IF (out May 16) is a very mixed bag. Liked the production values, score, voices, and lead performance of Cailey Fleming… but what does it all add up to? What am I supposed to take away? Who’s the target audience? It’s a PG-tale about a softly spoken young girl who teams up with a man to find new homes for imaginary friends. Grade: C+.

The Way, My Way (out May 16) is a fictional drama given the feel of a documentary. Based on the 2013 memoir, it follows a deliberately annoying Bill Bennett (played by Chris Haywood) as meets an assortment of people while walking Spain’s Camino Trail. Grade: B.

The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan (out May 16) is the first instalment of a two film French series (the second movie is out next month) which adapts Alexandre Dumas’ 1844 novel. The story isn’t the easiest to follow (lots of characters and politics) but there’s something appealing about a swashbuckling epic with a bombastic film score set across a variety of cool locations with swords, horses, and spirited battles. Grade: B.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (out May 9) is the 4th instalment in the rebooted franchise and I'm happy to report it still has legs. Set several generations after the last film (from 2017), it explores interesting ideas such as the way information is passed down over time. It's too long at 145 minutes but it strikes a nice balance of drama, comedy, and action. Grade: B+.

Monster (out May 9) won the best screenplay award at last year's Cannes Film Festival and is an excellent drama told from three different perspectives - a concerned mother, a conflicted teacher, and a confused child. As each plot point is peeled back, another is revealed. Great approach with stellar performances. Grade: A-.

Tarot (out May 2) is based on a 1992 novel and is the story of seven college student who find some old tarot cards and they become the trigger for a bunch of unfortunate events.  Like the idea but found the dialogue and character authenticity to be sub-par.  Grade: B-.

Boy Kills World (out May 2) almost runs out of gas but it's still an above-average, John Wick-style action flick about a deaf mute seeking revenge against those murdered his family (with a few twists thrown in). Bill Skarsgård is very good in the lead role as he conveys emotion through facial expressions as opposed to words. Grade: B+.

Fremont (out May 2) won the John Cassavetes Award (best feature made for under $1 million) at the Independent Spirit Awards and is a heartfelt, darkly funny flick about an Afghan refugee in the United States who gets a job working in a Chinese fortune cookie factory. Loved the emotionless lead performance from Anaita Wali Zada. Great cameo from Jeremy Allen White too! Grade: A-.

The Taste of Things (out May 2) is an inventive French drama set in the late 19th Century. It follows a longtime couple with an insatiable love for food. Rather than communicate using words, the pair dazzle friends (and each other) by creating mouth-watering dishes in their kitchen. Beautifully captures the sounds of sizzling food and the facial expressions of those enjoying it. Grade: A-.

Golda (out May 2) looks at the Yom Kippur War of 1973 from the perspective of Israeli’s chain-smoking Prime Minister Golda Meir (Helen Mirren). With the focus on boardrooms as opposed to battlefronts, it comes across as a basic history lesson (with simplistic dialogue) as opposed to an enriching drama. Grade: C+.