Simon Morris

La Cucina is one day in the life of popular restaurant The Grill. Although it's set in New York, it's based on a 1961 English play and it's written and directed by Mexican Alonso Ruizpalacios. Stars… Audio

The Salt Path is the story of real-life couple Raynor and Moth Winn who set out to walk the gruelling track around Devon and Cornwall after they lose everything in a bad investment. Based on Raynor's… Audio

Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning seems to imply this is Tom Cruise's last hurrah in the franchise. Though never say "final". This features old hands Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg, newer hands… Audio

Simon Morris tests the two methods of movie financing - betting a few dollars on small films like Mexican art-film La Cocina and English real-life memoir The Salt Path… or taking a huge plunge on a… Audio

Simon Morris checks out two films based on well-known material - just not well-known by him! Irish film Lies we tell is a 19th century thriller, The wedding banquet is a remake of one of Ang Lee's… Audio

Lies We Tell tells the story of an heiress whose shady uncle plans to get hold of her fortune by forcing her to marry his son. It was a big winner at the Irish Film Awards, including best actress for… Audio

The wedding banquet is a remake of the 1993 crowd-pleaser, written and directed by Ang Lee. This one stars Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live), Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars), Lily Gladstone (Killers of… Audio

Marlon Williams: Nga Ao E Rua (Two Worlds) is a documentary about the Kiwi alt-country star and his journey to make his first album entirely in te reo. Spoiler alert: that album went on to top the New… Audio

Thunderbolts* are the B-Team you summon when Marvel superstars The Avengers are unavailable. Ironically, or not, it's proving a big hit after a few Marvel misfires. Starring Florence Pugh… Audio

Simon Morris has one of those weeks where you need to do your own research. Looking up the minor villains that make up Thunderbolts*…. Brushing up his knowledge of Kiwi household name Marlon… Audio

The Accountant 2 sees the return of Ben Affleck as the eccentric, former criminal accountant who sets out to avenge the murder of his best friend. Also stars Jon Bernthal (The Amateur) and Cynthia… Audio

Prime Video's My Old Ass and Netflix's Havoc have one thing in common - neither was exactly what their trailers promised. The first promises more of TV favourite Aubrey Plaza (White Lotus) than it… Audio

Independent film The People We Love is that very rare thing, a Kiwi romance. Writer-director Mike Smith (TV's My Life Is Murder and Siege) wonders we're so reluctant to make such a popular genre, and… Audio

Simon Morris goes off the beaten track this week, including two features found on streaming services - Netflix's Havoc and Prime Video's My Old Ass. He also finds a surprising number of self-funded… Audio

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… Audio

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… Audio

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… Audio

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… Audio

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… Audio

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… Audio