Big Eyes (out Mar 19) chronicles the true story of a American woman who made beautiful paintings... only for her husband to take all the credit. Amy Adams is the standout with her shy, reserved performance. Christoph Waltz is too over the top. An interesting story but not quite enough material to last 100 minutes. Grade: B.

Home (out Mar 19) is a Dreamworks Animation feature about a "friendly" alien race who take over Earth, and a young human girl in search of her lost mother. The introduction is rushed, the premise is thin, and the message is convoluted. Surprisingly disappointing. Grade: C+.

The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby: Them (out Mar 12) is the story of a married couple who have grown distant after a tragic event. It deftly illustrates the mindset of someone battling depression (where thoughts don't always make sense). Grade: A-.

Run All Night (out Mar 12) follows in the same vein as other Liam Neeson action flicks and features gun fights, punch-ups, car chases, explosions, and burning buildings. Nothing subtle or ground breaking about the premise and I don't know why they give away the ending at the start. As for positives, there are a few great chase sequences. Neeson not bad either. Grade: B-.

Manny Lewis (out Mar 12) wants to be a darker comedy but it's very light in terms of character development. It stars Carl Barron as a depressed comedian who, unable to commit to a relationship, turns to a phone sex operator for companionship. The film's gimmick is dumb (you'll know what I mean if you see it) and the stuff involving the father needed more work. Grade: C.

Chappie (out Mar 12) is a muddled sci-fi action thing centred around a robot who can think and feel. The actions of these characters made no sense to me. Interesting idea, poor execution. Grade: C.

Top Five (out Mar 12) stars Chris Rock as a super-famous comedian trying to promote his latest movie and his upcoming wedding to a reality TV star. It's covering a lot of material (film journalism, price of fame, life of a comedian, alcoholism, romance) and stretches itself a little too thin. Some decent laughs though. Grade: B.

Inherent Vice (out Mar 12) is set in California, 1970 and follows a paranoid private investigator looking into a supposed crime. If you’ve got a warped, off-beat sense of humour, you should like this. It’s not on the same level as The Big Lebowski (the pinnacle of stoner comedies) but it’s a worthy effort from director Paul Thomas Anderson. Grade: B+.

Seventh Son (out Mar 5) is a mundane action flick about two hunters trying to rid the world of villainous witches. It may have two recent Oscar winners in the cast (Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore) but the screenplay is void of excitement. Grade: C.

Unfinished Business (out Mar 5) is a straight forward comedy about three hopeless guys trying to trump their major competitor and land a big business deal. The story is weak but the characters are fun. Not as bad as the trailer may suggest. Grade: B-.