Christian Science Monitor's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Select another publication »
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
view
per page
  1. Grosse Pointe Blank
    This clever and original movie is like a John Hughes comedy for the '90s.
  2. Salinger
    By turns fascinating and infuriating.
  3. 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.
  4. Meek's Cutoff
    For a movie about hard-driving pioneers, there is nevertheless much existential ennui in the air.
  5. Sunshine
    The filmmaking is uninspired and Fiennes inexplicably plays three different characters with exactly the same acting style.
  6. 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
  7. The Private Archives of Pablo Escovar
    Gripping.
  8. 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
  9. Crooklyn
    On its own intimate terms, it's one of the most winning films on family life to reach the screen in ages.
  10. The Big Lebowski
    Viewers with a taste for bizarre, even surreal, humor will have a ball.
  11. 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.
  12. Code 46
    Not always compellingly made, but intelligent and perhaps prophetic.
  13. The Mask of Zorro
    Proudly old-fashioned in every way except the often excessive violence that director Martin Campbell splashes across the screen.
  14. Fidel
    Bravo works too hard at extolling Castro -- The film's historical footage is compelling, though, and provides plenty to think about.
  15. Judy Berlin
    Strikingly original movie.
  16. Breakdown
    It starts slowly, but builds to a spectacular climax with hearty sound effects and deftly directed stunts.
  17. Violette
    “Séraphine” was haunting; Violette, for all its writhings, is familiar.
  18. 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.
  19. The Italian
    It's a wish-fulfillment fantasy posing as hard-edged realism.
  20. 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.
  21. 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.
  22. 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.
  23. 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.
  24. Come What May
    The great Ennio Morricone, still going strong at 87, wrote the marvelous film score.
  25. Hail, Caesar!
    The film is often​ sharp and amusing, but it’s a doodle in the Coen canon.
  26. The Wedding Singer
    The movie is surprisingly strong despite its potentially flaky plot, combining '80s-style humor with a sincere romantic story.
  27. 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.
  28. Saving Face
    Nicely acted.
  29. 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.
  30. 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.
Page:

Top Trailers

See all »
See all trailers »