'The Instigators' Review

Opening in limited theaters today and hitting Apple TV+ next Friday, The Instigators stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck as perfect strangers who sign up for the same high-stakes heist in Boston. Would you be surprised if I told you things go wrong? I reviewed this so-so crime caper for the Los Angeles Times.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Fighting About 'Road House,' Lamenting the New 'Ghostbusters'

This week's podcast featured three new movies, all of which I didn't like. Will and I disagree about Road House, albeit rather mildly, and we also discuss Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Immaculate. Check it all out down below.

Doug Liman: Is This Any Way to Conduct a Career?

In January, Doug Liman announced he wasn't going to attend the SXSW premiere of his new movie, the remake of Road House. It was just the latest example of a filmmaker who often causes headaches for studios, producers and his stars. I wrote about an idiosyncratic director for RogerEbert.com.

'The Wall' Review

Are you aware that there's a movie coming out next week called The Wall? I'm guessing not: There seems to be just about no advertising for it. It's the latest from director Doug Liman, and it stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson and John Cena as American soldiers facing off with an Iraqi sniper. Does The Wall work? I suppose, but it feels more like a cinematic exercise than an actual movie. My review is up at Screen International.

'Edge of Tomorrow' Review

Edge of Tomorrow is one of Tom Cruise's best recent films. A sci-fi Groundhog Day, the movie features the ageless wonder as a soldier forced to relive the same day on the battlefield again and again. It's smart and funny and a blast. I reviewed the film for The Verge.

(P.S. I have to acknowledge this great observation from Mark Lisanti about Edge of Tomorrow's less-than-inspiring title: "This movie began its life with the much-cooler title All You Need Is Kill, but there was no way a $100 million–budgeted Tom Cruise blockbuster vehicle was coming to market with any kind of murder-branding.... So the Warner Bros. marketing department’s Inoffensive Phrase Generator coughed up Edge of Tomorrow, which could have just as easily fit on a one-sheet featuring a sopping wet Bradley Cooper and Rachel McAdams clinching atop a seaside cliff.")