Rnz: At The Movies

Simon Morris accepts that most American films are selling fairy-tales of one sort or another.

Swimming with men stars Rob Brydon as a man who cures his mid-life crisis by joining a men's synchronized swimming group. Directed by Oliver Parker (Dad's Army).

Everybody Knows is a Spanish kidnap drama, starring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, and directed by Iranian Oscar-winner Asghar Farhadi (A Separation).

The guilty is a Danish thriller set mostly in one location - a police emergency call centre. One of the hits of the recent NZ Film Festival.

Simon Morris looks briefly at the Oscars, then checks out three very different movies: Stan and Ollie, about the last hurrah of Laurel and Hardy… Vox Lux, a sardonic take on modern pop stardom… and live video-game Escape Room.

Vox Lux stars Natalie Portman as a young woman who uses a high school shooting to build a career as a pop star with music by Sia and the legendary Scott Walker.

Escape room is an affectionate take on old video games and "trapped in a room" thrillers like Saw. Directed by Adam Robitel (Insidious).

Stan & Ollie is a British film that remembers the final tour of comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. Written by Jeff Pope (Philomena) and starring Steve Coogan and John C Reilly.

Simon Morris looks back at this year's Oscars, and admires films that ignore trends and just follow the passion of the film-makers.

Colette stars Keira Knightley as the woman who became one of the best-known writers in French literature.

The front runner tells the story of Senator Gary Hart's doomed bid for the Presidency in 1988. Stars Hugh Jackman and J K Simmons.

On the Basis of Sex tells of the early years of gender-equality campaigner - and later Supreme Court Judge - Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Stars Felicity Jones and Armie Hammer.

Simon Morris looks at three films based on well-known real-life stories, and complains how predictable they mostly are.

On At The Movies, Simon Morris returns to look back on a busy summer and forward to the upcoming Academy Awards. Can The Favourite match its success at this week's British Bafta Awards, or will Oscar favour something more homegrown?

Dan Slevin reviews a new drama about a recovering drug addict who returns home for the Christmas holidays to a family that is less than pleased to see him (starring Julia Roberts).

A 12-year-old Lebanese boy sues his deadbeat parents for bringing him into a world where they couldn't care for him, reviewed by Dan Slevin.

Dan Slevin reviews a contemporary drama about an African-American teenager caught between two cultures after a police shooting.

Dan Slevin is filling in for Simon Morris and this week he reviews three new films: The Hate U Give, Capernaum and Ben is Back.

Pioneers of African-American Cinema & Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers Dan Slevin looks at two collections of rare American films from the silent era to WWII shine a light on previously ignored films and filmmakers.

Dan Slevin reviews Clint Eastwood's 37th film as director, The Mule (in which he also stars).