Courtney Howard
Tomatometer-approved critic
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Boston Strangler (2023) |
A distant cousin to Zodiac, with splashes of Seven mixed into its homages, this thriller falls short of its influences yet carves out a small space of its own. - Variety
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| Posted Mar 17, 2023
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Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) |
A super solid, super fun and super smart blend of hilarity, heart and heroics, it’s a super-powered sequel that packs a punch. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Mar 15, 2023
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John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) |
Brawny, bold and badass, this 4th film in a scorching, searing, soaring saga for the ages brilliantly balances vested stakes with an absolutely spectacular, high octane thrill ride. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Mar 14, 2023
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65 (2023) |
With economy of time blessedly in mind, its big action set pieces do triple duty, keeping the unrelenting action moving, the dramatic tension building and the pair of protagonists’ stakes at the forefront. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Mar 10, 2023
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Scream VI (2023) |
Despite better-constructed set pieces, these characters, their connections and their conundrums are stretched paper-thin, leading us to feel disconnected from their slaughter, let alone their survival. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Mar 08, 2023
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We Have a Ghost (2023) |
What should be a tight 90 minutes turns into a much longer commitment that, while spirited, is too sluggish for its own good. - AV Club
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| Posted Feb 24, 2023
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Cocaine Bear (2023) |
Banks and Warden take a bare-bones, true-life tale and turn it into a rousing, completely gonzo, wildly berserk horror-comedy. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Feb 23, 2023
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Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (2023) |
This chapter continually hobbles itself, churning out a hackneyed, exposition-heavy story that’s a nothing-burger – a feeble, forgettable and frustrating product. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Feb 14, 2023
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At Midnight (2023) |
While a few of its lighthearted notions are genuinely timeless, its underlying commentary feels a tad regressive. - Variety
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| Posted Feb 10, 2023
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Somebody I Used To Know (2023) |
The romantic comedy genre’s broad, patented hijinks and hilarity are indeed on display, but cleverly cloaked by a beautifully-realized portrait of delicately faceted characters and their relatable conundrums. - Variety
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| Posted Feb 09, 2023
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Magic Mike's Last Dance (2023) |
It’s a sexy, revelatory reinvention of the series. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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Knock at the Cabin (2023) |
Gnarly, psychologically gripping and thought-provoking, Shyamalan ramps up tension, artfully weaving sound and vision with great craft and care. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Feb 01, 2023
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Theater Camp (2023) |
This vérité doc lovingly lampoons and embraces insufferably endearing theater types and their very specific struggles. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Jan 31, 2023
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A Little Prayer (2023) |
Once again returning to poignant, deeply-rooted, familiar themes tied to family, the assured filmmaker delivers a story thick with character, grace and humanity. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Jan 29, 2023
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Fair Play (2023) |
Domont’s directorial debut has a coherent narrative and earns our good graces with its technical craftsmanship and assured performances. Yet it doesn’t forge new ground exploring the tired, sexist notion that men are threatened by successful women - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Jan 25, 2023
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Shotgun Wedding (2023) |
Its sentiment offers a refreshing spin on the therapeutic benefits of the anxiety-inducing matrimonial process, along with a body count and a satisfying dose of escapism. - AV Club
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| Posted Jan 20, 2023
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The Pale Blue Eye (2022) |
The unrelentingly bleak material fails to provide more than a straightforward whodunit with a tacked-on reveal relying on frustrating contrivances. We don’t see its biggest twist coming—and, as it turns out, that’s the problem. - AV Club
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| Posted Dec 22, 2022
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Babylon (2022) |
A dazzling, dizzying cacophony of demented depravity. And yet the unrelenting, frenetic spectacle showcased through a Scorsese-inspired lens gives way to profundity, both sentimental and scorching. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Dec 16, 2022
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Violent Night (2022) |
The magic of Christmas becomes a bloody, crowd-pleasing riot in director Tommy Wirkola’s hands. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Nov 30, 2022
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Disenchanted (2022) |
Its lack of legitimate wit, cleverness, and focus makes a promising concept feel like a wasted wish, conjuring little of the magic that made its predecessor feel so memorable. - AV Club
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| Posted Nov 18, 2022
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Christmas With You (2022) |
It's a holiday trifle for sure, but there’s enough to feel satiated — if just temporarily — by the festivities on display. - Variety
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| Posted Nov 17, 2022
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Slumberland (2022) |
Playing like an amalgam of Monsters, Inc. and Inception, this family-friendly fantasy thankfully doesn’t put audiences to sleep, but neither does it draw us into its dreamy sensation. - AV Club
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| Posted Nov 16, 2022
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Falling for Christmas (2022) |
Its subversive spirit, female-forward smarts and sweet sentimentality remix the formulaic and festive, making all things merry and bright. - Variety
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| Posted Nov 10, 2022
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Saint Omer (2022) |
This drama features provocative themes ruminating on female generational trauma and the racial imbalance of who’s afforded grace and mercy. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Nov 05, 2022
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The Eternal Daughter (2022) |
