September 5 (out Feb 6) chronicles the terrorist attack at the 1972 Summer Olympics from the perspective of a small group of ABC sports journalists couped up inside their tiny studio. I like the approach as the film serves as a homage to old-school media, and reminds us of the importance of journalistic integrity. Grade: A-.

Presence (out Feb 6) is a stylish supernatural film from Oscar winning director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic). Told entirely from the perspective of the ghost, it follows a family of four who move into a new home. Soderbergh himself held the lightweight Sony camera as it smoothly hovered above/around the characters. Each individual scene was shot with no edits and so just a single camera was required. It's cool! Might require two viewings. Grade: A-.

Queer (out Feb 6) is from Italian director Luca Guadagnino and is the 1950s story of a gay American man (Daniel Craig) living in Mexico and his up-and-down quest to find love. Liked the vibe and performances but the ending was too aloof for me (can see why some would like it through). Grade: B.

Companion (out Jan 30) is a wild romantic horror-thriller (can I call that genre?) that gets a thumbs up from me… but the less you know about it, the better. Without spoiling, it's about three couples spending a few days in a beautiful, secluded home in the middle of nowhere. I wasn't sold on every character’s actions but it's still amusing and creepy. Grade: B+.

Maria (out Jan 30) is from Chilean director Pablo Larraín and is a biopic centred on the final week in the life of acclaimed opera singer Maria Callas (played by Angelina Jolie). I liked the splash of comedic playfulness (Callas was a self-aware diva) but as an historical drama, I still don't have a clear picture of who Callas was. Grade: B-.

Babygirl (out Jan 30) stars Nicole Kidman as a high-profile CEO who, sexually unfulfilled by her husband at home, has an affair with a young male intern (Harris Dickinson). The film wants to be gritty, edgy but too many plot points were contrived. Was the intern really that much of a mind reader? Grade: B-.

10 Lives (out Jan 30) is a silly animated family flick about a cat who uses up his quota of lives, but gets a second chance at life by transforming into other animals. The idea runs out of puff quickly. Grade: C+.

Flight Risk (out Jan 23) is a nonsensical thriller. Set largely aboard a plane, it features three key characters - a U.S. Marshall, a chatty pilot, and a witness who will testify in a key trial. Really hard to buy into. Grade: C.

A Complete Unknown (out Jan 23) doesn't follow music biopic norms and is a fitting tribute to the iconic Bob Dylan. It's focused more on WHO he was as opposed to WHAT he did. There are a lot of songs (you could almost call this a musical) and its through Dylan’s own lyrics that we understand his personality and perspective on the world. Timothée Chalamet is wonderful in the lead role. Grade: A-.

The Brutalist (out Jan 23) is a 3 ½ hour epic set in 1950s Philadelphia about a Hungarian-Jewish immigrant architect (Adrien Brody) in pursuit of the "American Dream". This is a sensational film. The characters are multi-dimensional (both heroic and flawed) and the themes are as relevant today as they've ever been. Grade: A.