Happyend is a Japanese drama, set in the near future. Five high school rebels face the prospect of going their separate ways, while corrupt politics arrive at both the school and out in the wider world. To protest or not to protest? Written and directed by Neo Sora, son of the legendary actor and musician Ryûichi Sakamoto (Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details...
Predator: Badlands finds a young member of the Yautja (Predator) tribe hunting on the most dangerous planet in the Galaxy. His quest: to capture a beast that can’t be killed. Starring Elle Fanning as two robots, and Kiwi Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi (Red White and Brass) as the Predator. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
A Little Something Extra is a hugely popular comedy from France. Two jewel robbers hide out from the cops among a party of holidaying people with disabilities. They find it harder than it looks to fit in. Starring, written and directed by Artus, it’s one of the highest-grossing movies ever at home. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Simon Morris returns to a group of rather specifically targeted movies. From the recent International Film Festival, a very French farce about two crooks hiding out at a camp for people with disabilities…. And an equally Japanese film about high school rebels. And the latest Predator film seems to be changing the formula. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Dan Slevin reviews Nia DaCosta and Tessa Thompson’s adaptation of Ibsen’s classic play about a frustrated, ambitious and manipulative woman who goes to great lengths to support her husband’s career. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Dan Slevin reviews a comedy about a low-level angel (Keanu Reeves) who tries to save a struggling gig worker (Aziz Ansari) in present day Los Angeles. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Bugonia is a black comedy about an executive (Emma Stone) kidnapped after she’s mistaken for an alien . Aziz Ansari’s comedy Good Fortune stars Keanu Reeves as a fallen angel. Hedda is an adaptation of Ibsen’s classic play starring Tessa Thompson. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone (in her fourth collaboration with director Jorgos Lanthimos) star in a black comedy about a desperate young man who kidnaps a wealthy pharmaceutical executive believing that she’s an alien sent to enslave the people of Planet Earth – reviewed by Dan Slevin. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Dan Slevin reviews a biopic about rock star Bruce Springsteen and the creation of his introspective masterpiece Nebraska. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Dan Slevin reviews three new films: Robert Sarkies directs Pike River, a film about the aftermath of New Zealand’s worst modern workplace tragedy; Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is a biopic about rock star Bruce Springsteen and the creation of his introspective masterpiece Nebraska; and in cinemas (soon to be streaming on Netflix), Frankenstein is Guillermo Del Toro’s epic passion project, an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s gothic horror about a mad scientist who believes he can breathe life ...
Dan Slevin reviews Guillermo Del Toro’s epic passion project, an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s gothic horror about a mad scientist who believes he can breathe life into a dead flesh with disastrous results. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Robert Sarkies directs a film about the aftermath of New Zealand’s worst modern workplace tragedy – reviewed by Dan Slevin. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Dan Slevin reviews a horror sequel set in a snowy Christian youth camp. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Dan Slevin reviews a five-part Apple TV documentary series about the legendary director Martin Scorsese. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Dan Slevin reviews two new films in cinemas: In Roofman, Channing Tatum plays an escaped convict who hides out in a toy store; Black Phone 2 is a horror sequel set in a snowy Christian youth camp; and on Apple TV, Mr. Scorsese is a five-part documentary series about the legendary director Martin Scorsese. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Channing Tatum plays an escaped convict who hides out in a toy store – reviewed by Dan Slevin. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Australian-New Zealand co-production Went Up The Hill is a ghost story with a twist. Jack returns home for his mother's funeral, where he meets her widow, Jill. And it seems mum is reluctant to leave the family home. Starring Vicky Kriep (Phantom Thread) and Dacre Montgomery (TV's Stranger Things) it's directed by New Zealand-born, Sydney based Samuel Van Grinsven. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details...
Eleanor The Great sees a grieving 90-year-old woman - played by June Squibb (Thelma) - impersonate a Holocaust survivor with the best of intentions, she thinks. But it all gets away from her. Also starring Chiwetel Ejiafor (12 Years a Slave) and Erin Kellyman (28 Years Later). The directing debut of Scarlett Johansson. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
French favourite Miss Violet sees a woman with a mysterious past arrive in a rural village to take over the local school in the 1880s. But she runs into resistance from village parents who think of education as optional only. Written and directed by Éric Besnard (Délicieux). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Simon Morris checks out three female-led films, and wonders if the Bechdel test for substantial female characters in movies still applies. From the USA, Eleanor The Great, starring June Squibb and directed by Scarlett Johansson…. From France, Miss Violet fights for free, secular education…. And from New Zealand, Went Up The Hill, a ghost story in which two people are haunted by one (female) ghost. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details...
Play Dirty sees writer-director Shane Black (Predator, Iron Man 3) bring pulp fiction favourite Parker to the screen. Robber/gunman Parker (Mark Wahlberg) is roped into a billion dollar heist by untrustworthy Zen (Rosa Salazar – Alita). Expect cars, horses and a spectacular train-wreck. On Amazon Prime. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Steve, starring and produced by Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) is the story of a troubled teacher holding a 1990s English reform school together by sheer will-power. Featuring Tracy Ullman, Emily Watson and musician Little Simz, it’s directed by Belgian film-maker Tim Mielants (Patrick). On Netflix. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
The Smashing Machine tells the true story of Mixed Martial Arts pioneer Mark Kerr and his struggles with drugs and depression. Starring Dwayne Johnson/The Rock (Fast and Furious) and Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada), it’s directed by Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Simon Morris looks at three movies about people who break the rules. The Rock gets out of his comfort zone in The Smashing Machine, about a pioneer of the no-holds-barred MMA…. Maverick director Shane Black brings cult figure Parker to Prime Video in Play Dirty…. And Steve is about the teachers who have to take over the kids that society has discarded. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details...
Simon Morris looks at two movies divided along left and right lines – Paul Thomas Anderson’s comedy-thriller One Battle After Another, and Spanish Civil War drama The Teacher Who Promised The Sea – and a French film – Holy Cow! – in which the answer is cheese! Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
French film Holy Cow tells the story of a teenage ne’er do well who decides to turn his life around by winning a cheese-making gold medal. A multi award-winner for both director Louise Courvoisier and star Maïwene Barthelmy, it was also a huge box-office hit at home. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
The Teacher Who Promised The Sea is a Spanish-Catalan real life account of a teacher who falls foul of the fascists during the Spanish Civil War. Featured at the recent International Film Festival, it stars Bafta Rising Star Laia Costa. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
One Battle After Another sees a retired revolutionary forced to rejoin the struggle when his daughter is captured by an old enemy. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia), it stars Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street), Sean Penn (Mystic River), Benicio del Toro (Sicario) and newcomer Chase Infiniti. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Simon Morris is seduced by some undeniably charming stars – Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell in A Big, Bold, Beautiful Journey, indigenous Australian national treasures Deborah Mailman and Wayne Blair in Kangaroo, and A-Lister politician Dame Jacinda Ardern in Prime Minister. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Prime Minister is the story of Jacinda Ardern’s eventful five years leading Aotearoa New Zealand. With previously unseen footage shot by Ardern’s partner Clarke Gayford, it’s not just a biopic of a fascinating political figure, but it shows this country at its best and its worst. Directed by American Lindsay Utz (Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry) and Kiwi Michelle Walshe (Chasing Great). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details...
