THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE: Enchanting or just lost in the woods?

Summary

Kermode & Mayo’s Take

Episode: THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE: Enchanting or just lost in the woods?

Date: March 26, 2026
Hosts: Mark Kermode (B) & Simon Mayo (A)

Episode Overview

This episode is a classic blend of Kermode and Mayo’s trademark insights—witty interplay, deep dives into the week’s major film releases, and a mix of listener correspondence and special guests. At its heart is the review of the new film adaptation of The Magic Faraway Tree, with Mark and Simon weighing whether the film captures the enchantment of Enid Blyton’s classic or gets lost in a modern muddle. Supporting reviews include takes on “Splitsville” (a cynical rom-com), “They Will Kill You” (bloody action-horror), and a thoughtful interview with French director François Ozon about his adaptation of L’Étranger (The Stranger). Rounding out the show are lively discussions about the box office top 10, AI in film, women filmmakers, and the perennial Kermode & Mayo banter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Old Radio Tech & Nostalgia (03:08–06:32)

• Simon launches into a nostalgic reminiscence about "cartwheels"—walls of cartridge tapes DJs used for jingles and clips. Mark fondly recalls the tactile joy of cart machines and their role in early broadcasting.
• Direct Quote:
  • “There was a kind of radio magic to it... I don’t want a digital equivalent. I want racks after racks of blue plastic with little bits of tape inside and rubbish labeling, handwritten… opener or hey, hilarious, 35 seconds, that kind of thing.” (A, 03:30)

2. AI and Film: Industry Shifts and Listener Stories (08:18–10:26)

• Listener Julian Evitz shares his experience seeing “No AI” signs at a craft fair, echoing recent podcast discussions about artificial intelligence.
• Simon reads an AI Film Festival press release (April 21–22, Cannes), inviting listeners to attend and report back.
• “No technology will ever replace the sensitivity and perspective of artists. It can, however, open new horizons and enrich new forms of expression.” (A, reading press release, 09:20)

3. Review: Splitsville (10:37–16:44)

• Mark reviews this “raggedy, polyamorous anarcho rom-com” (poster’s description), finding surprising value in its satirical, darkly comic exploration of open relationships, infidelity, and the myth of modern romance.
• Highlights:
  • Absurd slapstick scenes, especially a never-ending fistfight.
  • Nicholas Braun’s (Succession’s “Greg”) standout deadpan performance.
  • “You don’t know what a boat is worth until you’ve sunk it.” (film quote relayed by B, 15:25)
• Simon: “They do still sound insufferable, though.” (A, 16:44)
• Mark: “Yes, they are insufferable. But just because a film has insufferable people in it, does that make the film insufferable? And the answer is no.” (B, 16:46)

4. Box Office Top 10 (19:52–34:43)

• Comic, rapid-fire recap of top-earning films, with listener feedback on odd title changes (“Good Boy”/“Heel”), and critique of generic sequels and overextended franchises (e.g., “a duology within a trilogy,” 24:27).
• Reviewers and listeners share thoughts on “Project Hail Mary,” “Ready or Not 2,” and “Durand the Revenge,” contrasting approaches to violence, plot, and science in genre cinema.
• “That’s the thing now—the third part of a trilogy becomes a sub-duology. Heaven spare us.” (A, 24:53)
• Mark on "Project Hail Mary":
  • “It’s not about the science… The film is much more an odd couple thing that just happens to be in space.” (B, 33:24)
• Simon: “If you want it to make scientific sense, read the book, because it absolutely does.” (A, 33:45)
• Mark: "Can men have friends? And the answer is yes, but only if the future of all humanity is at stake." (B, 34:43)

5. Interview: François Ozon on L’Étranger (36:51–49:44)

• Ozon reflects on re-reading Camus’s The Stranger, highlighting its enduring philosophical mystery and relevance to modern disaffection.
• Discusses resistance from Camus’s estate and adapting the novel with a contemporary, post-colonial lens.
• Key themes: Contextualizing colonial Algeria, restoring “the invisible Arabs,” framing the film in black and white for both artistic and economic reasons.
• “What shocked me when I read the book today was the invisibilizations of the Arabs. And I needed to understand why… It was not racism. It was just the period of its time.” (François Ozon, 41:18)
• “Merceau is a spectator of his life, and he becomes a real actor of his life in front of the priest… At this moment he becomes Camus in a certain way.” (Ozon, 45:30)

6. Review: They Will Kill You (50:05–56:47)

• Mark reviews a kinetic action-horror-comedy from Kirill Sokolov, likening its style to “Kill Bill on speed” and “Three Stooges with blood and guts for custard pies.”
• Comic praise (and confusion) for Patricia Arquette’s indecipherable accent.
• Simon: “It sounds southern English to me. Estuary English.” (A, 52:43)
• Mark: “Meant to be Irish.” (B, 52:49)
• Verdict: Visually striking, extremely bloody but gleefully unserious popcorn fare that delivers in-the-moment entertainment but is forgettable afterward.
• Simon: “A bit like a bag of Jelly Babies, really.” (A, 56:47)
• Mark: “I love Jelly Babies. I love Jelly Babies more than I love this.” (B, 56:53)

7. Listener Correspondence: Women in Cinema (62:27–63:46)

• Email from Holly Tarquini highlights the systemic hurdles for women filmmakers (“film is a machine for empathy… Yet for most of its history, audiences have been asked to see the world through the eyes of white cis straight able men”). Mark agrees, mentioning a women’s film archive project.
• “If we fixed representation here, we would all learn to see through many lenses. Our empathy would expand and that would change everything.” (Email, 62:54)

8. Review: The Magic Faraway Tree (63:53–71:08)

Synopsis & Setup

• Not originally familiar with the source, Mark summarizes the story: family moves to the country, kids forced off devices, stumble into a magical tree-world filled with whimsical characters and adventures.

Production & Tone

• Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2) pens the script; Ben Greger helms; star-studded cast includes Claire Foy (Polly), Andrew Garfield (Tim), Lenny Henry, Michael Palin, Nicola Coughlan, Jessica Gunning, Rebecca Ferguson.
• The film updates Blyton’s world for today—addressing screens, feminism (“Clearly you haven’t heard of feminism,” daughter to Silky the fairy, 69:10), and smartphone addiction.

Kermode’s Take

• Mark enters skeptical (“my heart sank a little at the poster”), but finds a surprisingly charming, entertaining film with physical set design reminiscent of “Hook” rather than Tim Burton’s CGI-heavy fantasies.
• Praise for balancing child and adult appeal, standout performances, clever design, and Farnaby’s wit.
• “I went in with a cynical old grumpy head on and I was won over and charmed and I laughed and I was moved in all the right places.” (B, 70:31)
• Calls it “a rare treat for all the family,” and one of his films of the week.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI and film:
  “Feels like the devil has got his claws in the whole process… Yeah, but he’s gone to Cannes, so that’s fine.” (A & B, 10:14–10:17)
• Describing a film’s tone:
  “If you like your rom com served up with a hefty dose of cynicism and quite a lot of people hitting each other over the head with bits of chair, it’s a welcome relief from mainstream schmaltz.” (B, 16:28)
• On Jelly Babies:
  “If you could do some Jelly Babies, but just the black, green and yellow ones. Thanks very much.” (A, 57:20)

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Notable Timestamps

• 03:08–06:32: Cartwheel/radio nostalgia segment
• 10:37–16:44: “Splitsville” review
• 19:52–34:43: Box office Top 10 and “Project Hail Mary” discussion.
• 36:51–49:44: Interview with François Ozon on L’Étranger
• 50:05–56:47: “They Will Kill You” review
• 63:53–71:08: “The Magic Faraway Tree” review

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Episode Tone & Flow

The episode is lighthearted, warmly cynical, and intellectually restless—balancing affectionate lampooning of film culture with deeper reflections on the nature of adaptation, representation, and nostalgia. “The Magic Faraway Tree” anchors the episode with a cheerful, redemptive twist, revealing that even the most jaded critic can be enchanted under the right circumstances.

