Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon (out Oct 13) is a thriller-drama about a struggling stripper and her son who befriend an escaped mental patient with hypnotic powers. It’s trying to be something which is part supernatural, part family-orientated but it’s low on ideas (the stripper just keeps fleecing people for money). Grade: C+.

A Taste of Hunger (out Oct 13) is a Danish drama about a married couple trying to earn a Michelin star for their posh restaurant. It won’t be easy given problems inside (bad food) and outside (relationship dramas) the restaurant. Wasn’t won over by the continual flashback approach. Thin narrative. Grade: C+.

Amsterdam (out Oct 6) is a comedic, Coen Brothers-esque 1930s tale about two U.S. military veterans accused of murder who meet with a bizarre assortment of people in an effort to clear their name. The quirky jokes and themes don’t always land (writer-director David O. Russell pushes too hard in places) but I was slowly lured into this strange world and its equally strange characters. Grade: B.

The Stranger (out Oct 6) is an Australia drama loosely based on the elaborate police sting which led to the confession of the man who killed 13-year-old Daniel Morcombe in 2003. It takes a narrow approach (focused on the sting and nothing else) and deftly highlights the emotional toll on the undercover detective (Joel Edgerton) forced to befriend the suspected killer (Sean Harris) over several months. Grade: B+.

Don't Worry Darling (out Oct 6) creates a scenario oozing with promise during the opening act but the intrigue fizzles away with a sluggish middle and a rushed climax (which is easy to poke holes in). It's centred on a young woman (Florence Pugh) living in a remote community who senses something is amiss with their overly idyllic lifestyle. Grade: B-.

Under Cover (out Oct 6) is an Australian documentary that looks at the increasing number of women, particularly those aged 50 and above, who are experiencing homelessness in this country. It's not offering a lot of solutions but it does an admirable job highlighting the issues. Grade: B.

Smile (out Sep 29) is, for the most part, an effective horror-thriller about an experienced therapist haunted by a smiling "presence" after a new patient commits suicide. I wasn't fully convinced of every action taken by the protagonist (she's too frazzled given her background) but I enjoyed the film's fresh premise. Grade: B.

The Humans (out Sep 29) marks the feature film debut of director Stephen Karam and is based on his Tony Award winning stage play from 2016. In the same vein as August: Osage County, it's about a family who come together (this time for Thanksgiving) and secrets spill into the open. Solid performances but slow in patches. Grade: B.

See How They Run (out Sep 29) is about a real murder set in the middle of a fake murder. Set on London's West End in the early 1950s, the actors performing Agatha Christie's stage play The Mousetrap are caught up in their own mystery when a Hollywood screenwriter is murdered. It works as a credible whodunit with stars Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan (who play the investigating detectives) the best of the cast. Grade: B+.

Ticket to Paradise is a corny, cheesy, formulaic romantic comedy about two bickering divorcees (George Clooney and Julia Roberts) who travel to Bali to stop their 20-something-year-old daughter from getting married to a guy she just met.  I like the cast and the setting (it was made here in Queensland) but the misadventures of these characters have been poorly conceived. Grade: C+.