Christian Science Monitor's Scores

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For 4,492 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 55% higher than the average critic
  • 2% same as the average critic
  • 43% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 2.1 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Movie review score: 67
Highest review score: 100 'Round Midnight
Lowest review score: 0 Couples Retreat
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,780 out of 4492
  2. Mixed: 1,361 out of 4492
  3. Negative: 351 out of 4492
4492 movie reviews
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  1. Roman de gare
    Lelouch means to transcend the genre. He doesn't really move much beyond his usual glib panache here, but the plot is intriguing and so are the actors.
  2. Valley of Tears
    The movie peaks about halfway through, when town officials try to stop Perry from revealing what's going on.
  3. Tycoon: A New Russian
    Lounguine tells the story with more discipline than you'll find in his earlier films, painting a crowded portrait of a society moving toward a future it can neither confidently predict nor look forward to with anything but nervous anticipation.
  4. Bang Rajan
    The story suggests a more violent "Seven Samurai," full of jungle mayhem and eloquently filmed action-movie suspense.
  5. Undertow
    Taking great artistic chances in storytelling and performance style, Green finally fulfills the promise he showed in his fine 2000 drama "George Washington" as a terrific builder of mood, atmosphere, and psychological suspense.
  6. Cookie's Fortune
    Altman is one of very few directors who could have assembled such a superb ensemble, and he makes the most of it from first scene to last.
  7. Hotel
    Figgis still deserves credit for taking more artistic chances than a dozen ordinary directors.
  8. The Wedding Song
    A lumpy admixture of politics and carnality, but when it all comes together, it has a lingering force.
  9. Signs & Wonders
    Unusual and imaginative drama.
  10. Black Mass
    Black Mass is like a playlist of greatest hits from other, better movies.
  11. Auto Focus
    On one level, it's an unsettling biopic and an acerbic look at a bygone media age. On another, it's a cautionary tale with uncommon relevance and bite.
  12. Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story
    Director Stefan Forbes interviews a slew of victims and beneficiaries of the Atwater attack machine and, in the process, gives us an even-handed portrait of a man who, as much as anybody, bears responsibility for the toxicity of high stakes political campaigning on both sides of the aisle.
  13. Milk
    Milk is an agitprop fantasy about the selflessness of sainthood. If anybody but Penn was playing the saint, we'd probably feel as if we were being sold a bill of goods. Instead, he just about pulls it off. Such is the treachery of talent.
  14. Behind the Burly Q
    The best commentator is Alda, whose rueful memories of being raised as a boy in burlesque are the film's highlight. "It was a form of abuse," he says of those days, but without rancor. It was, after all, the only childhood he knew.
  15. A Very Long Engagement
    Longer than necessary, that is, for the story it has to tell. This flaw aside, the drama is well crafted and sometimes touching, with especially forceful opening scenes.
  16. All or Nothing
    Suffers from touches of sentimentality in its last portion -- Many viewers may welcome this last-minute brightening, though. If so, All or Nothing could join "Topsy Turvy" and "Secrets & Lies" as one of Leigh's most widely enjoyed recent films.
  17. Shanghai Ghetto
    The account is highly informative, although it would come across more vividly if there were fewer talking heads and longer stretches of archival footage.
  18. Bus 174
    A fascinating account, if less urgently compelling than it might have been.
  19. The Prince and Me
    Quite appealing, thanks to good-humored acting and to Martha Coolidge's quiet directing style. She lets romance and comedy bubble up from the characters instead of imposing gimmicky twists on the story.
  20. Love Me If You Dare
    Much of the style strains too hard to be cute, but true romantics may shed copious tears of sympathy and empathy.
  21. Ghosts of Mississippi
    Rob Reiner directed "Ghosts of Mississippi" from Lewis Colick's screenplay, and both deserve credit for their conscientious work. In the end, though, a race-related irony lingers in the movie despite its positive achievements. [20 Dec 1996, p.12]
    • Christian Science Monitor
  22. Pariah
    The filmmaking is often wayward, the scenes of confrontation sometimes too stagey, but Oduye is a marvelous young actress with a camera-ready face brimming with soulfulness.
  23. Haywire
    Taut almost to the point of abstraction.
  24. Rory O'Shea Was Here
    Superbly acted.
  25. Icarus
    One aspect of this story that could have been more deeply underscored: The steroid use that ultimately banned so many Russian Olympians was not just about winning. It was about winning under threat of disgrace or death.
  26. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
    Carrey is excellent, making the most of his comic gifts even in a cumbersome Grinch outfit, and the eye-spinning color scheme is dazzling to behold.
  27. Boys Don't Cry
    Swank gives one of the year's most complex and hard-hitting performances in the demanding central role.
  28. The Last Mistress
    Decorous to a fault, in the manner of middling Eric Rohmer talkfests, it's a film that could use some shaking up.
  29. 12 O'Clock Boys
    It’s to Nathan’s credit that he doesn’t negate the allure of dirt-bike riding as an escape hatch from inner-city woes.
  30. The Devil's Rejects
    If you're not in the mood for "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" meets "Last House on the Left," stay very far away. Horror fans will find what they're looking for, though.
