Straight Up podcast | Listen online for free

Available Episodes

5 of 157

Hugh Grant, Lisa Kudrow’s new thriller plus the best TV and films of 2024
Hunnies we’ve made it to the end of the year! And our Christmas present to you is a definitive top 10 across both TV and film of 2024, so that you are happily entertained over the next few weeks. Also, we thought it was a good time to dive into Hugh Grant’s ‘freak show era’ now that his intriguing new horror film Heretic is out, and of course it wouldn’t be Christmas without a feminist reappraisal of Love Actually. We hope everyone has a lovely festive break, but we send big hugs and thoughts to anyone struggling at what can be such a difficult time of the year. We are also VERY sorry about the glitching audio which begins part way through this episode due to a mysterious tech diff. We didn’t want to leave you with nothing this week, so we’ve tried our best to make do with the audio we have. Hopefully you can forgive us! DM us your thoughts on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ and as ever please, please, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and a rating on Spotify, lysm! Huge thanks to our sponsor⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Yonder⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, the incredible lifestyle credit card packed with rewards you’ll actually *want* to use. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠yonder.com/straightup⁠⁠ Yonder membership is subject to eligibility and you’ll need to be over 18 and a UK resident to apply. If you sign up, only borrow what you can afford to pay back. The representative rate is 66.7% APR variable. Membership fees and other T&Cs may apply. Get an extra month free on top of BFI Player’s 14-day free trial using our code STRAIGHTUP at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠player.bfi.org.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Official London Theatre has amazing discounts on over 50 London shows until Jan 31, from Mean Girls to Tina the Tina Turner Musical, Stranger Things and more! Check them out at OfficialLondonTheatre.com/seeitlive Recs: Heretic, in cinemas now Hugh Grant’s Most Convincing Character ‘Hugh Grant’? New York Times No more Mr Nice Guy: how Hugh Grant transformed himself into an edgy national treasure, Observer Smartless podcast episode with Hugh Grant No Good Deed, Netflix Our best TV & film of 2024: Anora Challengers Blink Twice Poor Things La Chimera Wicked The Substance All of Us Strangers Speak No Evil Inside out 2 Baby Reindeer One Day Rivals After The Party Say Nothing Mr and Mrs smith Kaos Boarders The Perfect Couple High Potential
--------
46:21
Sabrina Carpenter, Keira Knightley’s Black Doves and brain rot
Sabrina Carpenter has been accused of ‘marketing’ herself using problematic Lolita references, so we discuss in light of her new Netflix Christmas special A Nonsense Christmas. Plus, Keira Knightley is back on our screens with the highly entertaining spy thriller Black Doves, but will the media be kinder to her this time? Also, ‘brain rot’ is the word of the year, to which we hard relate, and Amy Adams’s new motherhood horror film, Nightbitch, has left us reeling. DM us your thoughts on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ and as ever please, please, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and a rating on Spotify, lysm! Huge thanks to our sponsor⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Yonder⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, the incredible lifestyle credit card packed with rewards you’ll actually *want* to use. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠yonder.com/straightup⁠ Yonder membership is subject to eligibility and you’ll need to be over 18 and a UK resident to apply. If you sign up, only borrow what you can afford to pay back. The representative rate is 66.7% APR variable. Membership fees and other T&Cs may apply. Get an extra month free on top of BFI Player’s 14-day free trial using our code STRAIGHTUP at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠player.bfi.org.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get 20% off our fave adaptogenic coffee using our code straightup at https://londonnootropics.com/ Recs: Is doom scrolling really rotting our brains? The evidence is getting harder to ignore, Siân Boyle, Guardian Black Doves, Netflix Black Doves review – Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw’s gleefully pulpy Christmas gift, Guardian In ‘Black Doves,’ Keira Knightley is a mother and an assassin, LA Times Keira Knightley: 'Turning 40? It looks rather great', the Times A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter, Netflix Your fave is selling a pedophilic fantasy, Jade Hurley on Substack She was a child influencer. Her fans were grown men, New York Times Nightbitch, in cinemas now Amy Adams and Marielle Heller on toddlers, incontinence and Nightbitch, the Guardian
--------
1:06:47
Lindsay Lohan, Hollywood transformations and hit thriller The Madness
