October 10, 2025 • 8 mins
Eleanor the Great
After seventy years with best friend, Eleanor moves to New York City for a fresh start. Making new friends at ninety proves difficult. Longing for connection, she befriends a 19-year-old student.
The Lost Bus
A white-knuckle ride through one of America's wildfires as a wayward school bus driver and a dedicated school teacher battle to save 22 children from the inferno.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks at b.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
That's nice. Say it's Billy Martin. She's from Yorkshire and
she's heading to New Zealand early next year for a
special performance in Auckland. You might remember in July our
music reviewer brought Billy Martin to our attention. Certainly for
me it was the first time and she gave her
album dog Heed a ten out of ten. She reckoned
(00:51):
it was fantastic. I've listened to dog Ed once or
twice and now two I reckon it's amazing, So really
really exciting to have Billy Martin coming to New Zealand
very soon. Hey, thank you for your feedback, Jack. Regarding football,
getting up as close as they do is not acceptable
in any circumstances. To me, it gives other generations permission
to behave in the same way. I absolutely loathe it. Yeah,
(01:12):
this is the thing I think about the most popular
leagues in the world, and whether it's international football or
whether it's the English Premier League or La Lega or whatever,
you see it all across those big leagues, zam. And
even though referees do have apparently sufficient scope to penalize
players for descent. Very rarely do they actually do it.
(01:34):
Jack Red, card them straight away, get them off. As
far as I'm concerned, I wonder if anyone disagrees with me,
If anyone thinks that actually it's good that players can
get up in referee faces, I would like to hear
an argument for it. Ninety two ninety two is our
text number if you want to get in touch. This morning,
Francesca Rudkin, our film reviewer, has two interesting sounding films
for us this week. She's with us now, good morning,
(01:54):
good morning. Hey. Let's begin with Scarlett Johansson's directorial debut.
This is Eleanor the Great.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Four years well, and I'm living to man at and
for the first time today.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
I limits that.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
My condolences.
Speaker 4 (02:15):
What am I going to do here all day?
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Along?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Okay, that's Eleanor the Great. Tell us about it, Franciscia.
Speaker 5 (02:24):
Yeah, So I don't think it's a huge surprise that
Skeleton Henson has decided to go behind the camera. I mean,
she has been she grew up on film, since she's
been on them since she was a kid, and it's
lovely to see her kind of heading in a different direction.
A new direction, because I think she's got a lot
to offer, and she's picked a really interesting story here.
I think she's done some very good casting with June's
(02:46):
Squibb who plays Elanor. And Eleanor is ninety four and
June's squib was ninety four when she signed on to
make this film. And she lives in Florida with her
best friend Bessie played by rita's Oha, and they have
been friends for about seven decades. When their husbands died
(03:07):
quite a while ago, they ended up living together and
they literally, it is so cute. They literally share a
room together.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
They've got their single beds, and they share their lives,
and they've sort of managed.
Speaker 5 (03:16):
To fill the grief of losing their partners by this
wonderful friendship that they have. And then Bessie passes away,
which just leaves this huge hole in Eleanor's life, and
this is very much a film about grief and loneliness.
And her daughter moves her to New York to be
nearer to her and her grandson. And when she gets there,
(03:38):
she befriends this young college student called Nina played by
Erin Kellyman, who was also really lovely in.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
This role, and she's a young girl. She's mostly been
at boarding school. She's come back to be with her father.
Her mother passed away recently, and she also is really
struggling with that loss.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
And so this is kind of one of those interage
friendship stories. And the two of them kind of get
together a law is fabulous. She is a very sassy,
slightly acerbic New Yorker.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
She even at ninety four or doesn't pretend to be
anyone than who she really is. And Nina's very kind
of sweet, quite lost young woman, and they build this
beautiful friendship and it's lovely watching them kind of go
out into the streets of New.
Speaker 5 (04:17):
York and and sort of, you know, have this time
together and things. But the relationship Jack is built on
this terrible lie. And this is where maybe the premis
gets a little bit shaky for me. Eleanor, Yeah, so
Eleanor accidentally ends up in a group at the local
sit of Jewish Center where she thinks she's going to
(04:39):
do a singing class or something, and she ends up
in this group of Holocaust survivors and Bessie was a
Holocaust survivor, and she finds herself sharing Bessie's story but
passing it off as her own, and so a lot
of these new relationships that she builds. This is where
she also meets Nina. She's a student wanting to do
a story on this, and so a lot of these
new relationships that she's found in New York is based
(05:02):
on this really terrible life. And I'm just not sure
if in twenty twenty five, I believe that's.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Yeah, we do that.
Speaker 5 (05:08):
We perfetuate the lie as long as that So it
gets a little bit messy, but look beautiful performance by
Jones Squibb. I think it's it's a it's a lovely
reminder that actually none of us are perfect and that
life is not necessarily easier or more clear cut as
we age, we still make make mistakes and things. So
(05:29):
it's a really ambitious little data I think. I think
some of it's really loving and really promising. Just I
just was found that premise is a little problematic.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Fair enough, Okay, that's Ellanor the Great directed by Scarlett Johanson.
