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. Rain Man
    The story wanders, the plot twists seem contrived at times, and the emotions are never as intense as they might be. But it highlights yet another facet of Hoffman's talent: a gift for monochrome, of all things! And it has a heart as good as Raymond's own. [30 Dec 1988]
    • Christian Science Monitor
  2. Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train
    Thoughtful, exciting, moving.
  3. Closer
    It's too emotionally honest and psychologically dense for its own good. It's a movie that demands more than one viewing to absorb all its ideas and feelings.
  4. Foxes
    The performances are stronger than the movie itself. Jodie Foster shows continued growth as an actress, and her girlfriends are skillfully portrayed. [21 Mar 1980, p.15]
    • Christian Science Monitor
  5. In the Valley of Elah
    As the movie moves through its murder mystery mode and begins racking up political points, Hank becomes a stand-in for all those Americans bewildered and beleaguered by the war. He becomes a Symbol.
  6. The Debt
    Although they might have wished for something less conventional, it's the thrills that make this movie.
  7. My Best Friend
    Patrice Leconte has directed excellent serious films such as "Monsieur Hire" and "Man on the Train," but when it comes to humor he loses his bearings. His latest attempt at seriocomedy, My Best Friend, is a premise in search of a film.
  8. Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie
    The show provides a prodigious number of giggles, and it's so short (well under 90 minutes) that you'll have plenty of time to rent the original This Island Earth and test out wisecracks of your own.
  9. The Great Debaters
    Succeeds in bringing a lump to the throat without, as is de rigueur these days, insulting our intelligence.
  10. The Other Side of the Street
    An absorbing new spin on the ingenious "Rear Window" concept, with poignant comments on aging in modern society.
  11. Polina
    The movie often seems on the verge of being interesting but repeatedly retreats into a formless vapidity.
  12. Animal Factory
    Buscemi's directing blends hard-hitting visual qualities with great emotional energy.
  13. The Seagull's Laughter
    Solid acting and an intriguing plot compensate for some dull spots.
  14. Being Julia
    Part of the movie's fascination is watching Ms. Bening play a role that tantalizingly mirrors her own position in today's movie world - and she does it with wit, sparkle, and all-out energy.
  15. American Made
    Cruise gives his energetic all to the role, but he, too, doesn’t seem to be quite aware that Seal was morally compromised far beyond the shallow confines of this film.
  16. Not Fade Away
    Gandolfini, though, is a standout as the old-school father who can't abide his new-style son (but loves him anyway).
  17. Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool
    The film is frustrating because so many of its best possibilities are missed. But Bening keeps you watching, and, to a lesser extent, so does Jamie Bell as Peter Turner.
  18. The End of the Affair
    Splendid acting helps Jordan achieve most of his goals, although some may find the romantic and religious elements an uneasy mixture.
  19. Jindabyne
    Writer-director Ray Lawrence, well regarded for his two previous films, "Bliss" and "Lantana," expands Carver's work into an indictment of colonialism and an examination of the chasm that supposedly exists between men and women over matters of the heart.
  20. Last Flag Flying
    The bromance often seems generic, too. Fishburne gives a highly nuanced performance, one of his best, as he allows us to see in this man of God flashes of the rogue he once was. But the movie ultimately must be defined by Doc, and we never really get inside his head.
  21. Velvet Goldmine
    The music and camera work are dazzling, and the story has solid sociological insights into a fascinating pop-culture period.
  22. The Dead Girl
    The cast is something of an indie movie hall of fame that includes Giovanni Ribisi, Mary Steenburgen, Brittany Murphy, and Toni Collette. Marcia Gay Harden is particularly fine as the murdered girl's mother.
  23. Circumstance
    Despite its arty veneer and its ostensibly political edge, Circumstance seems more interested in titillation than revelation.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Love Jones
    The story is thin, but it's fun to spend time with more likable African-American characters than most Hollywood movies ever put under the spotlight. [21 Mar 1997, p.13]
    • Christian Science Monitor
  25. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
    Be warned that the violence-prone Spielberg of "Saving Private Ryan" and "Schindler's List" is also on display.
  26. Maryam
    This modestly produced drama isn't acted or directed with much flair, but it shows a welcome awareness of the complex links between personal and political impulses.
  27. A Tale of Two Sisters
    Quite restrained for what's basically a horror movie, and very well acted.
  28. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
    The best moments in “Parnassus” are not otherwordly but worldly. It’s a movie about a dying magician and the death of magic. This is a subject that obviously means a lot to Gilliam, and he makes us feel it in our bones.
  29. 6ixtynin9
    Comically grotesque, strikingly filmed.
  30. Paternal Instinct
    Has touching and instructive moments.
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