The State of the DC Extended Universe

With Birds of Prey out and Wonder Woman 1984 on the horizon, it seemed like a good time to check in on the so-called DCEU. These films can't compete with Marvel, not yet, but maybe there's hope on the horizon. We broke down the franchise's five best offerings for SyFy.

'The Invisible Man' and the Era of "Believe Women" Horror

For MEL, I wrote about The Invisible Man and the recent trend of horror movies that build their terrors out of women's fear of being abused -- and of society not believing them. You can read the piece here.

'Devs' Review

All winter, the ads for Devs had me excited for the latest work from Alex Garland. Alas, the man behind Ex Machina and Annihilation fumbles this limited series. I reviewed the FX show for MEL.

Wings - "Arrow Through Me"

I have to resist the urge to just throw a random Erykah Badu song on here every Friday. So instead, I'll do a Wings song that she sampled on "Gone Baby, Don't Be Long."

'The Invisible Man' Review

Elisabeth Moss is the best part of The Invisible Man. Is that enough? My review is up at Screen International.

'Hunters' Taught Me About Wernher von Braun

Recognize the name? Well, he was a German scientist who worked with the Nazis during World War II. Oh, and he helped America put a man on the moon. For MEL, I wrote about von Braun, and his connection to Hunters.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Call of the Wild' and 'Emma,' 'The Act of Killing' and 'The Hospital'

The new movies aren't what's most interesting about this week's episode. That would be our two Reboots: Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act of Killing and Arthur Hiller's The Hospital (which also could be called The Act of Killing.) Lots to dig into with those two films. I enjoyed our chat, and I hope you do, too.

Universal Remakes

With The Invisible Man about to come out, we decided to look back at Universal's history of (mostly good) remakes. Here are some of the studio's best.

Berlin 2020: 'Onward' Review

Onward isn't the worst Pixar film, but I think it's their least interesting and least distinctive. It's a movie that, say, Dreamworks Animation could have made. I reviewed this misfire for Screen International.

Soccer Mommy - "Lucy"

"Lucifer, yes. It is about the devil. A lot of people thought it was about Lucy Dacus. She actually posted on her [Instagram] story today, 'Stop asking if this song is about me; it’s not, I’m pretty sure it’s about the devil.'" -- Sophie Allison (a.k.a. Soccer Mommy) talking about "Lucy," off her forthcoming album Color Theory.

Let's Talk About 'Blister in the Sun'

I've never liked the Violent Femmes hit, but I had, of course, heard the urban legend that the song is about ... well, you know. So, since "Blister in the Sun" was featured in the new High Fidelity, I thought I'd do some investigating. The results of my research are over at MEL.

What's Jim Carrey's Best Movie?

With Sonic the Hedgehog now out, we decided to spend some time going back through Jim Carrey's oeuvre. It's a fascinating career. We ranked all his films for Vulture.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Downhill,' 'The Photograph' and 'Sonic the Hedgehog'

This week on the podcast, we review a so-so relationship comedy, a darn good relationship drama and a movie about a hedgehog. (I also talk smack about Fantasy Island.) Hear the whole thing below.

'Hunters' Review

The Amazon series Hunters has the soul of a graphic novel as it tells the story of a group of Nazi-hunters in 1977. Five episodes in, I'm underwhelmed.

When Animated Characters Invade Live-Action Movies

Roger Rabbit. Jessica Rabbit. Bugs Bunny. For this week's Debate Club, we looked at the best instances of animated characters in live-action settings. (And of course we had to include Paddington, too.) The list is here.

Jim Carrey and 'The Dead Pool'

It was 1988. Jim Carrey was trying to make his name as an actor. And then he was cast as a rock star with a drug problem. For MEL, I wrote about that time Carrey lip-synced to a Guns N' Roses song in a Clint Eastwood movie. Hope you enjoy.

James Marsden Is So Fun in 'Sonic the Hedgehog'

For MEL, I decided to sing the praises of Liz Lemon's boyfriend. Hope you enjoy.

'The Photograph' Review

The Photograph is a romantic drama with its share of flaws. But I actively tried to forget about them because I enjoyed Issa Rae and LaKeith Stainfield's chemistry so damn much. My review is up at Screen International.

'Fantasy Island' Review

Folks, this movie stinks.

Dusty Springfield - "I Don't Want to Hear It Anymore"

Fond as I am of "Son of a Preacher Man," it's so overplayed that I find myself reaching for other tracks off Dusty in Memphis. So let's go with this heartsick classic, written by Mr. Randy Newman.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.

'Sonic the Hedgehog' Review

The worst part of Sonic the Hedgehog? Sonic the Hedgehog. I reviewed the film for Screen International.

My Interview With Julia Willoughby Nason and Jenner Furst, Directors of 'The Pharmacist'

Addiction, murder, regret, opioids, grief, corruption: They're all mixed together in the new Netflix documentary series The Pharmacist. For MEL, I spoke with the filmmakers about, among other things, how we live in a world in which physical and spiritual pain is everywhere. Hope you enjoy our chat.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Parasite' Pulls Off the Upset

That screaming you may have heard last night? That was me when Parasite won Best Director and Best Picture at the Oscars. On this week's podcast, we recap the show, review Birds of Prey, debate The Lodge and look back at The 400 Blows. Hope you enjoy.