So that showing at the movies right now. Our next
film is showing on Apple TV. Plus this is The
Lost Bus.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
It's another dry and windy Day and Paradise based the
old drivers, all the situation devolving ponder rosa elementry. There
are twenty three kids are strand is there anybody in
the area that them up?
Speaker 4 (06:04):
I can get.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Okay? This has got some big names in it too,
Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera in The Lost Bus.
Speaker 5 (06:14):
Okay, so this is not a relaxing night in. This
is screening on Apple Plus. This is based on the
truth story.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
You warning, Governor, Yeah, this is.
Speaker 5 (06:22):
Based on the true story of the twenty eighteen campfire.
Is the deadliest wildfire in Californian history. Eighty five people died.
Pacific Gas and Electric ended up playing about thirteen point
five billion in compensation, took responsibility for this far. Kevin
McKay played by mcconna. He is this guy who's returned
home to Paradise. He's looking after his mother. He's got
(06:43):
his fifteen year old son with him, who hates him.
He's really struggling to make ends meet. And this fire starts.
It's heading in a different direction, suddenly turns back the
Paradise and he has given this. He has given this up.
She's the only He's a school bus driver and he
is the only bus in the area where there are
twenty four kids who need to be picked up, and
he has to make the decision going do I go
and save my son and my mum or do I
(07:05):
go and save his kids? And he goes and saves
these kids and ends up with Mary, this teacher played
by American Phrerah, and the two of them have to
battle their way through this fire. It is terrifying. It
is absolutely terrifying. Paul green Gas is an absolutely amazing
job yet of putting us in the middle of this fire.
It is so traumatic, but it is just this gorgeous
story of ordinary people doing a courageous thing.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
So well with the watch Okay, cool.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
So that's The Lost Bus that's on Apple TV. Plus
Francesca's first film, the One director by Scarlett Johansson is
Eleanor the Great, that's on at the Movies and both
of those films and all the details for those films
will be up at the News talks heb website and
so no. The Intrepid British and Irish Film Festival is
back for its third edition. It's going to be screening
across the country from the twenty ninth of October through
(07:50):
to November nineteenth, and it's got an incredible lineup of titles.
Heaps of star power films featuring the likes of Emma Thompson,
Bill Nigh, Ralph Fines, so heaps of really really interesting films.
We've got tickets up for grabs, so to be in
the drawer for a double pass to the Intrepid British
and Irish Film Festival, go to Newstalks EDB, dot co,
(08:11):
dot m Z slash win for more.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
From Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, Listen live to News
Talks EDB from nine am Saturday, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks at b.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
That's nice. Say it's Billy Martin. She's from Yorkshire and
she's heading to New Zealand early next year for a
special performance in Auckland. You might remember in July our
music reviewer brought Billy Martin to our attention. Certainly for
me it was the first time and she gave her
album dog Heed a ten out of ten. She reckoned
(00:51):
it was fantastic. I've listened to dog Ed once or
twice and now two I reckon it's amazing, So really
really exciting to have Billy Martin coming to New Zealand
very soon. Hey, thank you for your feedback, Jack. Regarding football,
getting up as close as they do is not acceptable
in any circumstances. To me, it gives other generations permission
to behave in the same way. I absolutely loathe it. Yeah,
(01:12):
this is the thing I think about the most popular
leagues in the world, and whether it's international football or
whether it's the English Premier League or La Lega or whatever,
you see it all across those big leagues, zam. And
even though referees do have apparently sufficient scope to penalize
players for descent. Very rarely do they actually do it.
(01:34):
Jack Red, card them straight away, get them off. As
far as I'm concerned, I wonder if anyone disagrees with me,
If anyone thinks that actually it's good that players can
get up in referee faces, I would like to hear
an argument for it. Ninety two ninety two is our
text number if you want to get in touch. This morning,
Francesca Rudkin, our film reviewer, has two interesting sounding films
for us this week. She's with us now, good morning,
(01:54):
good morning. Hey. Let's begin with Scarlett Johansson's directorial debut.
This is Eleanor the Great.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Four years well, and I'm living to man at and
for the first time today.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
I limits that.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
My condolences.
Speaker 4 (02:15):
What am I going to do here all day?
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Along?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Okay, that's Eleanor the Great. Tell us about it, Franciscia.
Speaker 5 (02:24):
Yeah, So I don't think it's a huge surprise that
Skeleton Henson has decided to go behind the camera. I mean,
she has been she grew up on film, since she's
been on them since she was a kid, and it's
lovely to see her kind of heading in a different direction.
A new direction, because I think she's got a lot
to offer, and she's picked a really interesting story here.
I think she's done some very good casting with June's
(02:46):
Squibb who plays Elanor. And Eleanor is ninety four and
June's squib was ninety four when she signed on to
make this film. And she lives in Florida with her
best friend Bessie played by rita's Oha, and they have
been friends for about seven decades. When their husbands died
(03:07):
quite a while ago, they ended up living together and
they literally, it is so cute. They literally share a
room together.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
They've got their single beds, and they share their lives,
and they've sort of managed.
