Dan Slevin reviews three new films in local cinemas: In Sinners, Black Panther director Ryan Coogler tells a Southern Gothic horror story with Michael B. Jordan playing identical twins; in Warfare, Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza collaborate on what’s been described as the most authentic modern war film ever, and in Small Things Like These, Cillian Mu…

Dan Slevin reviews an adaptation of Claire Keegan's 2021 novella about an Irish family man prompted to confront his community about the secrets that they have been keeping (starring Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more detailsBy RNZ

Civil War director Alex Garland collaborates with that film’s military advisor – and real-life Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza on the story of a platoon of Navy SEALS having a bad day in Ramadi. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more detailsBy RNZ

Ryan Coogler writes and directs a Southern Gothic horror film featuring gangsters, vampires and the Klan, reviewed by Dan Slevin. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more detailsBy RNZ

The Penguin Lessons is based on an unlikely true story of an English teacher in Argentina who finds himself stuck with a penguin at the height of a military coup. Written by Jeff Pope (Philomena) it stars Steve Coogan. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more detailsBy RNZ

Simon Morris occasionally finds himself out of his comfort zone - but not this week. Three films right up his alley – a true story of a journalist arrested for doing his job, The Correspondent… a straight, old-fashioned thriller, The Amateur… and The Penguin Lessons, a blend of Steve Coogan, a military coup in Argentina and a penguin. Go to this ep…

The Correspondent tells the true story of Australian journalist Peter Greste, covering a military coup in Egypt for Al Jazeera. His arrest on trumped-up charges became a worldwide scandal. Directed by Kriv Stenders (In the wake of Captain Cook with Sam Neill), it stars Richard Roxburgh (Rake). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…

The Amateur sees a back-room boffin in the CIA turn himself into an avenging killer when terrorists kill his wife. Starring Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody) and Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix), it’s directed by James Hawes (TV’s Slow Horses). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more detailsBy RNZ

The death of a Unicorn sees a father and daughter (Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega) hit a mysterious entity on the way to a weekend with an unscrupulous pharmaceutical family. An entity with the ability to heal any disease. What can go wrong – particularly when the unicorn summons assistance? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…

Queer sees Daniel Craig (No time to die) shake off Double Oh Seven in an adaptation of a book by William S Burroughs (Naked Lunch) about an American writer hiding out in Fifties Mexico who falls in love. Directed by Luca Guadagnino (Challengers). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more detailsBy RNZ

Grand Tour starts out like a Merchant Ivory passage to Southeast Asia about a man running away from the prospects of a wedding, before turning into a very strange travelogue. Directed by Portuguese auteur Miguel Gomes (Arabian Nights) who won Best Director at last year’s Cannes Film Festival for it. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…

Simon Morris realizes people go to the cinema for different things. Some go for the humble “movie”, some for the elevated “film”, some for the even more pretentious “cinema”. Which are this week’s choices: the Portuguese Grand Tour… Queer, starring Daniel Craig… and horror-comedy Death of a Unicorn, with Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega? Go to this episo…

The return sees Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche (The English Patient) reunite to tell the classic tale of Odysseus’s return home after masterminding the fall of Troy. Written and directed by Uberto Pasolini (producer of The Full Monty) it’s a fascinating look at one of the first ever works of fiction, by Greek poet Homer. Go to this episode on r…

Simon Morris looks at films about rebellion – from Iranian Oscar nominee The Seed of the Sacred Fig, to the biopic of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German cleric who tried to stand up to Hitler. And The Return is a new take on one of the oldest stories ever written, Homer’s Odyssey. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…

The Seed of the Sacred Fig – the story of an Iranian judge at odds with his daughters over their campaign for women’s rights – made its own headlines when the Iranian government forbade the director from going to the Cannes Film Festival. But when he defied them, the film picked up four awards there. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…

Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin tells the story of a dissident German cleric who was one of the few local voices raised against the might of the Nazi party. He was even prepared to risk his faith to support a plot to kill Adolf Hitler. Written and directed by Todd Komarnicki (Sully). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…

The Last Showgirl tells the story of a 50-plus Las Vegas dancer suddenly forced to confront her life and her future when her show Le Razzle Dazzle finishes after 30 years. Featuring a Golden Globes-nominated performance by Pamela Anderson (Baywatch) with Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All At Once) and Dave Bautista (Dune). Go to this episo…

