Simon Morris
Movie Review : Jules
Jules is the story of the small town that gets an unexpected visitor from outer space. But can this one ring any changes to a rather familiar tale. Stars Sir Ben Kingsley and Jane Curtin (Coneheads). Audio
Review: Last Film Show
Last Film Show is a semi-autobiographical, independent film from India about a poor tea-maker's son who's determined that one day he'll become a film maker. Directed by Pan Nalin (Samsara). Video, Audio
Review - Strays
Strays is that rare thing - an R-rated comedy featuring live-action dogs. Abandoned pet Reggie plans revenge on his deadbeat owner. Featuring the voices of Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx and Isla Fisher. Video, Audio
At the Movies: Asteroid City, Dracula and Gran Turismo
Simon Morris is pleasantly surprised by three films that didn't seem particularly aimed at him - a quirky art-film, a video-game adaptation and an old horror chestnut.
At The Movies for 16 August 2023
Simon Morris is pleasantly surprised by three films that didn't seem particularly aimed at him - a quirky art-film, a video-game adaptation and an old horror chestnut. Audio
Movie Review - Asteroid City
Asteroid City is an all-star oddity from Wes Anderson (Grand Budapest Hotel) that rolls just about every mid-'50s element into one package. Stars Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Bryan… Video, Audio
Movie Review - Gran Turismo
Gran Turismo tells the story of a gamer who took his skills to some of the top real race-tracks in the world. Stars David Harbour (Stranger Things), Orlando Bloom (Pirates of the Caribbean), Archie… Video, Audio
Movie review - The Last Voyage of the Demeter
The Last Voyage of the Demeter is the story of the doomed ship that carried Dracula to England. Starring Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones) and Corey Hawkins (Straight outta Compton). Video, Audio
At the Movies for 9 August 2023
Simon Morris checks out three films that set out to convince us of something hard to believe - one true, one "based on real events" and one not remotely true. Audio
Review: Munich: The Edge of War
Munich: The Edge of War tells a fictional story behind the British Prime Minister's famous Munich rendezvous meeting with Adolf Hitler. Stars George Mackay (1917), Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall)… Video, Audio
Movie review: Chevalier
Chevalier tells the incredible-but-true story of the "Black Mozart" Joseph Bologne - a swordsman, composer, virtuoso violinist and lover of women in the court of Marie Antoinette. Video, Audio
Movie review - Meg 2: The Trench
Meg 2: The Trench sees Jason Statham and Cliff Curtis once again wrestling with giant, prehistoric sharks at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Video, Audio
Annie Murray - the new CEO of the New Zealand Film Commission
Whenever we welcome someone new to the top job in the New Zealand film industry, it's always hard not to be reminded of that old Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times!" Certainly Annie… Audio
Movie review - The Covenant
Guy Ritchie's The covenant is set in the recent Afghan War, where Jake Gyllenhaal plays an American soldier looking for the Afghan interpreter who saved his life. Audio
At the Movies for 2 August 2023
Simon Morris checks out three little movies that may mean more than meets the eye. Anatomy of a fall is the opening movie for the International Film Festival, a French drama that picked up the prized… Audio
Review: Anatomy of a Fall
Anatomy of a Fall is the opening movie for the International Film Festival, a French drama that picked up the prized Palme d'Or at Cannes this year. Stars Sandra Hüller (the Oscar-nominated Toni… Video, Audio
Review: The Miracle Club
The Miracle Club is a little Irish film with a better cast than most about four women on a trip to Lourdes. Starring Kathy Bates, Laura Linney and Dame Maggie Smith. Video, Audio
Dan and Dominique Angeloro on Soda Jerk
If there's one film in the Film Festival that draws a line in the sand in the Culture Wars, it's the Incredibly Strange Hello Dankness, by a duo calling themselves Soda Jerk. Seriously funny, it… Audio
Gerry Paul on Gráda
At a time when the answer to virtually any question about music is either "The Internet" or "AI", there's something incredibly reassuring about the increasing popularity of traditional acoustic music… Audio
At The Movies for 26 July 2023
Simon Morris looks at the most famous double feature of the year - the guys who invented the atom bomb in Oppenheimer and the doll that caused the almost as huge upheaval in the toy box - Barbie. Audio