Best Monkeys Fighting Robots Podcasts (2025)

1
Is Nic Cage still riding the comeback wave in THE SURFER? 1:12:30

4d ago1:12:30

1:12:30

Vanguardistas have more fun—so if you don’t already subscribe to the podcast, join the Vanguard today via Apple Podcasts or extratakes.com for non-fruit-related devices. In return you’ll get a whole extra Take 2 alongside Take 1 every week, with bonus reviews, more viewing recommendations from the Good Doctors and whole bonus episodes just for you.…

1
Another Paul Feig film? Do me a Favor 1:17:06

11d ago1:17:06

1:17:06

Vanguardistas have more fun—so if you don’t already subscribe to the podcast, join the Vanguard today via Apple Podcasts or extratakes.com for non-fruit-related devices. In return you’ll get a whole extra Take 2 alongside Take 1 every week, with bonus reviews, more viewing recommendations from the Good Doctors and whole bonus episodes just for you.…

1
David Oyelowo on Government Cheese + Mark’s verdict on The Studio 1:19:38

18d ago1:19:38

1:19:38

Vanguardistas have more fun—so if you don’t already subscribe to the podcast, join the Vanguard today via Apple Podcasts or extratakes.com for non-fruit-related devices. In return you’ll get a whole extra Take 2 alongside Take 1 every week, with bonus reviews, more viewing recommendations from the Good Doctors and whole bonus episodes just for you.…

1
Warfare with Alex Garland & Ray Mendoza 1:13:06

25d ago1:13:06

1:13:06

Vanguardistas have more fun—so if you don’t already subscribe to the podcast, join the Vanguard today via Apple Podcasts or extratakes.com for non-fruit-related devices. In return you’ll get a whole extra Take 2 alongside Take 1 every week, with bonus reviews, more viewing recommendations from the Good Doctors and whole bonus episodes just for you.…

1
Now and Ben: Charlie Brooker & Emma Corrin on Black Mirror 16:58

26d ago16:58

16:58

If you’ve managed to watch any of the excellent seventh series of Black Mirror yet, you might have spotted our super sub Ben Bailey Smith popping up there... and just for you he’s collared his fellow dystopians Charlie Brooker and Emma Corrin for a chat about the mind-bending anthology’s latest iteration. Brooker is the writer and creator of the sh…

1
Laurence Fishburne & James Hawes on The Amateur 1:08:33

1M ago1:08:33

1:08:33

Vanguardistas have more fun—so if you don’t already subscribe to the podcast, join the Vanguard today via Apple Podcasts or extratakes.com for non-fruit-related devices. In return you’ll get a whole extra Take 2 alongside Take 1 every week, with bonus reviews, more viewing recommendations from the Good Doctors and whole bonus episodes just for you.…

1
Death of a Unicorn + Toby Jones 1:23:02

1M ago1:23:02

1:23:02

Vanguardistas have more fun—so if you don’t already subscribe to the podcast, join the Vanguard today via Apple Podcasts or extratakes.com for non-fruit-related devices. In return you’ll get a whole extra Take 2 alongside Take 1 every week, with bonus reviews, more viewing recommendations from the Good Doctors and whole bonus episodes just for you.…

1
Gorgeous George MacKay + Mark vs. The Stath 1:12:11

2M ago1:12:11

1:12:11

Vanguardistas have more fun—so if you don’t already subscribe to the podcast, join the Vanguard today via Apple Podcasts or extratakes.com for non-fruit-related devices. In return you’ll get a whole extra Take 2 alongside Take 1 every week, with bonus reviews, more viewing recommendations from the Good Doctors and whole bonus episodes just for you.…

1
Snow White: Mark’s Verdict 1:21:02

2M ago1:21:02

1:21:02

Vanguardistas have more fun—so if you don’t already subscribe to the podcast, join the Vanguard today via Apple Podcasts or extratakes.com for non-fruit-related devices. In return you’ll get a whole extra Take 2 alongside Take 1 every week, with bonus reviews, more viewing recommendations from the Good Doctors and whole bonus episodes just for you.…

1
Ashley Walters & Erin Doherty on Adolescence 1:18:59

2M ago1:18:59

1:18:59

Vanguardistas have more fun—so if you don’t already subscribe to the podcast, join the Vanguard today via Apple Podcasts or extratakes.com for non-fruit-related devices. In return you’ll get a whole extra Take 2 alongside Take 1 every week, with bonus reviews, more viewing recommendations from the Good Doctors and whole bonus episodes just for you.…

1
Now and Ben: Bong Joon Ho on Mickey 17, British winters & his iPad obsession 16:48

2M ago16:48

16:48

It’s ‘Mickey 17’ release day, and Ben is chatting to Director Bong Joon Ho in today’s episode to celebrate. Starring Robert Pattinson as an expendable worker on a colonized ice planet, the new film from Korean cinema’s modern master sees protagonist Mickey ‘re-printed’ over and over again. Frequently killed in his dangerous daily tasks, ‘human prin…

1
Daisy Ridley’s surprise BAFTA + Mark on Mickey 17 1:07:31

2M ago1:07:31

1:07:31

Vanguardistas have more fun—so if you don’t already subscribe to the podcast, join the Vanguard today via Apple Podcasts or extratakes.com for non-fruit-related devices. In return you’ll get a whole extra Take 2 alongside Take 1 every week, with bonus reviews, more viewing recommendations from the Good Doctors and whole bonus episodes just for you.…

1
Best birdsong ever from Robert Carlyle 1:08:11

2M ago1:08:11

1:08:11

Begbie himself, and surely a frontrunner for British cinema’s scariest man (on screen only, we might add), is our guest this week—it’s Robert Carlyle. This time he’s playing staunchly moral councilor Sam Hagen in new Netflix drama ‘Toxic Town’. Penned by Jack Thorne (of course), and with a cracking cast of Jodie Whittaker, Aimee Lou Wood, Rory Kinn…

1
Now and Ben: Angela Bassett on Zero Day, Strange Days and The Simpsons 16:56

3M ago16:56

16:56

We’ve got a bona fide icon for you in today’s Now & Ben—a movie star of four decades known for tackling tough female characters in films like ‘Boyz n the Hood’, ‘Malcolm X’, ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It?’ and ‘Black Panther’. She is the one and only Angela Bassett. This time, she plays US president Evelyn Mitchell in ‘Zero Day’, the new Netflix t…

1
A film of the year already – is it The Monkey? 1:08:41

3M ago1:08:41

1:08:41

Welcome to another show jam-packed with top takes from Simon & Mark—which are still eliciting your ‘quiet affirmative noises’... Reviews this week of The Monkey—a splattery and slanted dark comedy horror about a murderous wind-up toy from Longlegs director Osgood Perkins, and I’m Still Here—the Brazilian drama about ‘the disappeared’ under the mili…

1
Did Bridget Jones make Mark cry? + Stephen Graham & Malachi Kirby 1:10:38

3M ago1:10:38

1:10:38

We hope this week’s podcast will earn your ‘quiet affirmative noises’--whatever they might sound like...??? Listeners to last week’s show may remember one correspondent’s story of a film eliciting this mysterious and elusive sound—and you’ve kindly sent in some examples to clear up this crucial matter for us. Mmhmm. Grown-up Aussie animation ‘Memoi…

1
Awards Schmawards 1:21:07

3M ago1:21:07

1:21:07

Awards season spinning your head? The Good Doctors have got you covered... Welcome to our awards special, where we’ll be giving you the lowdown on all the big players in this years awards nominations, all in one super-Take from Simon & Mark. We’ve brought together reviews of the titles everyone’s talking about—like Emilia Pérez, The Brutalist, Nosf…

1
We made Mark watch Dog Man – will it be film of the week? 1:11:00

3M ago1:11:00

1:11:00

Dogman heads up Mark’s review slate this week--an anarchic animation based on Captain Underpants creator Dav Pilkey’s graphic novel series, where a lifesaving operation sees a police dog and his cop handler become one crime-busting half-canine hero. Plus, The Seed of the Sacred Fig—a courageous political drama about Iran’s authoritarian government …

1
Now and Ben: Chris Sanders on The Wild Robot, hand drawn animation vs. CG, and Lilo & Stitch 20:40

3M ago20:40

20:40

In today’s Now & Ben drop, Ben sits down with Chris Sanders—director of the Oscar-nominated animation ‘The Wild Robot’. With a stellar career behind the drawing board that’s taken him from Disney to DreamWorks, he’s the man behind ‘How To Train Your Dragon’, ‘The Croods’ and ‘Lilo and Stich’—so Ben had plenty to quiz him on. ‘The Wild Robot’ takes …

1
Brady Corbet on The Brutalist, Oscars & AI 1:08:40

3M ago1:08:40

1:08:40

Brady Corbet, the now-Oscar-nominated director of ‘The Brutalist’, sits down with Simon for an interview this week. His much lauded and lengthy fictional biopic follows the life of László Tóth, a Hungarian architect who arrives in late-1940s America having survived the Holocaust, and finds his life changed once again when he picks up a commission f…

1
Flight Risk embargo special - they tried to stop us... 15:46

4M ago15:46

15:46

Coming hot off the podcast press, we’ve got Mark’s review of ‘Flight Risk’ - under embargo until now. The Mel Gibson directed thriller sees a US Marshal escort a government witness via plane across the Alaskan wilderness to testify against a mob boss in Manhattan. Mark Wahlberg’s pilot is in charge of their safe passage, but things get turbulent wh…

1
The Brutalist + Mike Leigh & Marianne Jean-Baptiste on Hard Truths 1:11:43

4M ago1:11:43

1:11:43

‘The Brutalist’ is the epic structure on the horizon of this week’s movie releases; Mark reviews this fictional biopic of Hungarian architect László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a Holocaust survivor who arrives in America as an immigrant in 1947. Bauhaus trained and revered in his home country, László finds himself anonymous in a sometimes hostile USA—but …

1
A Complete Unknown divides Simon and Mark – with director James Mangold 1:11:44

4M ago1:11:44

1:11:44

The big movie release this week is ‘A Complete Unknown’, but our guest is actually pretty famous... James Mangold, director of the much-anticipated Bob Dylan biopic and Hollywood hits from ‘Walk The Line’ to ‘Le Mans 66’, joins Simon for a chat. They talk about putting Dylan’s iconic and mysterious life onscreen, Timothée Chalamet’s awards-tipped p…

1
Now and Ben: Steven Knight on ‘Maria’, his screenwriting secrets, the Peaky Blinders movie & more 40:25

4M ago40:25

40:25

In this latest bonus nugget of ‘Now and Ben’ goodness, our sometime super sub Ben Bailey Smith chats to legendary film & TV writer Stephen Knight. He’s penned some of the most exciting scripts to hit our screens over the last three decades, from ‘Dirty Pretty Things’ and ‘Locke’ to ‘SAS Rogue Heroes’ and, of course, ‘Peaky Blinders’. Most recently …

1
Jesse Eisenberg & Kieran Culkin on ‘A Real Pain’ 1:09:37

4M ago1:09:37

1:09:37

Our guests this week were ‘A Real Pain’...just joking, Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin were actually really nice... They sit down with Simon to discuss the comedy-drama, directed, written, produced by and starring Eisenberg alongside Culkin. They play two mismatched cousins David and Benji on a tour of Poland, the ancestral home of their late-gra…

1
Nosferatu (or Yesferatu?) with Robert Eggers 1:14:00

4M ago1:14:00

1:14:00

Happy New Year from Mark, Simon, The Redactor and the rest of us on the Take Team! We’re kicking off 2025 with a top-drawer guest—’Nosferatu’ director Robert Eggers. He tells Simon about his new remake of the1922 silent classic, originally by German expressionist director F.W. Murnau, in which Bill Skarsgård’s vampire nobleman terrorises a town in …

1
Best and Worst Films of the Year & More 1:04:46

5M ago1:04:46

1:04:46

It’s Boxing Day, but we’ve got more than just leftovers in today’s show—we're just as stuffed full of gourmet goodies as we hope you are right now... A fresh new guest interview this week with RaMell Ross, director of the awards-tipped ‘Nickel Boys’. Based on the Pulitzer prize winning novel by Colson Whitehead, it follows the growing friendship be…

1
Barry Jenkins on Mufasa 1:10:42

5M ago1:10:42

1:10:42

Wassail Wassail Wassail! Christmas is almost upon us, and we’ve got a gift of a guest for you this week: Barry Jenkins, AKA Mr. Moonlight. He chats to Simon about ‘Mufasa’, the origin story for Simba’s father and the long-awaited prequel to 2016’s live action animation Lion King. When a flood washes the cub-Mufasa away from his homeland and parents…

1
NOW AND BEN 21:15

5M ago21:15

21:15

Presenting a new feature on the Take Channel. ANORA has been one of the most talked-about films of 2024 so we sent supersub BEN BAILEY SMITH to speak to director Sean Baker. In this interview you can hear Ben talk to Sean about how he judges his own work, his love of Chihuahuas, that home invasion scene, little Orphan Annie, and of course Ben asked…

1
Live Christmas Spectacular with Wallce & Gromit, Nick Park, and Merlin Crossingham 1:19:52

5M ago1:19:52

1:19:52

Our Christmas Spectacular, recorded live at London’s Prince Edward Theatre is now available in your ears! On our festive guestlist this week we have Wallce & Gromit creator Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham, who co-direct the famous plasticine pair’s latest adventure Vengeance Most Fowl. They talk us through what happened when Aardman went noir for …

1
Cate Blanchett & Guy Maddin on RUMOURS, bog monsters & a giant brain 1:10:38

5M ago1:10:38

1:10:38

The ‘Rumours’ are true... screen superstar Cate Blanchett and director Guy Maddin are joining Simon this week to give us the gossip on their surreal new satire—once they’ve finished fangirling over the music of Sparks, that is. Following decades of avant garde work that’s made him one of Canada’s most celebrated filmmakers, ‘Rumours’ is the biggest…

1
Does Conclave get Mark’s blessing? With Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci 1:06:50

6M ago1:06:50

1:06:50

Two divine guests this week as Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci join Simon to discuss ‘Conclave’, the papal political thriller from ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ director Edward Berger. Set in the Vatican’s pontific conclave, where cardinals are sequestered during the selection of the new Pope, the film follows the taut power struggle as these me…

1
Is Wicked Pop-u-lar with Mark? 1:11:09

6M ago1:11:09

1:11:09

Thomasin McKenzie is this week’s guest—star of Edgar Wright’s ‘Last Night in Soho’, Mark’s film of the year 2018 ‘Leave No Trace’—and now ‘Joy’, a new Netflix drama about the development of IVF treatment at Oldham hospital in the 1970s. Written by Jack Thorne, the film’s medical miracle story is focalised through McKenzie’s character Jean Purdy—a t…

1
What A Trump Second Term Means For Comic Books 6:16

6M ago6:16

6:16

Go create! See you at IC3 2025.

1
Sir Ridley Scott on Gladiator II 1:08:39

6M ago1:08:39

1:08:39

‘Gladiator II’ director and legendary one-man blockbuster factory Ridley Scott is our guest this week. He joins Simon to discuss the long-awaited sequel to 2000’s modern classic, in which this time Paul Mescal plays Lucius, the long-exiled son of Russell Crowe’s Maximus. He finds himself back in Rome as a prisoner from his now-conquered adopted hom…

1
Red One makes Mark explode in birdsong 1:09:37

6M ago1:09:37

1:09:37

Simon goes on a leafy adventure with Hugh Bonneville to talk ‘Paddington In Peru’, the latest addition to the most kind and polite of all cinematic universes—and for those of us who need cheering up this week, their conversation is just the tonic. The film sees Britain’s favourite bear journey back to his native land with the Brown family on a ques…

1
Writer Joshua Williamson Talks About The World Of G.I. JOE 16:56

6M ago16:56

16:56

G.I. JOE #1 hits your local comic book shop on November 13th. The writer of the series, Joshua Williamson, sat down with Monkeys Fighting Robots to talk all things JOES and COBRA.

1
When Simon Met Billy (Crystal)... 1:07:43

6M ago1:07:43

1:07:43

This week, Simon is joined by the one and only Billy Crystal to talk all about his starring role in the Apple TV+ psychological thriller series ‘Before’, which sees a child psychiatrist who, having tragically lost his wife to suicide, encounters a troubled young boy who seems to have a haunting connection to his past. Their conversation is intellig…

1
Emilia Pérez: Have We Found the Film of the Year? 1:12:23

7M ago1:12:23

1:12:23

This week, Simon and Mark interrupt Ben Wheatley’s breakfast (sadly not Wheaties) to about his new comedy horror miniseries ‘Generation Z’, which sees an army truck crash outside a care home, infecting the residents and leaving four teenage friends to deal with the deadly consequences. Mark also weighs in on the show, as well as giving his take on …

1
What Does Destro Bring To The Energon Universe? 7:14

7M ago7:14

7:14

Destro #5 dropped this week from Skybound and Image Comics. Here are my quick thoughts before NYCC and interviews with the Energon Universe creators. About DESTRO #5:Destro. Cobra Commander. The Crimson Twins. The most dangerous powers in the Energon Universe are at war...but only one can win. The road to G.I. JOE #1 ends here!Writer - Dan WattersA…

