A Dog's Way Home (out Feb 28) is likely to win over dog lovers but it still has a flimsy story and unconvincing special effects. More for kids than adults. Grade: C+.

Greta (out Feb 28) falls into the trap of creating smart characters but then having them make really dumb decision to help prolong the narrative. It's the tale of a young woman who is befriended by an elderly woman with sinister intentions. Grade: B-.

King of Thieves (out Feb 28) is based on actual events and follows a group of elderly guys who robbed a safe deposit facility in London in 2015. The momentum built during the opening two acts fizzles during a disappointing, unnecessarily long finale which focuses on the aftermath. Grade: C+.

The Guilty (out Feb 28) is a Danish film about a guy who sits at a desk in an office and talks on the phone for 80 minutes. It may sound dreadfully dull but this is one of the best releases of the year. I was hooked from the opening scene to the closing credits. The less you know going in, the better. Trust me. Grade: A.

Vox Lux (out Feb 21) is a wacky drama from actor-turned-director Brady Corbet about a teenager who survives a school shooting and then becomes an international music star. You can see Natalie Portman is pouring all she can into the lead role but I struggled to connect with her and the supporting characters. Grade: C+.

John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection (out Feb 21) is an unorthodox documentary that pulls from previously unseen archival footage to illustrate the talent (and flaws) of tennis star John McEnroe during his runs at the French Open in the early 1980s. The narration of Mathieu Amalric is trying to say too much but the film wins points for showing sport in a different way (and there's a great climax too). Grade: B+.

Stan & Ollie (out Feb 21) isn’t a particularly adventurous script but it does a nice job keeping alive the memory of two gifted comedians from the first half of the 20th century, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, whose work should never be forgotten. John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan deliver strong performances with Rufus Jones stealing scenes as their cunning tour manager. Grade: B.

Happy Death Day 2U (out Feb 14) is a sequel to the 2017 original about a girl caught in a Groundhog Day-style loop where each day ends with her death. There are splashes of creativity here (it bravely doesn't want to follow the same formula as the original) but other parts are unnecessarily goofy (such as the school's dean). Grade: B-.

Life Itself (out Feb 14) is an ensemble drama designed to illustrate the complexity of the world and the way in which our lives are all intertwined. It's an ambitious project but I've seen this done much better (e.g. Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia). Grade: B-.

What Men Want (out Feb 14) takes the premise of the Mel Gibson flick from 2000 (What Women Wants) and reverses the sexes. Taraji P. Henson plays a successful sports agent who finds her life upended when she can hear men's inner thoughts. The plot is uneven, the characters and unlikable and aside from a few decent laughs, there's little to take away from this. Grade: C.