PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME - B-

Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Gemma Arterton
This adequate desert-set adventure may not be as rousing as intended but even with Ben Kingsley relying on his usual bag of tricks, Prince of Persia at least avoids the cheeseball factor of, say, Clash of the Titans. Jake Gyllenhaal makes a somewhat ho-hum hero but at least he has sparks with costar Gemma Arterton.

MOVIE MATH: (Clash of the Titans - Percy Jackson & The Olympians) + AVERAGE(The Mummy + Pirates of the Caribbean)

MARMADUKE - C-

Owen Wilson, Lee Pace, William H. Macy
The folks who desecrated Garfield mine the comic pages again for this misguided and wildly unoriginal mutt of a comedy about an oversized dog. Owen Wilson (Lightning McQueen himself) phones in his work as Marmaduke and the tepid storyline lacks focus or even a whiff of wit.

MOVIE MATH: (Marley & Me + Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel) x (Garfield + Beverly Hills Chihuahua)

THE LAST SONG - C

Miley Cyrus, Greg Kinnear, Liam Hemsworth
The haters may all have it out for Miley Cyrus with The Last Song, but the former Hannah Montana actually has a pleasing vibe here. The biggest problem with The Last Song is that the story feels like an episodic and tiresome hodgepodge of author Nicolas Sparks' most popular hits.

MOVIE MATH: (Dear John + A Walk to Remember) - (The Notebook + Stop-Loss) + SQRT (Hannah Montana: The Movie)

BACK-UP PLAN, THE – C

Jennifer Lopez, Alex O’Loughlin, Linda Lavin
This pregnancy-centric romantic comedy is pure formula, with only the significant charms of Jennifer Lopez really driving it forward. Sadly, not even J.Lo can distract from the fact that her character is aggravatingly self-centered and that costar Alex O’Loughlin is a bland hottie.

MOVIE MATH: (The Wedding Planner - My Best Friend's Wedding) x Nine Months

GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, THE – B

Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Sven-Bertil Taube
This Swedish-language adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s best-seller lingers a little too unnecessarily on scenes of violence towards women, but its puzzles, relationships and landscape are enthralling. Kudos to the filmmakers for finding the perfect cast, particularly the spooky Noomi Rapace as the Girl of the title.

MOVIE MATH: AVERAGE(Eastern Promises + The Limey) x (Let the Right One In - Twilight) + Hackers

PROPHET, A (UN PROPHETE) – A-

Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Reda Kateb
Jacques Audiard’s prison-based drama is a stunning coming-of-age saga that proves to be a quietly powerful exploration of a French Arab teenager who makes his mark in crime by being a quick study. The drama isn’t sensationalized, rooted instead on loyalties of race and cool manipulation.

MOVIE MATH: (Goodfellas + Gangster No. 1) x Hunger

CITY ISLAND - C+

Andy Garcia, Julianna Marguiles, Steven Strait
Andy Garcia is scruffy and likeable in this light family drama about a corrections officer with dreams of acting, but the storyline is stuffed-to-overflowing with contrivance. Every member of Garcia’s family is hiding a secret and too many of them strain credibility, especially in the final act.

MOVIE MATH: (Brooklyn's Finest - Training Day) + Little Miss Sunshine x A Serious Man

YOUTH IN REVOLT – C+

Michael Cera, Portia Doubleday, Jean Smart
It is nice to see Michael Cera him stretch a little in Youth in Revolt, playing the badass alter-ego to his usual persona (sardonic virgin). But there really isn’t enough variety in Revolt, with too much emphasis on visual shorthand and an approach that is too dismissive of its characters.

MOVIE MATH: Adventureland x Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist + Me, Myself & Irene / The Mask

DEATH AT A FUNERAL - B-

Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan
This unnecessary remake of the hilarious 2007 British comedy of the same name has some moments of roaring laughter, but director Neil LaBute’s tone is spotty and inspired supporting players like James Marsden, Tracy Morgan and Peter Dinklage greatly outshine a miscast Chris Rock and dull Martin Lawrence as the leads.

MOVIE MATH: Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins + (Four Weddings & a Funeral - My Big Fat Greek Wedding) / Weekend at Bernie's