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Films Reviewed

• Splitsville – Unromantic romantic comedy, cynical yet capably absurd.
• Project Hail Mary – Uplifting sci-fi, sparkles with emotional focus but divides listeners on its approach to scientific detail.
• They Will Kill You – Schlocky horror-comedy, bloody silly fun.
• The Magic Faraway Tree – Modern family fantasy, surprisingly charming and heartfelt adaptation.

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Special Guest

• François Ozon (director), discussing his adaptation of Camus’s The Stranger—insights on contextualizing colonial-era literature for today and his creative process.

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Closing & Recommendations

• Film of the Week: Mark picks a double header: “Orwell: Two Plus Two Equals Five” (to be reviewed in Take Two) & “The Magic Faraway Tree” (72:32).
• Simon awards Correspondent of the Week to Holly Tarquini for her email on women filmmakers and film empathy.

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Useful For

Anyone seeking frank, funny, and insightful reviews of The Magic Faraway Tree, along with a well-rounded survey of new releases, industry trends (AI, representation), and the enduring pleasures of cinema—served with Kermode and Mayo’s unique blend of wit and warmth.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, Mark, you know I'm really massive techie, right?

[B]

No.

[A]

If you saw me at my local coffee shop in showbiz North London, you'd probably mistake me for Neo from the Matrix. Without the illegal hacking or sunglasses indoors, obviously.

[B]

What are you talking about? You're having some sort of breakdown? Do you actually even own a computer?

[A]

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[B]

Well, welcome to the future, Simon. I've been doing that for ages. And with one click, NORDVPN can change your device's virtual location so you can access all the things you need when you're abroad.

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[A]

This episode is brought to you by mubi, the global film company that champions great cinema. From iconic directors to emerging auteurs, there's always something new to discover with mubi. Each and every film is hand selected so you can explore the best of cinema.

[B]

Yes, a new to MUBI in the UK this March is the brilliant no Other choice from Park Chan Wook. If you're a regular listener of the show, you will have heard me reviewing the film and raving about it. Actually kind of struggling to describe it because it's a black comedy, it's a thriller, it's a social satire, it's about a man whose life starts to fall apart and he takes unreasonable measures to correct things. I was absolutely fascinated by it. I thought it was a terrific film and as I said, it's coming to MUBI in the UK from March 13th.

[A]

You can try MUBI free for 30 days at mubi.comkermodenmayo that's M-U-B-I.com Kermit and Mayo for a whole month of great cinema for free.

[B]

There really is no other choice.

[A]

Before we begin, a quick reminder that you can become a Vanguardista and get

[B]

an extra episode every Thursday, including bonus reviews, extra viewing suggestions, viewing recommendations at home and in cinemas, plus your film

[A]

and non film questions answered as best we can in questions.

[B]

You can get all that extra stuff via Apple Podcasts or head to extratakes.com for non fruit related devices.

[A]

There's never been a better time to become a Vanguardista. Free offer now available wherever you get your podcasts. And if you're already a Vanguardista, we salute you. These.

[B]

Hello.

[A]

Hello. These home broadcasts are all very well. Are you in your place and yeah, me and mine, your small corner and me and my small corner. But what I want is a cartwheel.

[B]

Okay, you're gonna have to explain to everybody listening what a cartwheel is, because not only is it a radio specific term, it's a radio specific term from a bygone age. Simon, what's a cartwheel?

[A]

Cartwheel is a wall of carts.

[B]

What's a cart?

[A]

So cartridges were, it was a bit like, you know, the eight track.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

When, when that was a thing. But it hung around in radio for a lot longer and you had all kinds of jingles on big bits of plastic which had tape in the middle and you just bashed it into a machine, hit the play button and it would do. And it would do your thing and you'd have a big wall and of about 100, 200 carts and you'd reach for a cart and you'd slam it in the machine and then you'd press play and it would. And you'd be off. And it had a kind of radio magic to it. And what I, I would just love to be able to, to have. It's the physicality of it. I, I don't, I, I don't want a digital equivalent. I want racks after racks of blue plastic with little, little bits of tape inside and then bit of rubbish labeling, handwritten, you know, opener or hey, hilarious, 35 seconds, that kind of thing.

[B]

I had, I had one when I was, when I was at Radio 5 before it was 5 live and it was just Radio 5 and I was doing the afternoon show with Karen Keating and I had one which was a bit from the soundtrack of Dougal and the Blue Cat, which was Dougal going, right, who's for a cup of tea? And just to take huge pleasure in reaching, as you say, you grabbed the thing because it was exactly like it, like the kind of eight track which, you know, in the. Wish I had a gray Cortina, you know, eight track, blazing Brucey Springsteen bomber jacket, dressed to kill. You'd hoik it over and as you said rightly, you would literally slam it into the machine. It was very physical, big clunk and then it would Do a thing and then you'd love. And Steve Wright, we were just discussing this. Steve Wright was the king. Yeah, he was the king. He had a wall. A wall of cartridges.

[A]

Yes. I feel all kind of wistful nowadays.

[B]

It's just like a little. It's a little knob and it's a digital thing, so you just twiddle a little knob and all the funny stuff comes up and there's nothing. There's nothing Grey Cortina about it at all anymore, which is a shame.

[A]

Were you allowed, from a copyright point of view, to play that extract from Doom?

[B]

Nobody asked. Nobody asked.

[A]

Do you think that means no?

[B]

I do remember that a DJ acquaintance of yours and mine for years and years had an intro to their show on Radio 1, which featured a bit from Star Trek. And at some point. Is it Paramount, whichever studio it was, got wind of this and they were not best pleased. So, yeah, I mean, I think. But I don't think anyone was chasing the rights to Dougal and the Blue Cat at that point. I'm not sure that anybody was actually owning up to owning it.

[A]

When I was. I remember in local radio, when I was at Radio Nottingham, I used a clip of Tony Hancock on a. On a promo for a Sunday show that I was doing. It's the bit where Tony Hancock says, I ate Sundays. And it was great. It was a very good trail.

[B]

It's just that apparently, if I'd logged

[A]

it, it would have cost an absolute fortune because it was very much not available to use, as you just fancied, particularly later in this show.

[B]

Oh, right, we talk about actual business now.

[A]

Are you going to be talking about some films?

[B]

Yes, we're going to be talking about Splitsville, which is an unromantic romantic comedy, they will kill you, which does exactly what it says on the tin. And the Magic Far Away Tree, which I'm sure that you've seen posters and some of you may have read the Read the Enid Blyton novel books.

[A]

Also, France's greatest living filmmaker, Francois Ozun, will be on to talk about his new movie, the Stranger or l'. Etranger Reviews in take two, Monk Orwell,

[B]

two plus two equals five. And Romeo, well, it's Romeo and Juliet, but it's the baz Luhrmann. Romeo plus Juliet is 20 years old and is back in cinemas for its 20th anniversary.

[A]

Also in take two, you'll get even more of the good stuff, including five question film club.

[B]

Three questions, you, Majesty.

[A]

Last week, Mark supplied viewing notes for Michael Mann's Heat, available For you on Patreon. Our intros to the Silence of the Lambs, Heathers and the Elephant Man. So head on over to Patreon if you'd like to join the club. Plus all the other top quality content and ad free. Now let's just see if we can get in the mood. There's a take that delivers with flair. Ad free treats for the faithful who care. Two shows in full view plus take ultra times two. With polls, secrets and fun stuff to spare. Yes, the release of the Faraway Tree is happening. So we asked you for your suggestions of Enid Blyton film and TV adaptations in one frame back. The features that gives you extended viewing for a weekly cinematic release. And questions.

[B]

What?

[A]

But that.

[B]

That wasn't an Enid Blyton. That was a limerick. Enid Blyton didn't do limericks.

