Courtney Small

Senior Critic
Courtney is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and co-host of the radio show Frameline. He has written for several publications including POV Magazine, CBC Arts, Exclaim!, Cinema Axis, Leonard Maltin, In the Seats, Black Girl Nerds, and Comix Asylum. He also discusses diversity in cinema as host of the Changing Reels podcast and is a member of the Toronto Film Critics Association, the Online Film Critics Society and the African American Film Critics Association.


Articles by Courtney Small:


  • The Mountains
    May 7, 2023

    Hot Docs 2023: The Mountains Review

    The Mountains finds director Christian Einshøj exploring the men in his Scandinavian family and their inability to connect after a tragedy.

  • March 30, 2023

    A Thousand and One Review

    A Thousand and One finds Teyana Taylor delivering a performance for the ages as a mother trying to give her son a better life in a changing New York.

  • Magazine Dreams
    January 25, 2023

    Sundance 2023: Magazine Dreams Review

    Magazine Dreams ponders how the desire for human connection can lead men down dangerous paths. While uneven at times, Jonathan Majors gives a sensational performance.

  • Bad Press documentary
    January 23, 2023

    Sundance 2023: Bad Press Review

    Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler’s Bad Press observes one outlet’s fight to retain the right to journalistic freedom within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

  • Murder in Big Horn docuseries
    January 22, 2023

    Sundance 2023: Murder in Big Horn Review

    Showtime’s three-part docuseries Murder in Big Horn explores the disturbing number of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in Big Horn, Montana.

  • Ricky
    January 22, 2023

    Sundance 2023: Ricky Review

    Rashad Frett’s short film Ricky follows an ex-convict struggling with life after jail and the choices that bind fear and regret together.

  • Pianoforte - Sundance 2021
    January 21, 2023

    Sundance 2023: Pianoforte Review

    Pianoforte takes the audience behind the scenes of the International Chopin Piano Competition, considered the Olympics for piano players.

  • Devotion
    November 23, 2022

    Devotion Review

    Devotion tells the tale of Jesse L. Brown, the first Black aviator in the Navy, and his wingman Tom Hudner during the Korean War.