell into three full days of absolute mourning for a total stranger

This was how much Bowie had touched my life and the same could be said for millions of others This month people cried over a queen in their workplaces just as I did with a Duke in 2016 There go nice. We don't all of this being on my mind made Brett Morgan's Rhapsodic Dream-like whirlwind of a documentary, Moon Age Day Dream, an emotional gift, recognizing that there's so much to cover with Bowie, so you may as well just cover what you want to, in this case, mostly the 70s and early 80s. It's a mood board of a film that could only have been made after Bowie was dead. This deeply immersive love letter to both the star and footage archivists makes this a must-watch for all diamond dogs. Lots of love down with authoritarianism. Says James K.

It's very good. I mean, as I said, I found it profoundly emotional and thrilling experience. And I want to go back and watch it in IMAX. A body's body's bodies is at number nine. So I liked having a conversation with somebody the other day about whether or not bodies, bodies, bodies, constitutes a who done it. And of course it does, because it's very much, you know, it came out the same as, you know, see how they run, group of people in a house, someone's killed, lights go off, they're all stuck there, you know, who did it.

I really enjoyed it, but what I really liked was the idea that them being nasty to each other was the most dangerous thing in the house. Epic Gibbon says agree with a good dog, 100% on this one, much better than I was expecting after I spent the opening, 15 minutes worrying whether I'd be able to cope with the cast for a moment longer. Because they're so annoying. I did, and rather enjoyed the rest of it. Some good laughs and there's some terrific ending as well.

Yeah, it is. Number 8 here, 11 in America, Bra Mastra Part 1, Shiva. Which is doing very well. This is a fantasy adventure and it's directed by Aamukji and enjoyed it very much and it's doing very well with its audience. Elvis is number 7. I mean, great that it's still in there. Fantastic that, you know, I'm interesting of course that blonde is coming out this week, which is you know about Marilyn Monroe I I loved Elvis Ted the lost explorer and the curse of the mummies at number six third time still don't really get the appeal of this series DC League of Superpets at five Absolutely don't get the appeal of that

It's number six in America four here seven in the state top gun maverick top gun maverick number three, seven in the state, top gun maverick. Top gun maverick. Number three here, nine in the state's minions, the rise of grooves. Delfunny, two bullet train. And number one in the UK, box office number one, number four in America, see how they run. Which is frankly, says my partner, I went to see how they went to see, see how they run, having read some good reviews And when all 10 patrons watching the film were laughing out loud including us

We knew this was a good watch clever well acted not over long minute. It's an hour and a half Is it a minute and a half? Isn't Aaron a half a minute and a half wow good? 1950s atmosphere and a nice Sly ending what more can you ask for? This is what is known as a sleeper and there won't be many funnier films. I don't think it's a sleeper, it's gone in at number one. I mean, it's a hit.

Thank you, Howard Franklin for that. It is here. And I want to see it as well. And it was, did you really enjoy it? It was the classic Sunday afternoon performance. And I thought it was, isn't Surscherone just fabulous? Yes.

She is, as we've said many times before, everything that she does. It's just great. Even if the overall film, you don't love her performance is always something. Don't write everything that I say down. You're writing it down, aren't you? Yes. And also...

Just trying to remember. Just trying to remember some of the great times. And Tim Key is great. Anyway, all the performances are terrific. Everyone's great. Our guest today is the extraordinary star over many decades. Charlotte Rampling, she has a new movie out which is called Juniper and will hear from her after this clip. So, what should we do? What? Perhaps you could show me around the gardens.

We could take a walk. A walk? In my chair, are you idiot? Oh, maybe you could read to me. I think I'll take a pass on all of those options. Excuse me? I'll bring you food. I'll take you to the bathroom until Syracite's back.

But that's it. Please leave. Just testing. That is a clip from Juniper. I'm delighted to say that it's Starshall at Rampling has joined us in the studio. Hello, Charlotte. How are you? Hello, I'm fine. Very nice to see you.

Juniper is a fascinating film. You play Ruth. How would you describe her? She has dedicated her life to a certain way of living, which we come to understand at the end of the film that she's really rather given away, say her family life, which is a very, she was a very dedicated war reporter

and a dedicated lover of life as well. So she very much wanted to live that kind of life in the biggest, wide, as possible way. And at the start of the film, how do we find Ruth? We find Ruth on her way to New Zealand with a broken leg. We don't quite know the other things that are happening to her insider, but she is going back to the family that she actually abandoned more or less. Not abandoned, but I mean, she put her son to boarding school and she doesn't even know her grandson, who is 18.

Because this film is at its heart a two-hander between you and your grandson. Played by George Ferry, who I imagine is 1718 when you filmed this movie. The fact that it's a sort of a grandma and a grandson at the heart of me, it makes it feel very different. It's not usually at the heart of a story. How would you describe a roots relationship with that?

