The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: The 'One Battle After Another' Episode

We devoted most of this week's show to one film, Paul Thomas Anderson's explosive political action-thriller. Lots to dig into there. Then, in our Reboot segment, we look back at 1999's The Limey in honor of the late Terence Stamp. Check it out below.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': 'One Battle After Another,' 'Predators,' 'Eleanor the Great' and 'Dead of Winter'

Very happy to be on KCRW on such a big weekend for movies. Shawn Edwards and I reviewed two great films and two very forgettable ones. (The latter category includes the Emma Thompson action-thriller Dead of Winter.) You can hear our segment down below.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The Phoenician Scheme,' 'Ballerina' and 'All That Money Can Buy'

On this week's episode, well, we're a little let down by both of the new movies we review. So it's good we went back to 1941's All That Money Can Buy, which is probably better known as The Devil and Daniel Webster. Check out all our wise insights down below.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Dissing 'Karate Kid: Legends,' Lamenting 'The Phoenician Scheme'

 

Alison Willmore and I were on KCRW yesterday to talk about this weekend's movie offerings. Check out our reviews of Karate Kid: Legends, The Phoenician Scheme, Bring Her Back and Mountainhead down below.

The Film Comment Podcast: Talking about 'Resurrection,' 'The Mastermind' and 'Young Mothers'

My last day at Cannes, I was on the Film Comment podcast, hosted by Devika Girish. I was joined by my buddies Justin Chang and Alison Willmore, and we had a blast talking about a bunch of films we'd seen at the festival. Also: We were pretty loopy from exhaustion, so it was a loose and lively conversation. But I made sure I was focused while singing the praises of Kelly Reichardt's The Mastermind. It was the first time I had discussed the film with anyone and, well, I was pretty effusive. Hear the whole thing down below.

Cannes 2025: 'The Phoenician Scheme' Review

While watching Wes Anderson's latest, something occurred to me: I've never disliked any of his movies. Until now. For Screen International, I get into what I think doesn't work in The Phoenician Scheme.

Toronto 2023: 'Reptile' Review

Benicio del Toro brings it in Reptile, in which he plays a veteran detective whose latest murder case finds him questioning things about himself. The rest of the movie isn't nearly as strong as he is, though. My Screen International review is here.

'Breakfast All Day': A Long Talk About 'The French Dispatch'

Christy Lemire had Katie Walsh and me on this week's episode of Breakfast All Day to dig into Wes Anderson's latest. I was the only one of us who liked it, so we had a chat about that. I really enjoyed our conversation, which dealt with (among other things) the question of whether we owe it to filmmakers to revisit their movies if they don't entirely work for us the first time.

Cannes 2021: 'The French Dispatch' Review

A love letter to journalism, Wes Anderson's latest is a series of vignettes made to resemble reported pieces in an upscale literary magazine. It's so gorgeous, but also a little emotionally distant. My review of The French Dispatch is here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: The Best Films From the First Half of 2018

On this week's episode, we review Leave No Trace and I tackle Sicario: Day of the Soldado. But most of our run time is devoted to our picks for the best films from the first half of 2018. We each listed six, and there were four crossovers. You can hear the whole thing down below.

Some Thoughts on 'Sicario: Day of the Soldado'

For MEL, I wrote about Sicario: Day of the Soldado. Specifically, I talked about why the sequel made me so angry. Plus, I investigate being shot in the face. (Don't worry, I didn't try it on myself.) I also discuss movie stars doing TV commercials and why I miss Johann Johannsson. You can read the piece here.