At the Movies for 19 April 2023

Simon Morris looks at an assortment of films that all, one way or another, depend heavily on who wrote or produced them. They include a crime comedy, a documentary of a well-known tale of survival, and the latest from a veteran playwright. Mafia Mamma sees Toni Collette (Hereditary) and Monica Belucci (Spectre) pair up in the story of suburban housewife who inherits an Italian crime family. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight). Shackleton: The Greatest story of survival features Australian adventurer Tim Jarvis as he travels in the footsteps of explorer Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica in 1914. And Allelujah is a star-studded adaptation of Alan Bennett's play about a Yorkshire hospital in danger of being closed down by market forces. Starring Jennifer Saunders, Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi and David Bradley. Directed by Richard Eyre (Iris).