Deadpool & Wolverine sees two Marvel Comics mavericks combine to save Disney's beleaguered MCU. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are joined by a dazzling array of cameos, including Emma Corrin (The Crown's Princess Diana), Matthew McFadyen (Succession), Channing Tatum, Blake Lively and Wesley Snipes.

French hit Mr Blake at your service sees John Malkovich (Dangerous liaisons) play a British businessman (entirely in French!) who takes a job as a butler in a French stately home. Also starring evergreen French star Fanny Ardant (8 women).

The President's wife sees the unstoppable Catherine Deneuve (Belle de jour) portray another force of nature - Bernadette Chirac, wife of President Jacques Chirac, who became more popular than her husband among the French public.

Simon Morris realizes there are several worlds of movies around this week - from Marvel's Multiverse in Deadpool & Wolverine to the popular French hits, typified by The President's wife with Catherine Deneuve and Mr Blake at your service with John Malkovich.

From the French Film Festival, Divertimento, based on a real-life young woman from the Parisian projects who became one of France's great woman conductors. "Divertimento" is the name of Zahia Ziousani's own orchestra.

Simon Morris wonders if genre is always a good guide to a movie's quality. Just because you usually like that sort of film. Horizon: An American saga - Chapter 1 is a typically epic Kevin Costner (Dances with wolves) western - at three hours it's not even halfway finished apparently. Written, produced and directed by Costner, it also features Abbey…

Horizon: An American saga - Chapter 1 is a typically epic Kevin Costner (Dances with wolves) western - at three hours it's not even halfway finished apparently. Written, produced and directed by Costner, it also features Abbey Lee (Mad Max: Fury Road), Sienna Miller (American sniper) and Sam Worthington (Avatar).…

Longlegs is a hugely popular, serial killer horror film. A sensation on social media, it's reignited the career of Nicolas Cage as the titular villain - with a voice inspired by his mother! Also stars Blair Underwood (TV's Elsbeth) and Maika Monroe (It follows).

Kinds of kindness is a typically opaque collection of loosely-connected short stories by UK-Greek film-maker Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor things). Starring Emma Stone (The favourite), Willem Dafoe (The Florida project) and Jesse Plemens (Civil war).

Twisters - 28 years after the original Twister a new crew is chasing storms in Oklahoma's notorious "Tornado Alley". Starring Glen Powell (Hit man) and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Where the crawdads sing). Once again produced by Steven Spielberg.

Simon Morris is confronted by an embarrassment of good, entertaining movies. And about time too…

Fly me to the moon sees Scarlett Johanssen and Channing Tatum in a romantic romp that wonders what if the moon landing really was faked? Co-starring Woody Harrelson as President Nixon's hatchet man.

On At the Movies, Dan Slevin reviews Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy and Austin Butler in The Bikeriders, a drama about Chicago motorcycle gangs in the 1960s, three competing animated sequels for the school holidays, and Eddie Murphy's fourth outing as Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.

Eddie Murphy returns as the Detroit detective getting into and out of trouble in the posh part of Los Angeles, reviewed by Dan Slevin.

Dan Slevin reviews Jeff Nichols' drama about a Chicago motorcycle gang in the 1960s, based on Danny Lyon's famous book of photojournalism.

Dan Slevin watches three competing animated sequels - Despicable Me 4, Inside Out 2 and 200% Wolf.

Simon Morris talks to the new director of Whānau Mārama, the New Zealand International Film Festival. Paolo Bertolin plucks some highlights from. this year's programme, including Cannes sensation The seed of the sacred fig, tributes to musician Paul Simon and one-time Superman, the late actor Christopher Reeves, and New Zealand classics, new and ol…

Coup de chance is Woody Allen's 50th movie - and his first entirely in the French language. A chance meeting - a stroke of luck or the worst thing that could happen?

Ka whawhai tonu: Struggle without end tells the famous story of Rewi's Last Stand in the Land Wars of the 1860s. Directed by Michael Jonathan, it features Tem Morrison (Aquaman), Cliff Curtis (Avatar), Miriama Smith (Love and monsters) and newcomers Paku Fernandez and Hinerangi Harawira-Nicholas.

The road to Patagonia is the story of a couple who travel from Alaska to the southernmost tip of Patagonia, and along the way shoot enough footage to make a great love story. Directed, photographed and edited by real-life couple Matty Hannan and Heather Hillier.

Simon Morris looks at the conflicting demands of history and a good story. When the truth becomes legend, should you always print the legend?

The Promised Land is a historical drama set in Denmark in the early 18th century. A retired army captain (Mads Mikkelson) plans to turn a barren heath into successful farmland but makes a powerful enemy in the local magistrate.

