Tea with the Dames (out Jun 7) is a documentary that brings together four of Great Britain’s greatest living actresses – Joan Plowright, Maggie Smith, Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins. They discuss a broad range of topics from how they first met right up to the battles of old age. You don’t have to be familiar with all of their work to appreciate their experience and the words of wisdom they impart on the audience. Maggie Smith the MVP. Grade: B+.

Hereditary (out Jun 7) is a film of two parts. The first half is a dark, heavy drama about a family keeping secrets and dealing with grief. The second half is a supernatural thriller where plot details are best kept under wraps. First time director Ari Aster hasn’t relied on old formulas to create cheap scares. This feels fresh and has some great performances headlines by Australian Toni Collette. Grade: A-.

Gringo (out May 31) is a crime comedy starring Joel Edgerton, Charlize Theron and David Oyelowo. It's doing its best to outsmart the audience but there are too many narratives and too many characters. Aside from being money hungry pricks, everyone's motives are cloudy. Grade: C+.

The Bookshop (out Mat 24) is set in the late 1950s and is ultimately a lengthy fight between two passionate women about whether a rundown building should be a bookshop or an arts centre. The characters are poorly developed, the narration adds no value, and certain parts of the narrative make no sense. Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson and Bill Nighy are all accomplished actors but their talents are not enough to save this confusing mess. Grade: C-.

Solo: A Star Wars Story (out May 24) sits on the Star Wars timeline somewhere between Episode III and Episode IV. We learn how Han Solo got his name, how he met Chewbacca, how he first fell in love, and how he came into possession of his coveted starship, the Millennium Falcon. This is a fun, likeable, entertaining adventure. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the standout as a sassy, feminist robot. Grade: A-.

Cargo (out May 17) is an Aussie thriller about a family trying to remain inconspicuous in the outback after the country is overrun by flesh eating zombies. The film tries to freshen up the genre by introducing Indigenous characters and themes but it still feels like a movie we've already seen a few too many times. Grade: C+.

Aurore (out May 17) is a French film that blends comedy, drama and romance. It's the tale of a 50-year-old woman who has spent the last few decades raising a family but now finds herself alone and unsure what to do next. With a nice leading performance from Agnès Jaoui, this is a worthy character study about someone who deserves a happy ending. Grade: B.

Deadpool 2 (out May 16) tries hard but cannot match the sheer fun of its predecessor. The material that generated “laugh out loud” moments two years ago could only get a smile from me this time around. The story is the biggest letdown. Those characters returning from the original have nothing new to offer and Firefist isn’t an interesting “bad guy”. The lone exception is Josh Brolin who is terrific as the time-travelling Cable. Grade: B-.

Life of the Party (out May 10) is a comedy about a middle-aged mum (Melissa McCarthy) who heads back to college after a 20+ year absence to complete her degree. There's one great scene (at a restaurant) but aside from that, the jokes fall flat and the story is muddled. Grade: C.

Tully (out May 10) marks the third collaboration between director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody (following Juno and Young Adult). It's the story of a tired, overworked, depressed mum (Charlize Theron) who finds her life reinvigorated when her brother helps hire a "night nanny". This is a worthy character study and it’s hard not to feel sympathy towards the mum and her plight. Grade: B+.