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.

Sundance 2018: 'Leave No Trace' Review

Debra Granik hasn't directed a feature since Winter's Bone. (In the meantime, she made the documentary Stray Dog, which I quite liked.) She returns with Leave No Trace, about a father and daughter living off the grid. Ben Foster and Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie are both quite good, and so is the movie. My review is up at Screen International.

Los Angeles Film Festival 2014: 'Stray Dog' Review

Director Debra Granik previously made Down to the Bone (which launched Vera Farmiga) and Winter's Bone (which launched Jennifer Lawrence). Her new movie is her first documentary, about a Vietnam vet named Ron "Stray Dog" Hall. It's called Stray Dog, and it's quite lovely. (Incidentally, it would make a fine double-feature with Rich Hill, and not just because they're both set in Missouri.) My review of Stray Dog is up at Screen International.