Linsday Lohan’s new Christmas film is being billed as her big comeback, so why is her alleged facelift at the centre of the story? We discuss the uncomfortable discourse around Lindsay’s recent transformation, from the hunt for her Hollywood surgeon, to our obsession with ‘ageless’ celebrities. Obvs we then had to get into The Cut’s latest viral piece on what a 30-something should look like, not to mention the millennial mid-life crisis. Plus some fab book and TV recs, including the drama that Ellie is calling the best of 2024 and Kathleen’s fave new Netflix thriller. DM us your thoughts on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ and as ever please, please, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and a rating on Spotify, lysm! Huge thanks to our sponsor⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Yonder⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, the incredible lifestyle credit card packed with rewards you’ll actually *want* to use. Find out more at ⁠⁠yonder.com/straightup Yonder membership is subject to eligibility and you’ll need to be over 18 and a UK resident to apply. If you sign up, only borrow what you can afford to pay back. The representative rate is 66.7% APR variable. Membership fees and other T&Cs may apply. Get an extra month free on top of BFI Player’s 14-day free trial using our code STRAIGHTUP at ⁠⁠⁠⁠player.bfi.org.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get 20% off our fave adaptogenic coffee using our code straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Recs discussed: Our Little Secret, Netflix Hot Frosty, Netflix Joia, Battersea Power Station What Should a 30-Something Look Like? The Cut Welcome to the millennial mid-life crisis, The Cut How to Murder Your Life, Cat Marnell The Madness, Netflix After the Party, Channel 4 Buy Now, The Shopping Conspiracy, Netflix Nightbitch, in cinemas from Dec 6 Joia Battersea
--------
45:34
Wicked, Gladiator's flop and AI pets
Everyone is talking about Wicked and so of course we had to share our review with you this week, from just how much we loved the cinematic spectacle, to the best moments from the utterly hilarious press tour. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s crying and hand-holding has us in a chokehold. Surely you’ve been holding space for the lyrics of Defying Gravity too? Also, Ellie delivers some sad news about Paul Mescal’s Gladiator performance, while Kathleen has much to report on Pandora Sykes’s brilliantly thorough dissection of literary behemoth Colleen Hoover’s work. Plus: freakily life-like AI pets have launched in Japan and are targeted at women in their thirties. We discuss! Recs/culture discussed Gladiator II, in cinemas now The Secret Of Us (deluxe version), Gracie Abrams Afrikan Alien, Pa Salieu The Real Reward Of All These Celebrity Lookalike Contests, Raven Smith for Vogue Rita’s, Soho White Horse, Shepherd’s Market Pandora Sykes’ Books and Bits, Substack Scrapper, BFI Player My weird, emotional week with an AI pet, Guardian My AI Girlfriend, Slow News Cast, Tortoise Wicked, in cinemas now Theatre Camp, Disney+ Emilia Perez, Netflix Say Nothing, Disney+ Blitz, Apple TV+ DM us your thoughts on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ and as ever please, please, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and a rating on Spotify, lysm! Huge thanks to our sponsor⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Yonder⁠⁠⁠⁠, the incredible lifestyle credit card packed with rewards you’ll actually *want* to use. Find out more at ⁠https://www.yonder.com/straightup Yonder membership is subject to eligibility and you’ll need to be over 18 and a UK resident to apply. If you sign up, only borrow what you can afford to pay back. The representative rate is 66.7% APR variable. Membership fees and other T&Cs may apply. Get an extra month free on top of BFI Player’s 14-day free trial using our code STRAIGHTUP at ⁠⁠⁠player.bfi.org.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get 20% off our fave adaptogenic coffee using our code straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
--------
54:20
Bad Sisters, Molly-Mae and film of the year Anora
Bad Sisters, the brilliant black comedy by Sharon Horgan, is back for season two, so this week we’re getting stuck into the Garvey girls’ return with our review. First, though, some celeb news, from Romeo Beckham’s new girlfriend Kim Turnbull, to Molly-Mae’s Vogue feature. Plus, a debrief on Anora, the award-winning new film touted as the modern day answer to Pretty Woman (consider us Mikey Madison stans). And finally, a raving review of bonkbuster Rivals now that we’ve both finished the first season. We absolutely get the hype. DM us your thoughts on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ and as ever please, please, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and a rating on Spotify, lysm! Huge thanks to our sponsor⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Yonder⁠⁠⁠, the incredible lifestyle credit card packed with rewards you’ll actually *want* to use, beloved by foodies like us. Find out more at https://www.yonder.com/straightup Yonder membership is subject to eligibility and you’ll need to be over 18 and a UK resident to apply. If you sign up, only borrow what you can afford to pay back. The representative rate is 66.7% APR variable. Membership fees and other T&Cs may apply. BFI Player offers a 14-day free trial for new users PLUS our hunnies get an extra month free with the code STRAIGHTUP. Stream now at ⁠⁠player.bfi.org.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get 20% off life-changing adaptogenic coffee brand using our code straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Reccs discussed: “People Find Me Quite Controversial”: Molly-Mae for British Vogue by Sirin Kale Nightbitch (out 6 December) Wolf Like Me, Amazon Prime Anora, in cinemas now A Night at Cannes With the Strippers of Sean Baker’s Anora, Vulture Mikey Madison: from Tarantino bit part to hot tip for an Oscar playing a sex worker, Guardian Better Things, BBC iPlayer The Oscar contender with a Russia problem, Telegraph Bad Sisters, Apple TV Rivals, Disney + Memo to my family: Stop asking me when I’m going to make you grandparents, Independent People Aren’t Sure About Having Kids. She Helps Them Decide, Time
--------
57:16