The Rule of Jenny Pen is the latest by New Zealand director James Ashcroft (Coming Home in the Dark), about a rest home terrorised by a patient and his sinister doll. Starring Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow, it became a favourite of horror legend Stephen King (“one of the best movies I’ve seen this year.”) Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more d…

Snow White is the controversial remake of the Disney animated classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. StarringRachel Zegler (West Side Story) and Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), it’s currently scoring a record low 1.9 on IMDb. Can it be as bad as they say? Directed by Marc Webb (500 Days Of Summer). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…

Simon Morris joins the rest of the world in being unimpressed by the new Snow White, though he wonders how much worse it is from a string of Disney cover-versions over the years. He also checks out The Last Showgirl, featuring the return of Pamela Anderson, and New Zealand horror film The Rule of Jenny Pen, with an A-List cast. Go to this episode o…

Hard Truths is Mike Leigh’s Bafta nominated study of a woman consumed by anger at the world, despite the best efforts of her family. Featuring a multi-award-winning performance by the brilliant Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Secrets & Lies). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more detailsBy RNZ

Simon Morris accepts that, for all the hard work of everyone on a movie, most people are just looking at the actors. Three character studies this week, including Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, based on weeks of actors’ improvisations… Black Bag, in which a spy investigates six possible traitors, including his own wife... and the last – and some say the …

Firebrand tells the story of Catherine Parr, the sixth and last wife of the brutal Henry the Eighth. Can she keep her head while staying true to her faith? Stars Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina) as Catherine, Jude Law (The Talented Mr Ripley) as Henry, with Erin Doherty (TV’s Adolescence) as the “firebrand heretic”, Anne Askew. Go to this episode on rn…

Black Bag sees American director Steven Soderbergh (Magic Mike) get into John Le Carre territory – a spy drama where two married agents suspect each other of leaking valuable information. What’s more important, their marriage or their country? Stars Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds), Cate Blanchett (Borderlands) and Pierce Brosnan (Mamma Mi…

Spit sees low-life criminal John Spitieri (Gettin’ Square) return after 20 years for his own movie. Can Spit conquer the bad guys, bond with his young nephew, get his new Syrian mate safely employed, all the time staying out of jail? As he says, everyone deserves a seventh chance. Stars David Wenham (Lord of the Rings). Go to this episode on rnz.co…

White Bird is a spin-off from the movie Wonder, in which young Auggie’s tormentor learns a lesson from his grandmother, a survivor from the Nazi occupation of France. Stars Dame Helen Mirren and directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more detailsBy RNZ

Mickey 17 is Bong Joon Ho’s (Parasite) unique take on science fiction, in which a lowly worker is regularly killed doing dangerous jobs, only to be revived to die another day. Stars Robert Pattinson (Twilight), Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things), Naomi Ackie (Blink Twice) and Steven Yeun (Minari). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…

Simon Morris looks at life after the glitter of the recent Oscars, in particular three more modest films, all coincidentally connected to earlier hits. Sci-fi comedy Mickey 17 is the belated followup to Korean hit Parasite. Spit follows a character from Australian crime spoof Gettin’ Square. And the villain from tear-jerker Wonder learns a lesson f…

Simon Morris glances at the recent Oscars, and finally gets to see the last nominee for Best Picture, Amazon Prime’s Nickel Boys. Also on this, the Millenial At The Movies, Swedish mockumentary The Last Journey, and a new take on legendary Swiss hero William Tell. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…

Nickel Boys may have been overshadowed at the Oscars, but it was already a critical favourite before it finally dropped on Amazon Prime this week. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead (The Underground Railroad), it’s directed by RaMell Ross and stars Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (King Richard). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for …

The Last Journey is a Swedish The Trip-style blend of fact and fiction by popular TV documentary stars Filip and Fredrik (Hasselhoff – A Swedish Talkshow). Filip wants to retrieve his father’s lust for life, and comes up with a novel way of doing it. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more detailsBy RNZ

William Tell rounds up some big theatre names (Jonathan Pryce, Rafe Spall, Sir Ben Kingsley) to back up Danish star Claes Bang (TV’s Bad Sisters) as the famous Swiss archer and rebel. Directed by former resident director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Nick Hamm, it surprisingly does without Rossini’s well-known Overture. Go to this episode on rn…

Simon Morris checks out another week entirely devoted to women-driven movies, and wonders if, finally, it’s no longer an issue. They include Mozart’s Sister, Neneh Superstar, New Zealand-Samoan feelgood tale Tinā, and Oscar-nominee I’m still here. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more detailsBy RNZ

