Episodes
It’s Christmas! This week, Simon chats to Zack Snyder about his new space opera ‘Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire’, which sees an ex-soldier search for allies to help defend her home when it is threatened by the cruel ruling Imperium.
Mark gives his take on the film, as well as reviewing ‘The Boy and the Heron’, the long-awaited and apparently final film from legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, which follows a 12-year-old boy, who, after speaking to a talking heron, journeys into another world to search for his mother, who he believed to be dead; and ‘Ferrari’, Michael Mann’s 30-year...
This week sees Mark and Simon chat to director, writer and producer Taika Waititi and American Samoan footballer Jaiyah Saelua about ‘Next Goal Wins’, a sports comedy-drama based on the documentary of the same name, which chronicles the national team of American Samoa as they try to recover from the indignity of the worst loss in international football history and attempt to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Mark also offers up his thoughts on the film, along with reviewing ‘What Happens Later’, a romantic comedy that marks Meg Ryan’s second outing as director, and sees her star alongsi...
Simon sits down with director and screenwriter Paul King and screenwriter Simon Farnaby to discuss their new Timothée Chalamet-starring Christmas blockbuster, ‘Wonka’, which is a prequel to the Roald Dahl children’s classic ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’.
Mark gives his take on the film, along with reviewing ‘Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain’, the Saturday Night Live trio’s first comedy feature about a three childhood friends who realise they don’t like their life trajectory and so set off to find the treasure that is rumoured to be buried in a nearby mountain; and...
It’s another bumper week for guests: Simon and Mark chat to their fave “gorgeous George” Mackay about his new psychosexual noir ‘Femme’, which sees a man who is targeted in a horrific homophobic attack seek revenge on one of his attackers, played by Mackay. They also say hello to Jason Isaacs, who is here in the studio to chew the fat and discuss his turn as Hollywood legend Cary Grant in the ITV miniseries ‘Archie’.
Mark gives his thoughts on both, along with reviewing ‘Eileen’, an adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s best-selling, psychological-thriller novel about a shy young woman working ...
Strap in for a bumper week of interviews: Simon sits down for an entertaining chat with Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby to discuss their turns in Ridley Scott’s new epic, ‘Napoleon’, which looks at the military commander’s origins and ruthless climb to emperor through the prism of his volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine; and both Simon and Mark talk to Jodie Whittaker about her new Australian-set series ‘One Night’, which follows three friends whose friendship was destroyed by a traumatic event 20 years prior.
Mark gives his thoughts on both, along with revie...
Simon meets director Todd Haynes to discuss his thorny, new offering ‘May December’, which stars the powerhouse duo of Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman, and tells the story of a seemingly perfect married couple’s marriage buckling under the pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a film about their notorious tabloid romance twenty years prior.
Mark also weighs in on the film, along with giving his thoughts on ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’, the latest instalment of the dystopian kids franchise, which sees Rachel Zegler star as a defiant female tribute ...
Simon sits down with actor-writer-director Emerald Fennell to discuss her new, star-studded, class-skewering, psychological thriller ‘Saltburn’, which sees an Oxford scholarship student drawn into the world of a charming aristocrat when he invites him to his family’s sprawling country estate.
Mark reviews ‘The Automat’, a Mel Brooks-fronted documentary centered on the vending machine popularised in the 20th Century that offered fresh cooked meals in a commissary-style eatery; ‘Anatomy of a Fall’, the Palme d’Or winning crime thriller about the trial of a woman accused of murdering her hu...
This week, Simon sits down with the brilliant and always-interesting Gabriel Byrne for a philosophical chat about his turn as the legendary Irish playwright Samuel Beckett in ‘Dance First’, James Marsh’s experimental biographical drama. Their conversation is so good, there’s more of it in Take 2!
Mark also gives his thoughts on the film, as well as reviewing ‘How To Have Sex’, cinematographer-turned director Molly Manning Walker's Cannes-winning feature debut about a group of teen girls’ rite-of-passage first holiday to Malia; ‘Bottoms’, the Young Hollywood-packed second feature from dire...
This week, certified film royalty is in the studio! Mark and Simon sit down with Martin Scorsese’s legendary film editor, Thelma Schoonmaker, who is here to discuss restoring her late husband director Michael Powell’s equally legendary body of work as part of the iconic filmmaking duo Powell and Pressburger. She also talks about her own work with Scorsese. A must listen!
Mark reviews the restoration of the Powell and Pressburger classic ‘Peeping Tom’, a psychological horror about a filmmaker who murders women and records their dying moments; ‘Typist Artist Pirate King’, director Carol Morl...
Tristan Redman is a journalist who doesn’t believe in ghosts. But weird things happened in his teenage bedroom – weirder than normal. When, years later, he discovers subsequent occupants of his family home were haunted by the ghost of a faceless woman, he’s curious. Because by a strange coincidence, it just so happens that the house Tristan grew up in is right next door to a murder scene - where his wife’s great grandmother was killed by two gunshots to the face. Could there be a connection? Tristan decides to investigate and soon finds himself where no son-in-law should ever be: delving de...