At the beginning, in the first sort of 10-15 minutes of the film. She's an alcoholic. She doesn't get drunk, but she needs alcohol all the time to stabilize her. She's always drunk. She's always lived very hard and fast and she's drunk. So she also has an extraordinarily bad temper. She's there with a nurse who she's kept coming from England. And she's just landed on the house, saying, landed on her family, saying,

you know, I'm going to stay here just until my leg gets better, but in fact, it's not quite true or something else will happen longer on. She won't go. But the first confrontations with her grandson are extremely tense and taught, not because she dislikes him, but just because she has a heightened way of not only expressing herself, but her being. Her being is so obviously has been drowned in alcohol for a long time, but apart from that, because it's not

about an alcoholic at all, this character, but it's about somebody who has abandoned lots many sides of her life just to be able to do what she wanted to do, which if anyone knows what a war of water is like, it's pretty hard stuff as well, as hard living. And she's also, it's fairly, say, quite violent, particularly towards her grandson. Well, because the grandson is also resisting, that's what's fascinating about this relationship that starts to build. The grandson is a fighter too, and that's what she likes in the end about him. So she will need to really stimulate this young man in a certain way for her to get through to him. Because there's a scene where you throw a glass at him and he says, go and do it again and he stands there and takes it and you throw a glass and him and he says go and do it again and he stands there and

takes it and you throw a glass and it hits him on the head and that's when their relationship obviously is going to start. If you can do that then he's some kind of a guy isn't he? So that's what she wants to find out. That's shocking. What draws you particularly to an individual film? Is it to do with the script? Is it to do with your, you know, how you feel about the director? Is it to do with other cast members? Because I imagine that you're offered a huge amount of things. What would draw you to Juniper, for example? This the story and also that it is otter filmmaking. And can you explain what that means? An otter filmmaking means that it's a young filmmaker who tries, from the beginning of his work, he would prefer to write the story and to direct it. That's what Ota Philm making is about. So he won't

take on a film script of somebody else. It will be something that he has dreamed up or he has experienced or he has experienced in his past, which, during the British A bit about because the grandmother is loosely about his grandmother as well. And why is that particularly attractive, the O2 thing that you've spoken about in which it's a single film making with a very particular vision? Why is that attractive? Because that's, I guess, the way that it works for me as an actor. That's what I want. I want to be part of that. I don't want to be part of big productions. I have never have been. So when you're working on a film, do you have a fairly intense relationship with the director writer, with the creator of the...

Yes, it's a very... it's almost like a family affair, actually. You're very involved with each other, and it's actually about... you somehow feel that you're getting closer to what life is really about, that you're not really acting, you're actually interpreting sort of things that you know about, yourself emotionally, much more, you're able to get closer to the feeling of it, get the feeling of the story somehow, while you're acting it, and while you're doing it. There's a much more intimate feel about films like that, which I've always privileged. I like that.

And particularly in the case of this, in which it's about the development of a relationship, which as he said, starts with throwing a glass at somebody's head and then moves somewhere else, does it affect it profoundly whether or not you get to shoot it in sequence? I don't know how the making of that happens, but do you shoot the scenes in the order that they come out or is it all jumbled out? Well, you can, if you're... It depends on the locations, literally.

It's a location thing, but as we were in the house, and most happens in the house because Ruth doesn't move, she's more or less immobile, so we were able to do it. And does that help? Yeah, it's great. You don't often get that. So you have to not have to... It has to not matter if you don't do it, so you learn how to do it.

But George hadn't made, he did an acting school, he came out of acting school, so it was much, much better for the young actors to do it like that. So that's George Ferrier who plays Sam. And the director is Matthew Savall. Yes. It is. Baby feature. First feature.

And you said that you're kind of playing his grandmother. Did that make it feel like you were playing a real person or had it changed so much that it was really your interpretation of that? Yeah, because it is all story-telling and even him thinking about his grandma. There was only taken a bits of his grandmother, just certain moments of relationship

and certain things that he'd remembered and were in his head as a filmmaker, filmmaker, that caught his eye in terms of what a story bits of bits of parts of his life, how he could make it. Maybe it even wasn't intentional when I think when you start to write, you don't quite know what you're going to be writing, if you write a screenplay or a book, you don't really quite know, you might just have a sentence, you might just have a photo, you don't quite know what you're going to be writing, if you write a screenplay or a book, you don't really quite know, you might just have a sentence, you might just have a photo, you might just have a feeling about something, and then it starts to develop. But what I like about this kind of oturf filmmaking, if we call it like that, to me it's more story, it's more real storytelling, I get closer to what I'm actually talking about as

a character, I really feel that it's so close to me, whoever it is, and whatever I'm actually talking about as a character. I really feel that it's so close to me, whoever it is, and whatever I'm doing, I don't have to be me, but it's so close to me. So on that OTA film director, we talked about Matthew Savile, when 45 years came out, Tom Courtney came on the program, and he was such a great company, a really great guest,

