A Wrinkle in Time (out Mar 29) is an ambitious family film from director Ava DuVernay about a young girl, her brother, and her new best friend who travel to another universe in search of her missing father. It's never boring but in trying to pack so many themes into two hours, the film doesn't makes the most of its ideas and cool setting. Grade: B-.

The Death of Stalin (out Mar 29) is a comedy about the death of the Russian dictator in 1953 and the grab for power which followed. I'm a big fan of writer-director Armando Iannucci (Veep, The Thick of It) but with my limited knowledge of the subject matter and these real life character, much of the humour slipped past me. Grade: B.

The Other Side of Hope (out Mar 29) is a quirky comedy-drama about a Syrian refugee seeking asylum who befriends a struggling restaurant owner. Every character is hilariously unforgettable. Grade: A-.

Love, Simon (out Mar 29) marks a milestone in that it’s produced by a major Hollywood studio and has had the widest ever release for a movie with a gay teenager as the leading character. It follows his trials and tribulations as he comes out of the closet and falls in love for the first time. It’s cheesy, unrealistic and formulaic but that can be overlooked as it does a great job capturing the mindset of a teenager coming to grips with his sexuality. Very easy to like. Grade: A-.

Pacific Rim: Uprising (out Mar 22) is set 10 years after the previous film and follows a group of young soldiers who once again must use their giant robots to help save the world from an alien invasion. The work of the sound and visual effects teams is to be admired but it's chaos without tension. Stuff gets destroyed but I cared little about the outcome. Grade: C+.

Peter Rabbit (out Mar 22) is based on the much loved children's book from Beatrix Potter and follows a cunning rabbit who tries to get the better of a angry young farmer. Using a mix of animation and live action, this is a worthy family flick with humour for both kids and adults. Cute characters too! Grade: B+.

Human Flow (out Mar 22) is a powerful documentary from Chinese filmmaker Ai Weiwei which documents the world's growing refugee crisis through a mix of striking visual imagery (great drone work), informative statistics, and moving interviews. Grade: A-.

Mary Magdalene (out Mar 22) draws from the New Testament to tell the story of the woman who travelled with Jesus, saw his miracles, and witnessed his crucifixion. I have no qualms with the production values and the performances but (and perhaps this is because I'm not a religious person) I didn’t find Mary Magdalene to be an interesting character. Grade: C+.

Tomb Raider (out Mar 15) is a reboot of the franchise launched back in 2001. This time around, the heroic Lara Croft travels to a remote Japanese Island to find the tomb of an ancient queen with supernatural powers. Star Alicia Vikander is the best thing in this and provides the leading character with the right mix of strength and vulnerability. I only wish the other cast members had has much charisma. The lead villain is uninspiring. Grade: B-.

In The Fade (out Mar 8) is a German film about a woman who sees her husband and child killed in a terrorist attack and then goes in search of revenge. Split into three distinct chapters and featuring a great lead performance from Diane Kruger, this a tense, engaging drama. Won the Golden Globe for best foreign language film. Grade A-.