[A]

Anyway, questions, Mark and I answer this question, amongst others. Are there any films that we have watched and loved but have been unable to return to for a second viewing due to the emotional impact they had on us as children?

[B]

Yeah. Yes. Okay.

[A]

Well, you can get out more details in questions. Julian Evitz in Chester Dear AI and Slop. The discussion around AI in recent shows has been fascinating. I wanted to add to the discussion by sharing the world is going too fast. AI tidbit that happened to me recently.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Last weekend I found myself at a small craft fair. On one stall, a woman was selling photographs that she'd taken. She had a sign up reading no AI. The sign went on to explain that she'd taken all photographs personally and that no AI was involved. According to the sign, any alterations or enhancements were done the traditional way using Photoshop. Suddenly felt very old indeed. Speaking of AI, Mark.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

We got sent a press release this week.

[B]

Did we?

[A]

Yeah. For the second edition of the World AI Film Festival in Cannes. Right. Says, quote, an international event dedicated to the intersection of audio visual creation and artificial intelligence. At a time when artificial intellig intelligence raises as many hopes as it does questions, we are making a clear choice to turn it into a tool that serves creation. No technology will ever replace the sensitivity and perspective of artists. It can, however, open new horizons and enrich. Enrich new forms of expression. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Despite this, one of the partners, Gennario, is a French AI startup specializing in generative storytelling tools, screenwriting automation and AI driven audio visual production.

[B]

Okay, when is that happening?

[A]

It's happening April 21st to the 22nd.

[B]

No, I'm busy. Yeah, I'm busy in Cannes.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Okay, fine. Well, that's gonna be easy to swerve then, isn't.

[A]

Feels like the devil has got his claws in the whole process.

[B]

Yeah, but he's gone to Cannes, so that's fine.

[A]

Do you think the devil would enjoy can more than you imagine?

[B]

Absolutely. Slightly more than you. Yeah.

[A]

Correspondence kevin.com petite. If you go to that festival, we would love to know about it. Whether there was anything that was engaging or made you feel positive about the world.

[B]

Tell us about a film that's out Splitsville, which is a, as we describe it, a raggedy, polyamorous anarcho rom com on the posters.

[A]

Okay, hang on, hang on. Say that again.

[B]

Okay. Raggedy.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know what raggedy means? Polyamorous. You know what polyamorous means? Well, go on. It's. It's the thing that neither you or I ever did or ever will do. And it's. And it's a sort of anarchic romcom. On the poster it's described as an unromantic comedy. And it is from director and co writer and indeed star Michelangelo Covino. The other star. And the other writer and co star is Kyle Marvin. They co wrote and co starred together in the his directorial debut, the Climb, which I reviewed and actually quite liked back in 2020. Do you remember 2020?

[A]

Not really, no.

[B]

No. Okay. All right. Well, like the Climb, this is a tale of friendship and infidelity. So the two main guys, Camino and Marvin, they're best friends, Paul and Carrie. We meet Kerry in the car with his fairly new wife, Ashley. They're en route to visit Paul and his wife Judy, played by Dakota Johnson, who is also a producer along with Covino and Marvin. So all seems well until there's a car crash which gives Ashley a near death experience. So she suddenly announces, okay, I've had a near death experience, I want a divorce. Which is a total shock to her partner. Meanwhile, when they get to Paul and Julie's house, they reveal that the secret of their marriage and the reason they're not getting divorced is that they have an open relationship, meaning that Paul can put it about. And Julie seems perfectly fine with this. However, when Paul is away, Carrie, now suddenly shockingly single, and Julie hook up. And when Paul comes back and finds out, he is outraged, gets into a fistfight with his friend and angrily confronts Julie. Here's a clip.

[A]

When were you gonna tell me?

[C]

Tell you what?

[B]

Are you sleeping with my best friend?

[C]

Yes, I am.

[A]

Are you doing it to hurt me?

[C]

No. Why does it hurt? Good. Well then I don't know Paul because he's kind

[D]

and trustworthy and he has

[B]

a bigger D than you, which is pretty much the tone of the whole film.

[A]

So the rest of the movie was the missing word. Duck.

[B]

Yeah, he was.

[A]

We all collect ducks, but his duck is bigger than your duck.

[B]

Is that right? Okay, yes, that was exactly. They needed to bleep it out. Actually, it made it worse. So the rest of the thing is, how, if at all, are they going to manage these new developments? So first off, Carrie says he's gonna stay at home and he's gonna stay living with his partner, who then brings loads of lovers home. And then to annoy his partner, he befriends her lovers. Meanwhile, Julie kicks Paul out, causing him to suddenly, now that he's not with her, suddenly become the devoted and loving husband that he never was before. And then to complicate things further, there are other hookups that, you know that make things even more complicated, even though that. So that's the sort of central. So it sounds intolerable and the people sound. And the whole thing is a kind of fairly bleak satire on the mores of modern romance and the myth of open relationships. You know, the ludicrousness of only wanting things that you can't have and not realizing what you've got until it's gone. And then the pathos of realizing that very little is fair in love and war. And honestly, hearing myself describe it, it sounds very grating. In fact, it's actually much more entertaining and funny than I had expected it to be. And then it was only when I was halfway through watching it, I rem that I'd actually liked the Climb a lot more than I thought I'd done. There is a very, very funny scene in which the guy reveals to his best friend he said, you know, I've slept with your wife, but you're absolutely fine with that. And not only is he not fine with that, they then get into this fist fight. And the fist fight then goes on and on and on. It's like this huge slapstick scene that just keeps getting more and more absurd. And actually, in a way, that's kind of the key to why the film is fun. Because there is this very, very anarchically slapstick element. There's quite a lot of it with blokes having fights whilst women stand by and roll their eyes. And just. There's also a very kind of cracked subplot about Paul and Julie's son who's grown up amidst these parents with this ludicrous open relationship. And it's clearly had some kind of effect on him. And at one point he says, you don't know what a boat is worth until you've sunk it. Which I thought was very funny. And so the two main guys have got very good best friend energies. The two main women have got very good rolling their eyes and, you know, aren't men ridiculous? There's also a great performance by Nicholas Braun, who is. You saw succession, right? He's Greg in succession, okay? And here he plays, I think they call it a mentalist who has to play a kid's party. And he's.

[A]

He's.

[B]

He's very funny and very dry and very deadpan. And as with so many scenes in the film, it starts and then it just goes on into extended chaos. And actually, one of the things I like about it is that the whole thing has this kind of chaotic sense of unraveling. That scenes start and then they just keep going and they keep going and they keep going and they keep going in this kind of slapstick way with sort of kinetic, panic inducing, spiraling results. So, look, it's an odd film. It's not for everyone, but if you like your rom com served up with a hefty dose of cynicism and quite a lot of people hitting each other over the head with bits of chair, it's a welcome relief from kind of mainstream schmaltz.

[A]

They do. They still do sound insufferable, though.

[B]

Yes, they are insufferable. But that. It's like the discussion that we've had many times is just because a film has insufferable people in it, does that make the film insufferable? And the answer is no.

[A]

After the break, Mark, we'll talk about the Magic Faraway Tree. They will kill you. And we have. I mean, it's written here very disrespectfully as Frankie Ozone. Somehow it feels inappropriate. Francois Ozone, most respected, yes, Legend of the French box office. Which brings us to the box office top 10. And the laughter Lift. Or apparently, as it's becoming known, the Giga Later Elevator.

[B]

Right, I'm gonna leave you to do that.

[A]

Hey, Mark. Kermit. Yes.

[B]

Simon Mayo.

[A]

When we first started our journey in Wizardtainment, did you worry that people might not listen or care about what we had to say?

[B]

I did. What if we made fools of ourselves?

[A]

Well, thankfully, it turns out people love it, specifically when we make fools of ourselves. So we needn't have worried.

[B]

That's good, because we're very good at that.