but when I asked him to describe the film, he told us the entire story from the beginning to the end, gave away every single fact. Talk about the final scene at Great Lakes. Exactly right. So I think that was Andrew Hague's second movie. When you did Hannah, I think that was the director's second movie, Andrea. Is that a coincidence or is that you looking for new filmmakers? Not the coincidence of what films they've made, but it's so happy. All very early on. Well, it sort of happened as I got older, they got younger, which was really quite interesting

because they really wanted to find out more about what an older woman is. You wouldn't necessarily think that they would want to, but that's that I think is what was happening. When Andrew did 45 years, it was how the investigation of a couple when, you know, having lived 45 years together, what happens, what happened, when something happens that can split, start to split and start to splinter, and it's all very sort of, it's all very unsteady territory suddenly for a couple who've been completely okay

for all those years and happy. What about working with, I mean, you've been directed by your son. I mean, how does that work? How does the relationship work? Well, it's work. You know, if you are a professional, I am a professional, I made a huge amount of films.

Yeah, no, I'm very aware. It's a profession. It's a, you know, if you are a professional, I am a professional, I made a huge amount of films. No, I'm very aware. It's a, it's a, you know, you're right. I'm certainly not going to to eat him any, any different than I would my, any, you know, young film director. It's certainly not mum, mum and son doing their film together. But it's an interesting dynamic, because I know he's a very, very interesting film and it's got a very specific atmosphere to it. And I kind of think it fits into that thing that you're talking about, about a director with a specific vision. But there is just an extra dynamic to that. When obviously you have a family relationship with somebody and you say it's just work, but it can't be that simple to just make it work. Well, the actual time that you're working is.

It's got to be, but it's no effort. It was no effort to me, because a lot of people did ask me that, and I was sort of not surprised that they asked me that, but it was completely automatic for me. And then I could go home with them, then we just be mother and son. Just on the subject of big pictures, which, as you said, you don't normally do, but you were in June, and you played the rather scary Reverend Mother. As I understand it, Denis Villeneuve asked you to do it, and then you said you'd do it. There's not much of you in the first one, but there's a lot in the second.

Did he keep his promise? Yes, and I've just finished it. Right, and how did he go? Well, with Denis, you can't resist Denis, because he's such a visionary. He's such a wonderful, wonderful person, too. He's not, you know, when you look, how can you, how can you do these films on that grand scale? Being the kind of very humble person he is and very, very attached to his actors and very attached to

what he could almost be an otter or filmmaker. Yeah, yeah. You know, but he's doing it on a huge scale. So that's why I was attracted to June. But it's the mechanics I don't like of making those big films. Did you come out of it thinking I just want to make small pictures again? That's enough of the big pictures for now. Well, there wouldn't be any reason anyone didn't think would ask me to make a big picture

unless it was a particular director like Daniel, Daniel Villeneuve. I mean, why would they ask me? If anything. You mean in recent years you've worked with Paul Verhoeven on Benadetta and I mean Paul the Hovern is an O2 but also a blockbuster director. Yeah, but Benadetta was not a blockbuster. It was another it was almost like an O2 film because I mean there were

there were there were variations on the theme of that. I mean it was a film was also done in French because the Americans would never have produced it obviously from the story content. But still that was a I mean he's an O2 out of that all their the story content. But still, that was a, I mean, he's a no-tor, that's all they're hoping. But, you know, in a different way, and it's a very Dutch way. LAUGHTER He's a fantastic conversation list.

I mean, it's great. He can talk about anything and everything. Unbelievably well-reads, listen to every piece of music, read every book about the life of Christ, ever written, an extraordinary person. Yeah, I agree. Just a final word on Ruth in Juniper. I read Charlotte that your grandmother was, I think you said,

a severe woman. First of all, is that true? Is that fair? And was there any of your grandmother in your portrayal of Ruth? No, because Ruth is modern actually. My granny was the sort of the severe of the time, I think, according to convention, according to how you've been brought up to behave. So you don't show your feelings since that's very English too, as we know, especially at that time. So no, no, she wouldn't have been. She's completely a typical grandmother. Is there any of you in her?

Yeah, yeah, that's why I'm good at it. LAUGHTER Are you out? And that is definitely true. Juniper is the movie at Star Charlotte Rampling Charlotte and we'll do some more with you in Take 2, but for the moment, thank you very much. OK.

