Challengers (out Apr 18) dumbs down the tennis elements to make it more cinematic, but it's still a terrific movie about three players (played by Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, and Mike Faist) and the power games between them. It’s great to see Hollywood getting behind a romantic drama with meaty ideas. The movie entertains (lots of great individual scenes) while offering plenty to chat about afterwards. Cool music score too! Grade: A-.

Evil Does Not Exist (out Apr 18) is a slow-burn drama from Oscar nominated director Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car) and is about a small Japanese community who rebel against a major company looking to turn their town into a tourist hot spot. Holds your attention but wanted more to think about. Grade: B.

Jeanne du Barry (out Apr 18) provides an intriguing look at the royal customs of 18th Century France and the scandalous relationship between the King and his favoured mistress. Repetitive at times but still found myself enchanted by this world. Also enjoyed the music score of Stephen Warbeck. Grade: B+.

Freud’s Last Session (out Apr 18) is based on a stage play and shows a series of fictitious 1939 meetings between acclaimed neurologist Sigmund Freud and upcoming writer C.S. Lewis. A lot of chatter about religion and relationships but is it offering anything insightful? I’m not convinced. Grade: C+.

Back to Black (out Apr 11) is a rudimentary biopic about singer Amy Winehouse with a heavy focus on key relationships - her nan, her father, and her husband. It's a shallow screenplay that, unlike the Asif Kapadia documentary of 2015, isn't telling us anything new and isn't deeply scrutinising the mindset of Winehouse and those around her. Grade: C+.

Civil War (out Apr 11) is directed by Alex Garland (Ex Machina) and follows a team of journalists travelling from New York City to Washington DC in the midst of a violent war between states. Great use of visuals and sound. Engaging characters. Let down by a garbage finale. Grade: B.

Late Night with the Devil (out Apr 11) provides a refreshing spin on the horror / supernatural genre. We watch a 1977 episode of a fictitious late-night talk show as the host performs a quasi-exorcism on stage to help boost sagging TV ratings. Directed by two Aussies and featuring distinctive performances and cinematography, this is one of the year's best. Grade: A.

Robot Dreams (out Apr 11) was nominated at the Oscars for best animated feature and is a dialogue-free flick about a lonely dog who befriends a robot. There’s an upper layer which kids can easily follow but there are other deeper layers which require a higher maturity level to fully grasp. It's not afraid to be dark and sad. Grade: A-.

La Chimera (out Apr 11) is from Italian director Alice Rohrwacher and is centred on a man (Josh O'Connor) who teams up with an eccentric group to rob ancient graves in search of money. I enjoyed the film's meandering pace and relaxed vibe... but struggled to grasp something meaningful to take away. Grade: B.

The First Omen (out Apr 4) illustrates how you can take a wafer-thin (at best) idea and painfully drag it out for two hours. A dull horror film where I didn't care about a single character. Grade: C.