Monday, July 21, 2025

Fantasia 2025: 'Terrestrial' Review


In Terrestrial, a struggling screenwriter (Jermaine Fowler) is visited by his college buddies, who discover that he's now a hotshot Hollywood mover-and-shaker. What's he hiding? My review of this dark comedy is here

Friday, July 18, 2025

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Lamenting 'Smurfs,' Debating 'Eddington'


Katie Walsh and I were at the KCRW studios yesterday to talk about this weekend's major movie releases. My big takeaway? Lots of stinkers! 

You can hear our reviews of Eddington, Smurfs and I Know What You Did Last Summer down below. (We also discuss an upcoming 70mm screening of 1984's Streets of Fire.)

Lord Huron (featuring Kristen Stewart) - "Who Laughs Last"

After not loving Kristen Stewart's directorial debut or Love Lies Bleeding, it's very nice to report that she absolutely slays in this Lord Huron song. Video's cool, too.

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

'I Know What You Did Last Summer' Review


The 1997 movie is not good. Is the 2025 sequel any better? My review is up at Screen International

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: James Gunn's 'Superman' and Mailbag Questions


On this week's episode, we go long on Superman. Then, we dive into our listeners' questions, which covered theater etiquette, unlikely trilogies, seeing movies twice in the span of 24 hours, Woody Allen and more. Give it a listen.

Monday, July 14, 2025

My Review of Paul Simon's 'A Quiet Celebration' Tour


The first concert I ever attended was for Paul Simon. On Saturday, I saw him for the fourth time, and perhaps the last time. Over at InsideHook, I wrote about an emotional evening filled with thoughts about death, God and the afterlife. (It also gave me a chance to muse on his 2023 album Seven Psalms.) Hope you enjoy

Friday, July 11, 2025

Galway 2025: 'The Negotiator' Review

George Mitchell has had a long life in public service, but the documentary The Negotiator mostly focuses on his work bringing peace to Northern Ireland. I reviewed this admiring (if a bit shallow) film for Screen International.

Cerrone - "Supernature (Instrumental 'Climax' Edit)"

There are several versions of this 1977 disco track floating around. But I chose the one used in Gaspar Noe's Climax. (Thanks to Christine and the Queens for reminding me of it.)

Wednesday, July 09, 2025

My Interview With Embeth Davidtz, Director of 'Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight'


Embeth Davidtz has been acting in movies since the late 1980s. (Of all her great work, I'll always be partial to her in Junebug.) But until she read Alexandra Fuller's memoir of growing up in what is now Zimbabwe, she had never thought about directing. Why did the book resonate with Davidtz so much? Because it stirred up unresolved feelings about her fraught childhood in South Africa and the racism she encountered there. 

She invited me into her home to talk about her film, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, which opens Friday. Hope you enjoy.

(Photo by Matt Seidel.) 

Tuesday, July 08, 2025

'Superman' Review


I was very curious what James Gunn would do with Superman. Now we know: My review is up at Screen International

Friday, July 04, 2025

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Jurassic World Rebirth' and the Best Films of 2025 (So Far)


Welcome to the end of the first half of the movie year. On this episode, Will and I both reveal our favorite six films so far in 2025. Oh, and we also rip on Jurassic World Rebirth. Check it out below.

The Tubs - "One More Day"

When I first heard the Tubs, I thought, "Wait, is this Bob Mould's new solo album?" Owen Williams does sound a little like the former Husker Du frontman, but the more I listened to Cotton Crown, the more this Welsh band started to establish its own personality. Any similarities to the college rock you loved in your younger years is, I'm sure, purely coincidental.

 

Wednesday, July 02, 2025

'Heads of State' Review


John Cena plays the U.S. president. Idris Elba is the U.K. prime minister. Together, they barely survive an assassination attempt and then have to go on the run. Does hilarity ensue? You can read my review here.

Tuesday, July 01, 2025

What's the Funniest Moment in 'This Is Spinal Tap'?


This Is Spinal Tap
 returns to theaters this weekend in a remastered, restored version. For Cracked, I ranked this all-time comedy's 50 best moments. Enjoy! 

The Best Movies of the 21st Century (So Far)


Rolling Stone
 asked a bunch of its contributors to work on a massive list of the best films of the 21st century. Remarkably, we're already 25 years into this new century, which means a lot of good movies. As always, I didn't have any say in the final rankings, but I did some of the write-ups, including Y Tu Mama TambienInside Llewyn DavisDogvilleBurningUncut GemsI Am Not Your NegroThe Souvenir and others. Dive in