MUSIC So there'll be more Charlotte Rambling in Take 2. Are we lucky enough to have that? Right, take 2 interview incidentally. Yeah, we had it for half an hour. And you don't really get a chance to talk to somebody like that for that amount of time because it's all very tightly controlled. Normally you get like 15 minutes and that's fine, but by the time you've got past the

essential questions, there really isn't much time for anything else. But what we did, she's been in 130 movies and we go through every single one and ask you for a little paragraph on each including Zardos. Have we ever spoken to anyone who's actually in Zardos? No, I don't think so. Anyway, so in take two Charlotte Rampling, not just on the famous films that she's been in, like Night Porta, but also Zardos, which still is with the maddest film. And so we've spoken a lot about Juniper in the course of the conversation. So what else to say about Juniper? Well, firstly, the title Juniper refers to Juniper, which Jin is made. And as she said at the end of the,

she drinks, she's an alcoholic, she's not drunk, but she's, she requires alcohol to function. And she's been posing this part. Yeah, exactly. I think that, as you heard from that interview, essentially, Charlotte Rampling takes on roles that she believes in and that she, that she can bring something to,

and she's talked about there being, you know, a part of her character in the character that she plays here. The film stands or falls on whether or not you believe in the relationship between her and the grandson played by George Ferrier. And I think you do. And I think the reason you do is twofold. The first thing is that the script is actually fairly understated.

There aren't great big emotional outbursts for the most part. It is to do with fairly small moments of which lobbing a glass at somebody is a fireworky highlight. The second thing is that I think, although you kind of know where the story is going to go, you know at the beginning the fact that there is this grouchiness in this distance, obviously during the course of the drama, you're going to learn about her backstory and you know, his backstory and you know that there is going to be some kind of melting of the ice.

So since you know that, it's just a question of whether or not the key moments in which things start to change work. And I think that, for example, that one of the key changes is that she throws a glass at him, and then he says, you missed, but I'll stand still and do it again. I like the fact that the moments that it turns on are those kinds of moments,

as opposed to moments of some sort of enforced and un-earned sentimentality. So I think that you buy their relationship. I think the fact that it's been done in sequence, I think you can see that on screen, I think you can see the relationship growing. And I thought it was well-acted, it's very well-acted, it's very well played, and it's the kind of relationship that you don't see all the time, and as you said yourself, name for me the last time, you saw a grandson and a grandmother

as a heart of a story. And of course, it's a romance as well. I mean, it is about two people falling in love with each other as they discover who the other person really is. And then what you do in that is you discover who they are. So I thought it was very well played. I can see very easily why Charlotte Rampling

would have been attracted to it. You liked it as well, yeah? Yeah. I mean, it's not. I'm not sure I would call it a romance because that is such a laid-in. I'm so sorry. I don't mean it's a, it was a leden word, you know, it's just, it takes you, you know, oh, is it that kind of thing? No, no, no, no, no, it's not that kind of thing, but I can possibly that's the wrong word, but it's about, it family love, which was absent before and which kindles are new, nicely put. If indeed it did. You should sit on this side. No, no, no, no, absolutely not. But you do absolutely believe that she's the alcoholic grandmother who would throw a glass at her grandson and then and also hits him with a whip, which is that or a stick that she's

had, you know, she's brutal. That sounds like a romance to me. Okay, well that's a very interesting insight. Shake her mode. Well, it's the ads in a minute, Mark. Okay. But first, it's time once again to step into our low-thalutin laughter lift. Oh, no.

Yes, sorry about that. F***ing. It's taken longer than you, isn't it? I know. So we've moved on from the high-falutin jokes. So we're the apologies to child three's friend Will, who's sent in a theology-based joke, because he's a theological student. OK.

And obviously, hasn't made ink, because we're already lo-we're doing low-falutin' jokes. Mark, anyway, I don't know if you've noticed, it's only 93 days until Christmas. Can you believe it? I can't wait until Christmas morning. Absolutely magical. I've been told that my biggest talent is my ability to tell what's in a wrapped Christmas present.

It's a gift. Bad news, Mark. Very bad news. I went to the doctor's home. It isn't even bother to leave any gap for laughter because you knew well It was a bit like Liz trust leaving a gap Where you're supposed to applaud oh You're not applauding. Oh, well, I'll be I'll carry on

Bad news marker went to the doctors this morning to get the results of an important test He said I'm very sorry to say mr. Mayor, but your DNA is backwards. I said, and Even a Liss Trust audience will get that. Yes, even though you're not a Liss Trust audience can I just say? You think the game pretty well, I think, with a good lady ceramicist here indoors She told me recently that getting along famously is much better on holiday. Not really What you want to read on a postcard from Magaloof. Really? And here is today's extra joke, given to me by child 3.

I think this is his joke. OK. Why should you, and I apologize to child 3, if I mess this up? OK. Why should you never share your box of celebrations with child's dickens? Why should you never share your box of celebrations with Charles Dickens? Why should you never share your box of celebrations with Charles Dickens? Because he'll eat all of the twigs.

That's not bad. That's not bad. That's pretty good. That's not bad. It's area dite and has common culture. In aerosaturated chocolate. And chocolate. And lough together in chocolate.

