Book Club: The Next Chapter (out May 11) is an improvement on the 2018 original. No topic is off limits as the four leading ladies travel to Italy for a bachelorette party/trip and talk about life, love, sex, wine, food and fate. Instead of trying to create unnecessary villains and faux drama, it’s a film that understands what its audience wants and so the tone is kept light throughout. Grade: A-.

November (out May 11) is trying to provide a gritty, documentary-like feel and illustrate the behind-the-scenes chaos as thousands of detectives and police officers piece evidence together in the day follows the deadly Paris terrorist attack in 2015. There's a surprising lack of insight in terms of the investigation. The only interesting subplot involves a young Muslim woman who suspects her housemate is helping terrorists on the run. Grade: B-.

Infinity Pool (out May 11) is a nutty horror-thriller from director Brandon Cronenberg about guests at a luxury resort who have the ability to clone themselves for not-so-nice reasons. Can't say I cared too much about the characters but this is a winner for its wild ideas and eye-opening spectacle. Not for the prudish. Grade: B.

The Survival of Kindness (out May 4) is the latest from award-winning Australian director Rolf de Heer (The Tracker, Ten Canoes). It won't be for everyone. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, it's a dialogue-free drama which follows an Indigenous woman as she walks across the country in search of...? Strange, alluring, unsatisfying. Grade: B.

Masquerade (out May 4) is a convoluted French comedy-drama about dodgy folk using love to manipulate people for their own benefit. There's early intrigue but it becomes repetitive. Weird structure also. Grade: C+.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (out May 4) is a (just) good enough entry to close out the story of these music-loving superheroes. The villain is dull (have they run out of ideas?) and the action is a bit too hectic but, this is still entertaining because of its comedy and the chemistry between its leads. The tone is light, the zingers and plentiful, and there’s a splash of genuine emotion at just the right moments. Grade: B.

The Inspection (out May 4) is a semi-autobiographical drama from writer-director Elegance Bratton. It follows a young gay man who joins the Marines to help placate his homophobic mother. It's clearly a very personal story to Bratton but, aside from a few good scenes where key folk open up, I struggled in deeply understanding these characters. Feels like we only scratch the surface. Grade: B-.

Olga (out May 4) is set in 2013 and is a Swiss film about a 15-year-old Ukrainian gymnast who flees her home country in pursuit of her sporting dreams. It's a worthy subject matter but the repetitive nature of some scenes (her training regime) limits the scope. Grade: B-.

Cairo Conspiracy (out May 4) is a thriller about a naive university student at a prestigious Egyptian university who is unwillingly caught up in a power struggle for the university's top job. The Egyptian setting will heighten interest levels (it's a great setting) but when you look beyond that, it’s a standard, Hollywood-style, spy flick. Grade: B.

80 for Brady (out Apr 27) stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno, and Sally Field as octogenarians from Boston who travel to the 2017 Super Bowl in Houston to cheer on the team and their beloved Tom Brady. Loooooooosely based on a true story, this is a goofy comedy that is more focused on unrealistic skits than character development. A few jokes hit the mark but I'd keep your expectations low. Grade: C+.