Cadillac Records (2008)

"The result feels even more cursory and rushed than the average music biopic, a genre that's already difficult to depict without lapsing into self-parody."

El Cantante (2007)

"Ultimately, El Cantante, which is also the title of Hector's signature song, leaves you feeling like you've watched yet another cliche, a shortened life in the same polluted vein as Jim Morrison or Edith Piaf."

Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001)

"Insomniacs take heart: The soothing sounds of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin are an invitation to snooze away a couple of hours."

Casino Royale (2006)

"Taking the world's greatest spy back to his roots as a raw, impressionable brute whose cockiness at times fails him and who can lose his heart to a woman was a keen stroke of intelligence."

Catch and Release (2007)

"This fish-themed romance flops wildly all over the place, from heavy poignant moments to slapsticky comedy, with a healthy dose of soapy melodrama in between."

Center Stage (2000)

"Unfortunately, in between the dance sequences, the actors are allowed to talk. This is a problem."

Charlie Bartlett (2007)

"[Sitting through] Charlie Bartlett makes you feel as if you've just watched three episodes of a new TV series you can't wait to see more of -- one that's so funny and smart and unpredictable, it would probably only survive one season on the air."

Charlotte's Web (2006)

"Corny? Overly simplistic? Perhaps. But those were grown-ups snuffling and wiping away tears at a recent screening -- not kids -- as the story reaches its heart-tugging conclusion. And there's no shame in that."

Children of Men (2006)

"It's definitely worth setting aside your urge for lightweight escapism and diving into this heavy, provocative tale, set so closely to our times and so recognizably an extension of our world that it offers an intriguing chance for reflection."

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

"It's simultaneously darker and funnier, more substantive and more engaging, more violent and more technically accomplished."

City of Men (2008)

"Though the histrionics of City of Men are a bit obvious, and it lacks the bravado of City of God, it's ultimately a more rewarding film."

Clerks II (2006)

"Smith won’t win any new converts with Clerks II, but he’ll satisfy the devoted core audience."

The Closet (2001)

"The Closet will not appeal to all moviegoers, but it will find a niche audience of viewers hungry for brisk, smart comedies."

Coco Before Chanel (2009)

"Coco Before Chanel only starts to get interesting when she asserts her creative and financial freedom -- and that's right when the movie's about to end."

Cold Souls (2009)

"These are all very surreal, inventive ideas, heightened by the dreamlike cinematography from Barthes' partner, Andrij Parekh; the scenes shot in St. Petersburg, for example, are simultaneously gauzy and bleak."

The Condemned (2007)

"It has the audacity to serve as a self-righteous indictment of graphic, gratuitous violence, even though that's exactly what it's peddling."

Coraline (2009)

"Coraline, the first stop-motion animated film to be conceived and shot in 3-D, is visually dazzling, as you'd expect -- but strangely joyless."

The Cove (2009)

"A documentary that mixes advocacy journalism with the suspenseful thrill of a caper."

Coyote Ugly (2000)

"The acting is amateurish, the dialogue is painful to hear and the plot is about as spontaneous as the Republican National Convention."

Crazy Heart (2009)

"The songs become anthems inhabited by Bridges, whose Bad Blake may wish his life had turned out differently but is never going to dribble tears in his shot glass so long as he still can find a stage somewhere to belt out a tune."

Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001)

"It means well ... This does not indicate, however, that you should necessarily plunk down money for the third film in the Crocodile Dundee series."

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

"Fincher's film, based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story about a man who ages in reverse, is rambling and gorgeous -- perhaps a bit overlong and gooey in the midsection -- but one that leaves you with a lingering wistfulness."

Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)

"The stately Gong looks fantastic, the regal Chow looks cruelly calculating. Yet lacking the inner spark a richer script would provide, even they blend into the scenery."