RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Critics / Carolyn Arends
No picture available

    CAROLYN ARENDS

    Agrees with the Tomatometer 56% of the time.

    Biography: Carolyn has a lot of skeletons in her movie closet. She's not particularly a fan of the Star Wars movies or even those Hobbit films (please don't tell the others, they'll roll their eyes and ostracize.) She can recite unseemly quantities of dialogue from a canon of tour bus classics like Tommy Boy, So I Married An Axe-Murderer and This Is Spinal Tap. She is a card-carrying fan of the Screwball Comedy (What's Up, Doc? comes to mind). Not a very promising resume for a serious film reviewer. And yet, claiming a love for language, a passion for story, and a fascination with art as the lie that makes us see the truth, Carolyn offers up her opinions on movies great and small. In addition to writing film reviews, Carolyn is a recording artist, author, wife, and mother of two young (certifiably adorable) offspring whom she blames for her love of all things Pixar. Carolyn resides in Vancouver, BC.

    Publications: Christianity Today

    Total Reviews: 34

    LISTING OF ALL REVIEWS & ARTICLES

    • All
    • Movies
    • Fresh
    • Rotten
    • Unquoted
    Rating T-Meter Title | Year Add Date (default)

    Fresh
    3/4

    Fresh
    73%

    Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

    " In many respects, a creative triumph. The film is visually stunning, and the writing is equally fresh."

    Posted Oct 31, 2009

    Fresh
    3/4

    Rotten
    47%

    My Sister's Keeper (2009)

    " Contrived or not, sad is sad, and My Sister's Keeper will have all but the most cement-hearted reaching for tissue."

    Posted Jun 26, 2009

    Fresh
    4/4

    Fresh
    98%

    Up (2009)

    " It's a swashbuckling, continent-hopping adventure and an under-stated, nuanced psychodrama. It's a wildly creative fantasy and an almost devastatingly poignant piece of realism."

    Posted May 29, 2009

    Fresh
    3/4

    Rotten
    44%

    Hannah Montana The Movie (2009)

    " Like the girl at its center, Hannah Montana The Movie ain't perfect, but it sure is likable, and a whole lot of fun."

    Posted Apr 10, 2009

    Fresh
    2.5/4

    Rotten
    45%

    Hotel for Dogs (2009)

    " Ultimately a tribute to the Power of Cute Pooches; despite all the film's shortcomings, the dogs deliver genuine laughs and prove to be thoroughly engaging protagonists."

    Posted Jan 16, 2009

    Fresh
    3/4

    Fresh
    67%

    High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008)

    " Sure, the franchise is corny, but it ultimately celebrates talent, enthusiasm, loyalty and love. And you can dance to it."

    Posted Oct 24, 2008

    Rotten
    1/4

    Rotten
    41%

    Blindness (2008)

    " No doubt every reviewer who sees Blindness will dig deep for his or her own special vision-related play on words. Here is mine: Blindness is a film I wish I hadn't seen."

    Posted Oct 3, 2008

    Fresh
    3/4

    Fresh
    79%

    Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008)

    " Kit Kittredge has many of the classic ingredients of a successful family tale, but it's most notable success is in the unusual themes it brings to the forefront."

    Posted Jul 10, 2008

    Fresh
    3/4

    Fresh
    89%

    Kung Fu Panda (2008)

    " A good-natured, entertaining romp and, in my experience, not a bad kid discussion-starter. You can't ask much more from an animated panda kung fu movie than that."

    Posted Jun 6, 2008

    Fresh
    2.5/4

    Rotten
    54%

    Charlie Bartlett (2007)

    " Although much of the film is exaggerated for satirical purposes, somehow, in the eye of the farcical storm, a compelling story gets told."

    Posted Feb 22, 2008

    Fresh
    3.5/4

    Rotten
    24%

    Evan Almighty (2007)

    " A truly entertaining film that invites viewers to contemplate the rather big idea that we're all "chosen" to be in relationship with--and obedient to--our Creator."

    Posted Jun 22, 2007

    Fresh
    3/4

    Fresh
    69%

    Ocean's Thirteen (2007)

    " The suits are sleek, the dialogue snappy, the tone wry, the jazz hip. Even Las Vegas--bastion of neon kitsch that it is--looks opulently graceful."

    Posted Jun 20, 2007

    Fresh
    3/4

    Rotten
    58%

    The Hip Hop Project (2007)

    " Its most compelling message is about the importance and power of community."

    Posted May 11, 2007

    Fresh
    2.5/4

    Rotten
    32%

    The Ultimate Gift (2007)

    " Like sensible woolen socks in a ribbon-wrapped package, The Ultimate Gift may be good for you, but it's a little hard to get excited about."

    Posted Mar 9, 2007

    Rotten
    2/4

    Rotten
    14%

    Wild Hogs (2007)

    " The premise will likely remind you of City Slickers. The bad news: Wild Hogs is no City Slickers."

    Posted Mar 2, 2007

    Fresh
    2.5/4

    Fresh
    62%

    Music and Lyrics (2007)

    " Grant and Barrymore are completely believable as a creative team, but the romantic development seems arbitrary -- or, more accurately, obligatory."

    Posted Feb 14, 2007

    Fresh
    2.5/4

    Rotten
    22%

    Catch and Release (2007)

    " A big-hearted light-headed story that isn't as deep as it wants to be, but still manages to entertain."