Joanna Hogg and Tilda Swinton turn in a beautifully understated, evocative elegy on the nature of grief and the ghosts that haunt us. The pair craft cozy claustrophobia that all at once feels enveloping, enriching and totally absorbing. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Nov 05, 2022
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EO (2022) |
This is what it sounds like when donkeys cry – and maybe you too. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Nov 05, 2022
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Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me (2022) |
This cinematic testimony provides hope by spotlighting its heroine’s search for honesty and humanity. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Nov 03, 2022
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The Good Nurse (2022) |
Feeling like a well-balanced cross between an investigative procedural and ’90s-era chillers, the filmmakers have created a strong throwback thriller. - AV Club
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| Posted Oct 19, 2022
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Black Adam (2022) |
Director Jaume Collet-Serra has crafted a solidly entertaining B-movie with smarts and skill, allowing Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to flex his trademark muscular showmanship and combine that with character-driven appeal. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Oct 18, 2022
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Halloween Ends (2022) |
Filled with baffling creative choices, unearned thematic closure and no terrifying tension, this dreadful dud sputters to its conclusion. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Oct 14, 2022
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Rosaline (2022) |
Crafting a comedy from the perspective of the Bard’s minor characters isn’t exactly new, but the innovative idea is reinvigorated with witty dialogue, a solid ensemble and astute direction. - AV Club
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| Posted Oct 12, 2022
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Luckiest Girl Alive (2022) |
Utilizing a traditionally glossy, chick-lit-retrofitted heroine as a mouthpiece for somber, serious activist sentiments isn’t so much provocative as just downright batty. - Variety
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| Posted Oct 07, 2022
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Mr. Harrigan's Phone (2022) |
More akin to a stern lecture by a grownup than an eerie, unsettling cautionary tale, this adaptation of Stephen King’s short story might have succeeded better if it didn’t completely collapse into boomer-style commentary. - AV Club
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| Posted Oct 04, 2022
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My Best Friend's Exorcism (2022) |
With very little interest conjured from the filmmakers to properly develop their characters, there’s little incentive to stay interested. - Variety
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| Posted Sep 30, 2022
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Lou (2022) |
Although it’s slightly overlong, the movie more than measures up to those of Allison Janney's male counterparts in the “serious actor starts kicking ass” subgenre.
- AV Club
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| Posted Sep 23, 2022
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Do Revenge (2022) |
Overall its bright, spirited attitude and attractive, propulsive gusto power a delightfully wicked journey. - AV Club
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| Posted Sep 16, 2022
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Confess, Fletch (2022) |
Despite lacking a few key ingredients, this new chapter in an ever-growing saga is a deft series revamp. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Sep 16, 2022
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Clerks III (2022) |
It’s admirable that Kevin Smith keeps these guys relegated to their Jersey bubble, but we’re living in an era full of Dantes and Randals, and by now they feel cliché, not comforting. - AV Club
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| Posted Sep 12, 2022
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Brahmāstra Part One: Shiva (2022) |
Though the story is occasionally overcomplicated and the spectacle excites and exhausts in equal measure (as even Marvel movies do), it’s a wildly entertaining jump start to a planned trilogy. - Variety
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| Posted Sep 08, 2022
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Don't Worry Darling (2022) |
The highly-stylized artistic flourishes cloak commentary that, despite its lackluster and thorny aspects, is prickly, piercing and occasionally palpable. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Sep 07, 2022
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Love in the Villa (2022) |
But soft, what light from yonder TV breaks? A breezy, pleasing love story about star-crossed travelers that transcends Netflix’s romantic recipes. - Variety
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| Posted Sep 01, 2022
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Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022) |
It's a haunting bedtime story for adults that makes for a two-hander played expertly by Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Aug 25, 2022
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Look Both Ways (2022) |
While the filmmakers’ heads and hearts are in the right place with their resonant sentiments on taking risks and embracing fate, their execution of narrative basics proves lackluster. - Variety
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| Posted Aug 17, 2022
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Orphan: First Kill (2022) |
It’s the rare prequel that surpasses the original. - AV Club
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| Posted Aug 15, 2022
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Day Shift (2022) |
There’s very little action, scares or comedy that have any bite, let alone draw blood, in Day Shift. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Aug 12, 2022
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Mack & Rita (2022) |
Ultimately, Mack & Rita is a passable work at best. - AV Club
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| Posted Aug 11, 2022
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Laal Singh Chaddha (2022) |
Heartwarming, tender and humorous, this is a beautiful, emotionally bountiful, big screen valentine to its cinematic forbearer and to lives well-led. - Fresh Fiction
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| Posted Aug 11, 2022
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Secret Headquarters (2022) |
This action-adventure delivers a modicum of skill and smarts, though it ultimately winds up as forgettable as its generic title. - Variety
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| Posted Aug 10, 2022
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Thirteen Lives (2022) |
Taking a journalistic approach that’s similar to its predecessor, Howard’s film winds up as a rote retread, transitioning from headline news to big-screen snooze. - AV Club
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| Posted Jul 27, 2022
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Persuasion (2022) |
Cracknell's Persuasion combines the classic and the contemporary with innovative, resonant craftsmanship. - AV Club
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| Posted Jul 15, 2022
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