Courtney Howard

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IndieWire, The A.V. Club, Variety
For 168 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 55% higher than the average critic
  • 2% same as the average critic
  • 43% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 7.8 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Courtney Howard's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 58
Highest review score: 100 Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Lowest review score: 10 Polar
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 72 out of 168
  2. Mixed: 71 out of 168
  3. Negative: 25 out of 168
168 movie reviews
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    • 58 Metascore
    • 70 Courtney Howard
    Boston Strangler
    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. It makes a searing indictment of the sloppy, sexism-laced police work that might’ve resolved the case, and pays tribute to the two women who broke the investigation wide open.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 50 Courtney Howard
    The Main Event
    Even though the feature reflects WWE’s core values built on family, teamwork and inspirational aspirations, and contains healthy messages about proving one’s mettle using wit and wisdom, The Main Event sags far too frequently.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 50 Courtney Howard
    Come Play
    Even though the kid is the hero we should clearly be rooting for, the filmmaker conjures equal amounts of empathy and compassion for the monster. That serves to add complexity to the characterizations, but balancing both sides muddles the poignancy of the climax.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 70 Courtney Howard
    Brahmastra Part One: Shiva
    Leads Kapoor and Bhatt have an excess of charm and style that leaps off the screen and grabs your heart.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 70 Courtney Howard
    The Gorge
    It’s an audacious feat to combine multiple genres into one compelling feature, but The Gorge does just that.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 70 Courtney Howard
    Extraction 2
    The filmmakers’ renewed vigor is our reward as, similar to its unfussy title, this sequel deals in clean-lined action and suspense, removing much of the excessive weight that bogged down the original.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 80 Courtney Howard
    Cold Pursuit
    By pumping up the darkly comedic undertones, augmenting the frigid chill of the original, Moland’s terrific, riveting noir-tinged picture distinguishes itself from other rote, reductive remakes.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 60 Courtney Howard
    Ordinary Angels
    Gunn adeptly exercises a necessary modicum of visual dexterity to emphasize character drive.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 80 Courtney Howard
    Somebody I Used to Know
    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.
    • 47 Metascore
    • 42 Courtney Howard
    Senior Year
    Painfully simplistic in its execution, which frequently undervalues its clever set-up, and featuring unlikeable, poorly drawn characters, the movie works overtime to make the audience actively dislike it.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 50 Courtney Howard
    The Pale Blue Eye
    This is a case of one movie with two endings, and neither of them totally satisfy.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 80 Courtney Howard
    Picture This
    Sweet, silly and sincere, director Prarthana Mohan’s spin has a clear understanding of what makes its source material revelatory and resonant.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 80 Courtney Howard
    Never Let Go
    Though not all of its clever ideas come together efficiently in the finale, its thematic ruminations on grief, sanity, rebellion and redemption are intrinsically intertwined to harrowing, claustrophobic effect, heightening the hallucinatory horrors and dread-soaked atmospheric pull.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 42 Courtney Howard
    Mr. Harrigan's Phone
    Though its narrative contains some subtleties, and Hancock’s aesthetic polish gives it a nice gloss, the picture’s pacing and character-driven momentum frequently sputters, ultimately leading to diminished results.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 70 Courtney Howard
    The Secret Life of Pets 2
    It’s unusual for a typical Illumination broad comedy to include a heartrending message that makes parents feel less alone in their very real, visceral struggles. It’s just cloaked in a shenanigans-soaked romp about what pets do when humans aren’t looking.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 67 Courtney Howard
    Spiderhead
    With nimble performances, slick polish, dark-pitched wit, razor sharp sentiments, and a Yacht Rock-infused soundtrack, the film proves a seductive high.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 33 Courtney Howard
    Kung Fu Panda 4
    Instead of finding the perfect balance of humor as the other films did, jokes outweigh and occasionally undercut the few resounding sentiments on personal evolution.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 40 Courtney Howard
    Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between
    Even though this Netflix original doesn’t condescend to its targeted teen audience, it fails to surmount basic issues dealing with narrative credulity and the outcome’s predictability.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 83 Courtney Howard
    Orphan: First Kill
    Offering the winning combination of a subversive spin on a well-established villain, Orphan: First Kill is a gnarly, wild and absolutely demented ride.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 40 Courtney Howard
    Luckiest Girl Alive
    Because of its unwieldy aspects, primarily those shoe-horned into the climax, its simplistic conclusion draws ire instead of the inspired elation these filmmakers crave.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 80 Courtney Howard
    Good on Paper
    Containing razor-sharp witticisms about feminine intuition, gendered sexual politics and relationships (both platonic and romantic), it excels beyond its self-deprecating title.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 70 Courtney Howard
    A Castle for Christmas
    Despite its smattering of shortcomings, A Castle For Christmas is gently disarming, heartening, holiday-themed escapism that’s as satisfying as a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter’s night.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 50 Courtney Howard
    We Have a Ghost
    Closure is inevitably attained, of course, but at a cheapened cost that dramatically lessens the impact of its main characters’ journeys. And that’s truly dispiriting.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 50 Courtney Howard
    Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me
    Despite its efforts to present a well-rounded portrait of this determined starlet, the film ultimately feels like a glossier, slightly less salacious iteration of an “E! True Hollywood Story,” appealing primarily to those who relish tragic tales of the rich and famous.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 70 Courtney Howard
    Long Weekend
    The soulful, comforting sentiments at the core of Basilone’s feature are really what ring true.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 33 Courtney Howard
    I.S.S.
    It stretches credulity, as well as our patience.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 50 Courtney Howard
    The Contractor
    Even moderately seasoned viewers will find few surprises in its twists and turns, and little to excite them on a purely visceral level. That leaves Pine and Foster as the constant—and a reliable one—in this emerging cinematic universe of theirs, but even they might not be enough in this to earn another installment this time around.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 40 Courtney Howard
    Players
    Trish Sie’s middling and at times mawkish film not only makes us hate the game, but also its players.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 30 Courtney Howard
    The Christmas Chronicles
    With its saccharine score, saturated cinematography, and trite platitudes, the film is formulaic and forgettable except for Russell’s performance as the lovable legend.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 50 Courtney Howard
    Mia and the White Lion
    Despite a heartfelt sentiment that one person has the power to uproot societal structure and inspire change, and the filmmakers’ desire to raise awareness about an abhorrent practice, packaging it in a family-friendly narrative proves to be wildly problematic.
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