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Courtney Howard

@lulamaybelle.bsky.social

7.5K followers 620 following 2.1K posts

🍅meter-approved film critic/ journo. Member: LA Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association Writer: Variety, The AV Club, FreshFiction.tv. Never met a dachshund I haven’t liked.

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Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 23d

Paul Thomas Anderson’s #OneBattleAfterAnother is a landmark, arresting work of genius & a revolutionary masterpiece that’s nothing short of miraculous. DiCaprio, Penn, Taylor, Del Toro & Infiniti are an unbeatable force.

My review: freshfiction.tv/one-battle-a...

‘ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER’ Review: A Relentless, Revolutionary Masterpiece That’s Nothing Short of Miraculous

Courtney Howard // Film Critic ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER Rated PG, 2 hours and 41 minutes Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti, Teyana Taylor, Ben…

freshfiction.tv

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Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 7h

There’s a scene in #IsThisThingOn where Bradley Cooper offers some keen insight into Kevin McCallister’s post-abandonment psyche in HOME ALONE.

Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 11h

For real though: about to see Bradley Cooper’s #IsThisThingOn

Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 13h

Tonight’s screening: Bradley Cooper’s IS THIS THING ON

Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 19h

Tron took the IMAX screens in LA too. Hopefully, OBAA can get em back

Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 20h

You’re doing the lawds work!

I can’t imagine WB not putting OBAA and SINNERS back in theaters again for award season. But in case they don’t, everyone should see OBAA now.

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Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 20h

My movie recommendations for y’all this weekend:

Kiss of the Spider Woman
If in LA/ NYC: If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

…and One Battle After Another, if you still haven’t seen it.

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Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 1d

Over on @variety.com this week, I reviewed #TheWomanInCabin10. Suspense & intrigue are confoundingly kept at a minimum in the waterlogged Agatha Christie homage. Keira Knightley, however, proves nimble & capably equipped for the task.

My review: variety.com/2025/film/re...

‘The Woman In Cabin 10’ Review: Keira Knightley Sets Course for Agatha Christie-Inspired Intrigue in Netflix’s Thriller Drowning in Contrivance

In 'The Woman in Cabin 10' with Keira Knightley, a journalist’s article about a charity cruise escalates into a murder investigation.

variety.com

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Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 2d

Plus, #MartySupreme houses a career-defining performance by Odessa A’zion.

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Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 2d

Josh Safdie’s #MartySupreme makes UNCUT GEMS look like it’s for kiddos. Pure energy. It’s an exhilarating live-wire. Timothée Chalamet is phenomenal as the cocky, fast-talking antihero who just can’t get out of his own way. Gwyneth Paltrow is sublime. Fantastic anachronistic soundtrack & score. 1/2

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Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 2d

I’ve been saying Timothée Chalamet like Adam Sandler all day to prepare for tonight’s screening. I’m hyyyyyyped for Josh Safdie’s #MartySupreme.

Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 2d

Bryan Bertino has made two of my favorite horror films: THE STRANGERS and THE DARK AND THE WICKED (the bleakest!). Yet VICIOUS plays it too cautious when it should go in for the kill. Dakota Fanning is great though!

My review: freshfiction.tv/vicious-revi...

‘VICIOUS’ Review: Bryan Bertino’s Bloody Moral Psycho-Thriller Plays It Too Cautious

Courtney Howard // Film Critic VICIOUS Rated R, 1 hour and 42 minutes Directed by: Bryan Bertino Starring: Dakota Fanning, Kathryn Hunter, Mary McCormack, Rachel Blanchard, Devyn Nekoda, Klea Scott…

freshfiction.tv

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Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 3d

They’re both stunning IRL.

Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 3d

My pre-ordered copy of #Sinners/ #SinnersMovie soundtrack & score on vinyl arrived! And it was absolutely worth the wait! Both are gorgeous pressings & sound fantastic. @madebymutant outdid themselves. Excited to read the mega booklet that accompanies the soundtrack. ❤️💙
@sonysoundtracks.bsky.social

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Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 4d

#TronAres ‘s aesthetics are slick, radical & eye-popping and the Nine Inch Nails score are new club classics that complement the visionary bedazzlement. The women (Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith & Gillian Anderson) steal the show, elevating their material.

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Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 4d

I haven’t even seen HAMNET yet.

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Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 4d

I’m at the #TronAres world premiere at the El Capitan Theater tonight. There’s to be a live performance from Nine Inch Nails after on Hollywood Blvd.

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Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 4d

After a decade-long hiatus, Gore Verbinski returns with #GoodLuckHaveFunDontDie. Yet his punk-rock middle finger comes across as flippant, leading to an abrasive action-comedy that yields few laughs & even fewer disarming thrills.

My review: freshfiction.tv/good-luck-ha...

‘GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE’ Review: Gore Verbinski’s Grating Condemnation of AI is Rarely Fun

Courtney Howard // Film Critic GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE Not Yet Rated, 1 hour and 40 minutes Directed by: Gore Verbinksi Starring: Sam Rockwell, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz…

freshfiction.tv

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Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 5d

Excited to celebrate our bestie Dua Lipa performing at the Kia Forum tonight.

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Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 6d

Your mileage may vary but… no hum.

Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 6d

I knew the opening was there for the shock value. And yeah, agree the build is too long to get the predictable end. I also didn’t care (love or hate) about any of these characters.

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Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 6d

I seem to be an outlier on BONE LAKE, which I found largely boring until the final 10 minutes when it gets gory. But even then, I was not shocked by any of it.

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Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 6d

What I valued most from #TSTheOfficialReleasePartyOfAShowgirl experience that #TaylorSwift broadened the scope of what’s traditionally an indie record store listening party, reaching out to introverts like me, who wouldn’t normally attend those events. And it was fun!

Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 6d

#TaylorSwift ‘s mettle & artistry take center stage in #TheOfficialReleasePartyOfAShowgirl. It’s an immersive affair emphasizing the crowd experience – one she genuinely values as a performer & one we feel as movie theater patrons.

My review: freshfiction.tv/taylor-swift...

‘TAYLOR SWIFT: THE OFFICIAL RELEASE PARTY OF A SHOWGIRL’ Review: A Showgirl is Ready For Her Spotlight

Courtney Howard // Film Critic TAYLOR SWIFT: THE OFFICIAL RELEASE PARTY OF A SHOWGIRL Not Rated, 1 hour and 29 minutes The Eras Tour clock countdown that begins TAYLOR SWIFT: THE OFFICIAL RELEASE P…

freshfiction.tv

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Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 7d

Yep!

Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 7d

My initial takeaways from #TheOfficialReleasePartyOfAShowgirl:

1. Experiencing the censored versions of “Father Figure” “Wood” & “Wi$h Li$t” w/ an audience shocked these weren’t the explicit versions.

2. Swifities knowing laughs during #TaylorSwift’s “Actually Romantic” 🕶️

Courtney Howard @lulamaybelle.bsky.social · 7d

Today’s screening: At my local AMC Burbank for #TaylorSwift’s #TheOfficialReleasePartyOfAShowgirl

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