Charlotte Weekly

Charlotte Weekly is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer® when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Sean O'Connell
Rating Title/Year Author
3/4 Bran Nue Dae (2009) Sean O'Connell Comes off as "Moulin Rouge" at half speed, which is more of a compliment than you might imagine. EDIT
Posted Sep 24, 2010
2/4 Broken Embraces (2009) Sean O'Connell Gives us few reasons not to stay to the ending, but the ultimate revelation of Blanco's pain ... disappoints. EDIT
Posted Jan 31, 2010
2.5/4 It's Complicated (2009) Sean O'Connell "It's Complicated" will be for middle-aged women what the latest "Transformers" sequel is for teenage boys. EDIT
Posted Dec 30, 2009
1.5/4 Nine (2009) Sean O'Connell How does one recommend a musical that packs a putrid songbook, hires eye candy over proven entertainers and casts perhaps the greatest actor of our generation in the lead even though he can't sing a note? EDIT
Posted Dec 30, 2009
3/4 The Damned United (2009) Sean O'Connell Finds its riveting story in the locker-room and board-room wranglings of competitive team leaders, and dissects them with documentary-style precision. EDIT
Posted Dec 23, 2009
3/4 The Road (2009) Sean O'Connell An overall impressive adaptation that, while tough to recommend because of its oppressive mood, stays on the right path for the duration of its run. EDIT
Posted Dec 23, 2009
1.5/4 Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009) Sean O'Connell You've already heard every joke it has to tell. EDIT
Posted Dec 23, 2009
4/4 Up in the Air (2009) Sean O'Connell "Up In the Air," more than any film released this year, is tailored perfectly for its time. EDIT
Posted Dec 23, 2009
3/4 Brothers (2009) Sean O'Connell Sheds some of the original's impact. But the emotional currents remain so charged that you won't need a translator to understand the heartache conveyed on screen. EDIT
Posted Dec 11, 2009
2/4 The Messenger (2009) Sean O'Connell Beyond the interesting subjects, Moverman doesn't have a definitive place for his film to go. EDIT
Posted Dec 11, 2009
3/4 Everybody's Fine (2009) Sean O'Connell It's schmaltzy and a tad melodramatic, but it doesn't pander, gently plucking our heartstrings when it could have hammered away. EDIT
Posted Dec 11, 2009
3/4 Invictus (2009) Sean O'Connell While far from subtle (Eastwood rarely is), "Invictus" possesses an unmistakable air of dignity. EDIT
Posted Dec 11, 2009
3/4 Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) Sean O'Connell Anderson has explored eccentric family dynamics %u2013 particularly those that exist between fathers and sons %u2013 in each of his films, and his philosophical insights are all over the precise ramblings of Fox and his motley crew. EDIT
Posted Nov 30, 2009
3/4 Ninja Assassin (2009) Sean O'Connell Delivers everything you'd expect from a film titled "Ninja Assassin." EDIT
Posted Nov 30, 2009
2/4 Planet 51 (2009) Sean O'Connell Stargazers believe there's intelligent life out there. You just won't find much of it on "Planet 51." EDIT
Posted Nov 20, 2009
3/4 Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire (2009) Sean O'Connell Recommending "Precious" proves challenging, regardless of the film's quality. ... But to skip it would mean missing some fantastic performances. EDIT
Posted Nov 20, 2009
3/4 An Education (2009) Sean O'Connell A handsomely crafted and beautifully acted awakening story that's predictable but consistently rewarding. EDIT
Posted Nov 20, 2009
2.5/4 The Blind Side (2009) Sean O'Connell Recycles the charitable messages of other religion-based films, from "Facing the Giants" to "Fireproof," but presents them in an accessible, mainstream package. EDIT
Posted Nov 20, 2009
1.5/4 2012 (2009) Sean O'Connell Packages the disaster-happy director's greatest hits into one cataclysmic picture. EDIT
Posted Nov 13, 2009
3/4 Pirate Radio (2009) Sean O'Connell Alive with the full-bodied embrace of anarchy EDIT
Posted Nov 13, 2009
1.5/4 Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009) Sean O'Connell A technically proficient but disturbing adaptation (that) adopts a surprisingly macabre tone. EDIT
Posted Nov 6, 2009
2.5/4 The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) Sean O'Connell Does a passable imitation of a Coen brothers comedy. EDIT
Posted Nov 6, 2009
2/4 Coco Before Chanel (2009) Sean O'Connell A familiar lemonade-from-lemons period biopic or, in the case of the fashionista, a smart-suit-from-tattered-threads tale. EDIT
Posted Nov 6, 2009
3.5/4 Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009) Sean O'Connell a ferociously entertaining send-off for the musical icon, a coda that permits Jackson's legacy to end on a high note. EDIT
Posted Oct 30, 2009
3/4 Good Hair (2009) Sean O'Connell Educates more than it entertains, even though there's plenty of colorful subjects (Chris) Rock could have gently lampooned. EDIT
Posted Oct 28, 2009
