Hyde Park On Hudson (out Mar 28) is based on actual events - a weekend in 1939 when the King & Queen of England travelled to the United States to sure up support from President Roosevelt before WWII. This is an unfulfilling movie. It's an insignificant story told the perspective of a boring individual (Roosevelt's mistress) and provides little insight into the characters. Grade: C.

A Good Day To Die Hard (out Mar 21) has plenty of action but it's void of plot, suspense, comedy, dialogue and excitement. When you compare this to the original Die Hard, it's easy to see the deficiencies. Grade: C.

Barbara (out now) creates a compelling story in a period of history I find fascinating - East Germany in the 1980s. The lead character is a doctor looking to flee the country but when she realises such an action will affect the lives of those close to her, it becomes a tougher choice. Grade: B+.

Jack The Giant Slayer (out Mar 21) takes the Jack & The Beanstalk fairy tale and turns it into a fun, easy-to-watch adventure. The dialogue is cheesy but there are decent special effects and a few surprise deaths. In the leading role, Nicholas Hoult creates a likeable hero. Grade: B+.

Performance (out now) revolves around a successful string quartet battling a number of personal issues in the lead up to their next concert. It's a nice cast but I wasn't particularly enthused by these characters. Felt like the film was "plodding along" for large chunks. Grade: B-.

Mama (out now) is pretty damn freaky. It's a horror film that comes with an interesting premise, creepy ghoul and some nice cinematography. Not all of it works but this puts a slightly different spin on the genre with horror enthusiasts should enjoy. Grade: B+.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (out Mar 14) is an easy comedy about a magician trying to revive his struggling career. This is the kind of film that creates laughs by having characters who look funny and speak funny. I only wish the dialogue itself was funny. That said, I did enjoy the final scene. Grade: B-.

Goddess (out Mar 14) is an Australian comedy/musical about a Tasmanian woman who finds stardom by putting a 24 hour webcam in her kitchen. It’s a shame the screenplay implies a low level of intelligence on the part of the audience. So much of the story rings false. The one major highlight was Magda Szubanski's musical number. Grade: C+.

Broken City (out now) is a political thriller about a mayor who hires a private detective because he believes his wife is having an affair. This is such a dumb movie. Even a half-assed journalist could have exposed some of these cover-ups (as silly as they are). Don't even get me started on the unnecessary subplot involving Mark Wahlberg's girlfriend. Grade: C.

21 & Over (out now) has been made from the same mould as last year's Project X. This is a little better though. We follow 3 guys who go on an epic bender to celebrate a 21st birthday. There's not a single shred of new material here but a few timely laughs save it from being a total write off. Grade: C+.