The Night House (out Aug 19) is a thriller with intrigue but it struggles to stick the landing. Rebecca Hall plays a woman trying to understand why her husband recently committed suicide. Grade: B-.

The Cave (out Aug 19) is a weak, poorly acted drama that tries to provide insight into the rescue of 13 young footballers from a flooded Thai cave in 2018. Grade: C+.

Free Guy (out Aug 12) is Pleasantville meets The Truman Show meets Wreck-It-Ralph. Ryan Reynolds is playing the same goofy klutz that he does in every other movie... but the script has a great sense of humour and, when you throw in Taika Waititi, there are plenty of laugh out loud moments. Grade: B+.

The Suicide Squad (out Aug 5) is as good as the 2016 original was bad. It's got creative violence, insane surprises, and a great sense of humour. It's taking a lot of chances for a $185m blockbuster (studios often play it safer) and credit belongs to writer-director James Gunn for bringing it all together. Grade: A-.

The Ice Road (out Aug 12) is an action-thriller about a struggling an American truck driver (Liam Neeson) who takes a lucrative but dangerous job of transporting mining equipment on frozen Canadian rivers. The first half is strong and realistic but the film then loses its way and degenerates into a non-sensical, cliché-laden mess filled cheesy villains and dumb motives. Grade: B-.

The Rose Maker (out Aug 5) is a French comedy about a struggling rose grower (Catherine Frot) who, with the help of some new employees, finds an unorthodox way to reinvigorate her business. It’s corny... it’s contrived... but if you’re looking for a simple feel-good tale to brighten up your mood, perhaps you’re the target audience for this. Grade: C+.

Jungle Cruise (out Jul 29) is an unadventurous family adventure about a scientist (Emily Blunt) who teams up with a steamboat captain (Dwayne Johnson) to travel along the Amazon and locate a magical tree. The characters love a chat but they come across as one-note, empty and uninteresting. Tension lacking also. Grade: C+.

The Misfits (out Jul 29) is a terrible action comedy about an experienced thief (Pierce Brosnan) who teams up with an eclectic group of youngsters to bring down a terrorist organisation in the Middle East. Everything is far too easy and convenient for these characters. Grade: C.

Shiva Baby (out Jul 29) is a low-budget American film about a college student from New York who gets stuck an increasingly awkward family event to celebrate the death of someone she doesn’t even know.  Writer-director Emma Seligman does a really good job building tension and Rachel Sennott is terrific in the lead role. Grade: B+.

Snake Eyes (out Jul 22) is the latest entry in the G.I. Joe franchise. The action scenes are well choreographed (for the most part) but it's a dull, empty story... and the characters could be described the same way. Grade: C+.