At The Movies

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 Addai-Robinson (Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power). Directed by Gavin O’Connor (Mare of Easttown). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 Williams…. And struggling to remember an eight-year-old thriller about an autistic accountant. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 (Oppenheimer), Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Marlon Williams: Ngā 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 Zealand charts first week out. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 New Zealand movies this month, including romantic comedy The People We Love. He talks to director Mike Smith about the pros and cons of independence. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 how to negotiate the perils of the indie film-maker. The People We Love stars Neill Rea (Brokenwood Mysteries) and Alison Bruce (Tinā). Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 delivers, while the latter offers rather more Tom Hardy (Venom) than anyone asked for. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 Murphy plays a family man troubled by the secrets be...

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 details

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 details

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 details

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 details

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 details

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 episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 details

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 episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 rnz.co.nz for more details

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 episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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