Simon may be back in the studio, but this week Mark steps into the interviewer’s chair. He sits down with legendary documentarian Errol Morris to discuss his new film about the storied life and career of the equally legendary spy novelist, John le Carré.
Mark also gives his take on ‘Foe’, a psychological sci-fi starring Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal as a married couple conscripted into an off-planet settlement program; and ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’, Martin Scorsese’s epic Western crime drama set in 1920s Oklahoma, which centres on the serial murder of members of the oil-rich Osage Natio...
This week, Mark hosts the show alongside Take fave Ben Bailey-Smith. Ben sits down with one of Hollywood’s finest actresses Laura Linney to discuss her sentimental comedy-drama ‘The Miracle Club’, which follows a group of Dublin women in 1960’s Ireland as they embark on a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Lourdes.
Mark offers his own thoughts on the film, while also giving his take on ‘Blackberry’, a Glenn Howerton-starring biographical drama about the rise and fall of the world’s first smartphone; ‘Silver Dollar Road’, Raoul Peck’s latest documentary about a Black family’s decades-long leg...
This week, Simon sits down with director Gareth Edwards to talk about his new AI-centred sci-fi action thriller epic, ‘The Creator’. Mark reviewed this last week.
Other films Mark gives his takes on include ‘The Exorcist: Believer’, the sixth instalment of the horror franchise, which sees Hollywood icon Ellen Burstyn reprise her role from the original film; ‘The Burial’, a Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones-helmed legal drama about a lawyer who helps a funeral home-owner save his family business from a corporate behemoth; and ‘The Great Escaper’, which sees a World War 2 veteran, played by Mic...
This week’s episode sees Simon interview director Craig Gillespie, to discuss his film 'Dumb Money’, which is based on the true story of everyday people who flipped the script on Wall Street and got rich by turning GameStop(!) into the world's hottest company. Mark reviewed this in full last week.
Other films Mark reviews include ‘The Creator’ - set against the backdrop of a war between humans and robots with AI, a former soldier finds a secret weapon, which turns out to be a robot in the form of a child. Plus ‘Saw X’, where John is back; he travels to Mexico for a risky, experimental medi...
The smash-hit interview podcast Out To Lunch is out now, with a sparkly new host on dining duty: the much loved British actor, comedian and writer Ade Edmondson.
Ade takes guests such as Chrissie Hynde, Reece Shearsmith, Tony Visconti, Daisy Haggard and Ed Byrne to a top restaurant whilst you get to hear the witty and wonderous conversation. It’s like you’re sat at the table next to us.
After breaking into the comedy circuit in the 1980s, Edmondson starred in countless British films and TV shows, including seminal comedy The Young Ones and alongside his wife, Jennifer Saunders as part of ...
More Mark, more Simon, more mindless natter – and some movie reviews for good measure!
This week’s episode sees Simon sit down with director and Take diehard Alice Troughton, who’s in the studio to discuss her film debut ‘The Lesson’, a mystery-thriller about an aspiring young writer who accepts a tutoring position at the estate of his literary idol only to become ensnared in a web of family secrets.
Mark also offers his thoughts on the film, along with reviewing ‘Dumb Money’, Craig Gillespie’s star-studded dramatisation of the David-and-Goliath, real events, which saw a group of savvy Re...
Don’t worry, Mark and Simon are back for good! This week’s episode sees Simon sit down with the humble and delightful Timothy Spall, who is in the studio to discuss his new film ‘Bolan’s Shoes’, a melodrama about the enduring legacy of childhood trauma and the deep bonds of sibling love set to the music of the film’s namesake, T-Rex's Mark Bolan.
Our own iconic Mark also offers his thoughts on the film, along with reviewing ‘A Haunting in Venice’, Kenneth Brannagh’s stab at a Poirot murder-mystery, which sees the famous detective investigating a murder while attending a Halloween séance at...
Mark and Simon are finally back on land, having abandoned their canalboat somewhere near Slough, and, more importantly, Celine Song is in the studio to discuss her soulful debut feature ‘Past Lives’. The film is her directorial debut, and sees two deeply connected childhood friends reunited for one fateful week as they confront destiny, love and the choices that make a life.
Plus, Mark reviews two new sequels, ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3’, the Portokalos gang’s latest outing directed by lead actress Nia Vardalos; and ‘The Nun 2’, which sees Sister Irene once again come face to face with th...
With Mark and Simon still having the time of their lives at sea, Anna Bogutskaya and Rhianna Dhillon are back to warm their seats with some sizzling, cinematic takes.
Say a prayer to the cinematic powers that be because this week is a bumper week for interviews. Rhianna sits down with not one but two - yes two! - brilliant directors, Antoine Fuqua and Ira Sachs, to talk about their respective new films, ‘The Equalizer 3’, the final outing for Denzel Washington’s violent vigilante Robert McCall, and ‘Passages’, which sees a gay couple’s marriage thrown into crisis when one of them impulsive...
With Mark deciding he simply hasn’t had enough of the UK’s waterways and heading back out to join Simon, Robbie Collin and James King are stepping in to co-captain The Take podcasting vessel.
