Kermode & Mayo’s Take

Wassail Wassail Wassail! Christmas is almost upon us, and we’ve got a gift of a guest for you this week: Barry Jenkins, AKA Mr. Moonlight. He chats to Simon about ‘Mufasa’, the origin story for Simba’s father and the long-awaited prequel to 2016’s live action animation Lion King. When a flood washes the cub-Mufasa away from his homeland and parents, he finds himself an outsider in an altogether new territory—where he stumbles across young lion Taka and begins a life-changing new journey to becoming the King of the Pride Lands we all know and love. Simon asks the Oscar winning indie director how he ended up helming this huge Disney musical, and what he’s learned from the four-year journey to its release. We’ll hear Mark’s take on ‘Mufasa’ too, along with reviews of two more animation releases this week. We’ve got ‘Sonic 3’, where the speedy blue hedgehog and friends face new adversary Shadow—and Aardman’s Christmas gift to us all, the new Wallace & Gromit adventure ‘Vengeance Most Fowl’. The nation’s favourite plasticine pair are up against their old glove-headed adversary Feathers McGraw in this noirish stop-motion treat. You can hear Mark and Simon in conversation with co-directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham in last week’s episode, recorded live at our Christmas Spectacular. Plus one more review of ‘Alien Onstage’—a gloriously oddball documentary about a group of Dorset bus drivers creating a theatrical version of the 1979 sci-fi film classic. We absolutely promise this is the wholesome if slightly madcap holiday viewing you didn’t know you needed—but you really, really do. Top correspondence from you all as usual—including this year’s bespoke Christmas wassail number – don’t miss it! Timecodes (for Vanguardistas listening ad-free): Review: Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – 08:13 Review:  Alien on Stage – 58:09 Review: Sonic The Hedgehog 3 – 52:59 Interview: Barry Jenkins – 26:10 And normally this is just for the Vanguardistas, but as we’re feeling festive – here are 50 Christmas TV films of the holidays for everyone: WATCHLIST: FREE FESTIVE FIFTY 1. Easter Parade – December 23, 9.25am BBC TWO 2. Meet Me in St Louis – December 23, 11.05am BBC TWO 3. Coco – December 23, 3.15pm BBC ONE 4. Ghostbusters (1984) – December 23, 4.50pm BBC ONE 5. Chicken Run – December 24, 10am BBC ONE 6. Close Encounters of the Third Kind – December 24, 11.25am CHANNEL 4 7. A Christmas Carol (1984) – December 24, 2.10pm CHANNEL 4 8. White Christmas – December 24, 2.15pm BBC TWO 9. Moana – December 24, 2.20pm BBC ONE 10. It's a Wonderful Life – December 24, 2.30pm ITV 11. The Snowman - Christmas Eve – 3pm CHANNEL 4 12. Shrek – December 24, 3.55pm BBC ONE 13. Home Alone – December 24, 6.05pm CHANNEL 4 14. Beetlejuice – December 24, 10.45pm BBC TWO 15. The Rocky Horror Picture Show – December 25, 00.15am BBC TWO 16. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – December 25, 6.10pm BBC ONE 17. Toy Story 3 – December 25, 11.20am BBC ONE 18. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York – December 25, 3.10pm ITV 19. North by Northwest – December 25, 5.05pm BBC TWO 20. On Her Majesty's Secret Service – December 26, 9.25am ITV For the remaining films on the list, go to 33:10 in Take 2 and listen for Mark's pick and reaction as well! You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. < Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Presenting a new feature on the Take Channel.  ANORA has been one of the most talked-about films of 2024 so we sent supersub BEN BAILEY SMITH to speak to director Sean Baker.  In this interview you can hear Ben talk to Sean about how he judges his own work, his love of Chihuahuas, that home invasion scene, little Orphan Annie, and of course Ben asked him about the Take That needledrop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our Christmas Spectacular, recorded live at London’s Prince Edward Theatre is now available in your ears! On our festive guestlist this week we have Wallce & Gromit creator Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham, who co-direct the famous plasticine pair’s latest adventure Vengeance Most Fowl. They talk us through what happened when Aardman went noir for this festive film treat, share stop motion secrets, and tell us why it was the right time to bring back dastardly glove-headed supervillain Feathers McGraw. Check out our socials for photos of the real A-Listers on the bill though—actual Wallace and actual Gromit, who also joined us onstage. They were a little shy on the mic... but you can watch them in Vengeance Most Fowl on BBC 1 and iPlayer on Christmas Day at 6:10pm, and on Netflix outside of the UK from 3rd January. Plus a flying visit from someone we’re always