Paterson (out Dec 22) is a beautiful told tale from writer-director Jim Jarmusch about a poetry-loving bus driver (Adam Driver) from a small town in New Jersey. It's the kind of movie that makes you appreciate life - complete with its richness and simplicity. Grade: A-.

Moana (out Dec 26) is textbook Disney with its themes of family and "finding one's self". It's the tale of teenage girl from a small Polynesian island who goes on a mystical journey to help save her people. It's visually impressive and contains a couple of catchy songs. Grade: B+.

Red Dog: True Blue (out Dec 26) contains plenty of cheesy moments but it's still a likeable, warm-hearted family drama that taps into Australia's history and culture. It's a prequel to the successful 2011 original and shows the bond between Red Dog and his first owner (played by Levi Miller). Grade: B+.

Allied (out Dec 26) is from Oscar winning director Robert Zemeckis and is set during World War II. Brad Pitt plays an intelligence officer who must investigate his own wife who has been accused of being a German spy. The dialogue feels unnatural in places and the ending offers less than expected. Grade: B-.

Sing (out Dec 26) makes the most of its many characters and is the story of a theatre-owning koala who tries to run a singing competition to escape financial ruin. There's a lot of music (for both young and old) but the film suffers with a safe finale which is just a long sing-a-thon. Grade: B.

Why Him? (out Dec 26) has some great comedic chemistry between the unusual pairing of James Franco and Bryan Cranston. It's the story of a father who doesn't see eye-to-eye with his daughter's strange new boyfriend. Better than the similar Meet The Parents. Grade: B+.

A United Kingdom (out Dec 26) is based on a true story and follows a prince from Botswana who risks his future after falling in love with an Englishwoman. It feels too oversimplified in places but it's an interesting piece of history that many will be unfamiliar with. Grade: B-.

Rosalie Blum (out Dec 26) is an unorthodox French comedy about romantic entanglement. It has its quirky charm but the strange behaviour of these characters (stalking?) makes it hard to enjoy. Not sure about the ending either. Grade: C+.

La La Land (out Dec 26) has a few small lulls but it's still a wonderful modern-day musical. It has something to say about the choices we make in life and the directions they take us in. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling made for an ideal pairing and director Damien Chazelle (Whiplash) dazzles us with great music, lighting and editing. Grade: A-.

Rogue One: A Star Wars (out Dec 15) is a worthy prequel to Star Wars that shines the light on the "forgotten heroes" in this fictitious world. It'll hold your attention but it doesn't quite have the depth of others in the franchise. Grade: B.