[A]

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[B]

take

[C]

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[A]

Well, hey, it's the box office top 10. That's what's happening here at 10 in the UK. The good boy, which was our big conversation with Stephen Graham last week.

[B]

It was really funny because obviously because of the way that the timing worked out. I did the review first and then you interviewed Steven Graham. But then when people listen to the show, you hear Stephen Graham first before the review, reacting to your review, reacting to my review, which I hadn't done. But when you said Mark said it was a nicely nasty comedy with a nicely nasty black comedy with touches of Clockwork Orange. And he went get in. Watching the video of it, he was literally turning around to the people behind him going, can we get that on the post? Yeah.

[A]

He said, it's like waiting for your A level results. That's what he said. We were the. We were the first interview in, I think, which is why when it gets to the description of the. Of the film at the beginning, it's a little bit kind of, okay, where is this going?

[B]

This doesn't feel like the film I've just watched.

[A]

But the. One of the weird things is right at the very beginning, I say to Stephen, in America, this is called Heel.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And he said, yes, that's right. Nothing to do with me. So got an email here from Dominic, says, does anyone else think it was splendid that when the Americans felt the need to rename the Good Boy so as not to be confused with a film about a dog, they decided to call it Heel? I mean, what titles did they reject? Stay, Sit, Roll Over, Basket. All of which would work very well with exclamation marks. I mean, it is. It's a very strange rename, don't you think?

[B]

Yeah, it is. It is. Yeah. It's very weird. And of course, the. The chances of anyone confusing it with a film about a dog, fairly small. It's like, you know when you have. When every time I have to say, you remember when Crash won the Oscar for Best Picture? No, not that one. The other one. Because. Oh, yeah, because the. The possibility of somebody going to see Crash, the Oscar winning film, you know, the drama thing, and then accidentally ending David Cronenberg's unbelievably out there adaptation of the Ballard novel is pretty small. I don't think people are that stupid.

[A]

Yeah. But I think Dominic's onto something. If you're trying to disassociate yourself with a film about a dog with the same title, why would you call it something that you might shout at a dog?

[B]

I know it. Yeah. Anyway. Doesn't make sense. Doesn't make sense.

[A]

Still worth going to see, though, I think. And some very fine performances in that. Number nine is Scream 7. It's number six in America.

[B]

Well, it's his fourth week in the charts and it'll be gone by next week. And good riddance.

[A]

Which brings us to number eight, which is Mother's Pride, which I have to say is hanging around a lot longer than you might have expected.

[B]

It's only its third week. It's the third week at number eight that's doing fine. And it's. I know that it's been Doing pretty well at like independent cinemas. I know. For example, the act one has done, done okay with it. I mean it's, it is exactly what you think it is. Fishermen's friends with pubs.

[A]

Number seven here, number 31 in America. How to make a killing.

[B]

So as I asked last week, if you haven't seen Kind Hearts and Coronets, well, firstly, why haven't you seen Kind Hearts and Coronets? And secondly, if you see this, having not seen Kind Hearts and Coronets, you think, oh, it's all right. But it raises exactly the question that was then invoked with the emailer who said that when they did the remake of Whiskey Galore. My question was why? To which your man's response was unrepeatable.

[A]

Actually, number six is ardu3.

[B]

Okay, so this wasn't press screened. This is an Indian Malayam language fantasy comedy. It is the sequel to Ardu 2, you'll be shocked to know. And it is the third installment of the Ardu franchise and the first of a. And get this, because this is gonna. This is a thing now. The first of a sub duology.

[A]

Oh no, this sounds like one of your phrases.

[B]

What? This is a thing now. Okay, so RU3 one last ride, part one. So it is a trilogy of which part three is a duology. So this is the third installment of the trilogy and the first installment of the sub duology.

[A]

Why is it sub.

[B]

Because it's a duology within a trilogy.

[A]

A duo within a trilogy.

[B]

Yeah, it's like taking. It's like Breaking dawn part one and two, you know, they split the last episode or you know, what was the last Harry Potter. Was Deathly Hallows the last one?

[A]

Yeah, I think so.

[B]

Yeah. So how many Harry Potter movies were they? Was it a septology or an octology or whatever it was. But this has now become. The thing is that you divide the last episode into two and that is now being referred to, referred to on wiki as a sub duology. The third part of a trilogy.

[A]

Heaven spare us. Number five here. Number four over there. Ready or not two, which I, I enjoyed.

[B]

Here I come. Yeah, it was good fun and it was funny because I had to go back and remind myself of Ready or Not because it was a while ago. But I, I enjoyed this. It was good splattery, fun, Edin Romsey.

[A]

I had an absolute blast in Ready or Not to. Yes, there are questionable plot decisions, superhuman levels of walking off injuries and a minimal level of jeopardy or threat. But in way as the language computer in Project Hail Mary, that's not the point. The film is a thrill ride roller coaster that brings our heroines from one set piece to the next and has a great time doing so. A simultaneous action sequence in the film illustrates Mark's regular point of fun, violence versus nasty violence. As the two sisters face off against dual antagonists. One scene is played almost for laughs while the other has a much darker tone. The nastiest scene is done in a way which reveals character and advances the plot and most importantly does not outstay its welcome. An entire film with that sort of violence would be quite different and most unpleasant.

[B]

Yes, absolutely right. That's very. Yeah, you should have my job.

[A]

Thank you, Ed. Number four here. Number five there. Reminders of him proving that Colleen Hoover

[B]

has now become the Nick Sparks du noss jour. I quite enjoyed this. I mean it is exactly what it is. Although as I said, there is no jeopardy in terms of the plot. Just take a look at the poster. Yeah, that's what happens.

[A]

Hoppers is at number three and number two in Canada, which I enjoyed.

[B]

I don't think it's absolute classic Pixar, but I think that even not classic Pixar is still usually head and shoulders above most other stuff. So it's good. It's not great, but it's good.

[A]

Number two here. Number three in America. Durand the Revenge. Again, new entry.

[B]

Yeah, not press screened and I'm not sure whether it'll be around next week because it's gone in straight into number two. This is Hindi language spy action thriller. It is obviously sequel to Durandal. So this is the Revenge. If anyone has seen it, please let me know because it wasn't press screen.

[A]

Well, Sharon has. Oh great. And writes four hours of intense violence, gore, torture and jaw dropping patriotism that would make even Michael Bay reach for the bath bag. Like its predecessor, Durandur 2 is a box office hit across North India due to its right wing friendly message of let's blame everything on Pakistan and Islam. Unlike its predecessor, it suffers from uneven pacing and uninspired writing. I was bored, bored, bored. I checked my watch five times during the first half and I gave up counting during the second half. In the end the only saving grace was that the story is complete and there's no part three. I bet there is. If anyone plans on watching in the theater, don't forget the paracetamol.

[B]

Wow. I'm just looking at the the BBFC advice, which is always fun. Characters, heads and bodies are pulverized. Pulverized? I haven't heard them use that before. In a prolonged scene of sadistic violence, a man is torn apart when a hook embedded in his skin is removed and used repeatedly to slash him. Other scenes include bludgeoning, shootings, explosions, impactful blows, decapitations, dismemberment and gang beatings. 18 for strong bloody violence.

[A]

Yes. Okay. And give it. Given the. The politics of it, the way Sharon describes makes it sound like a rather unpleasant watch.

[B]

Yeah, I'm impressed. You're impressed that you stayed for the full four hours.

