. . . and in your own time

OPENING TODAY

Paranormal Activity 2

Director: Tod Williams

Cast: Katie Featherson, Micah Sloat, Daniel Boland, Molly Ephraim

Paramount milks the phenomenal success of the low-tech horror sleeper hit Paranormal Activity in this glossier, still scary but not quite as impressive, sequel in which the couple from the first film are again terrorised by unexplained night-time goings on.

OPENS DECEMBER 31

The Town

Director: Ben Affleck

Cast: Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm,

Affleck's second outing as director takes him back to the underworld of Boston in this well-acted, taught thriller in which four bank heisting friends have to keep on their toes while being hunted by Jon Hamm's tenacious FBI agent. A familiar story but well controlled and acted enough to place it in the frontrunning for next year's Oscars.

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger

Director: Woody Allen

Cast: Josh Brolin, Naomi Watts, Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas, Freid Pinto

Allen keeps on going but this transposition of his standard bourgeois comedy of manners to London falls flat despite an A-level cast. Two couples have to deal with crises in their relationships and the jokes aren't funny enough to stop the film from disappointing even Woody's most die-hard fans in a film that can't decide whether to be serious or hilarious.

OPENS DECEMBER 17

Due Date

Director: Todd Phillips

Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Zach Galifianakis, Jamie Foxx, Juliette Lewis

It's the old planes, trains and automobiles premise as mismatched travel partners high-strung father-to-be Peter Highman (Downey) and aspiring actor (Galifianakis) race to make it to the birth on time. Phillips, director of the phenomenally succesful Hangover, struggles to keep things together and the joke soon runs out of steam.