RNZ: At The Movies

Simon Morris looks at three films that use comedy in different ways to make a point – the divorce comedy The Roses, a film about a traumatic event, Sorry, Baby, that uses humour as a healing tool and French farce How To Make A Killingwhich uses comedy to make you laugh!Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

How To Make A Killing sees Laure Calamy (Call My Agent) caught up in a tangle of gangsters, refugees, a big bundle of money – and a gigantic black bear. French farce at its most farcical – and French. See you at the Swinger's Club on Thursday! Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Sorry, Baby was a big hit when it debuted at Sundance – the story of a young woman getting over a traumatic event. Star, writer and director Eva Victor had never made a feature film before. Produced by Barry Jenkins (Moonlight). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The Roses is a gentler remake of the pitch-black Eighties divorce comedy The War Of The Roses. But stars Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch turn out to be worthy successors. Directed by Jay Roach (Meet the Fockers). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The Ballad of Wallis Island is a British charmer about a lonely millionaire who just wants to put his favourite folk duo back together. His solution? A reunion concert for an audience of one. Starring and written by Tim Key (See How They Run), Tom Basden (After Life) with Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Workmates is the latest from husband and wife team writer-star Sophie Henderson and director Curtis Vowell. Can theatre best mates Lucy – Sophie – and Tom – Matt Whelan, get from the friend-zone to love? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Simon Morris looks at three apparent romances, which all seem to ignore the usual rules. New Zealand comedy Workmates insists they're just good friends, British music dramedy The Ballad of Wallis Island proves that band breakups aren't good for love, while action thriller Caught Stealing is more interested in money than “boy meets girl”. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Caught Stealing is a change in pace for ultra-serious director Darren Aronofski (Noah, Black Swan) – an action thriller, starring Austen Butler (Elvis), Matt Smith (Dr Who) and Zoë Kravitzn (The Batman). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Night Always Comes sees Vanessa Kirby (The Fantastic Four) as a struggling woman who desperately needs $25 thousand to buy her flat. She just has 12 hours to pull it off. A Netflix thriller, it's directed by Benjamin Caron (TV's Andor and The Crown).Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Relay is a thriller in which a modern Robin Hood uses primitive technology to dodge detection by high-tech bad guys. Directed by David Mackenzie (Hell Or High Water) it stars Riz Ahmed (The Sound Of Metal,), Lily James (Yesterday)and Sam Worthington (Avatar).Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Simon Morris wonders what you gain, or lose, when you cast a film with people who have to do an accent? This week he looks at three films set in America, but starring English, Australian and Irish actors. These include The Naked Gun, with Liam Neeson, Relay with Riz Ahmed and Sam Worthington, and Night Always Comes with Vanessa Kirby.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The Naked Gun sees Liam Neeson take the role of Leslie Nielson in the remake of the Eighties cop spoof. Co-starring Pamela Anderson, it's written and directed by Akiva Schaffer (Saturday Night Live) and produced by Seth McFarlane (American Dad).Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Eddington is a satire about the year of Covid 19, with Joaquin Phoenix as an anti-mandate sheriff at odds with the Mayor, angry protest groups and conspiracy-nut influencers. Directed by Ari Aster (Hereditary), with Pedro Pascal (The Last Of Us) and Austin Butler (Elvis). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Nobody 2 sees the return of that most unlikely of action heroes, Bob Odenkirk (TV's Better Call Saul). His family demands that he take time off beating up bad guys to take a holiday. But trouble seems to follow him. With guest villain Sharon Stone (Basic Instinct).Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life is, surprisingly, a French film about a fan of the great novelist, who goes to England as part of an Austen residency. And soon her life starts to echo an Austen romance. But which one? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Simon Morris welcomes two films from two festivals, both offering some originality. From the International Festival comes Ari Aster's Covid thriller Eddington, while from the French one comes the popular romcom Jane Austen Wrecked My Life. Meanwhile, life goes on with another sequel – Nobody 2.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Mr Burton is the story of a directionless schoolboy in wartime Wales called Richie Jenkins. He is taken under the wing of his teacher, borrows his name and becomes Wales's greatest theatrical star. Starring Toby Jones, Lesley Manville and in a star-making role – literally – Harry Lawtey as Richard Burton.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The Friend sees a grieving New York writer find herself the unwilling recipient of her dead friend's pet – a gigantic Great Dane called Apollo. Starring Naomi Watts, Bill Murray and a gigantic dog called Bing. And the city of New York. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Freakier Friday sees Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan in the sequel to 2003's body-swap comedy Freaky Friday. Now they find themselves in the bodies of two new teenagers, on the eve of another wedding and another rock concert. Look out for plenty of Freaky cameos!Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Simon Morris looks at three films starring strong contenders to follow Dame Maggie, Dame Judi and Dame Helen. Lesley Manville features in Mr Burton, Naomi Watts shines in The Friend and Jamie Lee Curtis (Lady Haden-Guest in real life) is in Freakier Friday.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Riviera Revenge is another popular comedy from French comedy master Ivan Calbérac (The Tasting). A long-married couple's lives are upended when some 40-year-old letters prove the wife had a brief affair on the Côte d'Azur. The husband plans belated vengeance!Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Together features real-life husband and wife Dave Franco and Allison Brie as a couple who find themselves getting closer than they intended, with horrific consequences. Co starring Damon Herriman (Charles Manson in Once upon a time in Hollywood).Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

