Cocaine Bear (out Feb 23) is “inspired” by actual events and is a horror-comedy about a cocaine-fueled bear who goes on a murderous rampage in a national park. Every character is dull (you won’t care about a single one) but the film does work when the bear is centre stage and ripping people’s limbs off (that’s an indication of the violence if you’re a bit squeamish). Grade: B-.

Missing (out Feb 23) is made in the same style as Searching (2018) and is the story of an 18-year-old girl from Los Angeles who, using only her tech devices, tries to locate her mother who has disappeared on a Colombian holiday. This is completely bonkers and doesn't always make sense... but I was kept engaged but its many twists and turns. Moves at a fast pace. Also a great endorsement for multi-factor authentication! Grade: B+.

Aftersun (out Feb 23) is both uplifting and soul destroying. A simple, subtle, powerful drama about a 30-year-old woman who, through a mix of memory and old home movies, deeply reflects on a Turkish holiday she shared with her father 20 years earlier. Paul Mescal earned an Oscar nomination for his lead role and this isn’t a film you’ll easily forget. Grade: A+.

Fisherman's Friends: One and All (out Feb 23) is an inferior sequel to the 2019 original. While the first movie was a fun comedic drama which promoted a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction true story, this is a contrived follow-up which belittles the characters and creates fake tension. Grade: C.

Close (out Feb 16) is a Belgian drama about two 13-year-old boys who, despite being long-time friends, start drifting apart after starting high school. This is an incredible film! The documentary-like feel adds authenticity, the cinematography is stunning, and the music is haunting. Above all else though, Close achieves its emotional power because of two of the finest performances I've ever seen from child actors. You can't miss this. Grade: A+.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (out Feb 16) is dull. I like the characters but they've got very little to do here. It's heavily padded (e.g. an unnecessary Bill Murray cameo) with stiff dialogue, slow plot, and relentless CGI. Jonathan Majors has potential as a new villain but his character is barely developed. Grade: C.

Knowing the Score (out Feb 16) is an Australian documentary about composer Simone Young who started out in the 1980s and has achieved numerous honours across her lengthy career. Using a bunch of archival interviews and footage, her story is an interesting one. Grade: B+.

Women Talking (out Feb 16) is an intense, gripping drama from writer-director Sarah Polley (Take This Waltz). A group of women from a remote, heavily religious community have been raped and they must decide whether to do nothing, stay and fight, or leave. It covers many topics including topics such as community, family, power, gender imbalance, adolescence, groupthink, religion, and forgiveness. Grade: A-.

Magic Mike's Last Dance (out Feb 9) is an odd film. The plot is more fantasy than reality, the "deep" narration adds zero, and aside from a rain-soaked finale, the dance numbers grow tiring. As illogical as their connection was, I didn't mind the banter between Channing Tatum and Salma Hayek Pinault. Grade: C+.

The Son (out Feb 9) is from Academy Award winner Florian Zeller (The Father) and is the story of an already fractured family trying to deal with a teenage son battling mental health issues. It avoids providing easy answers (that’s a good thing) and while it’s a little disjointed in the second half (the Anthony Hopkins cameo isn’t necessary), I believed in these characters and their actions. Grade: B+.