Little Wonder Bear (out Feb 12) is a Peruvian-made animated feature about a talking bear who goes on an adventure to find his missing brother and help save the planet. Dubbed into English for its Australian release, I feel like something has been lost in translation as characters rush their dialogue. Grade: C.

Shelter (out Feb 5) is a cliche-laden action thriller. Jason Statham plays a man living a deliberately solitary life but secretive government agents will soon come after him. Grade: C+.

The Strangers: Chapter 3 (out Feb 5) is a pathetic conclusion to the horror trilogy. The characters' actions make no sense and the dialogue is appalling. Grade: C-.

Is This Thing On? (out Feb 5) is directed by Bradley Cooper and is based on the true story of a man, recently separated from his wife, who rediscovers his zest for life after stumbling into a bar and performing stand-up comedy. It digs a little deeper than the average romantic comedy with nice lead performances from Will Arnett and Laura Dern. Grade: B.

Saipan (out Feb 5) transports us back to the 2002 FIFA World Cup and is a dramatized interpretation of a stoush in the Irish football team between captain Roy Keane and coach Mick McCarthy.  This feels way too simplistic with the supporting folk come across as caricatures.  I’d have preferred a documentary approach where we hear from the actual people involved. Grade: C+.

We Bury the Dead (out Feb 5) is a seen-it-all-before apocalyptic movie where a woman (Daisy Ridley) goes in search of her missing husband amongst a sea of zombies in Tasmania (of all places).  Production values are fine but the story is not interesting enough. Grade: C.

Addition (out Jan 29) is an Australian romantic drama starring Teresa Palmer and Joe Dempsie and is based on a 2008 novel authored by Toni Jordan. It's about two strangers who unexpectedly find love but there are a few bumps along the way. It feels like we only get a surface-level view of these characters. I wanted more. Grade: C+.

Send Help (out Jan 29) brings back memories of Triangle of Sadness in that it's about shifting power dynamics between two people stuck on a deserted island following a plane crash. I enjoyed the unlikeable characters and unexpected plot points. That said, it's a bumpy screenplay with a few events feeling goofy and contrived. A mixed bag. Grade: B-.

Blue Moon (out Jan 29) is set almost entirely in one location and follows acclaimed lyricist Lorenz Hart as he interacts with an assortment of people in a New York bar in 1943. I’d have preferred a bit more drama/narrative but it’s hard to fault the lead performance of Ethan Hawke who makes it an interesting character study. Grade: B.

It Was Just an Accident (out Jan 29) is a movie you won’t soon forget. Wikipedia labels it a “thriller” but the plot is so absurd (in a good way), that I’ll describe is as an extremely dark comedy. The less you know going in the better! Winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes, it deals with politics, retribution, and forgiveness. Grade: A-.