[A]

Yeah. And number one here, number one there is Project Hail Mary. So here's some. Charlotte Daniel in Hackney. If I'm not mistaken, Mark is almost as much a fan of Spoonerisms as I am. I thought he would enjoy the fact that Project Hail Mary becomes Project Male Harry. This is particularly good because Ryan Gosling, at points in the film, an extremely hairy male. Perhaps it should be referred to this from now on. Stuart Witts. Having also skipped out of the cinema after watching Project Hail Mary, I can see why Mark compared it to the classic 70s sci fi Silent Running. It's a joyous buddy movie and gave me the feels numerous times. One particular scene that almost literally took my breath away, especially in imax, was when Grace, who's the Ryan Gosling character, was outside the ship preparing to collect samples and the whole screen suddenly flipp to a mesmerizing red. It truly was, as Grace points out, a moment mentioned should go to Daniel Pemberton's beautiful coral LED score. I still remember the first time I watched Silent Running as a child. It was one of those touchstone moments where I found myself crying uncontrollably as Dewey watered the plants and Joan Baez started singing.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

Hal says the film really rocketed along, pun intended. In a number of instances, it explained fairly important aspects with just a single line of dialogue sometimes delivered in. In contrast, the book took more time to explain the what's and the whys, for example, how the spinner engine worked or how hard it was to develop a nitrogen resistant strain of the bacteria. The film shows the impacts of these events and the audience have to either figure it out or just go with the new circumstances because the movie is not slowing down for you.

[B]

Yes, but.

[A]

And this is why it's a great movie, the film knows precisely what it's doing, and that is to make, deepen and celebrate the emotional power of the core relationship. In other words, despite Andy Weir's writing being laced with science, this is all about the vibes and not the facts. And with such a wonderful duo carrying it it does a fantastic job. Really enjoyed it. So that is typical of most of the correspondence. However. Harriet Morris Vanguardista. My favorite film is Arrival. It is the deeply human and dilemmas that sci fi explores that make cinema such a perfect medium for its stories. Imagine, therefore, my excitement at the prospect of Project Hail Mary. What I got instead was a black hole of disappointment. Sure, there's plenty to like here. Uhler's is a standout performance. The main two hand are fun for about 20 minutes and there's a brave attempt to tackle some thorny questions of sacrifice and loneliness. The problem is the main character. This is a film that asks us to believe in someone who on the one hand has no friends or family. At the same time, he has no. So he is so likable and engaging. Excuse me. That he can charm a mobile pile of rocks into friendship. And the icy shell of Hula's military official. Possibly the harder task. It makes no sense. A characterization to break even the improbability drive from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In the end, I felt like I was watching a film for 10 year olds with the stupidest ending I've seen in a long time anyway. So I don't think that's your opinion.

[B]

No, I mean, I. I loved it. This, this. The question about the sort of seriousness. I mean, it was. It was weird because I think the subject of Arrival did come up before because in the sub. In Arrival, pretty much the whole movie is taken up trying to figure out a way of communicating.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And you know, and they. It's all to do with drawing the shapes and actually when. When they learn the alien language, it completely changes the way in which our central character understands the world and time. And that ties it into things like Kurt Vonnegut's slaughterhouse 5. And Billy Pilgrim has become unstuck in time. And the idea of time not as a linear thing, but as something which can be seen in more cyclical terms. And in Project Hail Mary they just go, okay, here's a laptop is a voice. Boom, let's get on with it. And I think the thing is, they are. They're diff. They're just different tenets of movies. I mean, you mentioned that thing about you read the email person saying that they were very struck by silent running. And the thing about, you know, the drone with the. With the. The watering can. Watering the plants. Well, look right here. This is it for. This is for video watches. That is my drone with the watering can. There it is. Because that sits on my desk. Because it's one of my favorite films. It makes absolute scientific sense at all. Doesn't matter. That's not what it's about. And I think one of the things with Project Hail Mary is that you have to get on board with the. It's not about the science. Whatever is true of the novel. The film is much more an odd couple thing that just happens to be in space.

[A]

I mean, I have to say the not being a scientist, but the book is all about the science. It's certainly all about the fields, but absolutely everything. It's all person, narrative, everything is explained why this works and how that works and what we have to do, but that won't make sense, so we need to have to do that. So if you want it to make scientific sense, read the book.

[B]

Yeah, you.

[A]

You just could not even begin to explain it in a movie. So it makes perfect sense that they've made the decision to go with the feels in the film. But if you want to know that it does make scientific sense, then read the book, because it absolutely does.

[B]

And you said that in the. In the book they spend a lot longer establishing the means of communication.

[A]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Everything, everything, everything is explained and why this would work. And it just. In painstaking detail. I mean, sometimes it leaves me a little cold and I drift off because I don't really need to understand how this bit works. But all the science is explained in pain. Take in painstaking detail.

[B]

And when it comes, when it comes to the film, it's like, okay, it's not about that. We have to get them talking now because what it's actually about is, as I said, you know, one of the directors said it raises the question of can men have friends? And the answer is yes, but only if the future of all humanity is at stake.

[A]

Good, good, good, good, good.

[B]

What Rocky would say, okay, amaze, amaze, amaze.

[A]

Sad, sad, sad.

[B]

You're nice to see the film or

[A]

read the book or listen to the audiobook for that to make any sense.

[B]

Do go see the film. It's such. Have you seen it yet?

[A]

No, seeing it at the weekend.

[B]

Oh, you're gonna love. Who are you going with?

[A]

The good lady professor Ceramicist.

[B]

You're not going with my wife?

[A]

Well, refer you to the previous review. Yes, I'm going with the good lady ceramicist. If I can get her out of a new studio.

[B]

Did you just recast Splitsville with us? Did you?

[A]

That's the one. In a moment, we will be talking to France's most acclaimed director, Francois Ozone, who Returns to this podcast after this.

[C]

Expedia. You're here. But are you here? Here you go to Hawaii in your head all the time. During meetings in the car, Hawaii is on the mind. But when you're ready to go, there's Expedia, the one place you go to go places. Flights, hotels, vacation homes, cars. You can save when you bundle or book as you go and still save. So what are you waiting for? Expedia, the one place you go to go places. Members only. Savings vary.

[A]

No one goes to Hank's for his spreadsheets. They go for a darn good pizza. Lately, though, the shop's been quiet. So Hank decides to bring back the $1 slice. He asks copy copilot in Microsoft Excel to look at his sales and costs and help him see if he can afford it. Copilot shows Hank where the money's going and which little extras make the dollar slice work. Now Hanks has a line out the door. Hank makes the pizza. Co pilot handles the spreadsheets. Learn [e-mail]. Okay, special guest time. We're gonna speak to Francois Ozon, one of modern French cinema's most prolific and varied directors. He has released almost a film a year for 25 years.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Including eight women swimming pool. Time to leave. Young and beautiful summer of 85. The crime is Mine. Last time he was on the show, it was Convient l' Autom when autumn Falls. His new movie is l'. Etranger. And we'll hear from Francois after this clip, which is in French. And that is a clip from Les Tranger, the Stranger, if you will. Its director is Francois Ozon, who joins us. Francois. Hello, sir. How are you?

[D]

Hello. I'm fine. I'm in Paris in good form.

[A]

Excellent.

[B]

That's.

[A]

That's very good. That's the perfect time to speak to you then. This is based obviously on the Albert camus book from 1942. Just introduce us, please, to how you came to make your movie based on this legendary book.

[D]

Actually, I wanted to make another film, a film about the young men of today, very disenchanted about life, who committed suicide. And I tried to finance this script. I didn't find the money. It was very hard. And nobody wanted to produce my film, so I gave up. And some friends told me, you should read the Stranger. Actually, I had read the Stranger when I was at school, like all the French students and reading again. The book was quite amazing because I realized how this book was still powerful and mysterious. So it was A real challenge for me to try to adapt it. So I spoke to Benjamin Voisin about the idea to adapt the book and to play the part of Meursault, and he was very excited about it. And that's how it started.

[A]

Were you surprised that the rights were still available? I mean, this is such a famous book. So much a part of, as you've already mentioned, French education and just literature, world literature. How amazing that the rights were still there for you.

