Beau is Afraid (out Apr 20) is a 3-hour epic from director Ari Aster (Hereditary) about a middle aged man (Joaquin Phoenix) with stress and mummy issues. This is bold and ambitious... and frustrating. Scenes drag on far too long and while I appreciate its open-to-interpretation nature, it's a long slog. Grade: C+.

Evil Dead Rise (out Apr 20) requires no knowledge of previous films in the franchise and is a gory, effective, R-rated horror flick clocking in at a tight 97 minutes. If you like a simple story with blood, gore, brains, and broken bones, this is for you! Grade: B+.

The Giants (out Apr 20) is an Australian documentary which is partly about the life of Bob Brown, and partly about the way trees play a critical role within the environment. Not a lot of new material (other docos have covered parts of this) but it provides a succinct, interesting look at its subjects. Grade: B.

The Innocent (out Apr 20) is a peculiar French comedy involving crime, family and romance. Gets a tick for being randomly unorthodox but the characters make decisions which are tough to reconcile at times. Grade: B.

A Good Person (out Apr 20) is the story of two unlikely people (played by Morgan Freeman and Florence Pugh) who help each other following a tragic event. Other films have covered the subject of addiction in a more convincing and emotional manner (The Lost Weekend, The Basketball Diaries, Requiem for a Dream) but this warrants your time for its two lead performances. Grade: B.

Mafia Mamma (out Apr 13) is a combination of Under the Tuscan Sun and The Godfather (never thought I'd ever say that). A simple American mum travels to Italy for her grandfather's funeral and winds up being a Mafia leader. Characters don't stay true to themselves, and most jokes are terrible... but Australian Toni Collette earns a few laughs with her over-the-top performance. Grade: C+.

The Pope's Exorcist (out Apr 6) is a seen-it-all-before exorcist flick but still, there's fun to be had given Russell Crowe plays a witty Vatican priest. Should have gone with more laughs and less drama. Grade: B-.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (out Apr 6) is a movie targeted more at kids than adults. The story is straight forward, the characters are simple, and the humour is easy to understand. The bright colours and fun sound effects are another reason it will resonate with the younger crowd. Grade: B.

Mavka: The Forest Song (out Apr 6) is a low-budget, low-quality, low-story animated feature. Trotting out themes we've seen again and again, it's the tale of a forest "soul" who, much to the disgust of her own kind, befriends a flute-playing young man. A nasty, power-hungry woman threatens to upend their growing connection. Grade: C+.

Air (out Apr 6) makes a few questionable creative choices (no actor plays Michael Jordan, its obsessed with the 1980s) but it's still an engaging movie because of its story, people, and dialogue. Set over a few weeks in 1984, it’s centred on a group of key staff at Nike headquarters as they try to sign the much hyped 21-year-old basketballer Michael Jordan to a sponsorship deal. Grade: B+