Simon Morris

Thor:Ragnarok is another Marvel spectacular, with a very Down Under flavour. Director Taika Waititi casts Cate Blanchett as guest villain, and gives roles to every Kiwi actor he knows - including… Audio

Simon Morris is as curious as anyone about how Taika Waititi does directing blockbuster Thor Ragnarok. Bad luck for the competition: the cult-y Brigsby Bear and period drama Tulip Fever, starring… Video, Audio

The success of the Harry Potter books and films is certainly partly due to the magical stuff - witches and wizards, spells and potions. But it's also undoubtedly a tribute to the old-fashioned English… Audio

Geostorm solves the climate change problem, only to have it revived by someone who wants to "weaponize the weather"! Stars Gerard Butler, Abbie Cornish and Jim Sturgess. Audio

Maudie tells the story of real-life "outsider" artist Maude Lewis, and her complicated surprising relationship with husband Everett. Stars award-winners Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke. Audio

Waru invites eight women directors - mostly at the start of their careers - to contribute a ten-minute scene, shot in one take, to an 80 minute feature. Produced by Kerry Warkia and Kiel McNaughton… Audio

On At The Movies, two New Zealand films that went with their gut rather than a formula - Waru and No Ordinary Sheila  - and two very different North American films - Canadian indie Maudie and climate… Video, Audio

French-German film Frantz takes an 80-year-old classic film and swaps the plot around. Directed by Francois (Potiche) Ozon. Video, Audio

The Mountain Between Us blends two ideas - the "couple in peril" and the "wilderness survival". Stars Kate Winslett and Idris Elba. Video, Audio

Happy Death Day is daylight robbery of one of the best loved - and best known - comedy plots there is. And it works far better than it ought to! Stars Jessica Rothe, directed by Christopher (Scouts… Video, Audio

Simon Morris goes to three films with very few expectations built in - comedy-horror Happy Death Day, couple in peril The Mountain Between Us and French-German wartime drama Frantz. Video, Audio

Another Mother's Son is a story set in the one part of Britain occupied by the Nazis during World War Two - the Channel Islands. Stars Jenny Seagrove. Video, Audio

Final Portrait is actor and now director Stanley Tucci's tribute to painter and sculptor Alberto Giacometti. Stars Geoffrey Rush and Armie Hammer. Video, Audio