[D]

Actually, only one director made an adaptation. It was visconti in the 60s. But the family of Camus was not happy with the adaptation and they refused to many directors to adapt the book. And actually, when Camus was alive, he didn't want to have an adaptation. The only adaptation he wanted to make was with the actor Gerard Philippe and with Jean Renoir. But sadly, Jean Renoir traveled to America, so it didn't happen. And so I had to convince Catherine Camus daughter about my adaptation. So I met her and I tried to seduce her in a certain way with my new ideas about the book, because my goal was to make a film about today in a certain way, with the eyes of 2026, not a film with the eyes of 1942. So I explained my choices about the adaptation, the contextualization, social and political, which was very important for. For me and I think for the audience of today to understand the book and what was the views of Camus.

[B]

Francois, is it possible to say something about how those changes have made it into a different story? Because obviously, in the case of the book, it is all about the central character being disaffected, being being removed from everything. And one of the things that your film has tried to do is to contextualize the crime that we know happens. Because at the beginning, we meet him, he is in prison, he's asked why? And he said, I killed an Arab. And what you have tried to do is to expand upon that. How have you changed that?

[D]

Well, what shocked me when I read the book today was the invisibilizations of the Arabs. And I needed. I needed to understand why. So to understand that, you have to contextualize. Because I know many people, some politicians or some theories can attack the book of Camus, saying it's a colonialism book, which is absolutely not. You have to understand why he decided to invisibilize the Arabs. You have to explain that Algeria was France, it was two French department, and there was a kind of apartheid. There was the propaganda of the French governemband who said everything was okay, but Actually, it was not. The Arabs were considered as second zone citizens. They were in addition. Do you say indigenous? Yes, yes, indigenous. So it was important to explain, and I needed to explain to understand that too. So that's why I met many historians and because it's a kind of taboo still in France, the story between Algeria and France, you know, it's always a wound for the French and for the Algerian to the story we have together. And so I wanted to keep my point of view of today, knowing that we had a war between France and Algeria. All these elements were important, I think, to understand. Understand why Camus invisibilize the Arabs in the book. It was of course not racism. It was just the period of his time.

[B]

And you said that obviously you had read L' Etranger before. I remember really clearly, I'm 63. I read L' Etranger when I was at school. And I read it because the Cure had a record called Killing. The specifically relates to that. And. And back then if you heard a pop song about a story, then you'd read the story. And I remember it being a book that everyone talked about. It was one of those things like Catcher in the Rye, it seemed to touch an angsty chord. Is that how you first encountered it?

[D]

I think when I read it as a young man, it was part of the job, you know, it was an obligation of school to read it. So I didn't really enjoy the book when I was young. I think when I was young, I prefer to read Emile Zola or Emily Bronte, you know, these kind of authors, which were more romantic for me. And I think I didn't get the book. I think the book is philosophical, it's not so easy to understand. And the book is very mysterious. But when I read it again, I realized how the book can touch young people, especially teenagers. Because when you're a teenager, you discover real life. You have a kind of disillusion in front of your family, in front of the society, in front of your parents. And one of your possibility of being is to have a kind of detachment with society. And I remember when I met some Q and A in France, in all France, to discuss with students about my adaptation. Maybe many young men and women said, I'm very close to Meursault. I feel I'm a kind of Meursault. So that's why this book and this story is so in temporal and still a classic and that still touching your young people in your film.

[A]

Francois Meursault, when he's on trial, is described by the judge as taciturn and withdrawals. The priest, when he sees him in prison, says he is in despair. And certainly he appears to us to be. I was going to say hollowed out. Evide. Is that the right word? How would you describe Meursault, the way Benjamin Voisin plays him?

[D]

I think Meursault is a spectator of his life, and he becomes a real actor of his life in front of the priest. At this moment, he's able to assume his emotions, his. His feelings. And at this moment he becomes Camus in a certain way, because all the speech of Meursault in front of the priest is really the philosophy of Camus about life, you know. So it was a real challenge for the actor, for Benjamin Voisin to play someone who doesn't act, because actually he's an actor, and people and actors like to play and to act. So I asked him to watch the film of Robert Bresson and to become a kind of model, you know, and it was disturbing. He was quite depressed at the end of the shooting, but I think it was good to be this character. And this character is a kind of abstraction, you know, you can't. You can direct him and describe him with psychology. He's more an ID than someone.

[B]

Francois, what about the decision to present this in black and white? I mean, you can read that as he sees the world in black and white. But why black and white? It's not just to do with the time period, is it?

[D]

No, it's different elements. It's artistic, of course, but it's economic too. When you don't have enough money to make a period movie movie, it's easier to shoot in black and white. But actually the idea with the DP was to work on the light and the sun, which is so important in the story. So we had the feeling with the white, we could more work on the idea of the glare of the sun and to feel the heat. It's quite paradoxical with the book, because the book is full of colors. But for me, the idea of the black and white was obvious because it's a philosophical book and it's more pure. You are more focused on the. You are less disturbed by the colors. I had the feeling that colors will disturb us. And it's funny because we shot actually in color and we put everything in black and white. And two weeks ago I saw all the film in color, and it was quite a surprise because the film is totally different. It's a totally different mood. Maybe I will release it one day. But my real Choice was the black and white.

[A]

I need to mention Meursault's girlfriend, played by Rebecca Maldet, who's fantastic. It seems that the women in this film balance the toxicity of the men. Would that be fair?

[D]

Yes, I think so. All these men in this story are very toxic. You know, one is beating his wife, the other one is beating his dog. And Meursault kills Anaha because of the sun. So it's difficult to identify to this male character. So my idea was to develop the female parts, which don't really exist. They are in the book, they are not developed. And I wanted to give them the kind of awareness of the situation politically and socially. So Marie is confident, conscious. Meursault is different, and she's conscious of the tensions between the two communities, Arabs and French. And. And I wanted to give a name to the Ahab and to the. To the Ahab's sister, Jamila, who is very important too.

[A]

You make films faster than Ridley Scott. 25 films in 28 years.

[D]

I don't have the same budgets.

[A]

Not the same budgets, no. But that must mean that you. You have about six films on the go right now, Francois.

[D]

No, no, I need to finish totally a film to be sure. What will be the next one? I don't have a plan of. Of many films, but.

[A]

Okay.

[D]

Actually I'm working on a new film.

[A]

All right, Francois, we appreciate your time. Thank you so much for talking to us today.

[D]

Thank you. To you. Merci.

[A]

So our thanks to Francois Ouzon for speaking to us again. The movie comes out in a couple of weeks, something like that.

[B]

Yeah, 10th, I think. 10th.

[A]

Okay. All right. And Mark will review it, then correspondence at kevin and mayo.com what else is out and we can talk about this

[B]

week out this week. They will kill you. This is so action, comedy, horror. It's co. Written by Alex Litvak and directed by Russian director Kirill Sokolov. Now that is a name that will ring a bell to you because he made the 2018 film why don't you just die? Which I reviewed, think I. I think I reviewed in 2019, which was. It was a film that played out in a cramped Moscow apartment which basically turned into this kind of blood soaked Wild west corral. And it was like Genet and Caro design with Evil Dead slapstick violence. I think the way it was described by one critic was Meet the Parents meets the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which was exactly right. So that film owed quite a lot to. To Tarantino. Stylistically. So does this at times. This plays like Kill Bill on speed it stars Zazie Beets Mihala, Heather Graham and Patricia Arquette. Now, Patricia Arquette, of course, starred in the Tarantino scripted True Romance. Here she plays the matriarch of a New York building at which Zazie beats his newly released ex con. Arrives in the rain, knocks at the door. Or she's in search of her missing sister, but she says she's there to be a maid. Now, as I said, features Patricia Arquette. Listen to this clip and tell me what accent you think Patricia Arquette is doing.

[A]

Okay. The Virgil was built in 1923. Today it's one of the most exclusive buildings in Manhattan. Hi, I'm the new maid. With such wealth comes the expectation of

[D]

the highest quality of service.

