Point Break (out Jan 1) is a poorly conceived remake of the 1991 original. An extreme sport loving FBI agent tries to take down a mysterious group of "Robin Hood" style criminals. Some subplots go nowhere (e.g. the love interest) while others make little sense. Very disappointing. Grade: C-.

Snoopy & Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie (out Jan 1) is packaged into a nicely-paced 88 minutes and sees Charlie Brown try to win the affections of the Little Red-Haired Girl. Kids will be able to follow the simple storyline. Older audiences will chuckle at some of the film’s finer details (such as throwbacks to Schulz’s black and white comic strips). Grade: B+.

Joy (out Dec 26) is based on a true story and follows a young inventor (Jennifer Lawrence) trying to find success while avoiding her family's negative thoughts. The film has some wonderfully dislikeable characters (that's a good thing) but parts feel shallow and simplistic (such as the finale). Director David O. Russell is too obvious when leaving trails for key "twists" later on. Grade: B.

The Bélier Family (out Dec 26) is a French comedy centered on a teenage girl with deaf parents who discovers she is a beautiful singer. A subplot involving the father's bid to become town mayor goes nowhere but aside, this is an entertaining coming-of-age tale with more than a few unexpected laughs. Grade: B+.

Daddy's Home (out Dec 26) is a lowbrow comedy about two competitive guys (Will Ferrell & Mark Wahlberg) trying to win the affections of two kids and their single mother. There are a few laughs early on but the film makes plenty of tonal missteps (such as a moment where one is electrocuted) on the way to the finish line. Grade: C+.

The Good Dinosaur (out Dec 26) follows in the same vein as the Shaun The Sheep Movie and is a creative animated feature that relies more on visuals and facial expressions than dialogue. It's the cute tale of a young dinosaur who teams up with a small kid to find his way back home to his family. Grade: B+.

Youth (out Dec 26) stars Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel as two friends holidaying in the Swiss Alps who reflect on their past and deal with issues that will shape their future. It's clear that Italian director Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty) is trying to say something deep and profound. I struggled to grasp it through. Grade: C+.

Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Road Chip (out Dec 26) is the 4th instalment in the franchise. Very young audiences will lap it up but for everyone else, there are other family films that offer much more in terms of story and laughs. This time around, they three Chipmunks travel to Miami to prevent their beloved Dave from proposing to his girlfriend. Grade: C.

Suffragette (out Dec 26) is set in London, 1912 and looks at the tactics adopted by a group of British women in pressuring the Government for the right to vote. It's an important piece of history and the film does a solid job illustrating both the pain (both physical and emotional) that they endured. Grade: B+.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (out Dec17) is entertaining. The safe screenplay shares a few too many similarities with the earlier movies (we have another bad guy in a black suit and mask) but the injection of new characters (particularly star Daisy Ridley) will keep you interested all the way through. Grade: B+.