Mothers' Instinct is a Hitchcock-style suspense thriller produced by its stars Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain. (Now streaming on Prime Video)

The Watchers is the directorial debut of Ishana Shyamalan, produced by her rather more famous father M Night Shyamalan. In it, a young woman (Dakota Fanning) finds herself trapped in the Irish woods by a mysterious group.

Simon Morris discovers three old-fashioned movies mostly from outside the Hollywood mainstream.

Under Paris is part shark-thriller, part French cop movie and part Greenie parable - which is why it's getting enthusiastic thumbs-up from unexpected quarters.

Simon Morris continues to be unimpressed by the so-called "blockbuster season", and finds better - or at least more interesting - stuff on Netflix this week.

Hit Man, from arthouse darling Richard Linklater, tells the true-ish story of a "fake hitman" working for the New Orleans Police Department.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die is the fourth in the buddy-cop franchise starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Does it have the same magic 30 years after the first episode?

The Garfield movie sees the big screen return of the sarcastic, overweight marmalade tabby. Now voiced by Chris Pratt (The Lego movie) with Samuel L Jackson as his long-lost father and Snoop Dogg as a cat.

Atlas is a new scifi thriller on Netflix, starring Jennifer Lopez as a genius scientist on the hunt for her family robot, whose gone rogue and plans to destroy the Earth. Believe it or not, it went straight to Number One on the streaming service.

Unsung hero is the mostly true story of Australia's Smallbone family, who emigrated to America and ended up spawning two leading Christian music acts - Rebecca St James and pop duo For King and Country. Starring Josh Smallbone as his father David and popular Australian actress Daisy Betts (Last resort) as his mother.…

Simon Morris finds it hard to get much sympathy when he complains about the regular mixed bag of movies currently on display at the cinema!

Copa 71 is a documentary of the first, unofficial Women's Football World Cup in Mexico City 1971. Football organisers FIFA did all they could to close it down, and later hush it up. Produced by Venus and Serena Williams.

Simon Morris wonders why prequels are so much rarer than sequels - and reviews three films, all in their way, backstories of later events.

Furiosa follows the 15 year backstory of the co-star of Mad Max Fury Road. Anya Taylor-Joy plays the girl kidnapped from her idyllic home, and out for vengeance. Once again directed by George Miller, and co-starring Chris Hemsworth as Doctor Dementus.

Freud's Last Session is a play about a fictitious meeting between the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, and the Christian writer, and later creator of the Narnia books, C S Lewis. Starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Goode (Downton Abbey) and Liv Lisa Fies (Berlin Babylon).

The Way, My Way is the film of director Bill Bennett's book about how he walked the 800-kilometre pilgrims' walk - the Camino de Santiago.

Simon Morris looks at a lucky dip of movies - a family fantasy, an extended home movie travelogue and an optimistic first part of a new horror franchise. IF is about a girl who discovers a world of Imaginary Friends of children who've outgrown them. Can she find them new homes, and can they get her through some personal traumas? Starring Ryan Reyno…

IF is about a girl who discovers a world of Imaginary Friends of children who've outgrown them. Can she find them new homes, and can they get her through some personal traumas? Starring Ryan Reynolds, Cailey Fleming and a host of celebrity voice talent as the Ifs. Directed by John Krasinski (A quiet place).…

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is the first part of an extended remake of a 2008 Liv Tyler horror film, directed by the notorious Renny Harlin.

Joika is a Polish New Zealand co-production about the only American to join the famed Bolshoi Ballet. Starring Diane Kruger (Inglourious basterds) and Talia Ryder (Never rarely sometimes always), it was written and directed by James Napier Robertson (Dark horse).

The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sees the return of the popular series, many years after the last episode. Starring Owen Teague (It) and Freya Allen (Baghead) but the real stars are the amazing effects from Weta Digital.

Jackie Stewart tells the story of one of the most popular drivers on the Formula 1 scene. Sir Jackie tells his story from his childhood in Scotland to his superstar status that continues to this day. Directed by Patrick Mark (Fabergé: A life of its own)

Simon Morris sympathises with based-on-real-life movies where the real life doesn't quiote fit the music. And he welcomes back a franchise with a lot of New Zealand digital effects.

The Idea of You imagines what would happen if a 40-year-old gallery owner (Anne Hathaway) fell in love with a 24-year-old singer in a boy band.

This new biopic of British singer Amy Winehouse is everything you were expecting and less, says Simon Morris.

Simon Morris regrets the dearth of the sophisticated blend of romance and comedy - and looks at three films all based, more or less, on love.

The Moon Is Upside Down is a New Zealand film following three stories of love gone wrong - a mail-order bride, a long-distance Skype affair and a woman wrestling with death.

The Fall Guy is a reboot of an old TV series about stunt men which benefits from three suddenly very hot stars - Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer), Hannah Waddingham (TV's Ted Lasso) and particularly Ryan Gosling (Barbie).