[A]

It's a lot of locks. This building is a temple to Satan. Each month we must pay with a human sacrifice. Tonight, you are the offering. I've stayed in those student flats. I think they're describing Tussle flats at Warwick University. They're definitely dedicated to the devil.

[B]

Okay, now just what accent do you think? Could you just. Just play us the beginning part of that clip?

[A]

Kind of English, kind of Dick Van Dyke, I think.

[B]

Okay. The Virgil was built in 19.

[A]

1923. Today that's one of the most exclusive buildings in Manhattan.

[B]

Okay, stop, stop. Yeah. What do you think that was?

[A]

Well, it sounds. It sounds southern English to me. Estuary. Estuary English.

[B]

Meant to be Irish.

[A]

No, it's definitely not. It's definitely not.

[B]

It's meant to be. I thought it was Scottish. I literally spent quite a lot of the film thinking, where's she from?

[A]

Right, okay. In which case, let's hear it for the third time. So this is an Irish accent here. Here we go. The Virgil was built in 1923. Today that's one of the most exclusive buildings in Manhattan. No, that buzzer there is someone going, no, sorry.

[B]

Next.

[A]

Failed the audition. On we go. Let's get an Irish actor.

[B]

But I honestly, I was. I was watching the. I don't know what accent she's. And she's only doing it sometimes and I don't know what it is. Anyway, okay, that aside, so Zazy Beats is there to find her sister. Instead, she finds a bunch of oddly domesticated Satan worshippers. So it's like kind of, you know, in Rosemary's Baby when they're all Satanist but they just. They like people. Or this is like Rosemary's Baby meets Ready or not via Kill Bill. And they need regular sacrifices to ensure their immortality and she is to be the sacrifice. Cue a ramped up Cocktail of what the BBFC calls strong bloody violence and gore, including stabbings, shooting, slashings with bladed weapons, decapitations, and people being impaled, set on fire and struck with axes and other weapons. Now the fact that it has all that, but it's only a 15 tells you that like ready or not to, you know, here I come. The violence is all, it's all painless, it's all knock about fun. I mean, there isn't any sort of any cruelty involved in it. I mean there is, there is a wince inducing moment involving an interface between a hand, a knife and a finger. But you know, essentially it's all three stooges with blood and guts for custard pies. So the film is from Nocturna, which is the company set up by Andy and Barbara Muschietti who made the IT movies. And in a way, sort of their involvement is kind of like a badge of merit. Because I like, like, I like them actually. You know, Guillermo del Toro was very, very fond of one of the first films they made. I mean, this is a hot mess. It is. It, it nicks elements from John Wick. Do you remember that Jody Foster film Hotel Artemis? I think you might have interviewed Jodie Foster for that. It was.

[A]

No, it wasn't for that one.

[B]

But there was. There's a film which she's in. In which it's like. There's like a big building where people are able to go after because they're crims and then they.

[A]

The one where we did was for the one where Jack o' Connell was the bad guy and.

[B]

Oh, that's right.

[A]

The financial journalist is right.

[B]

Okay, fine. Okay, well, it's not like that. So this is a bit like. It's a bit like John Wick. It's a bit. It's still stuff from Hotel Artemis. There's a film by the Rizza called. Oh, Simon Paul is saying Money Monster. Yeah, that was the thing. But that's not relevant to this, this, this review. Yeah, yeah, back off. There's a film by the Rizzical man with the iron fist. Weirdly, weirdly, weirdly, there's also a bit of Lord of the Flies in it because remember we were talking last week about the whole thing about Lord of the Flies, Pig's head on a stick, Beelzebub. So there is in this a pig's head on a stick, which, which is to all intents and purposes, Beelzebub. The special effects are nicely squishy. The splatter is very splattery. Zazie Beats shows off her action chops. I mean, this is a real physical workout performance. This is the kind of thing you'd have to get into training to. And she does it really well. And. And the director captures that sort of same aesthetic kinetic violence of why don't you just die? The one thing I would say is that 15 minutes after seeing it, I could remember virtually nothing about it other than that I had enjoyed it while it was on and then it was gone. So it is perfect. Friday night popcorn fair. You'll have a laugh. It's a bit of a riot, you know. And then it stops, hops. But that's perfectly fine.

[A]

So it's a bit like a bag of Jelly Babies, really. Very nice while you're having it. And then you've forgotten apart from that strange taste in your mouth.

[B]

I love jelly babies. I love Jelly babies. I love Jelly Babies more than. I love this.

[A]

Okay, I do also. But the black, green and yellow ones are superior.

[B]

Yes. Yeah, they are. Which ones don't you like? The ones I don't like the pink ones. The pink ones, which just don't taste of anything.

[A]

Is that the same as the red ones? I don't know.

[B]

Yeah, this sort of pink and dab.

[A]

So if you could do some Jelly Babies, but just the black, green and yellow ones. Thanks very much, that would be.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

Well, that's very good. So do we take a break? No, we're just going to press on with the Laughter lift, which is great. However, before we get to this, which is apparently also now becoming known as the gigulator elevator, but only. Only in Simon Paul's world, there are three jokes, okay? One is a reasonable joke, okay. The other works on the page. And the third one is going to make me cough. Okay? So with a sense of, well, even greater trepidation than normal.

[B]

Here we go.

[A]

Press the. Press the button.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Hey, Mark, even though I've just told you I haven't seen Project Hell, I saw Project Hail Mary this week. It really got me thinking about the future. In 3024 years, life will either be really good or really bad.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

It's 50.

[B]

50. Very good. Okay. That's all right. That joke works quite well.

[A]

Correct. And now we move on to the written joke. Hey, Mark, two lovely new eateries have opened, opened up on the high street in showbiz North London. An Indian and a Vietnamese. Do you know what the difference is between the two?

[B]

No.

[A]

The Vietnamese restaurant is for profit. The Indian is non profit. Okay, so Nan as in n. No

[B]

I know, I know. I got it.

[A]

And four as in pho.

[B]

I got it, I got it.

[A]

So works on the page.

[B]

Okay. Yeah.

[A]

Simon, faux profit. Yes, but it's pronounced for profit. Faw.

[B]

That's how profit. So can I, can I give you a related joke?

[A]

Go on.

[B]

What's the difference between Vietnam and Iran?

[A]

I don't know.

[B]

Donald Trump had a plan to get out of Vietnam.

[A]

So I like the fact, you see, Simon Paul has tried to correct my pronunciation because it's written still not funny. But you pronounce it four.

[B]

So it's needed to be more faux.

[A]

No, he says because it's. If you check pronunciation, it's faw. So I'm right and you're just the redactor.

[B]

Moving on.

[A]

And here's the joke that's going to make me cough.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Hey, Mark, so I've seen the original of this which is told on YouTube by a 7 year old boy on the farm.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Surrounded by appropriate animals. Are you ready?

[B]

Okay. Yes.

[A]

Hey, Mark, why are chickens so funny?

[B]

I don't know. Simon, why chicken so funny? Because.

[A]

What's still to come.

[B]

Is that it?

[A]

Yeah, that's it. And that's how the boy says it.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And then his magic laughs.

[B]

The magic far away tree is still to come, but I think you're going to need to lie down after that.

[A]

Yeah. Vocal zone time. Get business done with the new American

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[B]

I agree completely with that and may I say in on a related front that the good lady professor her indoors is currently involved in a a very big research project to make women's film archives visible in order to.

[A]

To.

[B]

To address the problem of women being written out of film history. Because not only is there a shocking statistic which is that women filmmakers make their first feature and then statistically don't get to make a second feature, but also of the small number of features that do get to be made, several of them are simply, as you've just correctly pointed out, written out of history. And so this archive project is specifically to address that. I agree with everything that you just said in that email and you are right, you are right. It is an issue which has to be addressed and it has to be addressed on an industry wide level.

[A]

Ollie, thanks for the email correspondencevanomair.com the Magic Fireaway tree is the magic faraway tree.

