Sentimental Value (out Dec 26) is an excellent Norwegian drama from director Joachim Trier (The Worst Person in the World). Dealing with forgiveness and legacy, it's the tale of an ageing father who, having put work ahead of family for decades, tries to make things right with his two semi-estranged daughters. It features wonderful performances, a great opening monologue, and flourishes of humour. Grade: A.

Rental Family (out Dec 26) is a weird drama about an American man living in Japan (Brendan Fraser) who gets a job as an "actor" fulfilling vacant roles in peoples' real lives. He's a kind-hearted individual but I didn't buy into his ignorance and naivety. How could he be dumb enough to not foresee the trouble he will ultimately cause? Grade: B-.

My Brother's Band (out Dec 26) is a French drama about an unwell music conductor who learns he is adopted and has an older brother. It's contrived, over-scripted in places but will have its audience. Grade: B-.

Avatar: Fire and Ash (out Dec 18) can be described similarly to the 2022 sequel. The quality of the visuals/animation is incredible, and the fight sequences are easy to follow. It puts other action movies to shame. However, narrative remains the weakest element. For the most part, you’ve got the same heroes fighting the same villains and making the same choices in putting family above all else. Grade: B+.

The History of Sound (out Dec 18) is a Brokeback Mountain-style tale set in the early 20th Century. Liked the first half of the movie with the character intros and the exploration of early sound recording but it weakens in the second half when the two leads, played by Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor, are separated. Grade: B.

Ella McCay (out Dec 11) is wasted effort. It's like an attempted Woody Allen film except there's zero wit, and not a single interesting character or subplot. The "stakes" used to create drama for the title character are horribly contrived. Grade: C-.

Silent Night, Deadly Night (out Dec 11) is what you get when you mix The Santa Clause, Halloween, and Venom. A young man dons a Santa suit, listens to a voice in his head, and then brutally murders people (who kind of deserve it). Didn't mind the idea but the direction/editing is a little choppy. Grade: B-.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (out Dec 4) is a sequel to the horror film released in 2023 starring Josh Hutcherson. I wasn't a fan of the original and this was no good either. It's a formulaic feature with characters making over-the-top dumb decisions to fit with the already convoluted screenplay. Grade: C.

The Golden Spurtle (out Dec 11) is a cute, fun documentary about the eclectic group, both organisers and contestants, who host an annual porridge cooking competition in Scotland. Not profound but still amusing. Grade: B.

Pets on a Train (out Dec 11) is a French animated film, dubbed into English, about animals trying to stop a runaway train. In terms of both the animation and storyline, it's many notches below Zootopia 2 which is currently dominating the box-office. Grade: C+.