Telluride 2026: 'The Idiot(s)' Review

Anna and Fyodor Dostoevsky's marriage sure seemed complicated. In The Idiot(s), the couple are on their honeymoon and flat broke. Maybe if Fyodor works on his next book, called The Idiot, perhaps their fortunes will change? This is not a conventional biopic, and my review is here. 

My Review of David Thomson's Terrific Book 'A Sudden Flicker of Light'

For the A.V. Club, I wrote about film historian David Thomson's bracing A Sudden Flicker of Light, in which he argues that movies may have done more harm to us than we're willing to acknowledge. You can read my thoughts here.

My Interview With Jonathan Gould, Author of 'Burning Down the House'

Burning Down the House: Talking Heads and the New York Scene That Transformed Rock is an exhaustive biography of the seminal band and the city that shaped them. For Paste, I talked to author Jonathan Gould (himself a musician) to discuss many things: David Byrne's autism, Stop Making Sense's greatness, and why the band is never ever getting back together. You can read my Q&A here.

'People Still Read Books': Talking to Will About 'Lloyd McNeil's Last Ride'

Will's new book, Lloyd McNeil's Last Ride, came out last week while I was in Cannes. Before I left for the festival, we had a long talk about the novel, which included conversations about death, optimism, cops and parenthood. You can hear the entire exchange down below.

Revisiting Harrison Ford's 'Presumed Innocent'

There is a new Apple TV+ limited series based on the Scott Turow novel. For RogerEbert.com, I looked back at the first time the book was adapted, the 1990 film with Harrison Ford that became a big hit. Does that Presumed Innocent hold up? And what does it say about that bygone Hollywood era? Read on.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Talking to Matt Singer About 'Opposable Thumbs'

Matt Singer has written a superb book about Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. We had him on the podcast to discuss the late, great movie reviewers and the state of film criticism today. Give it a listen.

My Interview With Keegan-Michael Key and Elle Key

Keegan-Michael Key and Elle Key have been married for five years, and they've just put out a book, inspired by their hit podcast, called The History of Sketch Comedy. I wanted to talk to them about being comedy nerds and how their working and romantic relationships coexist. Hope you enjoy.

'People Still Read Books': Talking to Will About 'The Time Has Come'

My buddy Will's book The Time Has Come is out today. We had a long talk about it on this special podcast episode. Hope you enjoy.

Talking About My Book 'Sunken Treasure' on 'Wilco the Podcast'

Wilco the Podcast is devoted to all things Wilco, so I was very flattered to be invited on by hosts Lance Hill and Matt Morgan to discuss my book Wilco: Sunken Treasure. We also chatted about getting older, how music changes over your lifetime, and the differences between reviewing albums and movies. Lots of fun stuff here. Check it out below.

Sundance 2023: 'Judy Blume Forever' Review

While I've read a few Judy Blume books, I confess I'm not some super-fan. So maybe in some ways I was the ideal critic to evaluate Judy Blume Forever, a celebratory documentary about the author. You can read my review here.

My Review of Bono's 'Surrender'

Bono's memoir is a hefty tome. It's fascinating, frustrating and often quite moving, just like U2's music. I dove into Surrender over at InsideHook.

My Interview With Mike Sielski, Author of 'The Rise'

The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality is an origin story of sorts, tracing Kobe Bryant's early years, as a boy and a teenager, before he joined the NBA. It's been nearly two years since his death, and the book is an often thought-provoking meditation on the kid he once was. 

For MEL, I spoke to Mike Sielski, a Philadelphia sports columnist and reporter who contacted many in Bryant's life and had access to never-before-heard interviews from the late athlete when he was in high school. I really enjoyed my talk with Mike, which covered masculinity, race, the comfort of sports narratives and #MeToo. Hope you enjoy.

'A Film and a Movie': Talking About 'Safe' and 'She Dies Tomorrow'

I really enjoyed being on A Film and a Movie, a podcast (co-hosted by my old pal Alonso Duralde) in which the guest is invited to suggest two films (one older, one more recent) that have thematic similarities. I started with one of my all-time favorites, Safe, and then thought about what would be a good companion piece. And then it hit me: Amy Seimetz's terrific psychological horror film from last year. Lots of great analysis of both movies here. (And Alonso's story about the Safe premiere blew my mind.) Hope you enjoy.

My Interview With the Authors of 'Nothin' But a Good Time'

Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock are music journalists who have compiled an oral history of the 1980s hard rock scene. The book is a doozy, and for MEL, I spoke with them about sexism, male beauty, power ballads and AIDS. You can read our interview here.

My Interview With Robert P. Jones, Author of 'White Too Long'

I really enjoyed this. For MEL, I spoke with Robert P. Jones, religious scholar and author, whose new book White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity is an insightful, statistic-driven look at how white Christians have perpetuated systemic racism. We had a great talk.