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With box office buoyant, James Cameron-Wilson was blown away by Alien:Romulus, the 9th in the series and the new #1. It feels fresh and smart, has a great retro look and, above all, is how horror films should work. He was glad to have caught #22 Hollywoodgate, a documentary made with the Taliban's cooperation after the United States pulled out of Afghanistan, leaving behind £7bn of military equipment. He found it eye-opening, fascinating and frightening. He (and Simon) were full of praise for the 2-disc set of Laurel & Hardy: The Silent Years. Beautifully restored, these comedies from 100 years ago and more are still fresh and funny and the superb extras only add to the enjoyment.

James Cameron-Wilson reports on a bumper week of films, despite the box office take falling 17%. Kneecap, a mashup of A Hard Day's Night and Trainspotting is #5. Psychological thriller Blink Twice is #6. Written and directed by Zoe Kravitz and starring Channing Tatum, James felt that, though unsettling, he'd seen it all before. The supposed remake of The Crow at #8 was brilliantly made and disturbing but illogical. James both admired and hated it. Simon felt that Widow Cliquot at #24 was a wasted opportunity to explain the science behind champagne making. On Amazon Prime, James admired Miller's Girl, written & directed by Jade Halley Bartlett, a whipsmart movie about creative writing with wonderful dialogue.

Neil Shah of Edison group looks at a couple of companies which will benefit from the cycle turning in response to declining interest rates. Both are related to the housing market. Estate agents Foxtons have a reasonably-new management team and their interim results show encouraging progress and seem reasonably valued. So too is Topps Tiles, which Neil has discussed on Share Radio before. They are expanding their commercial and online business and doing all the right things. There are notes on both companies on the Edison website: https://www.edisongroup.com.

So far this year there have been 108 interest rate cuts worldwide. Russ Mould of A J Bell has crunched the numbers for 13 interest rate cycles and found that the All-Share Index averages a gain of 16.5% after 2 years from falling rates. However, with investors often anticipating cuts, markets are far more volatile for the first 3-6 months. Russ also considers whether very low rates are a good thing, pointing out that a quest for stability by central banks can ultimately lead to greater instability.

Tech talk with Steve Caplin. A blimp with GPS has been developed to beam high speed internet to remote places. Steve Jobs' 1976 Apple 1 computer is up for auction. Jonny Davies has set a new world record for being dragged behind a motorbike. Korean scientists have reinvented the wheel for bumpy ground. Scientists testing fruit flies prove we are happier drinking with friends. There's a £134,000 watch beased on the Blackbird supersonic spy plane. ePaper displays no longer need batteries. ChatGPT has been answering users in Welsh. Steve's favourite drone, the HoverAir X1, has been updated. And there's a new dual screen laptop with a flipscreen ideal for meetings.

Lack of confidence arising from personal situations can impact your working experience and ability to hold down a job. Whether it's shame, regret or frustration, sometimes it can help to look back through the lens of what you now know in order to find a new confidence and resilience: and particularly so for empaths. Note: 'Empath' isn't an official psychological term, but it's generally defined as a person who is highly attuned to the emotions of others. Empathy is an essential skill for all kinds of relationships. But people with very high levels of it may have a hard time setting boundaries between themselves and others.

Zoom is great, but it needs to find something outside video conferencing to get investors and the market excited about where it is going. Jason Moser and Dylan Lewis discuss whether AI and expanded offerings can create a next act and growth pillar for Zoom, why Lowe’s and Home Depot continue to hold up even as home improvement projects dry up, and the early signs that Target’s focus on loyalty and value are getting customers back in the stores just in time for back to school shopping. Companies discussed: ZM, LOW, HD, TGT, WMT. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guest - Jason Moser

Stock prices are up, but consumers are squeezed. This puts advertisers in an unusual spot. Ricky Mulvey, Dylan Lewis, and Mary Long are live at Podcast Movement and they discuss the macro landscape for advertisers, podcasting’s shift to video, the real value of your time to marketers. Companies discussed: TTD, PUBM, SPOT. Host - Ricky Mulvey; Guests - Dylan Lewis, Mary Long

Gold has hit record highs this week and has rocketed so far this year. What’s driving the price and how do you invest? Tanya Jefferies, Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce turn their attention to the precious metal — a notoriously volatile investment, but yet seen as a safe haven. Energy bills will be back on the up, with the new Ofgem price cap announced for October. Is it worth fixing before the hike comes in? And one in four are expected to struggle this winter with their energy bills — just as the new Winter Fuel Payment is taken away for millions of households. We bust some myths on inherited state pension and ask how DWP can be dishing out incorrect information and also question whether annuity deals have peaked. Plus, we run the rule over two juicy reader questions. Firstly, what are your rights if you drunkenly lend money to a friend? Secondly, what can you do about a property next door being converted into an HMO with six students?

Building the art of communication is essential for a successful adult life, and the performing arts provide a great way to develop confidence and conversational dialogue. They can bring hope and career opportunities to young people when more academic doors are closed. Unfortunately, this is not an easy option for those in state education or from disadvantaged backgrounds. In a world where so much communication is uni-directional, we must work harder to bring these opportunities to all. Background music: 'Communicator' by Reed Mathis YouTube Sketch link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT0ay9u1gg4