Highfalutin and lowfalutin. It's char three still on cheese pizza only. And chocolate. And chocolate. And chocolate. Highfalutin and lowfalutin. It's, it's chocolate, three still on cheese pizza only. Oh yeah. It has a broadness to it. And chocolate. She's on toast. That's all he has. Anyway, what is still to come on this fine show?

I'm still to come. I'm going to be reviewing Don't worry darling and blonde. I will be back after this, unless you're a Vanguardista, in which case your service will not be interrupted We'll be back before you can say Walter Winterbottom And we're back here with an email from James Lowry who's an LTL an FTE, and a Vanguard Easter. I'll say it's impossible, sir, but I'll get... Lowry has anybody seen? Sam Lowry! I mean...

He'll know. Listening just now to the probably apocryphal story of the actor sitting in the audience at the theatre, oh yes. Waiting for somebody to come on stage, only to realize that it was himself. Remind me of an incident in the early career of the Russian composer, Sergei Prokofiev, which could serve as a similarly cautionary tale. The critic charged with covering Prokofiev's concert from Moscow newspaper was also a composer, and presumably in a fitter professional jealousy, gave Prokofio's new music a stinker of a review, without actually attending the event.

The review concluded, quote, the composer himself conducted the work with barbaric abandon. Unfortunately for the poor critic and presumably for the rest of his career, the concert had actually been cancelled at the last minute. Prokofio, of course, became a giant of 20th century music, seven symphonies, five piano conchertos, and that Alan Sugar thing too. Anyway, in both cases, always best to be sure of everything before stepping into the theatre. That Alan Sugar thing should actually be known as that colligular thing, and incidentally, that's a brilliant email,

I was tweeted a link to QI in which Stephen Frye tells the story of Peter O'Toole going to... Thank you. Thank you Flynn. Thank you for bringing the coffee in. I'll bring you the coffee in. Thank you. Thank you. I had to add that in because you were just saying thank you for no reason. Okay, thank you. A lot of that. Steven Frye on QI telling the story of Peter O'Toole going out for a sesh and then saying, let's go to the theater.

And then the actual punchline was, he says to the guy next to him, this next bit is great, I'm in it. Oh, which is a great story. Even if it's probably not true. It's not true. Anyway, James says, thanks both for the show. In both past and present iterations, it's a thing of great comfort. Down with all kinds of things at the moment.

I suppose from that, maybe we can take some heart. If everything isn't all right, then it's not the end. He then says, PS for Simon, my late father was a history lecturer at Warwick University, Dr. Martin Larry. I'm almost sure I remember him saying that he taught you also Timmy Mallet, who also went to Warwick. And Vadim Jean, is it of Leon the pickfire by the way? Anyway, would this be right? I know it may well be too long to go to be certain,

but it's always nice to follow up little leads like this if you can. And if you do remember him, that would be lovely to know. I looked up, because I can't remember your dad teaching me. So I looked up his specialisms. And's sort of and it's like Venetian history and I basically did Hitler and Stalin and and also the English Civil War and I don't think he taught any of those. So with apologies to your dad, I don't think he taught me. And PPS not sure how journalistically thorough you need to be in checking the above story. I've just told you about Prokofiev, but I read it in Russian and Soviet music and composers by Nicholas Slaminsky, page 62.

You can tell my father was a historian. How about that? It's actually annotated it. With a reference. That's brilliant. Freddie Kambanakis, a medium to long-term listener here, a second term email. Just a quick note, as I catch up on the boat

versus ship debate, for recent episodes, it seems pretty clear to me that a ship is a big floaty thing, whereas a boat is approximate in Canadian. You're welcome. Oh, I see, I've got it. Thank you, whereas a boat is approximate in Canadian. That's right. That is how that is the giveaway of the giveaway. When you can transport the boot. Yes, very good. This is unnamed, but I'm sure our top team will find it. That's a boat well. On last week's podcast, you read a nice letter from Belfast Maine,

regarding the sale of their independent cinema. Yes, it sounds fantastic. It does, Maine. Being a Belfast native, but the other one, May is picked up. It does, mine. Being a bellfast native, but the other one, my ears picked up. It's picked up. It says picked up here. So here is a picked up.

OK. I had hoped that you were going to talk about the two independent cinemas in bellfast the other one, which have a fascinating story of their own. I know Mark is regularly in the QFT cinema. You can be back there very, very soon for Cinemagic. And a regular gig player in venues such as the Black Box. But has he ever been to the chewer or the Excel Seawar cinema?

