My Interview With Riki Lindhome

Last year, Riki Lindhome debuted a one-woman musical, Dead Inside, about her struggles with infertility. Now, she's putting out an album based on that show. For Cracked, I had a long, fun conversation with Lindhome about the album, No Worries If Not, as well as marriage, motherhood and life as a solo artist after years of being in Garfunkel and Oates. Hope you enjoy.

Charli XCX (featuring Billie Eilish) - "Guess"

Look, I like Brat and Hit Me Hard and Soft quite a lot. By my favorite 2024 song from those two women is a track that didn't appear on either of their records.

'Grand Tour' Review

When I saw Grand Tour last year at Cannes, I swooned. So it was a pleasure to revisit the film, twice, this past week in order to write my glowing review for the Los Angeles Times. 

'A Working Man' Review

Jason Statham is back! And he's out to save a kidnapped teenager! For Screen International, I reviewed A Working Man.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Debating 'Magazine Dreams,' Raving About 'Black Bag'

After a week off, we're back, and we're reviewing four new movies. Want to hear our thoughts on Snow White? No problem. Interested in what we make of Opus? You're in luck. Curious about Black Bag and Magazine Dreams? We're on 'em. Check out the episode down below.

SXSW 2025: 'Slanted' Review

The final film I was going to review out of SXSW was one that I'd grab when I got home: the narrative jury winner. The prize went to Slanted, which is about a Chinese-American teenager who wants to be prom queen. Her plan? Undergo a procedure that will turn her into a blonde white girl. My review is here.

Patti Smith Group - "Because the Night"

Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith should have written more songs together.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Gangsters, Princesses, Killers and 'Ash'

I was pleased to be on KCRW alongside Alison Willmore to discuss this weekend's movies. I like Misercordia and Ash. I do not like The Alto Knights and Snow White. Hear all of our thoughts down below.

My Interview With Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts has a new movie (The Friend) and a new book (Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I’d Known About Menopause). These seemed like excellent excuses to spend some time with the Oscar nominee to talk about life, resilience and her dear friend David Lynch. You can read my interview over at the Los Angeles Times. 

(Photo by Jennifer McCord.)

'Snow White' Review

There's a new Snow White. It is not as good as the old Snow White. It's not even better than some of the other recent Disney live-action remakes. I reviewed this stinker for Screen International.

'The Alto Knights' Review

You get two Robert De Niros for the price of one in The Alto Knights, a real-life gangster drama about childhood friends who became mob rivals. The Oscar-winning actor plays both roles, a decision I think ultimately doesn't help the movie all that much. My Screen International review is here.

Film Independent: My Conversation With Brendan Bellomo, Co-Director of 'Porcelain War'

A few months ago, I moderated a Q&A with Brendan Bellomo, one of the directors of the Oscar-nominated documentary Porcelain War, which looks at Russia's war with Ukraine through a different lens, focusing on Ukrainian artists who split their time between fighting on the front line and honing their craft. You can check out our conversation down below.

'Ash' Review

Ash premiered at SXSW, but I was already back in Los Angeles when that screening happened. So I caught it here at its West Coast premiere. I had a lot of fun with this low-budget sci-fi horror/head-trip, which I reviewed for Screen International.

Lady Gaga - "Disease"

Yeah, dark synths are what I need right now.

SXSW 2025: The Documentary Jury Winners

I attended SXSW for the first time for a good reason: I was invited to be part of the festival's Documentary Competition jury, alongside Aisha Harris and Jen Yamato. We saw eight films, all of them good (or better), and had a happily painless deliberation as we selected our top prize, as well as two special jury awards. 

Our winner was Shuffle, which opens the door to another reason why you should hate the way this country treats addiction. We also gave shout-outs to The Python Hunt and Remaining Native, two portraits of under-seen sections of America that are illuminating in different ways. 

You can read our write-ups here, as well as check out the winners in other section. Thanks for having me, Austin.

'The Next Picture Show': Let's Talk About 'Eephus'

Last week, I was on The Next Picture Show to talk about a baseball movie from the past, Bull Durham. This week, I return to talk about a new baseball film, Eephus. It was a very fun conversation. Hope you enjoy.

The Film Comment Podcast: Talking About 'Opus' and 'Misericordia'

Very happy to be back on Film Comment's podcast, alongside Devika Girish and Clinton Krute, to discuss new and upcoming releases. We chatted about Opus, Mickey 17, Misericordia and Eephus. Hear our wise words down below.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Clones, Murderers and Baseball

I recorded this week's episode from my hotel at SXSW. We had movies to talk about, darn it! You can check out our reviews of Mickey 17, Chaos: The Manson Murders and Eephus down below.

SXSW 2025: 'Holland' Review

Nicole Kidman is trapped in suburbia in Holland, a psychological thriller that doubles as a prickly character study. My review is live over at Screen International.

SXSW 2025: 'Death of a Unicorn' Review

Is it a horror movie? A dark comedy? A twisted fairy tale? A social commentary? A story about grief? All of the above: For Screen International, I reviewed the very uneven Death of a Unicorn.

SXSW 2025: 'Another Simple Favor' Review

I wasn't a fan of A Simple Favor. Did the long-awaited sequel change my mind about this stylish franchise? My review is up at Screen International.

SXSW 2025: 'The Accountant 2' Review

Greetings from Austin. My first review from SXSW is The Accountant 2, which is one of those rare cases where I didn't like the original, but I like the sequel. You can read my thoughts here.

Shania Twain - "Man! I Feel Like A Woman!"

Let's go, girls.

'Black Bag' Review

Steven Soderbergh's best in a good long while? I sure think so. My review of Black Bag is up at Screen International.

'The Next Picture Show': Let's Talk About 'Bull Durham'

So, this was fun: The gang over at The Next Picture Show asked me on as a guest. For those unfamiliar with that podcast, the hosts pair a current movie with an older, thematically-linked film. (The first episode is about the older film. The second episode focuses on the new film.) My episodes' theme was baseball movies, which makes sense since we're in the midst of spring training. This week: We talked about 1988's Bull Durham. Next week: To be continued. (But if you're paying attention to the indie release calendar, you can probably guess.)

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Our Oscar Reactions and Don Hertzfeldt's 'ME'

What a night. We talked about the Oscars on our new episode. We also finally got around to discussing ME, Don Hertzfeldt's terrific 2024 animated short. Then, in our Reboot segment,we went back to Robert De Niro's directorial debut, A Bronx Tale. Hope you enjoy.