Radio 1's Screen Time

It's been a little while since we last met up for Ali Plumb's Film Club, but boy are we back with a bang this week as Ali teams up with fellow online film aficionado Dan Murrell (of Honest Trailers and Schmoedown fame) to talk about The Godfather. Yeah, we're not messing around, no sir. As ever, spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't had the pleasure of watching Francis Ford Coppola's classic, but if you just want to hear two movie geeks shooting the breeze, there's also a good few minutes of that at the beginning as well. Spoiler alert: it really is very geeky indeed.

Friend of the show and all-round great guy Josh Horowitz stops by BBC Radio 1's Screen Time this week to talk about his first impressions of House Of The Dragon, why we're seeing two BIG film releases being delayed and what we should get excited about at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival. But wait, there's more! Games Of Thrones, Fast And The Furious and Maze Runner veteran Nathalie Emmanuel also has a quick chat with Ali about her new horror thriller The Invitation, because as ever, we're generous like that.

Game Of Thrones is back on Sky Atlantic / Now. Okay, okay, it's back in prequel form (just to be clear), and with it come such names as Matt Smith, Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Emily Carey and many more. Speaking to everyone they'd let him shove a microphone in front of, Ali tries to avoid spoilers - as ever - when talking about a show that begs to be spoiled in almost every way. Sure, it's set 200 years before the events of the original Game Of Thrones and we kinda know what will eventually happen in House Of The Dragon, but HOW? Well, you won't find out here. Is that something to boast about? Ah well, too late now.

Tatiana Maslany is the Emmy-winning actress who is perhaps best known for her work as numerous clones in the excellent sci-fi series Orphan Black - but now, it's safe to say - her portrayal of Disney+'s latest Marvel hero She-Hulk (aka Jennifer Walters) will propel her to even higher heights. Joining her on this She-Hulk Screen Time interview special are her director, Kat Coiro, and the writer-creator behind it all, Jessica Gao, one of whom happens to have written one of the best Ricky & Morty episodes ever. Which one, you wonder? Well... here's a hint: it's the one who's a writer.

The Sandman is a much-loved series of graphic novels written by Neil Gaiman (see also: Stardust, American Gods, Coraline and Good Omens with Sir Terry Pratchett) and it's finally - after two decades lurking in Development Hell - been turned into a TV show, now on Netflix. Tom Sturridge stars as the titular character, all cheekbones and black robes, who embodies the concept of storytelling and dreaming in a world that also features Death, Despair, Desire and many other anthropomorphic personifications known as 'The Endless'. It's a fascinating dark fantasy drama and it was Ali's great pleasure to talk to Morpheus himself (as he's also known) over Zoom just before the show's big BFI premiere that evening - hear their chat here, and do your best not to nod off...

Nope is, at long last, finally in UK cinemas after already being released in the US and elsewhere three or so weeks ago. On any other Friday, that would be the biggest news going but after the shocking revelation that the Discovery and Warners merger has resulted in a 90% complete film, Batgirl, being thrown in the bin, Ace and Ali had to get together to discuss that that first. So! It's a podcast of two parts: Batgirl first, then a brief Nope chat that leads into an interview with the incredibly talented writer-director that is Jordan Peele. As is often said, we spoil you, we know...

Thirteen Lives is the latest from Ron Howard - our legendary guest on this particular Screen Time episode - a movie that tells the tale of the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue, with Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell as British cave divers Richard Stanton and John Volanthen respectively. Look forward to listening to Howard remark upon Ali's much-loved Rush t-shirt, as well as underlining just how tricky it is to recreate and shoot complicated cave dives, especially when the actors themselves want to do the actual diving.

Bullet Train is in cinemas this weekend, an action comedy kinda-sorta violent cartoon that stars our guests for this particular interview special podcast - Brad Pitt, Brian Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor Johnson - and is directed by David Leitch (Deadpool 2, Hobbs & Shaw, John Wick).

Ali catches up with interviewer extraordinaire and deadpan delight Amelia Dimoldenberg - of Chicken Shop Dates fame (and much more) - as they talk shop, sharing stories of speaking to famous people and somehow getting away with it. Oh, and talk about The Devil Wears Prada, can't forget that, as the Ali Plumb's Film Club choice for this week. All right, everyone. Gird your loins!

A tonne of big news stories landed last weekend, fresh from San Diego Comic-Con, so here's Ali - never knowingly on time - with his thoughts just a week later. Since then we now know who's directing the new Avengers outing - Shang-Chi's Destin Daniel Cretton - and loads more headlines will have arrived BUT ANYWAY, not to worry, we've also got interviews with Dylan O'Brien and Zoey Deutch about their new film, Not Okay, a dark comedy that'll make you think differently about social media. No but really, it will.