Simon Morris
Indian Sweets and Spices
Indian Sweets and Spices sees American-born Alia clash with her traditional Indian mother in suburban Ruby Hill. She is shocked to discover that Mum wasn't always as strait-laced and conservative as… Video, Audio
Belfast
Belfast is based on Sir Kenneth Brannagh's memories of growing up in the Northern Ireland capital, just as the Troubles broke out. Starring Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench, Ciaran Hinds and young Jude Hill… Video, Audio
At the Movies for 9 Feb 2022
Simon Morris starts the countdown to the Oscars next month, and looks at two likely contenders - Belfast and Parallel Mothers. He also checks out an Indian-American rom-com, from the producers of… Audio
Screen cultural fund
Screenrights' Rachel Antony speaks with Simon Morris about a new Cultural Fund encouraging would-be film-makers and story-tellers who maybe wouldn't normally be the first ones in the queue. Audio
At The Movies for 15 December 2021 - Getting Back
Simon Morris looks back in 2021, a year where much of the time we relied on streaming services for our movie hit. It saw the return of the big blockbusters, an Academy Awards ceremony dominated by… Audio
Movie Review - Encanto
Encanto is set in an exotic Latin American town, where all the Madrigal family but one have magical powers. Can Mirabel save the town when the powers start to fade? Songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the… Audio
Review - Dune
Dune has defeated the best efforts of Hollywood in the past. Can Denis Villeneuve (Arrival) and an all-star cast triumph where others have failed. Stars Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Zendaya and… Video, Audio
Review - The Electrical World of Louis Wain
The Electrical World of Louis Wain is an Amazon Prime feature about a Victorian English illustrator whose whimsical pictures of cats entranced the nation. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy… Video, Audio
At The Movies for 8 December 2021
Simon Morris looks at three films that are all out of the ordinary - an adaptation of a sci-fi book that's defied filming, an animated musical set in Latin America and a biopic of an eccentric… Audio
Review - Titane
French film Titane was a sensation when it won the Palme D'Or at Cannes this year. An erotic dancer moonlights as a serial killer, and has closer than normal feelings for American muscle cars -… Video, Audio
Movie review - Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Venom: Let There Be Carnage sees Eddie (Tom Hardy) still hosting alien being Venom, but this time he confronts a bad guy in the same predicament. Features Woody Harrelson (The Hunger Games) and… Video, Audio
Movie review - Petite Maman
Petite Maman is a French "what if?" story about how an 8-year-old girl makes a new friend, who may be her mother at the same age. Written and directed by Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire). Video, Audio
At the Movies for 1 December 2021
Simon Morris looks at three films that play with fantasy in contrasting ways. French film Titane was a sensation when it won the Palme D'Or at Cannes this year. An erotic dancer moonlights as a serial… Audio
At the Movies for 3 November 2021
Simon Morris looks at three films about stories - one based on an early tale of chivalry, one that smuggles adult concerns into a children's animated movie, and a horror film that taps into indigenous… Audio
Review -The Rescue
The Rescue is the story of the rescue mission that gripped the world in 2018, when a young Thai football team found themselves trapped at the end of an underground river. Directed by Jimmy Chin and… Video, Audio
Movie Review - A Boy Called Christmas
A boy called Christmas is based on a popular children's book, and stars Dame Maggie Smith, Sally Hawkins, Jim Broadbent and Toby Jones. Audio
At The Movies for 24 November
Simon Morris goes to a couple of improving documentaries and finds them rather more entertaining than their fictional rivals. Audio
Review - Breaking Bread
Breaking Bread covers an Arabic Food Festival in Israel, where pairs of chefs - one Jewish, one Arabic - set out to show that food can bring people together. It was the brainchild of Nof… Video, Audio
NZ Screen History: RTR Countdown
Simon Morris and Robert Rakete revisit the mid-1970s pop show. Audio
At The Movies for 17 November
Simon Morris is inspired by the Swinging Sixties, and looks at half a dozen potential Next Big Things in three often nostalgic movies. Audio