  31. Sully
    There are many kinds of heroism, of course, but the version on display in Sully is, well, unsullied, and that sort of thing is more suitable for a monument than a movie.
  32. Young@Heart
    A tribute to the therapeutic powers of musicmaking and choral camaraderie.
  33. Pieces of April
    The characters are so convincing and the mood so light and flaky that it's hard not to find it a delicious little hors d'oeuvre of a movie.
  34. The Wave
    The Wave, directed by Roar Uthaug, is pretty good. It’s also pretty strange. At least for American viewers – and Norwegians, too? – experiencing all these familiar disaster movie tropes in a Scandinavian setting, even on a relatively low budget, can be weirdly disorienting.
  35. Milk and Honey
    Smart and surprising.
  36. The Last September
    The movie doesn't have much more get-up-and-go than the characters, but solid performances and richly textured camera work keep it involving most of the way through.
  37. Contagion
    The irony of this film is that it's all about how we need to come together to conquer a calamity that pushes us apart.
  38. Happiness
    The movie's intentions are as serious and thoughtful as its content is timely and sometimes horrifying. For adventurous viewers only.
  39. Maelstrom
    This doesn't mean Maelström is for everyone. It's a strange and quirky yarn, moving between deceptively calm scenes and episodes as tempestuous as its title.
  40. The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
    The film does drag on, though, without a great deal of visual distinction, and as the familial complications pile up, the movie seems less like a full-scale dramatic rendering and more like a smartypants comic contraption.
  41. Something Wicked This Way Comes
    As an evening of family entertainment, Something Wicked is probably far too exotic for its own good. As an excursion into the domain of dreams, it's often a fascinating voyage.
  42. Risk/Reward
    To its credit, the movie has as little patience for nonessential nonsense as the women it portrays.
  43. To Die For
    A conventional dark comedy with moments of unexpectedly biting wit.
  44. The Lizzie McGuire Movie
    The action is light and lively all the way, poking inventive fun at everything from nosy little brothers to clueless hotel managers and romantic Romans who aren't as glamorous as they claim to be.
  45. Zelary
    Well acted, handsomely photographed, a bit too long.
  46. Incendies
    The film's moral lesson – that violence begets violence – isn't exactly a showstopper, and the balm that is laid on Nawal and her riven family can't quite compensate for the poison that preceded it.
  47. Higher Learning
    The film treats realistic subjects in a stylized way, putting its main energy into exploring ideas rather than building emotional power. [13 Jan 1995, p.B]
  48. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
    How does all this play out for those of us – i.e., me – who have not been staying up nights fretting over the origins of the X-Men and Women? The answer is: Fairly well.
  49. The Big Kahuna
    Good acting and pungent dialogue.
  50. Gimme Shelter
    The topic is well-suited to the Maysles brothers, who helped pioneer reality-centered "direct cinema" techniques.
  51. Our Nixon
    We get to see film of daughter Tricia’s wedding (her father is a surprisingly agile ballroom dancer) and other oddities. We also hear more of the famous audiotapes than usual. You’ll be interested to know that Nixon, not in praise, referred to Henry Kissinger as a “swinger.”
  52. Dreamscape
    The longest comic episode is too heavily presented, and the whole plot slows down during the third quarter of the picture. But most of Dreamscape is light, lively, and entertaining. [21 Sep 1984, p.23]
    • Christian Science Monitor
  53. In Bloom
    It’s a universal story that is also, by virtue of its very particular time and place, a singular experience.
  54. Animal Factory
    Buscemi's directing blends hard-hitting visual qualities with great emotional energy.
  55. Cameraperson
    The linkages between these mostly brief snippets is somewhat haphazard, but, given the waywardness of her travels, that’s appropriate.
  56. You're Gonna Miss Me
    Complexly intriguing documentary about psychedelic rock icon Roky Erickson.
  57. Intact
    The story of this Spanish thriller is weak in psychological credibility but strong in suspense, novelty, and imagination.
  58. Gattaca
    Andrew Niccol wrote and directed this intelligent and suspenseful science-fiction drama featuring strong performances by Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Alan Arkin, and Gore Vidal.
  59. Isn't She Great
    Unexpectedly entertaining, if you're willing to put up with the picture's stagy look, over-the-top moods, and heavy doses of vulgarity.
  60. Mad City
    Influenced by Billy Wilder's classic "Ace in the Hole," this dark comedy-drama rambles on too long and strains credibility at times.
  61. The Perfect Storm
    Dive right in if you're looking for an old-fashioned entertainment that delivers corny romance, turbulent action, and enough wave-churning seascapes to make "Titanic" seem landlocked.
  62. Midnight Run
    Grodin is brilliant, though, practically stealing the movie without an extra word or unnecessary gesture. He's an uncommonly talented actor, and it's good to see him in a movie that gives him a chance to show his stuff. [22 July 1988]
    • Christian Science Monitor
  63. Rana's Wedding
    Excellent acting, and a plot that combines suspense, whimsy, and political resonance make this Palestinian comedy-drama an unusual treat.
