Peppermint (out Dec 13) stars Jennifer Garner as a woman who goes from simple mum to killing vigilante following the death of her husband and daughter. There's early promise but the film becomes less and less credible with each major plot development. Grade: C+.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (out Dec 13) takes chances and is rewarded in a big way. It feels like it’s tapping into the success of Deadpool in that it’s very self-aware and broadly mocks the genre. The fact that it’s an animated movie, which we don’t often see within the superhero genre, has allowed the writers and directors to push boundaries in terms of visuals and originality. Grade: A-.

Sorry to Bother You (out Dec 6) is a quirky, fun, creative debut feature from rapper Boots Riley and is the story of a young African American man who finds his life transformed after landing a job as a telemarketer and discovering his "white voice". Grade: A-.

Hostiles (out Dec 6) is set in 1892 and follows a disgruntled soldier (Christian Bale) forced to escort a Cheyenne war chief back to his tribal lands. We've seen this type of movie before but the story is well told and avoids clichés. Grade: B+.

Roma (out Dec 6) is a black & white Mexican film from Oscar winning director Alfonso Cuarón and is the story of a maid who works for a wealthy family in Mexico City. This is a beautiful character study that offers much to reflect upon and will stick with audiences as they leave the theatre. Grade: A-.

Second Act (out Dec 6) is the story of a woman who, after being continually denied a promotion at work, get the chance to pursue a more exciting career path. There are a few laughs but for the most part, it's a movie where almost every plot development feels impossible to believe. Grade: C.

Mortal Engines (out Dec 6) has a creative setting but a not-so-creative storyline. It transports us roughly 1,700 years in the future where a cataclysmic event has all but annihilated the human race. I liked the cities on wheels and the green-eyed robot but the heroes and villains in this ensemble are too simple and easy to read. Grade: B-.

Anna and the Apocalypse (out Nov 29) fits into a genre with which I am not familiar - a zombie Christmas musical comedy. There are some amusing songs but the storyline isn't adventurous and it runs out of gas in the final act. Grade: B-.

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (out Dec 6) is based on the true story of Lee Israel, a struggling writer who forged personal letters from deceased authors in the 1990s to help pay the rent. Melissa McCarthy and co-star Richard E. Grant deserve praise for creating rich, complex, interesting characters. Audiences will form different opinions of them but hopefully most will agree this is one of the year's best films. Grade: A.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (out Nov 22) is loosely based on Marius Petipa's 19th Century ballet and is the story of a young girl who travels to a mysterious kingdom and must intervene when war breaks out. There's not a huge amount of depth to the narrative here. Grade: B-.