rye lane

On this episode we each give our 23 favorite films of 2023. From Barbie to Oppenheimer, here are our favorites of last year. 

Oneika Raymond travels to the heart of Peckham, a bustling neighborhood in South London just a few miles southeast of the Thames River. There, she joins local author Jendella Benson for a walking tour of the district she holds dear. Peckham is where Jendella set her debut novel, Hope and Glory, in order to pay tribute to the town and its Nigerian-British community.

Oneika meets up with Jendella at Peckham Rye station to kick off the tour of Rye Lane, Peckham’s main thoroughfare and the place to shop its local markets, dine on international flavors, and people watch. No matter the day of the week, Rye Lane is buzzing thanks to its numerous markets, food vendors, and beauty salons.  

Then, Jendella takes Oneika to Peckhamplex, a cinema tucked back from Rye Lane. With its £4.99 tickets, it’s a staple for a casual night out. They also view Peckham Portraits, a collection of images of iconic Black British actors changing the face of cinema.

From there, Oneika and Jendella duck into a traditional indoor Peckham market, where they marvel at the textiles, imported peanuts, and shea butter. It’s truly one-stop shopping, and indicative of the entrepreneurial spirit of the neighborhood. 

The last stop on the tour is Peckham Palms, a modern interpretation of Peckham’s indoor markets, and a Black-women led mall that’s supporting local innovation. Peckham is a Black-beauty hub, and the Palms provides affordable rent and fosters community. 

They end the day at The Flygerians, a café-in-residence at the Palms run by local sisters Jess and Jo Edun. While chowing down on Nigerian street food specialties like jollof rice bowls and efo riro, Oneika and Jendella discuss how Peckham inspired Hope and Glory, how reading can be one of the most authentic ways to travel, and Jendella’s best advice to engage with the community when you visit Peckham.

To read full episode transcripts from About the Journey and see photos of each featured destination, head to About the Journey on Marriott Bonvoy Traveler. Starting this season, you can also watch videos from select episodes on our Marriott Bonvoy YouTube channel.

The directorial debut of Raine Allen-Miller, RYE LANE is set mostly on and around the Southeast London Street of the same name, and follows Dom and Yas (David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah) from meet-not-so-cute to grand romantic finale. But RYE LANE is that genre movie that shows it ain’t (just) what you do, it’s the way that you do it. Film critic Aramide Tinubu joins us to discuss!

What’s Good
Drea - inspiring a listener to volunteer at a film festival
Aramide - tuna melt and new perfumes
Alonso - Hallmark’s Time Traveling Pond Show

ITIDIC

1. Apple Originals and Sony Partner for Theatrical Run of Ridley Scott’s NAPOLEON
2. Disney Laid Off Controversial Marvel Chair Ike Perlmutter
3. Paddington in Peru Starts Production in July

Staff Picks
Drea - How to Blow Up a Pipeline
Aramide - A Thousand and One
Alonso - Southside With You

With:
Alonso Duralde
Drea Clark 
Aramide Tinubu

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart

Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

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With
Drea Clark
Alonso Duralde
Ify Nwadiwe

Produced by Marissa Flaxbart
Sr. Producer Laura Swisher

Trump's been indicted but still campaigning, Elon Musk changed the twitter logo to the dogecoin dog — honestly what the hell is happening, we need to figure things out.

BW and BL talk through the OTT news of the week, Ben's Trump impression returns and we're trading reviews of the Super Mario Bros. Movie and Yellowjackets season two.

Also hear from the director and cast of Rye Lane, a British rom-com that sends its leads on a colour-saturated caper through the landmarks of South London.

Good evening and welcome back to you all, you're just in time for some news and indeed reviews! 

This week sees a heated debate on adventure film 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves', our thoughts on the latest action in 'John Wick: Chapter 4', sci fi thriller 'Infinity Pool', South London rom-com 'Rye Lane' and drugged up mammals in 'Cocaine Bear'