The Mafia Only Kills In Summer (out Jun 11) is an odd Italian film that tries to blend cute comedy with real-life drama. Set in Palermo, it's largely a love story between two people who find their lives intrinsically linked with the mafia. Interesting idea but lead character is too goofy. Grade: B-.

Strangerland (out Jun 11) is an Australian drama about a husband and wife trying to cope when their two children go missing in a remote outback town. This is a grim drama that asks tough questions of its characters. Screenplay runs out of puff late but still to be admired for its unflinching look at a tragic situation. Grade: B+.

Slow West (out Jun 4) feels limited in terms of story but it's still a nicely shot western-drama with tough performances from Michael Fassbender and Kodi Smit-McPhee. It centres on a young Scottish lad who has gone in search of the woman he loves. Grade: B.

Aloha (out Jun 4) is a poorly executed romantic drama from writer-director Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire) that doesn't make much sense. During the Sony email leaks in late 2014, studio co-chairman Amy Pascal said that several parts made “no sense” and that “I’m never starting a movie again when the script is ridiculous.” She's spot on. Grade: C.

Entourage (out Jun 4) is more of a celebration of the Entourage series rather a continuation of it. We get to catch up with these characters for the first time in 4 years, have a few laughs, and realise that not much has changed. It also provides a fast-paced, slightly over-exaggerated look at the inner-workings of the studio system in Hollywood. Fans of the show (the target audience) will lap it up. Grade: B.

San Andreas (out May 28) follows a super-nice-awesome-guy (Dwayne Johnson) who rescues his wife and daughter after an earthquake strikes California. The situations he extracts himself from are so cartoonish and far-fetched that they’re impossible to take seriously. There’s zero tension here. You’ll just spend two hours admiring the work of the sound technicians and visual effects artists. Grade: C+.

Partisan (out May 28) is a mythic tale about a man (Vincent Cassel) who runs a commune filled with women and children that has isolated itself from the world. It is told through the eyes of an 11-year-old child who is starting to ask questions of his "father" and the outside world. With a mysterious setting and its unsettling characters, this is an Aussie film worth seeing. Grade: B+.

Tomorrowland (out May 28) is an unfulfilling family drama about select group of people chosen to save the human race. The first two-thirds is a confusing mess where characters talk in riddles to prolong the film's mystery. If you think it's up to a profound, meaningful finale... then think again. Grade: C+.

Gemma Bovery (out May 28) is a slow, dreary French comedy (I think) about an old guy who finds the actions of his new next door neighbour mirror the 19th Century novel Madame Bovary. As someone not familiar with that work, the many elements to the story left me confused and underwhelmed. Grade: C.

Poltergeist (out May 21) is a remake of the 1982 original. I don't mind the casting but it's a weak screenplay. It follows traditional horror formulas and the characters do not act in ways that you might expect. Grade: C+.