
Kermode & Mayo’s Take
The new home of Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo. They’re back, and it’s bigger, and better and larger-er and more-er.
Film reviews, TV reviews, and all your conversation around movie and non-movie related stuff. Plus a whole bunch of recommendations to watch in cinemas, on all streaming services and on physical media.
As well as the film and TV reviews, Mark and Simon will be talking about anything and everything. Punctuation, Thunderbirds, obscure German pop music, fax machines, subtitles, MRI scans, magic, school assemblies, Scandinavia, and don’t forget the dad jokes.
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Latest episodes

Aug 11, 2023 • 1h 22min
Neill Blomkamp, Gran Turismo, Haunted Mansion & Meg 2: The Trench
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 driver because of his prowess playing the Gran Turismo video game.
He also reviews ‘Haunted Mansion’, a star-studded remake of the Eddie Murphy-helmed 2003 supernatural comedy of the same name, which sees Rosario Dawson and Lakeith Stanfield take the spooky baton; and ‘Meg 2: The Trench’, indie director Ben Wheatley’s stab at a sequel for the arguably soon-to-be-cult-classic prehistoric shark franchise.
Time Codes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are ad-free!):
14:13 Haunted Mansion Review
23:38 Box Office top 10
41:13 Neill Blomkamp Interview
55:57 Gran Turismo Review
01:01:03 Laughter lift
01:03:53 Meg 2: The Trench Review
01:14:02 What’s On
You can contact the show by emailing correspondence@kermodeandmayo.com or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo
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A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts
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Aug 8, 2023 • 27min
SHRINK THE BOX: Shrink the Inbox
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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We'd love to hear your comments and guest suggestions on the show. Email: shrinkthebox@sonymusic.com
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 4, 2023 • 1h 22min
Nicole Holofcener, Heartstopper S2, You Hurt My Feelings & Joy Ride
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; plus ‘You Hurt My Feelings’, where a novelist's long-standing marriage suddenly turns upside down when she overhears her husband give his honest reaction to her latest book.
Rhianna and Anna are subjected to this week’s Laughter Lift, and wade through plenty of Box Office Top 10 correspondence!
Time Codes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are ad-free!):
08:56:01 Heartstopper Review
20:10:01 Box Office top 10
42:56:01 Nicole Holofcener Interview
55:59:01 You Hurt My Feelings Review
01:02:56:01 Laughter lift
01:04:46:01 Joyride Review
01:12:22:25 What’s On
You can contact the show by emailing correspondence@kermodeandmayo.com or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo
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A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts
To advertise on this show contact: podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 1, 2023 • 31min
SHRINK THE BOX: Shrink the Inbox
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.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 28, 2023 • 1h 21min
Ben Whitehair, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, The Beanie Bubble & Talk To Me
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 Beanie Bubble’, a comedy drama about the meteoric rise in popularity of Beanie Babies soft toys; and ‘Talk To Me’, a freaky Australian horror about a young woman who becomes embroiled with the supernatural following a séance with an embalmed hand.
Time Codes (relevant only when you are part of the Vanguard):
13:58 The Bear Season 2 Review
23:14 Box Office Top 10
38:19 Greta Gerwig Interview
53:10 Barbie Review
01:01:42 Laughter Lift
01:03:32 Oppenheimer Review
01:14:05 What’s On
You can contact the show by emailing correspondence@kermodeandmayo.com 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: podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 25, 2023 • 52min
SHRINK THE BOX: The Bear - Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto
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 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 for Counselling and Psychotherapy bacp.co.uk
EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/shrink 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 bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 21, 2023 • 1h 22min
Greta Gerwig, Oppenheimer, Barbie & The Bear
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 The Beef prepare to reopen as a high-end restaurant.
Time Codes (relevant only when you are part of the Vanguard):
13:58 The Bear Season 2 Review
23:14 Box Office Top 10
38:19 Greta Gerwig Interview
53:10 Barbie Review
01:01:42 Laughter Lift
01:03:32 Oppenheimer Review
01:14:05 What’s On
You can contact the show by emailing correspondence@kermodeandmayo.com 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: podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 18, 2023 • 49min
SHRINK THE BOX: Sex Education - Otis, Eric and Adam
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 for Counselling and Psychotherapy bacp.co.uk
We'd love to hear your comments and guest suggestions on the show. Email: shrinkthebox@sonymusic.com
EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/shrink 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 bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 14, 2023 • 1h 21min
Simon Pegg, Medusa, Squaring the Circle & While We Watched
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 of the most iconic album artwork of all time; and ‘While We Watched’, a turbulent newsroom documentary that intimately chronicles the working life of broadcast journalist Ravish Kumar, who risks his life to tell the truth about India today.
Time Codes (relevant only when you are part of the Vanguard):
10:05 Name me Lawand review
23:41 Box Office Top 10
38:38 Peter Sohn interview
53:25 Elemental review
57:29 Laughter Lift
00:31 Mission Impossible review
01:14:22 What’s on
You can contact the show by emailing correspondence@kermodeandmayo.com 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: podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 11, 2023 • 48min
SHRINK THE BOX: Sex Education - Maeve Wiley
What it’s like being called a ‘cock-biter’ - how Maeve is misunderstood and underestimated. Plus revenge porn, toxic friendships and fears or fascination around sex. In this two parter: we look at the girls first and what they face growing up in this hugely popular Netflix show.
We'd love to hear your comments and guest suggestions on the show. Email: shrinkthebox@sonymusic.com
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 for Counselling and Psychotherapy bacp.co.uk
EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/shrink 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 bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices