The Rooster (out Feb 22) is an Australian film about a small town police officer who, as part of an investigation, befriends a ping pong-loving hermit living alone in the bush. Strange premise but some deep, interesting conversations are shared between the pair. Hugo Weaving recently won the AACTA for best supporting actor for his performance. Grade: B.

The Zone of Interest (out Feb 22) is set in 1943 and is centred on the Nazi family who lived in the two-story home which bordered the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. It’s hard to watch this and not feel its deliberate coldness. Folks make innocuous small talk in the backyard garden while smoke billows from furnaces in the background. With distinctive cinematography and sound, it’s the kind of movie that makes you think about events back then… and events today. Unforgettable. Grade: A+.

Fallen Leaves (out Feb 14) serves up one of the more interesting and authentic romances over the past year.  It’s a Finnish tale about the connection that builds between an alcoholic man and a shy, poverty-stricken woman.  It’s the comedy opposite of a Hollywood romantic comedy with the two leads delivering their dialogue, and there isn’t much of it, in a dry, slow, monotone fashion. Grade: A-.

Madame Web (out Feb 15) is an early contender for worst movie of the year. A non-sensical story, dreadful dialogue, characters doing dumb things (dumber than the usual action movie), a lame villain, zero laughs, and uninspired direction. Grade: C-.

Humanist Vampire Seeks Consenting Suicidal Person (out Feb 15) has a title which speaks for itself. It’s a French-language dark comedy about a teenage vampire who, feeling sympathetic towards humans, is reluctant to start killing them. Not particularly deep but liked the characters! Grade: B+.

Bob Marley: One Love (out Feb 15) is not a bad film… but it’s not an eye-opening one either. In going with formulaic subplots and artificial dialogue (“his guitar is his machine gun”), the four-person screenwriting team have played it too safe. There are positives to be found and actor Kingsley Ben-Adir does an admirable job in imparting the title character’s feel-good mellowness onto audiences. Grade: B-.

Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow (out Feb 15) is an animated feature set about a huntsman spider who, while travelling on a flight from Shanghai to San Francisco, is called upon to solve a murder mystery. Simple animation. The fun story will have appeal for kids. Grade: B.

Force of Nature (out Feb 8) isn't quite as good as The Dry but this follow-up still provides a worthwhile trip to the cinema. Police Detective Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) gets involves with the search for a missing woman in a dense, wet rainforest. Convenient/contrived in places but the performances are very good, the setting memorable, and the mystery decent. Grade: B+.

Argylle (out Feb 1) is an action comedy about a timid spy novelist (Bryce Dallas Howard) who finds herself caught up in real life espionage.  It’s an ambitious idea… which struggles with execution.  For a movie with such a spoofy, over-the-top plot, you’d think more laughs would be on offer.  Takes it self too seriously in places. Grade: C.

May December (out Feb 1) is a sensational film about a Hollywood starlet (Natalie Portman) who befriends a convicted paedophile schoolteacher (Julianne Moore) to work out how best to play her in a new movie. On one hand, it’s a thought-provoking drama about an unthinkable family unit. On the other, it’s an uncomfortable thriller about the way such stories are exploited for financial gain. Grade: A.