TOWN, THE - B+

Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall
You never would have guessed from his earlier career choices, but Ben Affleck has shown a real flair behind the camera for flawed characters and rich atmosphere. The Town, like Affleck's Gone Baby Gone (2007), is a crackling crime drama that lives and breathes the grime of Boston.

NOWHERE BOY - B

Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Anne-Marie Duff
Even if you know nothing about John Lennon, there’s a lot to admire with this biopic about Lennon’s teenage life (long before the Beatles). In focusing on his tumultous family life, we come to appreciate how rock-and-roll helped Lennon establish an identity that had long been missing.

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS - B-

Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd, Bruce Greenwood
Any comic edge to the 1998 French comedy Le Diner de Cons has been scrubbed away from this overly pat but still fitfully amusing American adaptation. Most of the laughs come from over-the-top supporting characters, thanks mostly to inconsistency with Carrell’s idiot persona.

YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER - C+

Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins
Woody Allen’s first visit to London – 2005’s Match Point – seemed to present a new awakening for the writer-director. At this point, though, he’s back to old tricks. This light comedy isn’t awful, but it hardly memorable either. It just floats in front of your eyes before disappearing.

GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST, THE

Noomi Rapace, Michael Nygvist, Lena Endre
The Swedish language Dragon Tattoo trilogy may have started with sizzle but it fizzles out in this abstract and surprisingly dull third entry. Unfortunately, nothing really happens here other than an overly long rehash of everything we learned in the first two films.

FASTER - D

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Carla Gugino
After spending the last few years turning himself into a teddy bear with family films, Johnson tries to prove he’s still a man’s man with this revenge film. But its hard to say which is more aggravating – the rote action or the absolutely ridiculous hitman on Johnson’s tail. Beware.

LOTTERY TICKET - C+

Bow Wow, Brandon T. Jackson, Naturi Naughton
Whenever it isn’t wallowing in tired African American caricatures, there’s actually a genuine charm to Lottery Ticket and its leading man, Bow Wow. But just when the comedy settles into a nice groove, out comes another lame-duck stereotype to ruin the flow.