    Posted Jan 26, 2007

    Fresh
    3.5/4

    Fresh
    82%

    Walk the Line (2005)

    " Witherspoon delivers a full-bodied, note-perfect performance as sassy, no-nonsense June, and proves herself an able singer in the process."

    Posted Nov 17, 2006

    Fresh
    3.5/4

    Rotten
    53%

    An Unfinished Life (2005)

    " An Unfinished Life takes us on the journey from the stifling prison of resentment to the freedom and healing of reconciliation. It's a trip worth taking."

    Posted Nov 10, 2006

    Fresh
    3/4

    Fresh
    63%

    Saint Ralph (2005)

    " For the jaded moviegoer, here's a little film that just might restore your faith -- in movies and a whole lot more."

    Posted Oct 2, 2006

    Fresh
    2.5/4

    Rotten
    47%

    Open Season (2006)

    " Despite its overly familiar plot elements and the excessive time it takes getting to its real story, Open Season has a lot going for it."

    Posted Sep 29, 2006

    Rotten
    2/4

    Rotten
    5%

    The Perfect Man (2005)

    " The Perfect Man, starring Hilary Duff, isn't very good. The problem is how to critique it without taking the obvious cheap shots at its likable but over-exposed young star."

    Posted Sep 27, 2006

    Fresh
    3/4

    Fresh
    74%

    Over the Hedge (2006)

    " The film's messages -- pro-family, pro-ecology, anti-consumerism -- sometimes feel forced. But Hedge is genuinely and consistently funny, for both children and parents."

    Posted Sep 27, 2006

    Fresh
    3/4

    Fresh
    75%

    Nine Lives (2005)

    " Nine Lives had me tense, engaged, sometimes disgusted, sometimes moved, and always interested. Garcia is an ingenious and eloquent storyteller."

    Posted Sep 27, 2006

    Fresh
    3.5/4

    Fresh
    84%

    Mad Hot Ballroom (2005)

    " In all its unscripted glory, it shows us pre-adolescence with an astonishing authenticity that should be the envy of a hundred coming-of-age movies."

    Posted Sep 27, 2006

    Fresh
    3/4

    Rotten
    42%

    Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (2006)

    " Those who like their humor wry and dry will be rewarded by a nuanced study of the way self-absorption can keep people disconnected, be they comedians, governments, or you and me."

    Posted Sep 27, 2006

    Fresh
    3.5/4

    Rotten
    57%

    Just Like Heaven (2005)

    " One of the best times I've had at the movies in a while. It's not perfect. It's not very deep. But it's a whole lot of fun and even a little moving."

    Posted Sep 25, 2006

    Fresh
    2.5/4

    Fresh
    62%

    Dreamer (2005)

    " Dreamer is loaded with enough clichés and formulas to choke a horse. But truly, it works."

    Posted Sep 22, 2006

    Rotten
    2.5/4

    Rotten
    36%

    Chicken Little (2005)

    " It lacks a good, old-fashioned story -- the fourth dimension every 3-D feature needs to be a classic."

    Posted Sep 22, 2006

    Fresh
    3/4

    Rotten
    40%

    Everyone's Hero (2006)

    " Five days after screening Everyone's Hero, I'm still cringing a little, in my grown-up, jaded way, at the cute, corny, earnestness of the film."

    Posted Sep 15, 2006

    Rotten
    2/4

    Rotten
    7%

    Cheaper By the Dozen 2 (2005)

    " Its heart is in the right place, but a reliance on gimmicks and sentiment undermines the story. In the end, both the laughs and the tears here come just a little too cheap. "

    Posted Sep 11, 2006

    Fresh
    3/4

    Rotten
    40%

    American Dreamz (2006)

    " In a way, this film talks out of both sides of its mouth -- lampooning and loving its targets at the same time. But most viewers, I suspect, won't mind."

    Posted Sep 8, 2006

    Fresh
    3/4

    Rotten
    27%

    The Shaggy Dog (2006)

    " A good-natured, sometimes silly family fun that will play especially well with the under-13 set. "

    Posted Sep 1, 2006

    Fresh
    3/4

    Fresh
    81%

    A Prairie Home Companion (2006)

    " Fans of Altman's naturalistic style and admirers of Keillor's wit will find plenty to love in A Prairie Home Companion."

    Posted Aug 25, 2006
     
     
    • Sort by Rating:

      Sort results by this critic's rating. This option is only available for critics with a rating system (4 star, letter grade, 1-10, etc.)

    • Sort by T-meter:

      Sort results by the Tomatometer (percentage of critics recommending a certain movie)

     
     

    Best Reviewed

    Fresh Sample

    Fresh

    Where the Wild Things AreOffsite

    Fresh

    My Sister's KeeperOffsite

    Fresh

    UpOffsite

    Fresh

    Hannah Montana The MovieOffsite

    Fresh

    Hotel for DogsOffsite

    Fresh

    High School Musical 3: Senior YearOffsite

    Fresh

    Kit Kittredge: An American GirlOffsite

    Fresh

    Kung Fu PandaOffsite

    Fresh

    Charlie BartlettOffsite

    Fresh

    Evan AlmightyOffsite

    More…

    Best Reviewed

    Rotten Sample

    Rotten

    BlindnessOffsite

    Rotten

    Wild HogsOffsite

    Rotten

    The Perfect ManOffsite

    Rotten

    Chicken LittleOffsite

    Rotten

    Cheaper By the Dozen 2Offsite

    More…

    Sponsored Links

     
     
    About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
    IGN Logo

    IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
    TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
    AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


    By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
    Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
    IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
    Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.