Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom (out Feb 6) is squeezing far too much material into its running time and so the emotion/gravity of key situations doesn't get a chance to sink in. That said, many will still enjoy it as a "history lesson" given its breadth. Idris Elba puts up a strong showing in the title role. Grade: B+.

The Past (out Feb 6) is the latest film from Iranian director Asghar Farhadi (the guy who won an Oscar two years ago for A Separation). This is not quite as powerful but it's still an engaging, complex family drama that offers a few surprises. Grade: A-.

Last Vegas (out Feb 6) is the story of four 70-year-old guys who head to Vegas for an impromptu bachelor party. They're shallow characters... and the film struggles to find a plausible ending that makes them all look good... but there's enough humour and enough sentimentality to win over the majority of cinema-goers. Grade: B.

Grudge Match (out Jan 30) is the tale of two 60-something former boxing champs (played by Robert DeNiro & Sylvester Stallone) who dust off their gloves for one final bout. This is designed more as a comedy than a drama (given that the plot doesn't make a lot of sense). A few moments will have you chuckling but there's not quite enough material to last the full two hours. Grade: B-.

12 Years A Slave (out Jan 30) is based on the autobiographical novel from Solomon Northup - an African-American who was kidnapped in 1841 and sold into slavery. Dialogue is kept to minimum (a feature of other Steve McQueen films) and the performances are exemplary. It’s a heavy, depressing film but it’s also one that’s hard to discredit. Grade: A.

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (out now) uses familiar techniques to get a few scares but that's about it. The shaky camera gets tired quickly. The editing doesn't make a lot of sense (why are their so many cuts in a "home footage" movie?). The story goes nowhere. Grade: C.

The Wolf Of Wall Street (out Jan 23) is the true story of Jordan Belfort - a man who epitomised greed and created one of the world's largest stockbroking firms. Some might argue about the perverse content, the excessive coarse language, the frequent drug use, the workplace sex, the orgies, the nudity, the misogyny, the discrimination… but it’s hard to fault the performance of Leonardo DiCaprio. Plenty to think about. Grade: A-.

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-.