Kermode & Mayo’s Take

François Ozon, a prolific French director and screenwriter, talks about adapting Camus and making L'Étranger (The Stranger). He discusses why he modernized the context, chose black-and-white, directed Benjamin Voisin toward a Bresson-like detachment, and how he expanded female and Arab roles. Short, cinematic, and focused on filmmaking choices and sensitive historical context.

Stephen Graham, acclaimed English actor known for gritty roles in This Is England and Boardwalk Empire, discusses playing a disturbed father in The Good Boy. He talks about the film’s unsettling rehabilitation ritual and moral ambiguity. Conversation covers casting choices, family trauma, and echoes of classic reprogramming tales. Expect dark humour, tense character dynamics, and a lingering, ambiguous finish.

They break down the night’s biggest wins, from One Battle After Another sweeping major awards to Norway’s Sentimental Value making history. Conversations touch on Michael B. Jordan’s emotional Best Actor moment and Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s cinematography breakthrough. They react to genre wins like K-pop Demon Hunters and Frankenstein’s craft haul, plus political documentaries, rare ties, and memorable tributes.

Ryan Gosling, actor known for La La Land and Blade Runner 2049, chats about leading the sci‑fi film Project Hail Mary. He talks about loving Andy Weir’s book, crafting the heart of a solo space survival story, and creating Rocky with puppetry. There’s also chat on sci‑fi influences, a surprise karaoke moment, and whether he’d ever really go to space.

Here's a cheeky preview of our latest Take Ultra video episode in which Mark and Simon look ahead to this week’s Oscars and assess the state of the race.  Ultra-Vanguardistas get these live streams every other week, our weekly T2 episodes in video and loads more. You can join them here: https://www.patreon.com/c/kermodeandmayo/membership   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Martin Clunes, veteran British actor best known for Doc Martin, discusses his recent film work. He talks about playing a grieving publican in Mother's Pride and reflects on his Wuthering Heights role and career anecdotes. Conversation also touches on the bold, Gothic reimagining of The Bride!, its visual ambition and feminist spin. Short, lively and focused on film craft and roles.

A lively International Women’s Day special celebrating women filmmakers past and present. They revisit interviews with directors, editors and actors-turned-directors. Discussion covers research on industry representation, memorable career highlights, and the challenges of booking and championing female talent. Lists of standout films and creatives round out the celebration.

Pete Docter, Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer and Oscar‑winning director of Up, Inside Out and Soul, discusses four decades of Pixar. He talks about storytelling-first craft, how technology and AI serve character, casting for animation, Toy Story 5’s themes, and a peek at the studio’s upcoming Hoppers. Short, reflective, and full of animation lore.

Some exciting news—The Take is now on Patreon: www.patreon.com/kermodeandmayo. Become a Vanguardista or an Ultra Vanguardista to get video episodes of Take Two every week, plus member‑only chat rooms, polls and submissions to influence the show, behind‑the‑scenes photos and videos, the monthly Redactor’s Roundup newsletter, and access to a new fortnightly LIVE show—a raucous, unfiltered lunchtime special with the Good Doctors, new features, and live chat so you can heckle, vote, and have your questions read out in real time. Amanda Seyfried is our special guest this week. She’s starred in Mean Girls, The Housemaid and Mamma Mia!, but she’s never been a Mancunian... until now. She joins Simon alongside writer-director Mona Fastvold to talk about The Testament of Ann Lee, in which Seyfried stars as the titular leader of the Shakers. You might not have heard of her and the 18th century radical religious sect she founded—and we promise you’ve definitely never seen a musical about her. Seyfried talks about her struggle to crack a Manchester accent for the role, never mind all that ecstatic song and dance—and we hear from Fastvold about he old-school filmmaking techniques that helped her and co-writer husband Brady Corbet bring this unique story to the screen on shoestring budget. Mark will review The Testament of Ann Lee next week, but we’ve got four more movie reviews for you in the meantime—it's a packed show! First, The Secret Agent, where paranoia and deception collide as an ex-academic gets caught up in South American political turmoil. Then there’s If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, a darkly comic tale of maternal burnout pushed to surreal extremes. We also have Wasteman—a gritty prison drama starring Rye Lane’s David Jonsson. And finally, Good Luck Have Fun Don't Die, a genre-bending evil-tech adventure starring Sam Rockwell. Plus all the usual delights: the box office top 10, the unpredictable joy of the Laughter Lift, and your tip-top correspondence. Don’t miss it. Timecodes 00:00:00 Show starts 00:10:09 The Secret Agent review 00:22:02 Box Office Top 10 00:39:24 Mona Fastvold and Amanda Seyfried interview 01:01:24 If I Had Legs I’d Kick You review 01:07:35 Laughter Lift 01:12:09 Wasteman review 01:19:13 Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die review You can contact the show by emailing correspondence@kermodeandmayo.com or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo Please take our survey and help shape the future of our show: https://www.kermodeandmayo.com/survey 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

Emerald Fennell, Oscar-winning writer-director known for Promising Young Woman, discusses her bold adaptation of Wuthering Heights. She talks casting Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, creating a tactile emotional landscape with rain and design, and why Brontë’s violent romance still fascinates. Expect talk of youth, obsession, and the controversies around modernizing a classic.