Movies
Revirw : The Smashing Machine
The Smashing Machine tells the true story of Mixed Martial Arts pioneer Mark Kerr and his struggles with drugs and depression. Starring Dwayne Johnson/The Rock (Fast and Furious) and Emily Blunt (The… Audio
Review : Play Dirty
Play Dirty sees writer-director Shane Black (Predator, Iron Man 3) bring pulp fiction favourite Parker to the screen. Robber/gunman Parker (Mark Wahlberg) is roped into a billion dollar heist by… Audio
Review : Steve
Steve, starring and produced by Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) is the story of a troubled teacher holding a 1990s English reform school together by sheer will-power. Featuring Tracy Ullman… Audio
Mavericks And Rule Breakers
Simon Morris looks at three movies about people who break the rules. The Rock gets out of his comfort zone in The Smashing Machine, about a pioneer of the no-holds-barred MMA…. Maverick director Shane… Audio
The 1950s film format making a big comeback
Paul Thomas Anderson's eagerly awaited One Battle After Another is the latest film shot in the old-school format.
'Vague threat' - Trump tariff talk takes aim at NZ film industry
Explainer - Donald Trump wants a 100 percent tariff on "foreign movies" made outside the US. What would that do to NZ's film industry? Audio
Could new tariffs put New Zealand's film industry at risk?
Following President Trump's re-announcement of 100 percent tariffs on foreign films, Emile Donovan speaks to the President of Screen Producers NZ Irene Gardiner. Audio
Tilly Norwood: The new star that has Hollywood outraged
The creator of the AI-generated actress says they want Tilly to be thought of like Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman. But people in showbiz are livid.
Fast Favourites with singer-songwriter Julia Deans
She joins Perlina Lau to share some of her cultural picks Audio
Short-Cuts with Dan Slevin
Nights' resident screen critic joins Mark Leishman to talk about One Battle After Another (in cinemas) and a new "secret cinema" initiative from AroVision in Wellington. Audio
A formulaic Aussie film saved by a charming ensemble
If you like kangaroos, big city weathermen being accepted in a town with virtually no weather, cute kids and lovable adults, then this likable Aussie outing will hit the mark.
Review : Kangaroo
Kangaroo has all the right elements for a feelgood, family movie - small-town outback Australia, a big city idiot and a teenage girl both looking for redemption, and an awful lot of kangaroos… Audio
You Had Me At Hello
Simon Morris is seduced by some undeniably charming stars - Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell in A Big, Bold, Beautiful Journey, indigenous Australian national treasures Deborah Mailman and Wayne Blair… Audio
Review : Prime Minister
Prime Minister is the story of Jacinda Ardern's eventful five years leading Aotearoa New Zealand. With previously unseen footage shot by Ardern's partner Clarke Gayford, it's not just a biopic of a… Audio
Review : A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey features Colin Farrell (In Bruges) and Margot Robbie (Barbie) being drawn back into their pasts by magical rental car! Directed by Kogonada (After Yang) and featuring… Audio
Short-Cuts with Dan Slevin
Nights' resident screen critic joins Emile Donovan to review the American fantasy comedy horror film Sketch and looks back at the work of the late Robert Redford and selects five titles that are… Audio
Clunkety clunk, as always, goes the latest Downton spin-off
Sumptuous looking and with a dream cast, Julian Fellowes' latest aristo outing nevertheless serves up the more of the same clunky plotting and tin-eared dialogue.
Review : Splitsville
Splitsville sees the International Film Festival comedy about open marriages get a general release. Essentially a millennial version of a Sixties hit, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, with added (male)… Audio
Just Your Opinion Man
Simon Morris finds himself on the wrong side of history - or at least the general, critical opinion of the new Stephen King movie, The Long Walk, and millennial sex-comedy Splitsville. Though he… Audio
Review : The Long Walk
The Long Walk, based on Stephen King's first novel, is set in a dystopian future where 50 young men compete to be the last one standing. If they slow down they're shot. Directed by Francis Lawrence… Audio