  64. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
    There's some sexually tinged humor and a bit of foul language, but most of the action is lightheaded fun. The picture also has a striking visual style - showing what a strong talent Almod'ovar can be when he focuses his energy on cinematic values, instead of dreaming up provocative stunts that put his work beyond the pale for many moviegoers.
  65. Silver Linings Playbook
    It's slick stuff, but Lawrence, in her most high-low, sad-comic turn yet, is remarkable.
  66. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
    Next time out, more dwarfs, more Aslan, and definitely more Reepicheep.
  67. The Invisible Woman
    The Invisible Woman at its best does justice to the complicatedness of its characters – just as Dickens did as a writer.
  68. Darkness
    The thriller makes up in moody weirdness what it lacks in horror-tale originality.
  69. Family Fundamentals
    The film discusses important social and personal issues, although the interview subjects don't always have enlightening things to say.
  70. Waydowntown
    It's a smart and creative comedy that skewers cheaply dehumanizing architecture and self-absorbed yuppie mentalities in a series of skillfully assembled scenes. See it in a theater that's waydowntown, and city life may never look the same.
  71. Grosse Pointe Blank
    This clever and original movie is like a John Hughes comedy for the '90s.
  72. Salinger
    By turns fascinating and infuriating.
  73. Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!
    Isn't as funny as it wants to be, but it has a sheer pleasantness that stands out in this season of heavy-handed entertainments.
  74. Meek's Cutoff
    For a movie about hard-driving pioneers, there is nevertheless much existential ennui in the air.
  75. Sunshine
    The filmmaking is uninspired and Fiennes inexplicably plays three different characters with exactly the same acting style.
  76. The Brother from Another Planet
    Written and directed by John Sayles, with biting wit and scathing insights into earthly race relations. [04 Oct 1984, p.27]
    • Christian Science Monitor
  77. The Private Archives of Pablo Escovar
    Gripping.
  78. Edward Scissorhands
    Tim Burton's fantasy is more original than his previous film, “Batman,'' and its colors make “Dick Tracy'' look drab. Add wry dialogue and a mischievous critique of suburban life, and you have a diverting fable that doesn't quite live up to its quirky premise. [7 Dec 1990, Arts, p.12]
    • Christian Science Monitor
  79. Crooklyn
    On its own intimate terms, it's one of the most winning films on family life to reach the screen in ages.
  80. The Big Lebowski
    Viewers with a taste for bizarre, even surreal, humor will have a ball.
  81. The Intended
    Imagine a sexually charged "Heart of Darkness" by way of Denmark's bare-bones Dogme 95 and you'll have an idea of what this dark, moody melodrama is like.
  82. Code 46
    Not always compellingly made, but intelligent and perhaps prophetic.
  83. The Mask of Zorro
    Proudly old-fashioned in every way except the often excessive violence that director Martin Campbell splashes across the screen.
  84. Fidel
    Bravo works too hard at extolling Castro -- The film's historical footage is compelling, though, and provides plenty to think about.
  85. Judy Berlin
    Strikingly original movie.
  86. Breakdown
    It starts slowly, but builds to a spectacular climax with hearty sound effects and deftly directed stunts.
  87. Violette
    “Séraphine” was haunting; Violette, for all its writhings, is familiar.
  88. Rosetta
    Carries a strong emotional charge along with its valuable reminder of the suffering that youngsters may undergo when a heedless society overlooks their needs.
  89. The Italian
    It's a wish-fulfillment fantasy posing as hard-edged realism.
  90. Almost Famous
    Fugit gives a starmaking performance as the teenage reporter, and Crudup and Lee are excellent as the band's lead guitarist and singer, respectively.
  91. Pleasantville
    Ross's comedy isn't as inventive as "The Truman Show," which it resembles in some ways, but it explores interesting ideas with nimble humor.
  92. The Talent Given Us
    This isn't a movie, it's a thingamajig - frequently as off-putting as can be, but unassailably one of a kind.
  93. Ivory Tower
    Rossi investigates the increasing use of massive open online courses and other flexible programs and talks to such education experts as Columbia professor Andrew Delbanco.
  94. Come What May
    The great Ennio Morricone, still going strong at 87, wrote the marvelous film score.
  95. Hail, Caesar!
    The film is often​ sharp and amusing, but it’s a doodle in the Coen canon.
  96. The Wedding Singer
    The movie is surprisingly strong despite its potentially flaky plot, combining '80s-style humor with a sincere romantic story.
  97. Conspiracy Theory
    Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts contribute major star power to the uneven tale, but it never becomes as convincing as a real conspiracy theory should.
  98. Saving Face
    Nicely acted.
  99. Electric Shadows
    Things take several turns for the worse as the story plays out, and the film loses much of its charm. But it's a fascinating artifact, and never more so than when it features clips from Chinese and, of all things, Albanian propaganda films.
  100. Into the Wild
    Penn has a real feeling for the stray moments in life that suddenly rush up and overwhelm us with emotion. He also has an eye for beauty in the wilds, of which this film has many. And he's very good with actors. What he lacks is a sharper eye for the wooziness of romanticism, and that wooziness, despite some truly breathtaking moments, infuses Into the Wild.
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