I don't believe so. Each one is owned by a brother and they are Ardeco Time Capsules filled. Sadly, I think the Excel Seawar recently closed. But finally my question, what are Mark and Simon's favorite independent cinemas and why? I've been to the one from Inglorious Bastards, but would like to visit a few more on my travels. It's from someone who likes to be called Redcap Productions, which seems a little bit formal, but maybe we can just call you Redcap. So the Phoenix and East Finchley obviously, Mariel in Shet in Loewick, which is just wonderful. The plaza in Truro, that's part of a, I mean, it's independent, it's part of a small

WTW cinema, as opposed to like a, you know, a big chain. The plaza is just utterly beautiful. Yeah, those are my three at the moment. Oh, well, I just, I don't know if the dome in Wirthing, the dome in Wirthing is absolutely close to us. Because we in Dave Norris territory, yeah. And I haven't been to the dome in Wirthing yeah, the dome in worthy, absolutely. Because we in day, no, it's territory. And I haven't been to the dome in worthy for a while. It has to be said, but it is, it's worth, it's worth a visit. Yeah, absolutely.

And obviously, let us know about yours, correspondence at koenameo.com. Tell us about something that's brand new and interesting. Blond, which is in cinemas now and is on Netflix from Weddenstay, this is directed by Andrew Dominic, and it is based on the Biographical fictional or historical fictional novel by Joyce Carol Oates about the imagined inner life of Marilyn Monroe. It stars Anadie Amos as Norma Jean who then becomes Marilyn, and it's very much that

Marilyn is an imagined figure a portal through which fame is achieved but almost like a kind of possessing entity. Here is the trailer for blonde. I know you're supposed to get used to it. It's the end that I just can't. Queue and cune, all pay a shame. I've played Mara-Lim-A-Row. Mara-Lim-A-Row. Mara-Lim-A-Row. Brain.

Brain. Brain! I can't face doing another scene with Mara-Lim-A-Row. So here's the thing. There's been a lot of debate about blonde since it played at Venice, where it got a 14 minute standing evasion, but as we know, you know, all things get standing evations at Venice and it's been, it's proved very, very divisive. And I think that one of the things that's the key to understanding

it is to understand what kind of movie it is. If you see it as a biopic of Marilyn Monroe, you're probably going to be infuriated by the fact that it very much tells her a live story as a victim story. It's really a story about childhood trauma being revisited in adult life. If you see it as a film about celebrity that behind the smiling mask of celebrity, there are tears and pain. Okay, that's fine, but that's not something that we haven't seen before. I think that the way to understand blonde is that it is a horror film. It is a horror film, plain and simple. It is a horror film which portrays a life in which, as I said,

childhood trauma is repeated, in which we have a catalogue of kind of, you know, real grotesque cruelty of, you know, monstrous studio heads of rapes and abortions of violent husbands and loveless lovers. And it's a film in which everything about the aesthetic of it is, you know, for my mind, influenced by things like repulsion. So it's more nightmare on Elm Street than my week with Marilyn. At the center of it is an absolutely transformational performance by Andy Armas, who of course stole the whole film in no time to die with so brilliant in knives out.

You're going to absolutely brilliant actor. And her central performance, it's kind of uncanny how much she resembles what we think of as, you know, Marilyn Monroe on screen. But the key word in that thing is uncanny. This is in many ways a ghost story. It is like a story about somebody being haunted by their past and somebody being haunted by a creation which then takes them over and consumes them. There is a scene that's in the film and actually part of it is in the trailer in which she is in great distress at her dressing table waiting for Marilyn to arrive and she's in tears and she's she doesn't know what to do. And then we see in the mirror her face transform from that of Norma Jean to suddenly

that mega-wot smile of Marilyn Monroe. And it is like a demonic possession scene. There is no other way of describing it. And I think that one of the reasons the film has proved so divisive is that if you, if what you're looking for is something which okay well you know it doesn't credit her with the comedic talent that she shows in some like it hot in fact when they're talking about some like it hot we see her getting you

know getting furious about the film it takes liberties with recorded factual truth and it absolutely becomes a sort of psychodrama about somebody's life imploding around them and then being crushed by everything that's happening to them and it's very full-on. I mean, it's an 18 rated film and justifiably so. But in a way, because I kind of went into it thinking that that's what it was, I thought what this is doing is a really convincing psyched on. I'm not worried about it's for, I don't think it's about Marilyn Monroe.

I think that's the key to it. And I think the more that you think it is, I mean, obviously, I'm not Marilyn Monroe, we just saw that trailer. There's a whole bunch of things in that which are reproductions very, I mean, brilliantly achieve reproductions of classic scenes from Monroe's life. Certain times I was watching it. I was thinking, is that a reproduction or is that the original? I can't quite tell whether that's Andy Armas or Marilyn Monroe. But I think that it's just, and this is the analogy that I think kind of explains it. The assassination of Jesse James by the Cowder Robert Ford, which is the Andrew Dominic

film, which I loved is my favorite film in the year that came out 2006, 2007, is a film about celebrity in which Jesse James, played by Brad Pitt, who is also a star figure, is killed by somebody who has idolized him from a distance from a very young age. You know, we hear that Robert Ford used to sort of read comic books about him and, you know, and little paperbacks and was absolutely enamored by him. And this is the flip side of that. This is a film about celebrity being lethal, celebrity being dangerous. But whereas assassination of Jesse James was a very kind of melancholic film,