The Never-Nominated

For MEL, I paid tribute to 10 all-time terrific films that didn't get any nominations -- no Oscar nods, no Golden Globes attention, not even a BAFTA. These are the great unloved of awards-season. Hope you enjoy.

'Birds of Prey' and the History of Female Singers Covering "It's a Man's Man's Man's World"

The new film features a cover of the James Brown classic. This gave me a chance to dig into the song's odd second life as an anthem for women. It's live over at MEL.

Kirk Douglas, 1916-2020

With all the pre-Oscar runaround, I neglected to mention my Rolling Stone obituary for the one and only Kirk Douglas. I did my best to capture his legacy.

If I Had an Oscar Ballot for Best Picture

In case you forgot, the Academy uses a preferential ballot to vote for Best Picture. (My buddy Glenn Whipp explained the process perfectly a few years ago.) So if I had a vote, here's how it would look:

1. Parasite
2. Little Women
3. The Irishman
4. Marriage Story
5. Joker
6. Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood
7. 1917
8. Ford v Ferrari
9. Jojo Rabbit

It is very possible that Parasite is going to pull off the upset. Think how remarkable that would be. First non-English-language film to win. First film from Neon to win. Only the second Palme d'Or winner to do it. (The first was Marty about 65 years ago.) But I still think it's going to be 1917's night. And in case you're curious, here's my list of 2019's actual best pictures.

Enjoy the Oscars, everybody.

'Birds of Prey' and the Challenges of Extending Cinematic Universes

Birds of Prey is Warner Bros.' attempt to grow its DC Cinematic Universe. But are there limits to spinoffs and sequels? And how does that play into Hollywood's increased pressure for greater diversity in its casting? I wrestled with all that over at MEL.

Noname (featuring Raury & Cam O'bi) - "Diddy Bop"

Happy Oscar Weekend, everyone. Make sure to spend some time enjoying Noname.

This Century's Finest African-American Genre Films

With it being February, and Black History Month, we decided to turn our attention to the best genre films from African-American directors. Check out the list over at SyFy.

'Birds of Prey' Review

I think Margot Robbie is very good in this movie. I don't think much else is. My review is up at Screen International.

'High Fidelity' Review

It's been a while since I've seen 2000's High Fidelity (based on the Nick Hornby novel). But now Hulu has remade the story into an episodic series starring Zoe Kravitz. I wish I liked it better.

The Best Films About Gambling

For the Super Bowl, Vulture asked us to pick 25 great movies about gambling. Pretty pleased with this list.

The Best British Sci-Fi

With Doctor Who back for a new season, we decided to spend some time celebrating British science-fiction. For Debate Club, we look back at five great films from the U.K.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The Assistant,' 'The Rhythm Section,' 'Inglourious Basterds' and Our Oscar Predictions

Lots to get to on this week's show. (I also talk a little about Sundance 2020.) Hear the entire episode down below.

'Emma' Review

I couldn't muster much excitement for the perfectly OK new Emma. I reviewed the Jane Austen adaptation for Screen International.

Sundance 2020: Ranking the Best and Worst of the Festival

I am happy to report that Sundance 2020 was a success on all three crucial fronts: I saw a lot of films, I saw mostly good films, and I wasn't so exhausted/sick that I felt like I was dragging. And I was pretty pleased with what I had to say about those movies. Below is a ranked order of everything I consumed, whether in Park City or before. Links lead to my Screen International reviews...

27. Surge
26. Uncle Frank
25. Ironbark
24. Downhill
23. Miss Americana
22. Wendy 
21. The Climb
20. Dream Horse
19. Tesla
18. The Last Shift
17. Zola
16. Happy Happy Joy Joy - The Ren & Stimpy Story
15. Ema
14. The 40-Year-Old Version
13. The Assistant
12. The Perfect Candidate
11. His House
10. On the Record
9. Summertime
8. Crip Camp 
7. The Glorias
6. Minari
5. Dick Johnson Is Dead 
4. The Nest
3. Kajillionaire
2. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
1. The Father

What do I wish I had seen? The Killing of Two Lovers, Boys State, Time and Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets (pictured). There will be time for those down the road.

Let me also point you in the direction of the work I did at the festival for MEL. I explained why Zola is the perfect movie for our social-media age. I examined On the Record and the state of the #MeToo documentary. I offered some praise for Will Ferrell's Downhill performance. I discussed the uncomfortable feelings that got stirred up from watching the Ren & Stimpy documentary. And I wrote about Sundance's preponderance of films about dementia.

My favorite film of this year's Sundance? To my surprise, it was The Father, which features knockout performances from Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman. It's very much a Sony Pictures Classics movie -- classy, etc. -- but I found it emotionally overwhelming.

I suspect I'll always remember this Sundance as the year when I found out Kobe Bryant had died as I was leaving the Eccles after seeing The Glorias. I had to put my feelings aside about his passing to focus on the review. I'm home now, and I still don't think it's fully hit me. It's just too surreal.