The Alto Knights (out Mar 20) tells the true story of two childhood friends who became mob-leading rivals in the 1950s. It takes a while to warm-up and get past the weird novelty of Robert DeNiro playing both leading roles... but once it gets going, it's a really interesting true story. Grade: B+.

Snow White (out Mar 20) is a song-heavy, live-action retelling of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. Much has been spent on production values (they look good) but it's a tired narrative and the filmmakers struggle to make it fresh. Grade: B-.

The Rule of Jenny Pen (out Mar 20) is an underwhelming New Zealand thriller about the bizarre happenings at an aged care facility. Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow add star power but it's hard to the premise seriously. Grade: C+.

Black Bag (out Mar 13) is a slick thriller centred on a group of six talented (well, most of the time) spies trying to find out which one of them cannot be trusted. With a snazzy film score and distinctive direction, Black Bag is quality adult fun. Grade: B+.

Flow (out Mar 20) is a Latvian animated feature, with zero dialogue, made using open-source 3D computer graphics available to the public. That not selling it? Should I mention that it won the Academy Award for best animated film?!?! It’s the tale of a black cat trying to find their way to higher ground when a devastating flood sweeps through its forested home. With stunning visuals and a surprisingly moving story, this is memorable cinema. Grade: A-.

The Return (out Mar 20) stars Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche and is a retelling of The Odyssey, a famous work attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer. The three-person screenwriting team struggle to adapt the material to the screen. It's not convincing. The stiff dialogue, which comes across like a bad Shakespearean stage show, doesn't help either. Grade: C+.

Bonhoeffer (out Mar 20) is a biopic based on the life of German Dietrich Bonhoeffer who stood up to the Nazis during World War II. His story is worthy of a movie, but the dialogue here comes across as stiff and simple. Grade: B-.

One of Them Days (out Mar 6) is a comedy starring Keke Palmer and Sza about two close friends going on a series of misadventures to pull in overdue rent money. Can't sustain the momentum all the way through but liked the film’s fun energy. Grade: B.

Mickey 17 (out Mar 6) is the latest from Oscar winning director Bong Joon-ho (Parasite) and is the story of a space-travelling volunteer who is killed again and again… but can be brought back to life through “reprinting”. Star Robert Pattinson gives it his best shot and the middle act has interesting elements. Sadly, the supporting cast are dull, the laughs fail, and the finale is bland. Grade: C+.

Every Little Thing (out Mar 6) is a simple documentary about a Los Angeles woman who cares for sick/injured hummingbirds at her home. Her work is noble but I'm not convinced there's enough interesting material for a 90-minute length feature. Grade: B-.