James sits down with the funny and philosophical French writer, director and actor, Louis Garrel, to discuss his latest film ‘The Innocent’, a comedy-heist-come-family-farce that’s far more personal than you’d first think.
Robbie reviews ‘Scrapper’, a sunny, imaginative kitchen-sink drama starring Harris Dickinson; and ‘Theater Camp’, a Young Hollywood-packed comedy about the eccentric staff of ...
This week sees Mark holding down the fort with fellow professional film watcher Robbie Collin.
In a special twist, both Mark and Robbie sit down for a brilliant conversation with British-acting-legend-in-the-making Harris Dickinson to discuss his sunny, new, kitchen-sink drama, ‘Scrapper’.
They also debate the merits of ‘Strays’, an R-rated comedy featuring the voices of Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher and Will Ferrell, who play a motley crew of stray dogs, who team up to get revenge on one of their owners; ‘Lie With Me’, a thoughtful French film about an author who, on returning to his ho...
With Simon still chugging along on the UK’s glorious waterways, beloved actor and Take fave Sanjeev Bhaskar steps in to chat nonsense – ahem, review films - with Mark.
Sanjeev speaks with director Neill Blomkamp about his new stranger-than-fiction biographical sports drama ‘Gran Turismo’, covering everything from Blomkamp’s motivations for making the film to the challenges of shooting in a moving race car - or as the directors puts it, a “motion sickness, nausea machine”.
Mark offers his thoughts on Blomkamp’s new film, which sees a young man win an opportunity to become a real racing dri...
BBC’s ‘Ghosts’ - we explore them further. We also ask if Homer Simpson is abusive and we answer your questions in this special bonus edition.
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With Mark and Simon on their rip-roaring canal cruise, this week’s episode sees favorites Rhianna Dhillon and Anna Bogutskaya take the helm of the good Take ship.
Rhianna speaks to writer and director Nicole Holofcener about her new film ‘You Hurt My Feelings’ - her view on drafting the script and how she takes feedback...
Rhianna and Anna also review ‘Heartstopper’ Season 2, a Netflix series about two teens Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor) who are in the midst of navigating school and young love; ‘Joy Ride’ an outrageous raunchy comedy starring Ashley Park, directed by Adele Lim...
Ben’s close encounter with an obsessive fan. Plus we ask why writers create good-looking psychopaths and we explore your character suggestions in this special bonus edition.
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A Sony Music Entertainment production.
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To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
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With Mark and Simon setting off on their rip-roaring canal cruise, this week’s episode sees favourites Rhianna Dhillon and Anna Bogutskaya take the helm of the good ship Take.
Rhianna chats to SAG Executive Vice President Ben Whitehair to find out more about the strikes, including what actors are fighting for and the wider implications for the industry.
Anna reviews ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’, the star-studded, Seth Rogen co-penned, computer-animated superhero outing, which sees the iconic Turtles set out to be accepted as normal teenagers through acts of heroism; ‘The ...
As Season 2 hits our screens, we reflect on the recipe that had everyone crying into their dinner, how Carmy and Ritchie approach grief differently and how advice from a Vietnamese Buddist Monk can be applied to a professional kitchen.
The Bear is available to watch on Disney Plus. As ever, adult issues, language and spoilers will be sprinkled liberally throughout the show.
If you want to catch the BBC show that Ben is in (as mentioned): https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p0fvlpf9/the-sixth-commandment
If you have been affected by any of the issues discussed in this episode: For the ...
The humanity in growing old. Mattel's uncomfortable history. The undeniability of Ryan Gosling. This week’s episode sees Simon discuss all things ‘Barbie’, already one of the hottest – and pinkest – films of the year, with its wonderfully thoughtful co-writer and director Greta Gerwig.
And if that’s not enough, Mark reviews the other big-hitter of the summer, ‘Oppenheimer’, Christopher Nolan’s epic biographical thriller about the scientist who developed the atomic bomb; and the second season of ‘The Bear’, Christopher Storer’s dynamic, heart-filled kitchen comedy, which sees the chefs at T...
You’d think someone with two therapist parents would be golden. Why Otis is scared of sex. Plus what’s worse, having a parent who is strict or a smotherer? We look at what it’s like for the rest of the boys such as Eric, Adam and Jackson in the second of this two-parter on the hugely popular Netflix show.
If you have been affected by any of the issues discussed in this episode: For the UK, call SAMARITANS on 116 123 samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan.
Internationally: https://www.befrienders.org/
For UK help via talking therapies contact your GP or the British Association f...
The terror of wondering whether Tom Cruise has died. Writing the rulebook for shooting in a pandemic. The artistic mediocrity of AI. Even more Tom Cruise! This week’s episode sees Simon sit down for a chat with another iconic Simon, the brilliant Simon Pegg, who has once again strapped on his harness to join the Mission Impossible crew for its seventh stunt-filled, death-defying outing.
Mark reviews ‘Medusa’, a drama about a young woman who leads a vigilante girl gang enforcing Christian standards in Brazil; ‘Squaring the Circle’, a documentary about the creative team responsible for some ...