EASY A - B

Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes
Despite a few tired elements (namely, Amanda Bynes), there is a lot in this breezy teen comedy that is really easy to like, starting with a sparkling lead performance from Emma Stone and the delightful comedy team of Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson as her goofy parents.

GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE, THE - B-

Noomi Rapace, Michael Nygvist, Lena Endre
This Swedish-language adaptation of book two in Stieg Larsson’s best-selling trilogy once again finds most of its tension springing from Noomi Rapace’s chilling and often silent lead performance. But so much of it consists of familiar thriller elements that it is hard to get fully invested.

KILLER INSIDE ME, THE - C+

Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba
There’s no denying that Michael Winterbottom’s The Killer Inside Me, the story of a small-town sheriff with sociopathic tendencies, worms its way under your skin. But despite a haunting performance by Casey Affleck, the film ultimately leaves one feeling cold and distanced.

FREAKONOMICS - B-

Documentary
Six acclaimed documentary filmmakers take turns at adapting various case studies from the bestselling economics book of the same name. Some segments work and some don’t. Authors Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt also show up but are disappointingly smug.

WELCOME TO THE RILEYS - C

James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart, Melissa Leo
Stewart has proven she can be an arresting actress in non-Twilight roles, but she seems completely out of her element in this piece of indie hogwash about a businessman (Gandolfini) who tries to help a teenage stripper. And poor Melissa Leo’s scenes all seem unintentionally comical.

CASE 39 - D

Renee Zellweger, Ian McShane, Bradley Cooper
Case 39 was filmed in 2006 and rotted on the shelf until seeing the light of day in 2010. Frankly, it should have stayed there. This is a mind-bogglingly bad demon-seed thriller in which characters act with no sense and Zellweger seems completely confused as to how she ended up here.

DISNEY'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL - B-

Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Bob Hoskins
The motion-capture animation that director Robert Zemeckis used for The Polar Express has been greatly improved with this latest adaptation of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic. But despite some impressive camera work, this Carol is ultimately too antic and loud to truly warm the heart.