this is much more kind of shrieking hysterical horror film. And I think the best way of understanding it is that if Jesse James was a film about fame disguised as a Western, then blonde is a horror movie disguised as a film about fame. It has a fantastic soundtrack by Nick Cave and Moran Ellis. I mean, obviously, you know, I'm a huge fan of their work anyway. But what their soundtrack does is to give it some kind of emotional weight

because it's a brutal film. I mean, it's, you know, it's a very, very harsh, you know, the tone of it is kind of, I said, it's a horror film. It's there to alarm. It's there to distress, it's there to distress, there's very little levity in it. But I think it's to do with, if you see it as I do as a horror film, it's a very good horror film. If you're going in there looking for a, you know, a sympathetic portrait of Monroe, you won't get it. And it's the cinema.

It's in cinemas now and it's on Netflix from Wednesday. Okay, blonde, I thought I knew what the film of the week was gonna be, but now I'm not quite so sure. Okay. So we'll have to wait to the end of this podcast before we find out. Quick bit of what's on. It's where you email us a voice note about your festival

or special screening from wherever you are in the world. You send it to Correspondents at Curbinemau.com. We're going to start this week with Lars from the Ramaskrik Festival in Norway. Hi Mara Kaisaiman, my name is Lars and I do marketing for Ramaskrik Film Festival, one of the very few Norwegian horror film festivals. The twelfth edition of our festival runs from the 20th until the 23rd of October in the mystical town of Uptal.

We have great movies and guests like the brilliant Neil Marshall. Previously we have been joined by our friends Kim Newman and Alan Jones. You should come too. That's R-A-M-A-S-K-R-I-K Film Festival. Cheers! Hey Mark and Simon. Ben Hay from the Spirit Vin Pendants Film Festival running out of the showroom cinema in Sheffield on the 30th September of the 1st of October. We specialise in macro budget and independent films

and we're delighted to be screening the European premiere of Berne and Brothers' new film travelling lights. Tickets can be picked up from our website www.suifilmfestival.com. Keep up the cracking work, guys. So, Ben from Sheffield and the Spirit of Independence Film Festival, and before that, Lars from the Ramas Creek Festival in Norway, sounds like your kind of thing. It does. Definitely. Certainly all my best friends have been there.

Sandier, but did they ever come back? That's a question they disappear. They go, but they don't come back. The mystical town of, whoop, tal, was it, I think, something like that. Sandier, 20-second audio trailer about your event, anywhere in the world, to correspondentsacurbina.com. Couple of weeks upfront,

we'll be nice, we'll give you a shout out, or as we say, precisely, you'll give yourselves a shout out. A shout out. A shout out. A shout out. Okay, so there's been a bit of a who, an occasional, a bit of a who, a bit of a who, a bit of a who, about our next movie, you take us into the world of Don't worry Darling.

Don't worry Darling is a new film by Olivia Wilde, who made Booksmart, which was just fantastic and really funny and sharp. The script by Katie Silberman from a story by her and Karen Shayman, Dyke. Florence Pugh, the great Florence Pugh, the, you know, the blessed Florence Pugh, who I think you have as well, I've, I've had the privilege of infusing her and she's just fab. Cheers.

Loved to write back from Lady Met Beth and Harry Styles are Alice and Jack Chambers. They live in what appears to be a late fifties, early sixties, Americana dream in a place called Victory out in the middle of the desert. It's like a picture perfect environment. All the decor is, you know, it's the kind of place that I would live in. You know, it's got fantastic 50s, 60s decor. They all drive these incredible autumn and bills that all look like shining versions of the 1956 Dodge Caronette, the I own, the guys all dressed like they've just walked off the set of madmen. They work at victory on progressive elements, but they're not allowed to talk about what their work is, and their wives stay at home, cleaning the house, preparing food.

What does progressive elements mean? And wondering what is, exactly it is that their husbands do. But the deal is, this is the adilic life, it's got the swimming pools, it's got the cocktails all day, it's got everything that you could possibly want, and it's say, very late 50s, early 60s, but you can't ask what's going on. Chris Pine is Frank, who is the inspirational,

and I'm doing the inspirational leader of the Victory Project. And all the wives look basically like kind of those sort of strange images of what, you know, 50s housewives, 60s housewives would like. Like in bird books like in the lady bird books enjoying cleaning the oven who doesn't who doesn't then Alice likes her life until her friend and neighbor Margaret Ventures beyond the confines of the town out into the desert where they're not allowed to go and promptly becomes suicidal her distress is hushed up then Alice, after thinking that she's seen a plane crash, makes a similar journey out into the desert where you're not allowed to go.