[B]

Yes. Now, are you familiar with the Enid

[A]

Blyton, source of this I mean, I don't think so. We have, we bought a whole lot of Enid Blyton's for the kids when they were younger because they were like easy adventures to digest. But I don't think the Magic Faraway Tree was ever one of them.

[B]

Yeah, well, I don't think it was either. Firstly, I have a confession, which is I thought for a long time that Enid Blyton's name was Gnid Blyton, because the way that she would write, you know, but that's what it looks like. Gnid. It looks like it was Gnid Blyton.

[A]

I'm a gnu and another gnu. Yes.

[B]

I wish I couldn't gnash my teeth at you. So I haven't read the Magic Faraway Tree books. Wiki tells me that the titles in the series are the enchanted wood 39, magic far away tree 43, the folk of the faraway tree 46 and up the faraway tree 51. So, you know, a series of novels took place in Enchanted Wood, gigantic magical tree so tall that its branches reach into the clouds, big enough to contain houses and multitudes within it. And the tree is discovered by children who have moved into a house nearby. So I didn't know any of that, I just knew the poster. So about 10 years ago it was announced that Neal street, which is Sam Mendes production company, we're doing a live action adaptation. Now we have that adaptation. Ben Greger is the director and it's written by Simon Farnaby, who most significantly. Yeah, exactly. Most significantly achieved huge success as co writer of Paddington 2. So in this film version, as I said, I hadn't read the source stuff. Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield are Polly and Tim. They are the parents of three in inverted commas. Adorable children. The adorable children are addicted to smartphones and computer games. One of them has pretty much stopped talking. And they live in a very modern, alienated world. When Polly loses her job, she's designed a fridge and then it turns out that the fridge is spying on customers and she says, I'm not having that. So she loses her job. Tim suggests that they fulfill an old dream that they used to have to live in the country because he thinks this will be great because it will get the kids off the devices, get them into the country. And he has a plan to make tomato pasta sauce, of course. So they up sticks and move into a barn. And it is literally a barn which they have got a certain amount of time in, after which they have to pay the 20,000 for us. He said, well, how is it so cheap? Well, it's because it's a barn. It's got no electricity, it's got no amenities, it's got no WI fi. And the kids are spectacularly unimpressed. Particularly the eldest daughter who secretly writes to her super rich grandmother, played by Jennifer Saunders, who the mother is terrified of disappointing. But nevertheless the daughter writes to her. Here is a clip.

[C]

Dear Grandma, we've moved to the countryside.

[B]

Dad's crazy plan is infecting the whole family.

[A]

I feel like that child heard it is slipping away. Polly, the kids need this.

[B]

Just remember, don't go in that wood up top. Some folks are it's enchanted.

[A]

Strange creatures, floaty lives. You have the usual things.

[C]

Say, that was very usual.

[A]

Mummy.

[B]

What is this place?

[C]

The magic faraway tree.

[D]

It's amazing.

[B]

So what is amazing is this kind of fairy tale world that they find within the titular tree which is, it's like a portal to a range of fantastical adventures, none of which require USBs or plugs or electricity supplies. So within this sort of Narnia esque world in which there are a series of other worlds that they enter on a daily basis for adventures, there is a star studded cast which includes Nicola Coughlan's Silky Because I have Silky Hair, Jessica Gunning's Dame Washalot, Lonza Anozi as Moonface, Rebecca Ferguson as the deranged Dame, Sarah Snap and a many headed explosion of beards known as the Great Know it all, played by Lenny Henry, Michael Palin and Simon Russell Beal. Wow. And exactly. Simon Farnaby is also in it as a sort of more down to earth role as the farmer who, who lets them use the barn. Now I confess that when I saw the poster for this, my heart sank a little bit because I thought the poster looked a bit cringy. And there are plenty of cringe inducing moments. There's a family bonding song which we get to hear more than once and there's lots of sort of life lessons being learned. But the thing is it didn't matter cause I found it surprisingly charming and entertaining and kind of uplifting. I mean the thing is Farnaby, he's very funny, right? He co wrote that thing Mindhorn, which is, which is still underrated. Which as I keep pointing out was the first film to be shot and set in the Isle of Man since no Limits back in, you know, whenever it was 1930.

[A]

Blah.

[B]

And his script does a really good job of updating what I imagine the Enid Blyton Source is like because I have read Enid Blight novels, I just haven't read any of these, but giving it kind of a little bit of a contemporary edge. So yes, there's the stuff about the gadgets and the devices, but there's also a very nice interaction between, between the elder grumpy daughter played by Delilah Bennett Cardy and Silky the fairy who's, you know, I am called this because I have such silky hair and she says, well, clearly haven't heard of feminism and that stuff works well. The other thing is, despite the poster, it is a very good looking film. The production design is Alexander Walker and the thing about it is it owes more aesthetically to that kind of very physical look of Spielberg's Hook. I mean I know I don't like Hook as a film, but it did have a world that you believed in. And I think that in the age of the sort of Tim Burton kids fantasies which are just so artificial and you find it very hard to get involved. So honestly I went in with a cynical old grumpy head on and I was won over and charmed and I last and I was moved in all the right places. I mean it helps that I love. Obviously we love Claire Foy, right? Obviously we love Claire Foy. Hello to Claire Foy's dad, David. Yep, David. Hello David. And, and, and so it helps that they've got a cast of this caliber. As I said, I mean the, the many headed beard explosion in which you've got Lenny Henry and Michael Palin and Simon Russell Beal all sharing the same beard is a particularly splendid moment. But I thought it was, I mean, I suppose it's Easter holes time, isn't it? So. But it, it is the, the rare treat for all the family that anybody can go and see the BBFC rating is you for very mild threat, rude humor and slapstick and language. But honestly, if you take in young kids to see it, they'll enjoy it. And I think the, the adult grown up will enjoy it. It too.

[A]

The adult grown up, yes.

[B]

You know, with me.

[A]

Okay, that sounds intriguing. And also in how I kind of feel warm and warm. Encouraged. Yes, yes, by your review. Correspondencekirtmayer.com which is also where you send your videos and audio bits and pieces. If you have a Watson, for example, this one from Glasgow. James here from the Grosvenor Picture Theatre in Glasgow's West End where we have kicked off our midnight movie season with Of Plenty primer and a sold out Eraserhead screening. Next on the list is one of Mark's Faves Silent Running. This is on April 3rd into the 4th. What is a more effective and immersive experience than to finish Silent Running at half one in the morning in a cinema near to Glasgow's Botanic Gardens? Tickets are on sale on our website grosvenorpicturetheatre.co.uk, where you will find more midnight movie screenings including the Most Dangerous Game and Eyes Without Face. James, thank you very much. You have to walk home at half past one in the morning. Okay. Anyway, Grosvenorpicture Theatre.is where you'll find the details. 3rd and 4th April for silent running. Thank you to everybody. Please do send in your video clips and audio. If you can't do that, that's fine. That's it for this week. This has been a Sony Music Entertainment production. This week's team was Jen, Eric, Josh, Heather and Dom. The redactor was Simon Paul. And if you're not following the pod already, please do so. Wherever you get your podcasts, come and join us on Patreon for all the good stuff. Mark, what is your film of the Week?

[B]

Well, my film of the Week is a double header, one of which I haven't spoken about yet because it's going to be in take two. But films of the week are Orwell. Two plus two equals five. Please do listen to take two for that and the Magic Faraway Tree.

[A]

Okay, that's good. Gully was our engineer, by the way. I should have mentioned that back next week with Hugh Bonneville talking about reprising his role as ian Fletcher in 2026 where he's become Director of Integrity for the World Cup Oversight. I am going to bestow a year's Ultra membership to Correspondent of the Week. I'll give it to Holly Tarquini, who was writing about women in cinema, so I think she deserves that. Correspondence at Kerman and mayo.com/two has landed at exactly the same time as this podcast. Go have a listen.

[C]

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