JPEGMafia - "Either On or Off the Drugs"

A little something to groove to as you're enjoying the long Thanksgiving weekend.

'The Seed of the Sacred Fig' Review

If I'd been on the Cannes competition jury, The Seed of the Sacred Fig would have gotten my vote for the Palme d'Or. Very happy to sing its praises in the Los Angeles Times.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Wicked' vs. 'Gladiator II'

On this week's podcast, we look at the two big movies that opened over last weekend. (Turns out, we disagree on both of them.) And then we spend a little time with The Piano Lesson. Check out the show down below.

'Moana 2' Review

It's been eight years since Moana. Was the sequel worth the wait? My review is up at Screen International.

What's the Best Movie From 1999?

Rolling Stone created a list of the 99 best movies from 1999. Then, the editors asked regular contributors to write capsules for the films. I got to write about Eyes Wide Shut, Three Kings, The Wind Will Carry Us and others. Check out the whole list here.

My Interview With Anthony Jeselnik

Tomorrow, Netflix premieres Bones and All, Anthony Jeselnik's fifth stand-up special. It's really funny. For Cracked, I had a long conversation with him about playing the villain, getting tired of comedy podcasts, finding Donald Trump funny, not telling personal stories on stage, and feuding with Norm Macdonald. This was a blast. Hope you enjoy.

'Spellbound' Review

In Spellbound, a princess (Rachel Zegler) has to help her parents, the king (Javier Bardem) and queen (Nicole Kidman), after a curse transforms them into monsters. Will she be successful? And how familiar is this animated fairy tale? I answer some of those questions over at Screen International.

Fontaines D.C. - "Starburster"

A preview of my Thanksgiving weekend.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Oz, Rome and 'The Piano Lesson'

It's a big movie weekend. Should you see Wicked? Gladiator II? What about The Piano Lesson? Christy Lemire and I were on KCRW today to offer our thoughts. Check out the segment down below.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Emilia Perez,' 'Red One' and 'All We Imagine as Light'

On this week's episode, we review a possible Oscar front-runner, a Christmas action-comedy and a promising feature debut from an Indian filmmaker. Check it all out down below.

Beth Gibbons - "Whispering Love"

After all these years, Portishead's lead singer finally released her first proper solo album in 2024. That voice. (And special shout-out to "Gracie," who provides the "instrumental ooh/hum" that's so arresting on this closing track.)

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Sean Baker, Steve McQueen and Hugh Grant

Two auteurs and a horror movie make up this week's reviews. But, first, we had to talk about the election. Hear the whole episode down below.

'Gladiator II' Review

Gladiator II doesn't have Russell Crowe, but it does have Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal. Is that an upgrade? My review is up at Screen International.

The Hollies - "The Air That I Breathe"

Don't want to talk about it.

'Extra Hot Great': I Survived Watching 'The Brady Bunch in the White House'

Did you know that there was a 2002 TV movie with Shelley Long and Gary Cole reprising their roles as the big-screen Carol and Mike Brady? Well, there was, and my pals at Extra Hot Great invited me on to talk about it. We also discussed Star Trek: The Next Generation and the Criterion Closet videos. This was recorded the morning of the Election. How young we were back then. Check it out below.

'Red One' Review

In Red One, Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans play, respectively, an elite security officer and a cynical tracker who have to find Santa Claus, who's been kidnapped. Will they save the day? And is the movie any good? My review is live at Screen International.

What's the Best Political Comedy?

Because we all could use a laugh right now, right? I picked 20 classics for Cracked.

My Interview With Sav Rodgers, Director of 'Chasing Chasing Amy'

When he was a kid, Sav Rodgers was battling with questions about himself. Then, he saw Chasing Amy, which was the first time he was exposed to gay characters in a film. Now, years later, this trans filmmaker has put together a documentary examining that 1997 comedy and its controversial legacy. For Cracked, I talked to Rodgers about rom-coms, happy endings and what it was like to interview his hero Kevin Smith about his problematic film. Hope you enjoy.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Reviewing 'Here,' 'A Real Pain,' 'Blitz' and 'Emilia Perez'

Amy Nicholson and I had some big movies to dig into this week on KCRW, including one of my favorite films of the year. You can hear us down below.

Jessica Pratt - "Life Is"

Who feels like swaying slowly back and forth for three minutes? I've got just the song for you.