Courtney Howard
Film critic (Variety, AV Club, etc.); frequent reviews, release reactions, and festival reporting.
Over Your Dead Body Mixes Dark Comedy with Poignant Drama
Jorma Taccone’s #Over Your Dead Body = War of the Roses + Revolutionary Road + Straw Dogs. It’s brutally hilarious and rather poignant, thanks to Jason Segel and Samara Weaving’s perfectly pitched performances. It’s full of shock and “awwwws.”
A Film That Simultaneously Embraces and Subverts Amblin
David Robert Mitchell’s The End of Oak Street looks like it *could be* both a very Amblin-esque movie AND an anti-Amblin style (a subversion or dissection of?) film. However it shakes out, I’m so seated. 🦖
Midnight Madness Fans May Love It, Others Should Skip
No doubt THEY WILL KILL YOU is geared towards the rowdy Midnight Madness crowd and will potentially earn a cult following there. Still, for those who want something more fresh & uniquely styled, heed the advice to check in elsewhere. My...
Sofia Coppola’s “Marc by Sofia” Honors Designer Legacy
I was born to write about MARC BY SOFIA as I own 5 Marc Jacobs Collection purses. I adored Sofia Coppola’s 1st doc as a tribute to a visionary designer AND a subconscious love letter to her documentarian mother’s work. My...
Romcom “BASIC” Unpacks Social Media’s Love Complications
Over on @Variety, I reviewed chelseadevantez’s BASIC - and fell head over heels for this romcom about the complexities that arise in our relationships with social media and romances. Ashley Park and Leighton Meester are absolutely terrific. My SXSW review:...
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Bride” Electrifies with Buckley
THE BRIDE is a showcase for filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal & Jessie Buckley to go buck wild & break rules. You’ll want to be on its wavelength. My review: https://freshfiction.tv/the-bride-review-maggie-gyllenhaal-and-jessie-buckley-conduct-electricity/
Found Rare Out‑of‑Print Novel
Your girl got her hands on a used library copy of the out of print novel (co-authored by my @lafilmcritics colleague/ friend Stephen Farber) on the John Landis’ Twilight Zone Movie deaths, Outrageous Conduct.
Project Hail Mary: Visually Spectacular, Hopeful IMAX Must‑See
#ProjectHailMary is a beacon of happy, feel-good hope when we all need it the most. Might be the most visually spectacular film this year. A towering achievement & a must see in IMAX. Greig Fraser’s cinematography & Daniel Pemberton’s score...