Philomena (out Dec 26) follows an investigative journalist who tries to help a woman track down a son she was forced to give up for adoption almost 50 years ago. Not only is the film an interesting real-life drama, it also works as a buddy comedy thanks to the versatile performances of both Steve Coogan and Judi Dench. It offers laughs, tears and a few surprises. Grade: A.

Anchorman 2 (out Dec 19) will win laughs for its bizarre randomness... and not because it's well written. The plot is messy, the jokes are repetitive and improvisation is overdone. On the plus side, I did enjoy the many cameos in the film's finale. Grade: C+.

The Gilded Cage (out now) centres on a married couple who intend to retire... only to be stopped by their family/colleagues who realise they're too valuable! The first half is fun but the film runs out of steam in the later stages where the leading characters start acting in a bizarre manner. Grade: B.

Blackfish (out now) is a shocking, gripping documentary about whales held in captivity and the many instances (often kept quiet) where they have attacked their trainers. It's just 83 minutes but it'll prompt you to do a lot more research on the subject matter. Grade: A-.

Carrie (out now) is the story of a shy teenager, sheltered by her mother, who is taunted by her classmates. She'll get the last say though at the high school prom. It's been a good year for horror flicks and this is another likeable effort. There's actually some depth to the characters and it's not all about cheap thrills and gore. Grade: B+.

20 Feet From Stardom (out now) is compulsory viewing for any person who years to be a singer. It's a documentary that takes you inside the life of a successful background singers and shows how tricky it can be to transition to a popular solo artist. Grade: B+.

American Hustle (out Dec 12) is a "who's playing who" caper film that doesn't gel. There are some great individual performances but the premise takes too long to set up and it's hard to believe that characters so dumb are able to pull this off. Grade: B.

The Spectacular Now (out now) tries to break away from the teen romance mold by providing something that is more realistic and less "sugar coated". Points for that. That said, I didn't find these characters particularly interesting and it was tough grappling the ever-changing mindset of the lead guy (Miles Teller). Grade: B.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 (out now) is a fun, non-preachy adventure that will put a smile on the face of both kids and adults. It makes great use of the "food as living creatures" concept and make sure you stay through the closing credits for more laughs. One of the year's best animated features. Grade: A-.

Ender's Game (out now) focuses on a young kid brought into a military program to help protect the earth from a pending alien invasion. This was a little better than I expected. Performances won't blow you away but the story taps into some interesting moral/ethical dilemmas that got me thinking. Grade: B.