When Fall Is Coming is a Hitchcock-style thriller about a woman who finds herself accused of planning to murder her own daughter to get custody of her grandson. She enlists an unlikely ally to clear her name. Directed by the versatile François Ozon (Potiche) it features French theatre star Hélène Vincent. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Simon Morris looks at three films that aim at very specific audiences – horror film Together, and from France, an elegant mystery thriller called When Fall Is Coming, and a traditional French sex farce, Riviera Revenge. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Dan Slevin reviews two new films in cinemas: In The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the first family of the Marvel Cinematic Universe defend Earth from a planet eating supervillain; The Life of Chuck is a moving adaptation of a Stephen King novella; and Dan interviews film critic Richard Scheib about his new book, A Viewing Guide to the Pandemic.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Dan Slevin reviews a moving adaptation of a Stephen King novella about life, death and mathematics.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Dan Slevin interviews film critic Richard Scheib about his new book - a comprehensive survey of films about plagues and contagion.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The first family of the Marvel Cinematic Universe defend Earth from a planet eating supervillain – reviewed by Dan Slevin.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Dan Slevin reviews four new films in cinemas: In Friendship, cringe comedian Tim Robinson plays a middle-aged man who thinks he's found a lifelong pal; The Divine Sarah Bernhardt is a biopic about the world's first global superstar; I Know What You Did Last Summer reboots the 90s slasher franchise; and in Four Letters of Love, the west of Ireland is the setting for a romantic miracle.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Dan Slevin reviews an adaptation of the bestselling Irish romantic novel starring Pierce Brosnan, Helena Bonham Carter and Gabriel Byrne.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Dan Slevin reviews a remake-slash-reboot of the 90s horror franchise feature g three of the original stars.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Dan Slevin reviews a biography of the French actress who dominated the stage in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and became the first global superstar.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

“Cringe” comedian Tim Robinson plays a middle-aged man who thinks he's found a lifelong pal in Tim Rudd's TV weatherman – reviewed by Dan Slevin.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Dan Slevin reviews three films in local cinemas: In Superman, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn reboots the Man of Steel legend; in Bride Hard, Australian comic Rebel Wilson plays a secret agent bridesmaid saving a wedding from a gang of terrorists; and in the absurdist Canadian comedy, Universal Language, a depressed man returns home to snowy Winnipeg to try and find himself.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Dan Slevin reviews an absurdist Canadian comedy about a depressed man who returns home to snowy Winnipeg to try and find himself.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Dan Slevin reviews an action comedy in which Australian comic Rebel Wilson plays a secret agent bridesmaid saving a wedding from a gang of terrorists.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn reboots the Man of Steel legend, reviewed by Dan Slevin.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Simon Morris talks to NZ International Film Festival Director Paolo Bersolin about the programme for 2025. After a rocky few years, Bersolin promises this year's selection accentuates the positive. Featuring award winners from around the world, a New Zealand selection saluting Jacinda Ardern, Don McGlashan and Fred Dagg, two Beatle-adjacent movies and a famous chainsaw massacre! Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

F1 – Formula One racing, and movie star's movie star, Brad Pitt... What more could anyone want? Producer Jerry Bruckheimer returns to the scene of his Nineties Tom Cruise hit Days Of Thunder with more of the same. Featuring Javier Bardem (Dune), Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin) and newcomer Damson Idris (TV's Snowfall). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The Great Lillian Hall sees multi award winning Jessica Lange play a legendary Broadway star suddenly confronted with a possible life and career-changing disability. Features Kathy Bates and Pierce Brosnan, it's directed by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Michael Cristofer.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Simon Morris looks at three films that reflect a little more effort on the part of their makers – the star-studded Formula One spectacle, F1, a well-scripted tale from Broadway's theatre district, The Great Lillian Hall starring Jessica Lange, and France's hugely successful film version of the classic The Count Of Monte Cristo. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The Count Of Monte Cristo tells the story of a man wrongfully convicted, determined to take revenge on those who wronged him. The first French film version of Alexandre Dumas' classic tale for 50 years, it's produced by the same team who made the recent Three Musketeers films.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details