Fallen Leaves (out Feb 14) serves up one of the more interesting and authentic romances over the past year.  It’s a Finnish tale about the connection that builds between an alcoholic man and a shy, poverty-stricken woman.  It’s the comedy opposite of a Hollywood romantic comedy with the two leads delivering their dialogue, and there isn’t much of it, in a dry, slow, monotone fashion. Grade: A-.

Madame Web (out Feb 15) is an early contender for worst movie of the year. A non-sensical story, dreadful dialogue, characters doing dumb things (dumber than the usual action movie), a lame villain, zero laughs, and uninspired direction. Grade: C-.

Humanist Vampire Seeks Consenting Suicidal Person (out Feb 15) has a title which speaks for itself. It’s a French-language dark comedy about a teenage vampire who, feeling sympathetic towards humans, is reluctant to start killing them. Not particularly deep but liked the characters! Grade: B+.

Bob Marley: One Love (out Feb 15) is not a bad film… but it’s not an eye-opening one either. In going with formulaic subplots and artificial dialogue (“his guitar is his machine gun”), the four-person screenwriting team have played it too safe. There are positives to be found and actor Kingsley Ben-Adir does an admirable job in imparting the title character’s feel-good mellowness onto audiences. Grade: B-.

Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow (out Feb 15) is an animated feature set about a huntsman spider who, while travelling on a flight from Shanghai to San Francisco, is called upon to solve a murder mystery. Simple animation. The fun story will have appeal for kids. Grade: B.

Force of Nature (out Feb 8) isn't quite as good as The Dry but this follow-up still provides a worthwhile trip to the cinema. Police Detective Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) gets involves with the search for a missing woman in a dense, wet rainforest. Convenient/contrived in places but the performances are very good, the setting memorable, and the mystery decent. Grade: B+.

Argylle (out Feb 1) is an action comedy about a timid spy novelist (Bryce Dallas Howard) who finds herself caught up in real life espionage.  It’s an ambitious idea… which struggles with execution.  For a movie with such a spoofy, over-the-top plot, you’d think more laughs would be on offer.  Takes it self too seriously in places. Grade: C.

May December (out Feb 1) is a sensational film about a Hollywood starlet (Natalie Portman) who befriends a convicted paedophile schoolteacher (Julianne Moore) to work out how best to play her in a new movie. On one hand, it’s a thought-provoking drama about an unthinkable family unit. On the other, it’s an uncomfortable thriller about the way such stories are exploited for financial gain. Grade: A.

Riceboy Sleeps (out Feb 1) is a wonderful film set in the 1990s about a single mother and her young son trying to assimilate after migrating from South Korea to Canada. The film asks audiences to reflect on multiculturalism within our societies, while also telling a moving family tale. Grade: A-.

Anatomy of a Fall (out Jan 25) is an unforgettable French drama that won the Palme d'Or at Cannes last year. A woman is on trial for her husband's murder and it's as if we, as the audiences, are members of the jury trying to decide if she committed the crime. Your views will swing back and forth throughout. A riveting character study that shows how a facial expression or turn of phrase can be used to judge someone, rightly or wrongly. Grade: A+.