Bad Times at the El Royale (out Oct 11) is an entertaining thriller from writer-director Drew Goddard (Cabin in the Woods) about a group of strangers, all who are carrying secrets, who spend a night at a run-down hotel in Tahoe. There are some great performances but the real star of the film is the hotel itself. This was damn good fun! Grade: A-.

The Seagull (out Oct 4) is based on the play by Anton Chekhov and follows a group of people staying a country estate in Russia. They have differing views on love and differing views on art. It's a quality cast (headlined by Annette Bening) but it feels too much like a staged play and the story doesn't flow. Grade: C+.

In Like Flynn (out Oct 11) is a biopic which chronicles the life of Errol Flynn in the early 1900s before he moved to Hollywood and became a movie star. He's an interesting person with a curious back story... but the stiff dialogue makes this movie hard to fully go along with. Grade: B-.

First Man (out Oct 11) is about the life of astronaut Neil Armstrong. We all know he landed on the moon and so the focus is on who he was as a person and the decade of hard work that led to the famed Apollo 11 mission in 1969. Ryan Gosling delivers a restrained but powerful performance and director Damien Chazelle (La La Land) ramps up the emotion during a strong final act. Grade: A-.

American Animals (out Oct 4) tells the true story of four American college students who broke into a library at a prestigious university and attempted to steal rare books to sell on the black market. It's a fascinating piece of cinema given that director Bart Layton has used actors to recreate events but spliced it together with interviews from the real life people involved. Grade: A-.

Venom (out Oct 4) is a poorly written superhero flick. Tom Hardy is a good fit for the lead role and provides the film's comedic backbone but he's the only appealing character. So many sequences lack credibility. Grade: C+.

Harmony (out Oct 4) is an Aussie science fiction movie about a young woman with the power to turn fear into love. It's an interesting narrative but the dialogue isn't particularly gripping. The film marks the final on-screen appearance of actress Jessica Falkholt who tragically died in a car accident last year at the age of 29. Grade: B-.

Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (out Sep 27) is a biopic which tells the life story of John Callahan - a man who became a quadriplegic at age 21 and, while battling severe alcoholism, turned his attention to drawing cartoons. Joaquin Phoenix is a good fit for the lead role. Parts of the film are a little sluggish but Callahan is an interesting person to observe. Grade: B.

Night School (out Sep 27) is from the director of Girls Trip and while that had strong characters, memorable scenes, and great one-liners, this is the complete opposite. It’s a messy, woefully dull comedy that fails to extract any laughs from its silly premise - the tale of a lazy guy who returns to school after a 17 year absence so he can graduate and get a better job. Grade: C.

McKellan: Playing the Part (out Sep 27) is an interesting documentary about actor Ian McKellan as he reflects on topics such as his upbringing, sexuality, love of theatre, awards season, old age, and the making of key films (e.g. Lord of the Rings). I could listen to him talk for hours. Grade: B+.