Simon Morris
At The Movies for 9 December 2020
Simon Morris realizes you can’t argue with the public’s taste - for sequels, for remakes and, back in the 1970s, for a yearly dose of Miss World. Audio
Review - The comeback trail
The comeback trail - an unscrupulous film producer plans to cash in an insurance policy by bumping off his leading man. Stars Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones and Morgan Freeman - what could possibly… Audio
Review - Let him go
Let Him Go sees grandparents Kevin Costner and Diane Lane trying to rescue their grandson and his mother. Also starring Lesley Manville (Secrets and Lies). Video, Audio
Six60: Till the lights go out/David Byrne: American Utopia
Six60: Till the lights go out/David Byrne: American Utopia - two contrasting musical films. The first is a documentary about the phenomenally successful Kiwi band, directed by Julia Parnell (The… Audio
At The Movies for 2 December 2020
Simon Morris wonders the post-war Baby Boomers continue to have such a heavy influence on movies - from Seventies singer-songwriter David Byrne to movie-stars Robert De Niro and Kevin Costner. Audio
Review - Fatman
Fatman is Santa Claus as you’ve never seen him - but do you want to? Mel Gibson plays a gun-toting, backwoods sort of Santa, doing deals with the Pentagon and facing a hitman hired by a disgruntled… Video, Audio
Review - Made in Italy
Made in Italy stars father and son Liam Neeson and Micheal Richardson as a father and son trying to make a quick sale of a Tuscan villa. Audio
Review - Mank
Mank is director David Fincher’s (The Social Network, Gone Girl) love letter to Old Hollywood and the self-destructive genius who wrote the script for Orson Welles’ masterpiece Citizen Kane. Stars… Video, Audio
At The Movies for 25 November 2020
Simon Morris confesses he occasionally lets prejudices get the better of him when he goes to the movies - favourable ones in the case of movie gossip like Mank, less so when it comes to films about… Audio
New museum set to open on Stewart Island Rakiura
Stewart Island Rakiura's museum was first built in 1960 - to house an abundance of island treasures. Back then, it cost the thousands of tourists coming to the island 50 cents to get in and see the… Audio
Rachel Reid - It's In The Post
Who has the flashest post box on your street? Writer, photographer and travel blogger Rachel Reid has spent the last twenty years documenting the novelty and designed letterboxes around New Zealand… Audio
APO to celebrate Home Alone's 30th birthday
For sheer event status there's nothing quite like seeing a big-deal Hollywood movie with the musical soundtrack provided by a live orchestra. Audio
Fiona Sussman - Addressed to Greta
It feels a bit odd in our current isolated state to be thinking about journeys around the world as a form of self discovery. Audio
John Psathas - writing music for a pandemic world
New Zealand composer John Psathas had a road to Damascus moment in 2018 while roaring along at Toto's 40th anniversary concert at London's Royal Albert Hall. Audio
Jefferey Smith: Scoundrels, Cads, and Other Great Artists
Fascination with the private lives of the rich, the famous and the talented is hardly new. Ever since there have been stars - Shakespeare? Ancient Greek theatre? - there have been people dying to know… Audio
Van Gogh writ large in NZ next year
Right now people are hungry for live spectacle wherever they can get it. And they don't get more spectacular than an exhibition that's about to land in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch early next… Audio
Prime TV's Annie Murray looks local
Prime was initially best known for fact-based shows - Uncharted - Sam Neil's series about James Cook - and Go South. But since then they've started moving into scripted shows, notably Brokenwood… Audio
Review - Freaky
Freaky sees a cheerleader swap bodies with a serial killer! From the people who brought you Happy Death Day, and starring Vince Vaughan (Swingers). Audio
Review - A Son
A Son is an award-winning Tunisian film about a couple desperate to save their son’s life after he’s accidentally shot by a terrorist’s bullet. Audio
Review - Rams
Rams stars Sam Neill and Michael Caton (The Castle) as two sheep-owning brothers dealing with an outbreak of disease in the region. Co-stars Miranda Richardson (Blackadder). Video, Audio
