The Founder (out Nov 24) is slow at times but as a whole, it's still an enlightening drama about how Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) created the world's largest fast food empire. Grade: B+.

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (out Nov 24) is from director Ang Lee and explores the way in which Americans distance themselves from the realities of war and the way in which it is packaged as "entertainment". It's discussion worthy but there's a level of repetition in the film that makes it less interesting that it could have been. Grade: B.

Underworld: Blood Wars (out Dec 1) is "more of the same" in this long running franchise. It's light on narrative and heavy on gory fight sequences. Aside from a creative action piece on a frozen lake, there's not a lot to get excited about. Grade: C+.

Dancer (out Dec 1) is a documentary that chronicles the life of Sergei Polunin, a Russian ballet dancer who took the world by storm 10 years ago but then fell from grace. It's an interesting story but not a fascinating one. Grade: B-.

Bad Santa 2 (out Nov 24) contains plenty of insults but there's not much to offer in the way of narrative and laugh-out-loud moments. This time around, Billy Bob Thornton's foul-mouthed character teams up with his mother and former colleague to rob a dodgy charity. Grade: C.

Up for Love (out Dec 1) is an odd French film about a woman who falls in love with a man but has conflicting thoughts about his short stature. It struggles to mix goofy comedy with heartfelt drama and ends up being a disappointment. Grade: C.

Trolls (out Dec 1) is about a cute group of creatures (kind of like Smurfs) who are trying to hide from some hideous monsters out to eat them. It's easy to see the family-friendly message the film is trying to push but the screenplay is not as interesting as it could be. Grade: B-.

The Fencer (out Nov 24) is set in the early 1950s tells the true story of an accomplished Estonian fencer who was on the run from the Nazi's secret police. It comes across as corny in places but it's still an interesting drama about a little known piece of history. Grade: B.

War on Everyone (out Nov 17) is a comedy with Alexander Skarsgård and Michael Peña playing two cops who give new meaning to the word "corrupt". I like the idea but it's a bit too silly and it lacks the charm of the similarly themed The Nice Guys. Grade: B.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (out Nov 17) is a lightweight prequel to the Harry Potter franchise. There are a lot of characters and a lot of beasts but it feels more like a knowledge-building history lesson rather than an exciting, free-flowing adventure. The visuals will impress. Grade: B-.