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16 March 2010

Simon Morris asks the director of the upcoming World Cinema Showcase, Bill Gosden, to give us a sneak preview of the festival’s highlights – including Oscar-winner The Hurt Locker and Bafta-winners A Single Man and Fish Tank.

2 March 2010

Simon looks at the latest films from two world-class directors – Martin Scorcese’s Shutter Island, and Jane Campion’s Bright Star. He also looks at two smaller films – from Australia Balibo and from Norway, Max Manus.

24 February 2010

Simon talks to the directors of the Documentary Edge Festival.

Dan Shanan and Alex Lee look at the current state of documentaries, and previews some of the highlights some of this year’s festival.

10 February 2010

Oscar darling, the independent American film Precious. Mel Gibson returns to the screen in an adaptation of TV classic Edge of Darkness. And Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker hide from the Mob, and the critics, in Did you hear about the Morgans?

3 February 2010

Three films that are all about directors - Nine is a musical remake of Fellini's Eight and a Half; Broken Embraces is a Spanish film about a blind director; and Invictus is as much about director Clint Eastwood as it is about Nelson Mandela.

27 January 2010

Simon previews the upcoming Oscars with a look at the best films of 2009 - and who says they're the best films? Are the critics never wrong? Is the public infallible? Is the only true criterion a film's box-office performance?

11 November 2009

Heath Ledger’s last film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. My Sister’s Keeper offers some surprises – like a dramatic role for Cameron Diaz, and a completely different ending from the book. And Michael Moore takes on the whole American system with Capitalism a Love Story.

4 November 2009

Simon previews some highlights of the first German Film Festival, and talks to Australian director Sarah Watt about her endearing family comedy My Year Without Sex.

28 October 2009

Simon Morris looks at what’s happened to food in America. Julie and Julia is a tribute to cooking legend Julia Child – starring acting legend Meryl Streep. Food Inc. shows that farming today is more like an industrial production line. And Surrogates portrays a world in which everyone does everything online.

21 October 2009

Simon Morris goes around the world - to a Chinese epic Red Cliff, to a French farce A Pain in the Ass, to an American horror Final Destination 3D and to an English film devoted to the beautiful game, football - The Damned United.

14 October 2009

Simon Morris devotes most of the show to the English film An Education, written by Nick Hornby, and has an extended interview with one of its stars, Alfred Molina.

7 October 2009

Simon Morris is favourably disposed towards three films – political satire, In The Loop… award-winning Australian art-film Samson and Delilah… and a new American break-up comedy-drama, 500 Days of Summer.

23 September 2009

Simon Morris reviews the acclaimed English science fiction film Moon. He also looks at the latest Adam Sandler comedy, Funny People and a documentary about American Vogue magazine, The September Issue.

16 September 2009

Simon Morris welcomes the 10th hit in a row from the Pixar animation studio, Up. Michael Caine wonders Is Anybody There? And a new remake of Seventies hit The Taking of Pelham 123 stars John Travolta and Denzel Washington.

9 September 2009

Simon Morris returns with a look at two American films – Taking Woodstock and The Soloist - and the latest New Zealand feature, The Strength of Water, based on a script by Briar Grace-Smith.

26 August 2009

Simon begs to differ over the rave reviews of Quentin Tarentino’s World War II epic, Inglourious Basterds. He also looks at two favourites at the recent International Film Festival – from France, Seraphine, and from Japan, Departures.

19 August 2009

Simon joins the rave reviews of Peter Jackson's new production, District 9. He's less enthusiastic for American toy story G I Joe, but discovers Coco Before Chanel has something even for the fashion-challenged.

12 August 2009

Simon reviews the new New Zealand comedy Separation City, and a potential classic children’s fable, Coraline. He also talks to New Zealand director Christine Jeffs about her latest film, Sunshine Cleaning.

