Truth & Movies: A Little White Lies Podcast

Physical transformation is the name of the game on this week’s Truth & Movies, as Christian Bale dons a bald wig and rubber chin to play former US VP Dick Cheney in Adam McKay’s unconventional biopic, Vice, before Nicole Kidman ditches her signature blonde locks to play a hard-boiled detective in Karyn Kusama’s noir procedural, Destroyer. Michael Leader, Sophie Monks Kaufman and Hannah Woodhead dissect all of that and look back at a classic of the Cold War era, 1962’s The Manchurian Candidate, for Film Club.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s an M Night Shyamalan special on this week’s show – but don’t let that put you off. Host Michael Leader is joined by Manuela Lazic and Kambole Campbell, to discuss Glass, the director’s sequel-of-sorts to Unbreakable and Split, before revisiting his breakout feature from 1999, The Sixth Sense, in Film Club. Between that, we check in with star-on-the-rise Timothée Chalamet, who’s been earning plaudits for his portrayal of a young meth addict in Beautiful Boy, with Steve Carell playing his long-suffering dad.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Strained relationships are the flavour of the day on this week’s Truth & Movies, as we weigh up the respective merits of Stan & Ollie, a Laurel and Hardy biopic starring Steve Coogan and John C Reilly, and Colette, in which Keira Knightley plays the eponymous French popular author alongside a larger-than-life Dominic West. Forming a more harmonious union are host Michael Leader and regular critics Simran Hans and David Jenkins. Then it’s back to the halcyon Hacienda days of early ’90s Manchester for our Film Club, Michael Winterbottom’s 24 Hour Party People.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the first Truth & Movies of 2019 we hitch a ride back to the heady days of Queen Anne care of Greek absurdist Yorgos Lanthimos. Michael Leader, Hannah Woodhead and Adam Woodward are on hand to heap praise on The Favourite’s cast, in particular the sublime Olivia Colman, before turning their attentions to Robert Zemeckis’ less successful – but no less strange – Welcome to Marwen, starring Steve Carell and Leslie Mann. Then in Film Club, it’s back to ye olde England for a welcome look back at Stanley Kubrick’s classic aristocracy satire, Barry Lyndon.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this special end of year episode of Truth & Movies, Michael Leader, David Jenkins and Hannah Woodhead look back over the past 12 months of moviegoing to select their 10 favourite films of the year. Before that, there’s just one more new release to review – and it’s a big one. Mary Poppins Returns does exactly what it says on the tin, with Emily Blunt in the iconic title role, but is it the cockle-warming singalong we were hoping for?   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this week’s show the podders heap praise on world cinema heavyweights Alfonso Cuarón and Lars von Trier. Joining host Michael Leader to discuss Roma and The House That Jack Built – two very different but similarly astonishing works – are David Jenkins and Matt Thrift, who also find time to reassess 1971’s The Last Movie for our Film Club. Is it Dennis Hopper’s most under-appreciated role, or simply one to forget?  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

To mark Robert Redford’s retirement from acting, this week’s Truth & Movies is dedicated to the veteran Hollywood icon. Alongside host Michael Leader this week are Manuela Lazic and Adam Woodward, who give their thoughts on David Lowery’s The Old Man & the Gun, starring Redford as an ageing bankrobber who’s on the run but nearing the end of the road. Next up is Boots Riley’s urgent, endlessly inventive social satire Sorry To Bother You, which may just be a little too thematically-dense for its own good. And in Film Club, the gang revisits 1973’s Best Picture winner The Sting, starring Redford and Paul Newman – two screen icons at the absolute peak of their powers.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s gloves off on Truth & Movies this week as Michael Leader, David Jenkins and Christina Newland weigh in with their thoughts on Creed II, the eighth film in the Rocky franchise and sequel to 2015’s surprise hit. That’s followed by one of our highlights from this year’s Cannes Film Fesitval, Turkish writer/director Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s sweeping drama The Wild Pear Tree. And in Film Club, our critics go toe-to-toe with Michael Mann’s Muhammed Ali biopic from 2001, the succinctly named Ali.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On Truth & Movies this week Michael Leader, Hannah Woodhead and Adam Woodward give The Girl in the Spider’s Web a spin. Claire Foy stars as punk Scandi hacker Lisbeth Salander, but how does she compare to the Rooney Mara and Noomi Rapace versions of the girl with the dragon tattoo? Next up is Hirokazu Koreeda’s delightful family drama Shoplifters, which took top honours at the Cannes Film Festival this year. And in Film Club we celebrate another poignant slice of life from a powerhouse Japanee filmmaker, Yasujirō Ozu’s Tokyo Story.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We’re spellbound on Truth & Movies this week, as Michael Leader, Simran Hans and Kelli Weston cast their verdicts on not one but two dark arts fables. First up is the JK Rowling-penned sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald, which sees Eddie Redmayne reprise his role as ‘magizoologist’ Newt Scamander. There’s witchcraft and plenty of weird goings on too in Luca Guadagnino’s reinterpretation of Dario Argento’s seminal horror Suspiria. And in Film Club we salute working women everywhere with a look back at the classic 1980 comedy 9 to 5, which is back in cinemas this week.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Michael Leader is back in the hot seat this week as we heap praise on not one but two Steve McQueen movies. David Jenkins and Sophie Monks Kaufman are on hand to dissect the British writer/director’s red-hot heist thriller, Widows, followed by Paul Dano’s charming ’50s set character study, Wildlife. And in Film Club, we give McQueen’s New York sex addict drama from 2011, Shame, a second spin.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this week's podcast, Nick Duncalf welcomes regular contributor Beth Webbe and a debut appearance from Kambole Campbell who tackle another trio of films. First up, it's Mike Leigh's latest, the historical political drama Peterloo. And in Film Club, they look back at Leigh's nihilistic drama Naked from 1993, featuring a powerhouse but disturbing turn from David Thewlis. And finally, there's the charming anime feature Mirai from Mamoru Hosoda.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Easy come, easy go. On this week’s episode, Nick Duncalf, Ella Kemp and Hannah Woodhead assess the highs and lows of Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, starring Rami Malek as the late Queen frontman. Next up is Possum from write/director Matthew Holness, who joins us for a brief chat about his bleak psychological thriller. And in Film Club, continuing our recent run of scary movies, there’s a welcome look back at Sam Raimi’s low-budget classic The Evil Dead, which is back in cinemas this week in a new 4K restoration.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Guest host Nick Duncalf is in the hot seat this week as Truth & Movies gets spooky... First up is David Gordon Green’s Halloween, a direct sequel to John Carpenter’s iconic ’70s slasher, which sees Jamie Lee Curtis face her old foe one more time. There’s plenty of violence and tension too in Neapolitan crime drama Dogman from Gomorrah director Matteo Garrone. And lastly Nick, Adam Woodward and Hannah Woodhead gleefully carve up this week’s Film Club selection, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, which is neither a Halloween film nor about witches.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

One small step for Truth & Movies, one giant leap for podcast kind... On this episode, David Jenkins, Anton Bitel and Hannah Woodhead orbit Damien Chazelle’s Moon landing saga First Man, starring Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy, and Panos Cosmatos’ heady backwoods horror Mandy, which sees Nicolas Cage journey to hell and back on a nightmarish revenge mission. And in Film Club, we ask whether 1983’s The Right Stuff is the best film about astronauts ever made.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.