The Great Beauty (out Jan 23) is the story of a wealthy Italian socialite who starts to rethink his life following his 65th birthday celebrations. A few subplots left me scratching my head but this is a film to be enjoyed as much for its beautiful imagery as its reflective storyline. It reminded me of Luca Guadagnino’s 2009 release, I Am Love. Grade: B+.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (out now) is the first big failure of 2014. It's stunningly awful. The plot of Austin Powers had more credibility than this US-Russia terrorist thriller. The story is rushed, the dialogue is cringe-worthy, and the villains are pathetic. Grade: C-.

Inside Llewyn Davis (out Jan 16) is the latest collaboration from the Coen brothers and centres on a struggling folk singer (Oscar Isaac) living in New York 1961 who is his own worst enemy. There's a lot to think about here. It's not a commercial film (I have friends who will be bored stupid) but I'm looking forward to digging deeper into it on a second viewing. Grade: A-.

47 Ronin (out Jan 16) doesn't do this story justice. It's an iconic 18th Century Japanese tale involving samurais, witches and those just out for some good old fashioned revenge. Keanu Reeves can't carry the film and the bad guys are poorly developed. Grade: C+.

Her (out Jan 16) is the story of an insecure guy who falls in love with the perfect woman... the voice of a computer operating system who apparently can think and feel emotions. It's an unorthodox romantic comedy with a few good moments. It's just a shame the characters aren't all that interesting and the film chooses not to explore this futuristic concept more broadly. For such a complex issue, Her feels too simplistic. Grade: B.

Free Birds (out now) is a very ordinary animated feature about two turkeys who go back in time to the 1600s to change the holiday that is Thanksgiving. Kids will be confused. Adults will be wondering why the story goes off on so many strange tangents. Grade: C.

The Book Thief (out Jan 9) is a WWII film, told from the perspective of a young girl, centring on a family that is hiding a young Jewish man in their small basement. It isn't offering any new insight into WWII but the film still packs an emotional punch thanks to the strong performances of its leading characters. Great music from composer John Williams too. Grade: B+.

Saving Mr Banks (out Jan 9) explores the childhood of Mary Poppins author Pamela Travers and the reasons why she was so resultant to let Walt Disney adapt her books for the big screen. This is an interesting, likeable film with a few nice emotional elements. The scenes shared between Emma Thompson (as Travers) and Paul Giamatti (as her chauffeur) are the high points. Grade: A-.

Walking With Dinosaurs (out now) is the tale of a small dinosaur trying to find his place in the world. There are some rushed character transformations but the simple narrative, educational elements and cool visual effects should appeal to kids. Not a lot for adults. Grade: B-.

August: Osage County (out Jan 1) is based on the Tony Award winning play and is an observational character study about a family forced to come together following a tragedy. Some conversations are immensely entertaining while others are tiring, repetitive. It features terrific performances from Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper and Margo Martindale. Grade: B+.