Movies
Frozen rewrote Disney princess narrative - and it's still relevant
The movie wasn't just a box office success - it introduced a princess who was strong, flawed and uninterested in romance.
Why are screen villains always drinking milk?
From Frankenstein to cold-blooded assassin Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, milk is a long way from human kindness in movieland.
New girl on Stranger Things is 'part Kiwi'
Fourteen-year-old Nell Fisher wasn't allowed to see the hit Netflix show when she first auditioned - her mum thought it was too scary.
Toy Story turns 30: Pixar's animated comedy went to infinity and beyond
Toy Story took more than four years to create and made history as the world's first computer-animated feature film.
Short-Cuts with Dan Slevin
Our Nights' resident screen critic joins Emile Donovan for some weekend reviews and recommendations, Audio
Review: Star power can't save flawed Clooney flick
Jay Kelly joins the list of recent releases with all-star casts that failed to trouble the box office.
Big-screen adaptation of iconic Kiwi dog show coming soon
For those who grew up with the whistle of a shepherd and the shuffle of a determined collie on a Sunday evening, the project arrives steeped in nostalgia.
Fast Favourites: Best actress winner Antonia Prebble
She's one of the country's most beloved actors and on Friday night, took home the New Zealand Screen Awards for Best Actress in a Series for the second time for her role in the comedy Double Parked… Audio
Short-Cuts with Dan Slevin
Nights' resident screen critic joins Emile Donovan to review a raft of theatre on screen works: the recording of hit stage production Hamilton (2020), rental Good Night and Good Luck (2025), Dr… Audio
Spinal Tap II: Reboot of '80s cult classic falls short
David St Hubbins, Derek Smalls and Nigel Tufnel return, but despite big cameos and a bigger budget, it fails to fire.
Review : The Running Man
The Running Man is set in a world of extreme poverty where the only way out is via high-paying reality TV shows. The most popular one is The Running Man where contestants are hunted down by the… Audio
Review : Spinal Tap II: The end continues
Spinal Tap II: The end continues is the long-awaited - 40 years in fact - sequel to the cult favourite mockumentary This is Spinal Tap. Now everyone's favourite fake metal band reform for a final… Audio
At The Movies - Blockbuster
Simon Morris remembers the golden age of Blockbuster Videos, where failed movies could recoup their costs when they went to video. This week, a sequel to one such film Spinal Tap II: The End… Audio
Review : Now You See Me: Now You Don't
Now You See Me: Now You Don't is the third in the series of tales of conjurors, robbing from the rich. This time the Four Horserman need help from three keen young magicians. Stars Jesse Eisenberg… Audio
Short-Cuts with Dan Slevin
Nights' resident screen critic joins Emile Donovan to review Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (in cinemas), East of Wall (paid streaming) and Blackbird (free, YouTube). Audio
Die My Love: The film Jennifer Lawrence, Martin Scorsese had to get made
After reading Die My Love in book club, Martin Scorsese knew it had to be made into a film. Now it's rewriting cinema's portrayal of womanhood and postpartum depression.
Review : A Little Something Extra
A Little Something Extra is a hugely popular comedy in France. Two jewel robbers hide out from the cops among a party of holidaying people with disabilities. They find it harder than it looks to fit… Audio
Review : Predator: Badlands
Predator: Badlands finds a young member of the Yautja (Predator) tribe hunting on the most dangerous planet in the Galaxy. His quest: to capture a beast that can't be killed. Starring Elle Fanning as… Audio
At The Movies - Targeted
Simon Morris returns to a group of rather specifically targeted movies. From the recent International Film Festival, a very French farce about two crooks hiding out at a camp for people with… Audio
Review : Happyend
Happyend is a Japanese drama, set in the near future. Five high school rebels face the prospect of going their separate ways, while corrupt politics arrive at both the school and out in the wider… Audio
