Guillermo del Toro, Nightmare Alley, Belfast, A Journal for Jordan, Memory Box, The King’s Daughter

Guillermo del Toro, Nightmare Alley, Belfast, A Journal for Jordan, Memory Box, The King’s Daughter

Author: BBC Radio 5 Live January 21, 2022 Duration: 2:05:57

Guillermo del Toro talks about his new film Nightmare Alley, the second film adaptation of the 1946 novel of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham. It stars Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett and Toni Collette.

Mark reviews that film along with Sir Ken ‘Chuckles’ Branagh’s new film Belfast, which he discussed with Simon on last week’s show, about a young boy and his working-class Belfast family experiencing the tumultuous late 1960s; documentary Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road, looking at the career of Brian Wilson; Denzel Washington’s A Journal for Jordan, about soldier who, before he is killed in action in Iraq, authors a journal for his son intended to tell him how to live a decent life despite growing up without a father; and Mass, about which we talk to star Jason Isaacs.

Plus Simon and Mark talk through all the films on current release.

Send us your sub 20 second instant reaction to any film attached to an email to mayo@bbc.co.uk for our feature ‘Lobby Correspondents’.

Download our podcast from the Baby Sea Clowns app. We welcome your contributions: Email: mayo@bbc.co.uk Twitter: @wittertainment


For over a decade, the sharp, often delightfully cantankerous voice of film critic Mark Kermode has been a fixture on the airwaves alongside the seasoned broadcaster Simon Mayo. Their weekly conversation, captured in Kermode and Mayo's Film Review, is less a formal critique and more a lively, informed, and frequently hilarious debate about the latest cinematic releases. This BBC Radio 5 Live podcast delivers the full, unfiltered experience of their radio segment, where passionate opinions on blockbusters, indie darlings, and everything in between are delivered with wit and deep knowledge. Listeners are dropped directly into the heart of their dynamic, hearing Kermode's famously detailed dissections-complete with trademark rants about shaky-cam or his beloved horror films-met by Mayo's perfectly pitched questions and more measured reflections. It’s the feeling of eavesdropping on two friends who happen to be experts, arguing and laughing about the magic and missteps of modern filmmaking. The charm of this podcast lies in its consistency and chemistry; you tune in not just for the verdicts, but for the familiar rhythms of their partnership, the listener emails, and the shared joy (or despair) about the state of the movies. Whether you agree with Mark's scorching takedowns or his rare, effusive five-star recommendations, the discussion is always engaging and thoroughly human.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

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