The Film Comment Podcast: Wrapping Up Sundance 2026

On the last night I will probably ever spend in Park City, I hung out with Bilge Ebiri, Maddie Whittle and Devika Girish to discuss some of the films we saw at the tail end of Sundance. Those include The Weight, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, Chasing Summer and more. It was an epic conversation, which you can listen to below.

'The Last Thing I Saw': Reviewing 'The Invite,' 'The Weight' and 'The Friend's House Is Here'

While at Sundance, I was back on Nicolas Rapold's superb podcast The Last Thing I Saw talking about festival films. Nic and I discussed The Invite, while I raved about The Weight and The Friend's House Is Here. And Nic put in a good word for the documentary All About the Money, which I have yet to see. You can hear our conversation down below.

Sundance 2026: 'The Weight' Review

Ethan Hawke has been on a roll lately. That continues with The Weight, a wonderfully old-fashioned action-drama about convicts in the 1930s having to transport gold, on foot, through the Oregon forest. My review is here. 

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke, 'The Perfect Neighbor' and 'After the Hunt'

Two phenomenal performances lead this week's podcast. First up, we look at If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, starring Rose Byrne. Then we have Blue Moon, with Ethan Hawke. Later, we sing the praises of The Perfect Neighbor and debate After the Hunt. Really good episode, which you can listen to below.

'Blue Moon' Review

Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke have made many wonderful films together. Their ninth, Blue Moon, is deeply lovely. I reviewed this melancholy portrait of lyricist Lorenz Hart for the Los Angeles Times. 

Telluride 2025: 'Highway 99: A Double Album' Review

Ethan Hawke has directed several films about artists. His latest, Highway 99, is a three-hour-plus documentary on the life and legacy of Merle Haggard. It's partly a tribute album of sorts, with different musicians covering his songs. My review is here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Raving About 'Poor Things' and 'The Zone of Interest'

We're back from a week off, and we've got reviews of two major releases, Poor Things and The Zone of Interest. We then have an epic disagreement about Leave the World Behind. Check it out down below.

AFI Fest 2023: 'Leave the World Behind' Review

AFI Fest world premieres tend to be so-so affairs, but sometimes you get a gem. Case in point: I quite liked Leave the World Behind, which stars Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke as a married couple staying in a vacation rental who are accosted by two strangers (Mahershala Ali and Myha'la) who say that nearby New York has been hit by a crippling blackout. Are they to be trusted? That's part of the fun.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: The Best Films of the First Half of 2022

There are several movies I wasn't able to catch in time for this week's episode, which I'm not happy about, but nonetheless: Will and I both list our six favorites of 2022 so far. Hope you enjoy.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Disagreeing About 'Elvis'

On this week's episode, we review The Black Phone and Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe. But we differ on Baz Lurhmann's latest. Hear the whole thing down below.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': The King, 'The Black Phone,' 'Marcel the Shell' and 'Beavis and Butt-Head'

Amy Nicholson and I were on KCRW on Thursday to review this weekend's new releases. (She and I are just about the only critics who don't love love love Marcel the Shell With Shoes On.) Hear our segment down below.

Ethan Hawke and the Battle Not to Sell Out

Being a proper Gen-X guy, Ethan Hawke has long struggled with the notion of what it means to be successful. Does it mean unconscionable compromise? Or can you keep from selling your soul? For MEL, I looked back at his nearly 40-year career. It was a pleasure to write about an actor I've long admired.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Vikings, Nic Cage and 'Le Samourai'

Two new movies, one fantastic reboot: That's the story of this week's episode. Come for the reviews of The Northman and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, stay to hear me gush about Le Samourai.

Remember When Ethan Hawke Was a Vampire?

In January 2010, Daybreakers came out. In January 2021, I wrote about it for SyFy.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Unhinged,' 'Tesla' and 'Burn, Witch, Burn!'

Russell Crowe and Ethan Hawke have very different new movies out. We talked about them on the podcast, and then we go back to 1962 to discuss Burn, Witch, Burn! You can hear the whole thing down below.

My Interview With Hirokazu Kore-eda, Director of 'The Truth'

What a treat to speak with Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda. Our conversation happened in March, just as the pandemic was starting to take hold of America. (He was in Japan, and we talked through an interpreter.) Now that his new film The Truth is out, my Q&A is live at MEL.

Sundance 2020: 'Tesla' Review

Ethan Hawke reunites with his Hamlet director Michael Almereyda for this far-from-straightforward biopic about Nikola Tesla. I really enjoyed Almereyda's recent films Experimenter and Marjorie Prime; this one isn't as good, but it's still kinda fascinating. My Screen International review is here.

The Horror Hits That Were Complete Surprises

For this week's Debate Club, we wrote about hit horror films that were hardly sure-things at the time. It's important to remember that, say, The Exorcist was something of a risk. Our piece is up at SyFy.

Best Blumhouse Horror Films

Jason Blum has produced some of the biggest horror hits of recent years, so narrowing down his company's films to pick the five best was surprisingly difficult. You can check out our work over at SyFy.

The Guys Who Always Get Dumped in Romantic Comedies

Happy Valentine's Day: For MEL, I wrote about the characters in romantic triangles who never get the happy ending. Some of them deserve to be kicked to the curb. Some of them are just nice guys. Others were wronged by the film they were in. Hope you enjoy.