2.5/4 Law Abiding Citizen (2009) Sean O'Connell The ultimate explanation behind Shelton's methods deflates some of the picture's fun, but by then you've enjoyed most of Gray's gritty ride. EDIT
Posted Oct 16, 2009
2/4 Where the Wild Things Are (2009) Sean O'Connell Sendak's book crackled with the combustible energy of adolescent anarchy and creative play -- two elements severely lacking from Spike Jonze's mopey, withdrawn feature-length adaptation. EDIT
Posted Oct 16, 2009
3/4 Paranormal Activity (2007) Sean O'Connell Far more effective during its nighttime scenes EDIT
Posted Oct 16, 2009
3/4 Soul Power (2008) Sean O'Connell Does its part to widen this historic concert's potential audience base. EDIT
Posted Oct 2, 2009
3/4 The Informant! (2009) Sean O'Connell Beneath the feathered toupee, that disturbingly fuzzy mustache, and 30 pounds of listless, desk-job body fat lies Matt Damon, giving an outstanding comedic performance. EDIT
Posted Oct 2, 2009
2.5/4 Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009) Sean O'Connell Where Pixar would have made a nutritious main course out of the character issues in Lord and Miller's script, "Meatballs" skips them in favor of dessert. EDIT
Posted Oct 2, 2009
2/4 Bright Star (2009) Sean O'Connell Plays by the strict and proper rules of the period genre, resulting in a predominantly frigid and impersonal love story. EDIT
Posted Oct 2, 2009
3/4 Whip It (2009) Sean O'Connell Packs the same unfiltered jolts of grrrrrly-girl empowerment Barrymore likes to embrace in her acting gigs. EDIT
Posted Oct 2, 2009
3/4 Zombieland (2009) Sean O'Connell Marrying comedy to horror isn't original, but "Zombieland" discovers inventive ways to entertain by placing its emphasis on laughs over legitimate scares. EDIT
Posted Oct 2, 2009
2/4 It Might Get Loud (2008) Sean O'Connell Listening to rock gods speak about their music isn't nearly as enjoyable as listening to them play it. EDIT
Posted Oct 2, 2009
3.5/4 Big Fan (2009) Sean O'Connell Wrings pain out of heartbreaking truths, and steamrolls to an unpredictable conclusion that's suspenseful, mildly coincidental, but gut-wrenchingly sad. EDIT
Posted Oct 2, 2009
2.5/4 No Impact Man (2009) Sean O'Connell An interesting socio-analytical documentary that preaches valuable messages regarding global conservation. My problem is I wanted to shoot the film's pompous messenger. EDIT
Posted Oct 2, 2009
2/4 Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) Sean O'Connell Comes across like a refresher course, and not the higher education Moore has strived for in the past. EDIT
Posted Oct 2, 2009
2/4 9 (2009) Sean O'Connell Beyond the impressive visuals, there isn't much. EDIT
Posted Sep 11, 2009
2/4 My One and Only (2009) Sean O'Connell Melodramatic, starting and stopping without achieving a flow. EDIT
Posted Sep 11, 2009
3/4 The September Issue (2009) Sean O'Connell Even a haute couture heathen such as I recognizes that to full-blown fashionistas, "September Issue" is nothing short of a religious experience. EDIT
Posted Sep 11, 2009
3/4 Taking Woodstock (2009) Sean O'Connell The Oscar-winning director has effectively captured the good vibes surrounding the initial festival. EDIT
Posted Aug 28, 2009
1/4 Play the Game (2008) Sean O'Connell Did you ever wonder what face Andy Griffith makes when he's having an intimate moment with a lady friend? Me neither. Yet that's one of many "delights" foisted on us during writer-director Marc Fienberg's feature-length debut comedy. EDIT
Posted Aug 28, 2009
1.5/4 Shorts (2013) Sean O'Connell An imaginative but shamefully unsophisticated fantasy. EDIT
Posted Aug 23, 2009
1.5/4 Inglourious Basterds (2009) Sean O'Connell The pop-art auteur's least-focused film to date, a rambling wreck of shrewd ideas and cinematic influences that never interlock into their own identifiable movie. EDIT
Posted Aug 21, 2009
3/4 In the Loop (2009) Sean O'Connell One of the year's most intelligent (scripts), unifying political intrigue and backroom muckraking with stinging, pop-culture putdowns. EDIT
Posted Aug 21, 2009
3/4 The Cove (2009) Sean O'Connell Visceral enough to inspire action, no matter your politics. EDIT
Posted Aug 21, 2009
3/4 Adam (2009) Sean O'Connell Adam's disorder is but one piece of a tender relationship puzzle that's nurtured out of its shell by the performers. EDIT
Posted Aug 21, 2009
2.5/4 The Goods: Live Hard. Sell Hard. (2009) Sean O'Connell a raucous comedy that adheres to the one-joke-pony structure ... except the talent Brennan attracts is stronger, and the jokes his screenwriters attempt are more obscure. EDIT
Posted Aug 14, 2009
3.5/4 District 9 (2009) Sean O'Connell Jolts with disturbing plot twists, disgusts with gory kills, showcases awesome and inventive alien technology, comments on inhumane medical experimentation and criticizes unchecked military might, but always remains in service of a nail-biting story. EDIT
Posted Aug 14, 2009