happy to being saying hello to—Jason Isaacs himself! If you were one of our fabulous, talented and exceptionally good-looking live audience members then we’ve got some backstage extras in this episode for you too. London cinema tour guide extraordinaire Nigel Smith gives Simon and Mark the lowdown on our venue the Prince Edward’s history as a Cinerama. Plus a bonus backstage review of ‘The Bibi Files’—Alexis Bloom’s documentary expose on Benajamin Netanyahu and the corruptions scandals surrounding his government. Hear Mark’s take on ‘Queer’—Luca Guadagnino’s much-anticipated adaptation of William S. Burroughs’ novel, starring Daniel Craig as the autobiographical lead William Lee. And—from one former Bond to another—he also reviews ‘From Roger Moore With Love’, a charming celebration of the eyebrow-arching national treasure. You listeners bust out your film-buff smarts too, as two of our live audience take to the stage for a game of ‘(Simon and) Markstermind’... Timecodes (for Vanguardistas listening ad-free): Bibi Files Review: 08:32 Queer Review: 24:04 From Roger Moore with Love Review: 39:26 Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham Interview: 48:16 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] And to find out more about Sony’s new show Origins with Cush Jumbo, click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ‘Rumours’ are true... screen superstar Cate Blanchett and director Guy Maddin are joining Simon this week to give us the gossip on their surreal new satire—once they’ve finished fangirling over the music of Sparks, that is. Following decades of avant garde work that’s made him one of Canada’s most celebrated filmmakers, ‘Rumours’ is the biggest movie to date from the Winnipeg weirdo—its star-studded cast featuring Charles Dance and Alicia Vikander alongside Blanchett. Set at a G7 summit called to address an ‘unnamed-crisis’, it follows the hapless world leaders as they are beleaguered by bronze-age bog bodies come to life in some sort of apocalypse situation. There’s also a giant brain. It’s as odd as it sounds. Mark reviews this bizarre object of a film, along with ‘Merchant Ivory’, a documentary deep dive on the filmmakers responsible for all those most quintessentially British of period dramas from ‘Room With A View’ to ‘The Remains of the Day’—and ‘Nightbitch’, Marielle Heller’s dark comedy where Amy Adams plays a new mother at her wits end who transforms into a dog. The Christmas Spectacular is almost upon us! Mark and Simon will be live onstage at London’s Prince Edward theatre this Sunday 8th December. We’re all sold out now, and you can find the event info here: https://www.fane.co.uk/kermode-and-mayo Timecodes (for Vanguardistas listening ad-free): Merchant Ivory Review: 06:09 Cate Blanchett and Guy Maddin Interview: 25:53 Rumours Review: 40:18 Nightbitch Review: 56:11 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] And to find out more about Sony’s new show Origins with Cush Jumbo, click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two divine guests this week as Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci join Simon to discuss ‘Conclave’, the papal political thriller from ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ director Edward Berger. Set in the Vatican’s pontific conclave, where cardinals are sequestered during the selection of the new Pope, the film follows the taut power struggle as these men of the cloth vie for the Catholic Church’s top job. The pair talk faith and doubt, Isabella Rossellini, and whether those robes can possibly be comfortable??? We find out whether Mark thought the film was a spiritual experience, or should be atoning for cinema sins... As well as Conclave we’ve got reviews this week of ‘Moana 2’, sequel to the 2016 Disney smash where this time the Polynesian not-a-princess must journey to the lost land of Motufetū to lift a curse from her island community—and ‘Your Monster’, the comedy-horror-musical mash-up that sees dumped and depressed actress Laura unexpectedly reunited with the childhood monster from under her bed. Plus your stellar correspondence adds more names to the overly-polite Brits abroad league table, and we’ve got more on Galdiator II space monkeys too. Our Christmas Spectacular with Mark and Simon live onstage at London’s Prince Edward theatre is now sold out! Event info here: https://www.fane.co.uk/kermode-and-mayo Timecodes (for our ad-free Vanguardistas): Moana 2 Review: 06:35 Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci Interview: 24:08 Conclave Review: 41:16 Your Monster Review: 53:36 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] And to find out more about Sony’s new show Origins with Cush Jumbo, click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices