Cinema in One Take

Kaleem vs the Critics on 'Christmas Karma'. Plus: Emerald Hues and Emma's Beatle Blues

Kaleem Aftab and Emma Jones dive into the great festive divide: Gurinder Chadha's Christmas Karma. While critics have gleefully sharpened their candy-cane daggers, Kaleem stands tall as the film’s most enthusiastic champion — and he’s ready to explain why this mocked musical deserves a second look.
They also share their verdicts on potentially the biggest movie of 2025, Wicked for Good,  and explore the enduring reverence filmmakers have for The Beatles, sparked by Steven Soderbergh’s new comments on his new John Lennon documentary and the ongoing anticipation around Sam Mendes’ Beatles biopics. Why do directors approach the Fab Four with such cinematic awe?
 

Wuthering Hypes: The Power of a Trailer

This week on Cinema in One Take, Emma Jones and Kaleem Aftab unpack the headline-grabbing trailer drops — Wuthering Heights, the MJ biopic and a new Devil Wears Prada — to first looks at Mario Bros. and SS Rajamouli’s much-anticipated Mandakini, the follow-up to RRR. The pair explore why trailers continue to shape the conversation long before a film hits cinemas. Plus, Left Handed Girl, directed by Shih-Ching Tsou and co-written by Sean Baker. And finally:  with Julia Ducournau’s Alpha arriving in UK cinemas after a bruising Cannes reception, they ask whether it’s time for a critical rethink.

History, A House of Dynamite and Homage to Kenny Dalglish

Can we ever take a  film centred around real events  as actual history? Kaleem talks about Annemarie Jacir's 'Palestine 36' and whether it can be seen as a historical film.
Emma reviews Kathryn Bigelow's A House of Dynamite and the start of Netflix's season of award contenders.
And Kaleem reviews Asif Kapadia's film on renowned footballer Kenny Dalglish.
Plus, a little gem of the week: Souleymane's Story by Boris Lojkine.
 

One Battle After Another as Tilly Norwood arrives in Hollywood

In this episode of Cinema in One Take, Emma and Kaleem discuss the launch of Tilly Norwood, an AI actress.
They also analyse why Leonardo Di Caprio's new film, One Battle After Another, isn't grabbing cinema goers as much as critics. Is this vindication for Kaleem's review?
Finally, onto the release in North America, the UK and Ireland of The Smashing Machine, and an Oscar Campaign for Dwayne Johnson.