Speaker 5 (03:16):
To fill the grief of losing their partners by this
wonderful friendship that they have. And then Bessie passes away,
which just leaves this huge hole in Eleanor's life, and
this is very much a film about grief and loneliness.
And her daughter moves her to New York to be
nearer to her and her grandson. And when she gets there,
(03:38):
she befriends this young college student called Nina played by
Erin Kellyman, who was also really lovely in.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
This role, and she's a young girl. She's mostly been
at boarding school. She's come back to be with her father.
Her mother passed away recently, and she also is really
struggling with that loss.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
And so this is kind of one of those interage
friendship stories. And the two of them kind of get
together a law is fabulous. She is a very sassy,
slightly acerbic New Yorker.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
She even at ninety four or doesn't pretend to be
anyone than who she really is. And Nina's very kind
of sweet, quite lost young woman, and they build this
beautiful friendship and it's lovely watching them kind of go
out into the streets of New.
Speaker 5 (04:17):
York and and sort of, you know, have this time
together and things. But the relationship Jack is built on
this terrible lie. And this is where maybe the premis
gets a little bit shaky for me. Eleanor, Yeah, so
Eleanor accidentally ends up in a group at the local
sit of Jewish Center where she thinks she's going to
(04:39):
do a singing class or something, and she ends up
in this group of Holocaust survivors and Bessie was a
Holocaust survivor, and she finds herself sharing Bessie's story but
passing it off as her own, and so a lot
of these new relationships that she builds. This is where
she also meets Nina. She's a student wanting to do
a story on this, and so a lot of these
new relationships that she's found in New York is based
(05:02):
on this really terrible life. And I'm just not sure
if in twenty twenty five, I believe that's.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Yeah, we do that.
Speaker 5 (05:08):
We perfetuate the lie as long as that So it
gets a little bit messy, but look beautiful performance by
Jones Squibb. I think it's it's a it's a lovely
reminder that actually none of us are perfect and that
life is not necessarily easier or more clear cut as
we age, we still make make mistakes and things. So
(05:29):
it's a really ambitious little data I think. I think
some of it's really loving and really promising. Just I
just was found that premise is a little problematic.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Fair enough, Okay, that's Ellanor the Great directed by Scarlett Johanson.
So that showing at the movies right now. Our next
film is showing on Apple TV. Plus this is The
Lost Bus.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
It's another dry and windy Day and Paradise based the
old drivers, all the situation devolving ponder rosa elementry. There
are twenty three kids are strand is there anybody in
the area that them up?
Speaker 4 (06:04):
I can get.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Okay? This has got some big names in it too,
Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera in The Lost Bus.
Speaker 5 (06:14):
Okay, so this is not a relaxing night in. This
is screening on Apple Plus. This is based on the
truth story.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
You warning, Governor, Yeah, this is.
Speaker 5 (06:22):
Based on the true story of the twenty eighteen campfire.
Is the deadliest wildfire in Californian history. Eighty five people died.
Pacific Gas and Electric ended up playing about thirteen point
five billion in compensation, took responsibility for this far. Kevin
McKay played by mcconna. He is this guy who's returned
home to Paradise. He's looking after his mother. He's got
(06:43):
his fifteen year old son with him, who hates him.
He's really struggling to make ends meet. And this fire starts.
It's heading in a different direction, suddenly turns back the
Paradise and he has given this. He has given this up.
She's the only He's a school bus driver and he
is the only bus in the area where there are
twenty four kids who need to be picked up, and
he has to make the decision going do I go
and save my son and my mum or do I
(07:05):
go and save his kids? And he goes and saves
these kids and ends up with Mary, this teacher played
by American Phrerah, and the two of them have to
battle their way through this fire. It is terrifying. It
is absolutely terrifying. Paul green Gas is an absolutely amazing
job yet of putting us in the middle of this fire.
It is so traumatic, but it is just this gorgeous
story of ordinary people doing a courageous thing.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
So well with the watch Okay, cool.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
So that's The Lost Bus that's on Apple TV. Plus
Francesca's first film, the One director by Scarlett Johansson is
Eleanor the Great, that's on at the Movies and both
of those films and all the details for those films
will be up at the News talks heb website and
so no. The Intrepid British and Irish Film Festival is
back for its third edition. It's going to be screening
across the country from the twenty ninth of October through
(07:50):
to November nineteenth, and it's got an incredible lineup of titles.
Heaps of star power films featuring the likes of Emma Thompson,
Bill Nigh, Ralph Fines, so heaps of really really interesting films.
We've got tickets up for grabs, so to be in
the drawer for a double pass to the Intrepid British
and Irish Film Festival, go to Newstalks EDB, dot co,
(08:11):
dot m Z slash win for more.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
From Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, Listen live to News
Talks EDB from nine am Saturday, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio
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