5 August 2009

Simon Morris looks at three films loosely based around law and order – Thirties gangster movie Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp; Battle in Seattle, a docu-drama about the clash between the police and anti-World Trade Organisation activists in 1999; and Faintheart, which looks at the life of a part-time Viking.

29 July 2009

This week Simon looks at comedy horror films, past and present. He talks to composer and pianist Neil Brand, prior to Neil’s providing the music for two Film Festival silent movies. And he review’s Sam Raimi’s latest – Drag Me To Hell. He also looks at a Scottish film about the true story of the Stone Of Destiny.

22 July 2009

Simon joins the queues to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, and wonders if My Life In Ruins might be a little too feelgood. He also has a look at the graduation films of the Class of 2009 at the New Zealand Film School.

15 July 2009

This week Simon Morris reviews would-be celebrity Bruno, and a new Italian film based on the true story of The Sicilian Girl. He also checks out some of the documentaries on show at the International Film Festival, including The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector.

8 July 2009

Simon Morris goes to the holiday movies – Ice Age 3D and Hannah Montana: The Movie. He also looks over some of our top short films, soon to be seen at the International Film Festival, including the Cannes Festival award-winner The Six Dollar Fifty Man.

24 June 2009

Simon Morris begs to differ over two movies – the much-maligned Proposal, starring Sandra Bullock, and the politely-received A Bunch of Amateurs, featuring Burt Reynolds playing King Lear. He also looks at a Dutch-New Zealand drama Bride Flight.

17 June 2009

Simon reviews three minor-key American movies. Forever Strong is that rare thing – a drama about rugby. Arranged offers an unusual view of arranged marriages in the United States. And Elegy is a very New York drama, starring Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz.

10 June 2009

Simon finds out if Terminator Salvation is worth the wait. Canadian film Fugitive Pieces revisits the suddenly fashionable Holocaust story. And a little British B-movie, The Escapist, is more than meets the eye.

3 June 2009

Simon talks to Viggo Mortensen about his new film, the Holocaust drama Good. He also reviews the American film version of award-winning BBC series State of Play, and an update of a 1920s play by Sir Noel Coward, Easy Virtue.

27 May 2009

Simon looks at Knowing, starring Nicolas Cage, and A Film With Me In It, starring Dylan Moran, and Night At The Museum 2, starring some of the top comedians in Britain and America.

20 May 2009

This week Simon Morris investigates Angels and Demons, goes In Search of Beethoven, and talks to the director of critically-acclaimed French film I’ve Loved You So Long, Philippe Claudel.

13 May 2009

Simon Morris looks at the new Star Trek movie, featuring the young Captain Kirk and Mister Spock. A new French film, Ramon de Gare, finds there’s more to a best-selling novel than meets the eye,  and comedian Bill Maher takes on organized religion in Religulous.

6 May 2009

Simon Morris welcomes the blockbuster season with the latest X Men epic, Wolverine. He also checks out yet another World War II drama, Defiance, and Last Chance Harvey, starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson

29 April 2009

This week Simon Morris looks at an international thriller called  - The International. He also pops along to the little Canadian independent, Wilby Wonderful and samples the notorious Hamlet 2, starring English comedian Steve Coogan.

22 April 2009

Simon tries to avoid holiday season staples – Pink Panther 2, Fast and Furious and Dragonball Evolution.   He pops along to British comedy The Boat That Rocked and talks to the director of the new French hit, The Grover’s Son.

15 April 2009

Simon talks to the new CEO of the New Zealand Film Commission, Graeme Mason and reviews the latest New Zealand movie to hit our cinemas – The Topp Twins’ documentary, Untouchable Girls. He also finds out whether Kate Winslet’s Oscar-winning performance in The Reader is worth the wait.

8 April 2009

This week Simon Morris puts on his 3D glasses to see Monsters Versus Aliens. In contrast, he looks at four films in the current World Cinema Showcase – Gomorrah, Trans-Siberian, Trumbo and JCVD – Jean-Claude Van Damme as you’ve never seen him before.

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