Neneh Superstar is a French film about a little, second-generation African girl who aspires to dance at the world-famous Paris Opera Ballet. It seems all the odds are against her – particularly her hostile teacher, ballet superstar Marianne, played by French superstar Maïwenn (Jeanne du Barry). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…

Mozart’s Sister is a documentary of the other Mozart, Wolfgang’s sister Maria Anna. Like her famous brother, she was a child prodigy musician, by all accounts she was a very talented composer, so why is she all but forgotten? Until now, that is. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more detailsBy RNZ

I’m Still Here is a multi-award winning film from Brazilian director Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries). It stars Oscar nominee Fernanda Torres as a mother whose husband has been “disappeared” by the military dictatorship, and what she has to go through to find the truth. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…

Tinā is another crowd-pleasing Kiwi Samoan film, like Three Wise Cousins, Sione’s Wedding and The Orator. Directed by Miki Magasiva (TV’s The Panthers), it stars the great Anapela Polataivao as a grieving Mum who forms a choir at an exclusive – and very white – school in Christchurch. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…

Captain America: Brave New World sees a brave new Captain – former Falcon Sam Wilson – and several old friends and enemies facing new dangers – including a gigantic Red Hulk. Starring Anthony Mackie, with Harrison Ford as the President of the USA. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more detailsBy RNZ

Simon Morris looks at two films with a lot riding on them – the new Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, and the introduction of a new Captain America: Brave New World. But he wonders if Andrea Arnold’s miniscule Bafta nominee, Bird, might be a more helpful way to go. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…

Bird is the latest from critically acclaimed British film-maker Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank, Big Little Lies.). It was a nominee at both the Cannes Film Festival and the Baftas, and tells the story of a 12 year old girl with an unexpected new friend. Also stars Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Innisherin). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more detail…

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy sees the former Noughties party girl struggling with solo motherhood, and also juggling two conflicting suitors. Starring Renée Zellweger, with Hugh Grant, Leo Woodall, Emma Thompson and dozens more familiar faces! Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more detailsBy RNZ

September 5 is a blow-by-blow coverage of the story of how a terrorist invasion of the 1972 Munich Olympics was sent out to the world by a sports TV crew. Stars Peter Sarsgaard (Memory), Ben Chaplin (The Dig) and Leonie Benesch (The Teachers Lounge). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more detailsBy RNZ

Simon Morris looks at the art of “true-ish” movies based on real-life events. When does tweaking a story to make sense bury the whole point of a true story? He looks at three films that try and stick to the facts – September 5, Widow Clicquot and Prime Video’s The Order. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…

The Order adapts a best-selling book about a real-life group of domestic terrorists turned armed bank-robbers. Starring Jude Law (The Talented Mr Ripley) and Nicholas Hoult (About a Boy), it’s directed by Australian Justin Kurzel (True History of the Kelly Gang). Showing on Prime Video. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…

Widow Clicquot tells how the manufacturer of Veuve Clicquot champagne became the most successful businesswoman of her era. Produced by and starring Haley Bennett (Hillbilly Elegy), with Tom Sturridge (TV’s The Sandman) and Sam Riley (Control). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more detailsBy RNZ

Companion is a twisted tale of a man who ropes in his sex-bot…. or rather, his “emotional support companion” – to a plot not covered by her User’s Guide. Starring Sophie Thatcher (Heretic) and Jack Quaid (TV series The Boys). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more detailsBy RNZ

Nightbitch is a Disney Plus semi-fantasy about a mother of a toddler being driven into unexpected territory. Can she be turning into a dog? Starring Amy Adams (Arrival), Scoot McNairy (Woody Guthrie in A Complete Unknown) and Jessica Harper (My Favourite Year). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…

Simon Morris returns, having missed out on a bumper summer of good movies all lining up for the awards season. He’s less than impressed with his first selection, involving slightly kinky women CEOs – Babygirl - mothers turning into dogs – Nightbitch - and renegade robot girlfriends - Companion. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…

Babygirl sees Nicole Kidman in a Golden Globe-nominated turn as a frustrated CEO of a big tech company, who finds herself being lured into dangerous erotic territory by her new intern. Co-starring Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots) and Harris Dickinson (Triangle of Sadness). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…

Dan Slevin reviews three new films in cinemas: In The Brutalist, Adrien Brody plays a Hungarian emigré architect looking for a new life in post-war America, in the documentary The Haka Party Incident, an Auckland University drinking party is disrupted by Māori activists, and in Maria, Angelina Jolie plays the prima donna Maria Callas during the las…