Tomato C |
Cadillac Records (2008) |
"The cast all looks and sings the part -- and Knowles sure fills out James' tight dresses -- just make sure your theater popcorn is coated with grains of salt." |
Amy Nicholson |
Splat C |
Candy (2006) |
"Davies has no new insights into the heroin spiral, but this silly melodrama benefits from the palpable chemistry between Ledger and Cornish" |
Amy Nicholson |
Tomato B- |
Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) |
"A collection of outrageous facts sprayed like a shotgun blast towards what Moore deems the modern Roman Empire." |
Amy Nicholson |
Tomato B |
Caramel (2008) |
"Consider it 'Fried Green Falafel.'" |
Amy Nicholson |
Tomato B- |
Cassandra's Dream (2008) |
"McGregor and Farrell deepen this slight thriller into a film that feels almost grandly philosophical, even though you know that when the lights come on, the spell will break" |
Amy Nicholson |
Splat C |
Catch a Fire (2006) |
"Noyce is now the favorite filmmaker of your local Amnesty International" |
Amy Nicholson |
Splat C- |
Chandni Chowk to China (2009) |
"Half Bollywood, Half Chinese, all nonsense spectacle. Nikhil Advani's sprawling action-comedy has the feel of great ambition designed by committee." |
Amy Nicholson |
Tomato B- |
Charlie Bartlett (2007) |
"It feels like a teen movie hijacked by guidance counselors -- an after-school special in wolf's clothing." |
Amy Nicholson |
Tomato B |
Charlie Wilson's War (2007) |
"Mike Nichols' fast-talking political comedy says every word but Osama Bin Laden." |
Amy Nicholson |
Splat B- |
Che (2008) |
"This isn't a biography -- it's a nature show where Guevara is the lion." |
Amy Nicholson |
Splat B- |
Che, Part One (2008) |
"This isn't a biography -- it's a nature show where Guevara is the lion." |
Amy Nicholson |
Splat B- |
Che, Part Two (2008) |
"This isn't a biography -- it's a nature show where Guevara is the lion." |
Amy Nicholson |
Tomato B- |
Chicago 10 (2008) |
"As a peace-loving liberal, cross-examining Morgen's rousing, worthy, but slanted film is as fun as kicking yourself in the shins (or watching Clinton tear into Obama)" |
Amy Nicholson |
Tomato A |
Children of Men (2006) |
"Cuaron asks us to find hope in a grim nativity story where a reluctant hero and scared would-be mother try to find shelter in a land that desperately needs a newborn savior." |
Amy Nicholson |
Splat B- |
Choke (2008) |
"Bobs around on a tide of misanthropy, occasionally surprising us with small moments of brilliance." |
Amy Nicholson |
Tomato B+ |
Chop Shop (2007) |
"Ramin Bahrani's patient, perfectly-scripted vérité drama doesn't have many plot points, but we're so absorbed in their world that each upset leaves us frustrated and furious." |
Amy Nicholson |
Splat C |
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) |
"If we have to learn life lessons from a God Cat, do they have to side with Bill O'Reilly?" |
Amy Nicholson |
Tomato B |
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009) |
"What's best about the flick is that everything is so, well, normal. Reilly, in particular, delights in responding to the fantastical with the practical." |
Amy Nicholson |
Splat D+ |
CJ7 (2008) |
"Chow's latest might sell a lot of toys; still, it can't sell tears and the great gooey third act burns out like a meteor." |
Amy Nicholson |
Tomato B- |
The Class (2008) |
"The drama unfolds with the pace and tone of a nature show. Like watching exotic cats hunt unattractive prey, you're on neither team's side -- at least, not for long." |
Amy Nicholson |
Tomato A |
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009) |
"Lord and Miller know how to play with their food -- they have a hunger for the whimsical detail" |
Amy Nicholson |
Splat C- |
Cloverfield (2008) |
"It's like Abrams and crew have looked into the void and thought: the only thing worse than Armageddon is if no one witnessing it is hot." |
Amy Nicholson |
Tomato B |
Coco Before Chanel (2009) |
"We leave unsatisfied, but only because Fontaine and Tautou have left us wanting more of this unpossessable woman." |
Amy Nicholson |
Splat C- |
Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) |
"A schizophrenic apologia for its own existence, Confessions tries to poise itself as a cautionary film against overspending, even as it pans longingly over rows of sherbet colored shoes." |
Amy Nicholson |
Splat B- |
Control (2007) |
"Ian's trapped between insurrection and guilt, and so is Corbijn's film which mires itself in the artist's bourgeoisie dramas without figuring out how they influenced his music." |
Amy Nicholson |
Tomato A |
Coraline (2009) |
"Sure, there's no subtext about saving the planet, but for 2009, Pixar's got to play catch-up." |
Amy Nicholson |
Splat D |
Couples Retreat (2009) |
"The actresses are so wasted, they're even demoted to fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth billing under every one of the dudes. At least the guys aren't having fun either." |
Amy Nicholson |
Tomato C+ |
Crossing Over (2009) |
"This all sounds didactic and silly. It is. It's also highly watchable, and simultaneously complex, simple-minded, and deferential to the audience's base level of intelligence." |
Amy Nicholson |
Tomato B+ |
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) |
"More than a love story, Button is a eulogy for the 20th Century" |
Amy Nicholson |
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