My Interview With Werner Herzog, Director of 'Meeting Gorbachev'

What a surreal sentence to write: I spoke with Werner Herzog. We chatted about his new documentary but, more importantly, I tried to talk to him about him, which he was reluctant to do. "I do not like introspection," he warned me. I gave it a shot anyway. My interview is now live over at MEL.

Some Thoughts on 'Avengers: Endgame'

I like Avengers: Endgame, but I don't like how it deals with death. Or, rather, how it doesn't deal with death. I wrote about that for MEL, but I also dig into Marvel's unsuccessful history of approaching some directors, why Endgame doesn't have an intermission, and which people on the internet actually correctly predicted the film's ending. (Spoilers, obviously.) Hope you enjoy.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: The Marvel Cinematic Universe and 'Goldfinger'

We went long on Avengers: Endgame -- tons of spoilers, folks -- and then, in our Reboot segment, we talk Goldfinger on its 55th anniversary. Check it out.

Chris Evans, Non-Captain America Edition

Chris Evans has spent almost a decade playing Steve Rogers. For this week's Debate Club, we look at his best films away from the MCU.

Miles Davis - "Générique"

Reminder: Burning comes to Netflix on April 29.

'Avengers: Endgame' Review

Avengers: Endgame < Avengers: Infinity War. The new film is pretty entertaining, but it's not quite the home run you might be hoping for. My review is up at Screen International.

Let People Enjoy Hating Things

This month has been very exciting for fans of Star Wars (the trailer for The Rise of Skywalker), HBO fantasy dramas (the return of Game of Thrones) and Marvel movies (the release of Avengers: Endgame). There's lots of popular stuff out there in the culture right now. But what if you don't care about these entertainment Goliaths? For MEL, I wrote about the phenomenon of "Let people enjoy things," an internet argument that suggests you should keep your dislike of super-popular things to yourself. I disagree, which I get into here.

Happy 20th Anniversary, 'Election'

For MEL, I dove deep into Election, which was my No. 1 film of 1999. I spoke with Alexander Payne and dissected why the film has stayed with us for the last 20 years. (Hint: It's because of how we view Tracy Flick.) Hope you enjoy.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Under the Silver Lake,' 'Boogie Nights' and a Film About a Cook and a Thief

Three substantial discussions this week. First, we differ on Under the Silver Lake. Then, we look back at Boogie Nights, which I haven't watched since 1997. Finally, we stomach The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover. Hear the whole thing down below.

The Best Foreign-Language Horror Films

This list was simply impossible to boil down to five picks. So feel free to yell as much as you'd like about the omissions. Check out our choices over at SyFy.

Corona - "The Rhythm of the Night"

Someone finally saw Beau Travail. Totally worth waiting for 35mm on the big screen.

'The Curse of La Llorona' Review

We're living in an era of pretty great horror movies. But we also get stuff like The Curse of La Llorona. I reviewed the film for Screen International.

Some Thoughts on 'Hellboy'

Why is Hellboy so bad?

How can Hellboy and I both be the same zodiac sign?

And what is Sasha Lane doing in this?

I answer all that, and more, over at MEL.

'Guava Island' Review

Over the weekend, Donald Glover both astounded and disappointed. On Friday night, he blew me away with his Coachella performance. On Saturday night, I was underwhelmed by his top-secret film project Guava Island. I wrote about both, and how they're connected, for MEL.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: On the Terrific 'Her Smell' and 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'

On this week's episode, we trash Hellboy. But skip past that to hear us dig into Her Smell, which is marvelous, and our Reboot review of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, which remains pure pleasure. The whole thing is down below.

When Superheroes Get Origin Stories

For our latest Debate Club, we looked at the five best origin-story superhero films. Apologies to those who were mad we didn't include Superman. You can read our thoughts over at SyFy.

Quivers - "You're Not Always on My Mind"

"Quivers make cathartic guitar pop that jangles and shimmers somewhere between 1980s Australia and 1990s America. Started by Sam Nicholson in Hobart, Tasmania to keep singing after losing a brother in a free-diving accident, the band has since toured Australia, New Zealand and Canada."

This is the first song I've heard from Quivers, but I dig it.

'Hellboy' Review

Oh lord, is Hellboy bad. Even Sasha Lane can't save this debacle. My review is up at Screen International.

Ranking the Best (and Worst) of the DC Comics Movies

Aquaman and Shazam! have boosted DC's fortunes in recent months. But where did they rank among the company's best films? We answer that question over at Vulture.

'Fosse/Verdon' Review

I love Michelle Williams. I like Sam Rockwell quite a lot. I like the idea of a show about the inner workings of the marriage between Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon. But I only thought Fosse/Verdon was so-so. I explain why over at MEL.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: See 'High Life' and 'Amazing Grace'

On this week's episode, we agree on the underwhelming Shazam! I'm a little higher on the new Pet Sematary than Will is, but then I solo on two great indies, High Life and Amazing Grace. Hear the whole thing below.

Some Thoughts on 'Shazam!'

Let's talk about Shazam! But let's also talk about death threats, the other Shazam (the music app), and why superhero movies have resisted being "fun" in order to be "cool." My latest piece for MEL is here.

Carole King - "It's Too Late"

"When I was younger, I was kind of fearless. I think it takes more courage to do things when you know more. I was completely naive, and I was like, why can't I do anything I want to do? You know, go for it. And you know what? I still feel like even in today's world, I feel that that's something that I want to say to people. My whole attitude was someone's going to get the thing or the opportunity that I was looking for. Why not me? And the other side of that is, if you don't try, you have no chance at all. So that was the attitude I had as a teenager in terms of advancing my interests." -- Carole King, 2016.

'The Best of Enemies' Review

I'm stunned how many critics went for The Best of Enemies. I thought it was terrible.

Some Thoughts on 'The Highwaymen'

Whose band is better: Kevin Costner's or Woody Harrelson's?

What's the finest song about Bonnie and Clyde?

And why is The Highwaymen the dad-rock of crime dramas?

I answer these questions, and more, over at MEL.

Some Thoughts on 'The Beach Bum'

What aborted Harmony Korine project do I hope still happens?

What Matthew McConaughey commercial is actually good?

And where were you when the McConaissance died?

I answer those questions, and more, over at MEL.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Diane' Is Good, 'Dumbo' and 'The Beach Bum' Are Not

On this week's podcast, we review Dumbo, The Highwaymen and The Beach Bum. I also spend a little time talking about an actual good movie, Diane. Hear the whole thing down below.

The Wachowskis' Best Films (Once You've Seen 'The Matrix')

For Debate Club, we dove into Lana and Lilly Wachowski's oeuvre, skipping over the Matrix trilogy. Is it spotty? Absolutely.