‘LARRY CROWNE’

★ (out of four)

“Larry Crowne” marks Tom Hanks’ sophomore effort as a filmmaker, after the wholly unremarkable “That Thing You Do!” 15 years ago, and it is now disturbingly clear that Hanks has learned very little in his decades working with top-tier filmmakers. Stylistically, the movie is somewhat playful (a fun opening credits sequence depicting our hero going about his work day at a retail outlet is easily the best scene in the film) but ultimately uninspired. However, this is to be expected — not everyone can be Orson Welles, and one only needs to look at the filmographies of former Hanks collaborators like Ron Howard, Mike Nichols, Robert Zemeckis and Frank Darabont to see that, absent a consistent eye for the camera, one can still make great films rooted in sharp writing and meaningful characterizations.

‘CARS 2’

★★★ 

Until now, Pixar was never in the sequel business — save for the “Toy Story” films, which proved that with the right cast and crew, animated follow-ups could be much more than a cash cow. But with the release of “Cars 2,” and announced sequels to “Monsters, Inc.” and “The Incredibles” (with a fourth “Toy Story” entry rumored), it is clear that the studio is now embracing the idea with gusto. This decision has caused a fair amount of controversy, as Pixar has always been rightly viewed as a haven for creativity and originality — words that aren’t exactly synonymous with “sequel.”

‘SUPER 8’

★★ 1/2

Here is a film that is fashioned from the Spielberg model, from the themes of childhood innocence right down to the director’s trademark photography techniques. Director J.J. Abrams (the television power player who has attempted to make the leap to the big screen, with limited success, with “Mission: Impossible III” and “Star Trek”) has aped Steven Spielberg so well that, sans credits, one could conceivably mistake “Super 8” as being directed by the master himself — that is, if you’re only looking at the surface.