Brian Lowry

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Variety
For 153 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 46% higher than the average critic
  • 5% same as the average critic
  • 49% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 13 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Brian Lowry's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 53
Highest review score: 100 The Pelican Brief
Lowest review score: 10 Cool World
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 153
  2. Mixed: 104 out of 153
  3. Negative: 17 out of 153
153 movie reviews
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    • 61 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Scream VI
    If the last “Scream” movie made noise by wedding the old with the new, Scream VI reinforces how shrewd the producers were in casting the next generation, with Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega ably carrying this chapter of horror’s most self-referential franchise. Throw in a new venue and the same old thrills and kills, and Paramount should be slashing all the way to the bank.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Sing 2
    The result is a breezy exercise in karaoke for kids, where the soundtrack beats the movie and a lot of stars again lend their voices to the chorus.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    The Survivor
    The underlying story is better than the movie in “The Survivor,” but that material is so harrowing as to win on what amounts to a split decision. Timed to Holocaust Remembrance Day, the film isn’t equal to the awards bait HBO has traditionally offered in the TV-movie genre, but it should inspire plenty of googling about the remarkable tale of Harry Haft.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Hypnotic
    A spare thriller from director/co-writer Robert Rodriguez that has the feel of a “Twilight Zone” episode, with no shortage of twists along the way.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Strays
    Those who give in to the gleeful crudeness of it all will be rewarded with some funny moments courtesy of the near-unrelenting dog’s-eye view, although fair warning, most of the best stuff is in the red-band trailer.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Judy
    Judy is well worth seeing, if not necessarily rushing to a theater to experience, thanks to Zellweger's uncanny ability to replicate Garland's quirks and still locate the humanity and fragility within her.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    The Boogeyman
    As is so often the case with these movies, the buildup is generally more terrifying than the payoff, and Savage doesn’t scrimp when it comes to jump-at-you scares.
    • 34 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Ghosted
    “Chris Evans and Ana de Armas” is about all that’s required to make the sales pitch for “Ghosted,” a spirited if familiar action-based romantic comedy, where the sparring banter generally outshines the muscular stunts. Throw in clever cameos and this Apple TV+ movie delivers on its promise of unpretentious fun.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    A Haunting in Venice
    “A Haunting in Venice” continues a brand of breezy entertainment that suggests whatever the detective’s goals, retirement doesn’t appear to be in the cards.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Dune: Part One
    "Part One" represents an admirable effort to do the material justice.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
    What ensues, though, is essentially a rather low-octane thriller, punctuated by trips down memory lane. And while there are some fine moments buried within all that -- some showcasing Gilligan's quirky streak, like an incongruous rendition of the song "Sharing the Night Together" -- it still feels a trifle unnecessary.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    The Mauritanian
    The Mauritanian is a bit of a throwback -- a solid, old-fashioned piece of entertainment, but not a great movie. But in its objective to present what being wrong meant for our view of "American justice" and democracy, that's one thing that the film gets very right.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Bill & Ted Face the Music
    Another adventure in nostalgia that nobody really needed and yet, if not excellent, manages to be good-hearted and reasonably fun.
    • 50 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Fatima
    Fatima largely works as a drama, in part because it's so earnestly presented, and unexpectedly timely in dealing with loss. If that adds up to something less than a miracle, given the aforementioned challenges, it's not an inconsequential achievement.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
    While “The Caine Mutiny” clearly loses something in translation, the inherent drama of the courtroom faceoff survives intact.
    • 35 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Argylle
    Cast to the hilt, the film proves inventively twisty if a little convoluted, with the modest disclaimer that it’s not as good as the trailer makes it look.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Hocus Pocus 2
    What makes this Hocus Pocus gel is the nifty mix of old and new, replicating the basic template from the original while introducing a new and more diverse contingent of teens to do battle with the centuries-old witches.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    The Guilty
    The Guilty is a taut, remarkably spare thriller.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
    Forty-five years after “Mad Max” introduced many to a young Aussie named Mel Gibson, Miller certainly hasn’t lost his touch as a visual stylist and mad maestro of elaborate action. In almost every other respect, this feels like one of those instances where there’s more sound than “Fury.”
    • 73 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Dark Waters
    Beyond the fundamental horror of corporate greed trumping public-health concerns, the movie -- while often bleak and unsettling -- does find hope in the idea that one ordinary guy can make a difference. Dark Waters' message, though, is something bigger -- namely, that turning the tide is a task that will ultimately require a commitment from all of us.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Greyhound
    Greyhound is kind of an odd duck -- another World War II tale courtesy of Tom Hanks, who wrote and produced the film through his company in addition to starring in it. Old-fashioned and relatively small in scale, it's a sturdy if unspectacular depiction of the Battle of the Atlantic, streaming ashore via Apple TV+ instead of a planned theatrical release.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
    Puss in Boots: The Last Wish brings a playful quality to the animated feline as well as a deeper message. When it comes to long-delayed sequels it’s wise to be careful what you wish for, but overall the film manages to nimbly land on its feet.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Love at First Sight
    Still, as first impressions go, “Love at First Sight” works nicely on the intended level for those sent in its “You might like” direction. For Netflix’s purposes, the odds are that adds up to all the love it needs.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Promising Young Woman
    Promising Young Woman combines a promising star and timely premise into a provocative but less-than-satisfying thriller.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    The Eyes of Tammy Faye
    The stars outshine the movie in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, a dazzling showcase for Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield as Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker in a dutiful, somewhat disjointed chronicle of how the televangelists amassed great wealth before his disgraced fall.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    The Gentlemen
    The Gentlemen [is] just stocked with an inordinately good cast. Filled with crosses and double crosses, the plot is mostly irrelevant, but the outlandish flourishes make for a good deal of foul-mouthed fun.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Creed III
    If only the script and story were in the same kind of fighting shape as its leads. Grounding the narrative in Adonis Creed’s past does provide a weightier foundation, but the tradeoff is an element of sluggishness in a movie that, despite its impressive cast, never feels particularly light on its toes.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Run Rabbit Run
    The story certainly doesn’t break new ground, and given the modest nature of the movie, there’s a bit of impatience to get where it’s going; still, thanks to Snook and LaTorre’s beyond-her-years performance it’s never less than watchable.
    • 44 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Next Goal Wins
    Ultimately, Next Goal Wins derives most of its modest charm from the film’s sheer unpretentiousness, which also makes it light enough to feel fairly disposable, despite being equipped with likable characters and scenic locales.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 65 Brian Lowry
    Wonka
    Wonka only sporadically conjures cinematic magic, and most of those moments owe an oversized debt to tying directly into the earlier movie based on Roald Dahl’s story, as opposed to carving its own path for a new generation.
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