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James Cameron-Wilson casts his eye over a lacklustre box office, despite 5 new films in the top 10 places. At #1 is Matilda the Musical, which James thought might be the worst musical he's ever seen, unsubtle, unengaging and with no sense of reality. He was unimpressed with Disney animation Strange World at #3. But he was full of praise for She Said (#4), about sexual harassment in Hollywood, starring Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan.

Victoria Scholar of Interactive Investor talks to Simon Rose about the reasons behind the recent better performance for markets around the world and the recent losses for the dollar. Although the outlook for the UK economy looks fairly bleak at present, it feels – as far as markets are concerned – as if the Santa rally has come early this year.

Steve Caplin fills Simon Rose in on the latest tech developments, after commemorating 50 years of Pong. There's a backlash against Tesla drivers over Elon Musk, Alexa turning kids' ideas into animated stories, remote control worms, San Francisco's killer robots, circuits printed on contact lenses, vegan honey, the first hydrogen jet engine test and ride-on suitcases for adults.

Besieged by rising taxes and interest rates, we're in urgent need of some positivity and optimism at present: so this episode, recorded by Adam Cox in the midst of the summer heatwave, might just be the answer at this challenging time. Noting our tendency always to see the grass greener on the other side of the fence, he taps into the heatwave's inspiration for being relaxed and resourceful to encourage a 'polarity response' which works for you, not against you.

Adam Cox is joined by Evelina Galli, from price comparison site PriceRunner, to discuss new research which reveals Brits current shopping habits ahead of Black Friday. They look at if the World cup is likely to affect Black Friday sales, and Evelina advises on things to look out for to ensure Black Friday deals are legitimate. https://www.pricerunner.com/

Adam Cox is joined by Founder of The Whisky Baron, Jake Sharpe, to discuss exactly how investing in whisky casks work, and what some of the associated risks could be. Jake provides recommendations to someone looking to buy a cask and advises on what actually makes a good whisky. https://www.thewhiskybaron.co.uk/

Live from the Hawk & Griffin Pub in Vienna, Virginia...it's Motley Fool Money! Chris Hill talks with Bill Mann, Emily Flippen, and David Gardner about 2022 through the lens of a small business, the importance of evaluating the management team of a small cap company, how fear can be contagious for investors, keeping an eye on inflation as we head into 2023, and optimism around the UNC men's basketball team. Host - Chris Hill; Guests - Bill Mann, Emily Flippen, David Gardner

Profitable, and worth more than $20 billion, Zoom Video may also be an acquisition target. Bill Mann discusses Bob Iger's second day back as CEO, Best Buy, and CEO Corie Barry, defying expectations (again), Zoom Video shares falling close to a 2-year low, and how Zoom could fit well into Oracle's business. Plus, 12 minutes in, Robert Brokamp talks with Megan McCoy, professor at Kansas State University, about relationships and money. Stocks mentioned: DIS, BBY, AMZN, ZM, MSFT, ORCL. Host - Chris Hill; Guests - Bill Mann, Robert Brokamp, Megan McCoy

Savings and mortgage rates rocketed after what must now always be known as the 'ill-fated mini-Budget', but even as the Bank of England continues to raise rates have they already peaked. The top fixed rate savings deals have edged down from their highest levels - a five-year fix can no longer be had above 5%, for example, while the best two year fix is at 4.75%. So, if you want to lock into a good savings deal, should you grab one now? Or did rates simply race ahead of the Bank of England and the next round of base rate rises will bump them up some more? Georgie Frost, Helen Crane and Simon Lambert look at the potential future of savings rates and why even if they are slightly off their peak, you should still move your money from old accounts. But if a dip in the top savings rates is bad, the easing of mortgage rates is good news. Average two and five-year fixed rates rocketed all the way to above 6.5%. The best five-year fix is now down to 5.95%. But this is still way higher than it was, so where will mortgage rates settle and is it worth holding off? The team discuss that and the implication for both house prices and first-time buyers. And finally, an energy double header: on a serious note, the energy price cap (which we won't pay due to the energy price guarantee) has jumped again, this time to £4,279 for the average household over a year. If we won't pay that, why does this matter? And on a lighter note, what happened when Harry Wallop (who refuses to let his family turn the heating on) tried out a bunch of oddball devices designed to warm the person not the room, ranging from an odd foot warmer, to a heated gilet, and a wearable sleeping bag that makes you look a bit like a crazy caterpillar?

Even if Putin were to succeed in his barbarous land-grabbing attempt, what would he inherit? A land where almost all facilities of civilisation are being bombed into oblivion, inhabited by a people filled with disgust and distrust for the Kremlin autocracy: and, bearing in mind that an estimated 11 million Russians have family in Ukraine and the close cultural relationship between their two countries, this disgust and distrust will be shared by much of the Russian population. Meanwhile the young generation is of course the most impacted by conflict, which is almost always initiated by old men. So the pointlessness of war is not lost on these young generations, whose high level of communication and mobility also gives rise to a much better understanding of the need for global interconnectivity. Background Music: 'Breathing Planet' by Doug Maxwell