And the next thing is she starts to think, hang up out a minute, none of this adds up. I'm in the middle of a huge conspiracy. Here's a clip. Violet, where did you meet Bill? his eclip. Violet, where did you meet Bill? We met on a train to Boston. Yes. You dropped your ticket and you bent down and picked it up, gave it to you, right? It is, yeah. That's how Margaret met Ted.

And Peg, am I right in thinking that that's how Debbie McIntyre met her husband? Yes, I am. That's how they met. Yes. That's true. I'm just jealous, honestly. It's a true story. Yeah.

It's not funny. It's coincidental. There are only so many different stories that were told. We're told what we remember. Until we try to remember things that they want us to forget. Like Margaret. Alice? No. Jack.

It's okay. I'm curious to hear where she's going with this. Frank is doing something to us. So, it's all very step-ford wives. It's all hang on. This is our whack. It's the kind of the smiling, you know, pastel colors and fabulous cars and fabulous lifestyle and, you know, in which the wife stays at home and the guy goes out to work whether he's not allowed to ask what,

and it's kind of a weirdly show vanistic male dream of the world. And clearly, something is going on. Now, it is the thing. There's even a club that's called the Dollhouse. It's very clear from the very beginning that everything that's happening is happening in an artificial bubble because it's never kind of never specified where or when this is, but it's a kind of designer's dream. But it's not cleverly artificial in the manner of, if you think about something like Jorgos Lantem' dog tooth, in which is a family who are raised in a house in which they are told that there is nothing but catastrophe and apocalypse beyond the confines of their garden. And they're brought up by their father to believe this because, you know, and they slowly come to realize that actually he's lying to them, that there is a whole world outside there. No, it's not like that. It's artificial in a way that makes you think,

okay, this is completely artificial. I wonder how? I wonder, you know, I wonder which gimmicks they've used to make it artificial because, you know, have they all been brainwashed? Is it another version of the Truman show? Is it the Matrix? Is it Soil and Green? And then when the answer is offered, you go, oh, okay, they went with that one. But the point is, it's just that they went with that one. But the point is, it's just that they went with that one as opposed to any of the other ones, because what there isn't really

is any workable tension about what's going on. Now, if you look at films like Green of Grass or people have talked about Pleasantville, or I mean, even, there are so many examples of the picture-perfect life, which is the crack behind the smile, in which everyone's, you know something's wrong, you know something's out of whack, and then how are we going to explain it? It's not clever, it's nothing like as clever as it thinks it is. And the problem is, because it isn't,

you kind of figure out like 10 minutes in, you go, okay, I know, I know kind of where we are. I'm enjoying watching the stuff. I'm enjoying the design incidentally. And I like the look of those cars. And Florence Pew does a brilliant job of making you stay interested, of making you stay invested, of making you stay, when really the film doesn't deserve that investment. Harry Styles, and we've read some stuff about Harry Styles, you know, there's a little clip of him on YouTube being terrible in one scene. He's not terrible. He's perfectly bland, absolutely, you know, weirdly. Sometimes he sounds like an American doing an English accent,

which is kind of weird because he he isn't. Florence P is American accent, it's absolutely not perfect. The thing looks fabulous, it's designed within an inch of its life. There's a whole backstory about how Harry Styles stepped into the role after Shiloboff left the project. If the director said he was fired, he said he wasn't, there's been a whole bunch of bad feeling around the film, which resulted in Florence Pueh basically attending the premiere and nothing else. And so, you know, if you try to watch the film aside

from all the stuff, the who and indeed, har that you've been talking about, the honest answer is, Florence Pueh is great, it's really well-designed. The story is... Yeah, I know. Oh, it's that one. And honestly, when they get to the moment, when they reveal the reveal, you go, okay, well, I had five choices and you pick number three. Number three. Okay. I mean, bit less than the sum of its parts, then yeah, that's, it is perfectly, it is less than the sum, some of Florence Puse performance. Okay. That's the end of take one, production management and general all round stuff was

Lily Hamley, cameras, Teddy Riley, videos on our tip top YouTube channel, Ryan O'Meara, Johnny Socials was Jonathan Emieri, studio engineer Josh Gibbs, Flynn Rodham is the assistant producer maker of fine coffee. guest research is Sophie Avann, Hannah Talbot is the producer, reducter, assignment pool, Mark what is the film of the week? Well you know blonde works for me but my film of the week is Katherine called Birdie because I think it'll work for everyone. Next week on the program we have Christian Baile. Wow! We thought Christian Baile was going to be on for Thor. For Thor. But that didn't happen, which maybe

is a good thing. So we're going to have Christian Baile to talk about Amsterdam on next week's program. Thank you for listening. Our extra takes with a bonus review, bunch of recommendations, and even more stuff about the movies and cinema or adjacent television will be available on Monday. Thank you for listening. Our extra takes with a bonus review, a bunch of recommendations, and even more stuff about the movies and cinema or adjacent television will be available on Monday. Thank you for listening.