1
Mark Gets to Legitimately Rant About Donald Trump Because He’s Reviewing a Film About Him 1:06:08

7M ago1:06:08

1:06:08

This week, Mark is joined by Ben Bailey Smith to give you the lowdown on the week’s cinematic releases. Ben chats to Naomi Scott about her tour-de-force performance in ‘Smile 2’, the second outing for the smash-hit horror-thriller franchise. It’s a big week for Mark as two of his favourite interests converge – reviewing films and Donald Trump – in …

1
Another Transformers Film? What Will Mark Think? 1:08:18

7M ago1:08:18

1:08:18

This week’s guest is everyone’s favourite foul-mouthed politico-cum-Time Lord. That’s right, Peter Capaldi is on the show to tell Simon all about Season 2 of his time-bending, psychological thriller show ‘The Devil’s Hour’. Mark reviews ‘Transformers One’, an animated sci-fi action film based on the Hasbro toy line, which explores the untold origin…

1
ABSOLUTE BATMAN #1 Is An Angry Peter Parker 18:01

7M ago18:01

18:01

ABSOLUTE BATMAN #1 drops today from DC Comics. An extremely talented creative team reinvents the Caped Crusader. Join me for an in-depth journey as I examine Scott Snyder's writing, Nick Dragotta's art, Frank Martin's colors, and Clayton Cowles's letterwork. Also, after you read this issue, come back and let me know what you think. - Matt Sardo ---…

1
Your next podcast: Origins with Cush Jumbo, starring David Schwimmer 21:01

7M ago21:01

21:01

Mark and Simon think you'll love Origins with Cush Jumbo. In this podcast, Cush meets some of the stars of stage and screen, and so they're giving you a little taster of what you can expect to hear. Here's an exert from Cush's episode with David Schwimmer, a master of comedy, who we all feel we know insideout as Ross Geller. He appeared in 236 epis…

1
Joker: Folie à Deux – BETTER THAN JOKER? 1:11:57

7M ago1:11:57

1:11:57

This week’s guests are Take fave Joaquin Phoenix and writer-director Todd Phillips, who tell Simon all about ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’, their musical thriller follow-up to the 2019 smash hit ‘Joker’, which sees failed comedian Arthur Fleck meeting the love of his life, Harley Quinn, while incarcerated at Arkham State Hospital. Mark also gives his take …

1
Cliff Chiang Dominates TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #3 18:00

8M ago18:00

18:00

Welcome to the Monkeys Fighting Robots Podcast, episode 186! This week, we take a look at TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #3 from Jason Aaron, Cliff Chiang, and Shawn Lee. TMNT #3 hits your local comic book shop on October 23. Thanks for checking out the podcast; have a great week, and read more comics! - Matt Sardo --------------------- Do you want m…

1
Megalopolis: "The Cinematic Equivalent of Toothache” 1:11:46

8M ago1:11:46

1:11:46

This week’s guests are Saoirse Ronan and Paapa Essiedu, who are on the show to tell Simon all about their addiction recovery drama ‘The Outrun’, which sees Ronan star as a young woman fresh out of rehab, as she returns home to the wild Orkney Islands after more than a decade away. The pair discuss everything from their characters’ chemistry to Step…

1
A big announcement - set your calendars 2:49

8M ago2:49

2:49

We're excited to announce the xmas show, click here for an exclusive chance to secure your tickets: www.fane.co.uk/kermode-and-mayo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBy Sony Music Entertainment

1
The Substance: “Everything Cranked Up To Eleven-ty and Then Some” 1:14:22

8M ago1:14:22

1:14:22

This week’s guest is Kathryn Hahn, who talks to Simon about her starring role in ‘WandaVision’ spinoff ‘Agatha All Along’, a dark comedy superhero miniseries, which follows witch Agatha Harkness, as she recruits some unlikely allies on her quest to regain her former powers. Mark gives his thoughts on the show, as well as reviewing various new relea…

1
Do you have a critical inner voice? Ben and Nemone explain why. Also, forgotten actors who are enjoying a renaissance and your questions answered - SHRINK THE INBOX 51:18

8M ago51:18

51:18

For the last episode of this season, team STB gets real with those pesky inner monologues (as promised in the Carrie: Sex and the City episode). Plus, what's the connection between 80s comedy-thriller Lovejoy and The Matrix? We explore actors who have come back from obscurity with aplomb. We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, wha…

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