The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Captain America, Paddington and Bridget Jones Return

On this week's episode, we review new movies from franchises trying to sustain their cultural cachet: Captain America: Brave New World, Paddington in Peru and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. I only liked one of the three. You can hear our discussion down below.

'Captain America: Brave New World' Review

Anthony Mackie is the new Captain America. Can he fill Chris Evans' shoes? For Screen International, I reviewed Brave New World.

What's James Mangold's Best Film?

Now that A Complete Unknown is out, Will and I ranked all of director James Mangold's movies. What's No. 1? Check out our list over at Vulture.

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: Indy, Jennifer Lawrence and 'Reality'

Happy Fourth. We reviewed Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, No Hard Feelings and Reality. Next week, we'll be looking at the best films from the first half of 2023. Enjoy!

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Reviews of 'Dial of Destiny,' 'Ruby Gillman,' 'Every Body' and 'Prisoner's Daughter'

What should you see this Independence Day weekend? And what should you skip? Katie Walsh and I were on KCRW to give you some guidance.

Is 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' Great or Goofy?

With Dial of Destiny arriving on Friday, I spent a little time thinking about the 1989 film that people thought was going to be the final Indiana Jones movie. It was more of a buddy comedy than the previous two films, and it featured Sean Connery. So how does it hold up? My answer is here.

Cannes 2023: The Wrap-Up and the Rankings

Much like this year's Sundance, there was one film that stood head and shoulders above the pack at Cannes. There will be more to say about The Zone of Interest, but for now, I'd like to point out that this is the first time I've been in Cannes where journalists and critics wanted to rewatch a movie a day after seeing it. Such was the power of Jonathan Glazer's fourth feature that people felt a desperate need to get a second helping immediately. (If I hadn't had a conflicting assignment in the same screening slot, I might have been tempted myself.)

The question of how good any one Cannes is depends on two factors: the movies you saw and the overall experience you had at the festival. On the latter front, I can't complain. I was lucky to stay with great roommates, the weather basically cooperated, and the unexpected hassles that can bedevil your trip thankfully steered clear of me in 2023. I had friends twist ankles, lose their apartment key, and battle shitty wifi. I dodged all those bullets.

As for the movies themselves, looking at my ranked list below, I'm forced to conclude that this was merely an okay Cannes. Some of the films on my list scream out for a second viewing so that I can wrap my head around what works and what doesn't about them. (In particular, I'm curious what Killers of the Flower Moon will feel like with fresh eyes.) But the consensus on the ground was that there were lots of strong films without as many gems as in past years. And, as always, I lament the movies I simply couldn't get to, including About Dry Grasses, Anselm, Eureka, Occupied City, Pictures of Ghosts and Youth. I look forward to catching them all down the road.

Without further ado, here is my list of everything I saw either during or before the festival. Links lead to individual reviews:

33. Riddle of Fire
32. Project Silence
31. Black Flies
30. Firebrand
29. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
28. Conann
27. Hypnotic
26. The Sweet East
25. Elemental
24. Perfect Days
23. Jeanne du Barry
22. Room 999
21. Acid
20. The King of Algiers
19. Club Zero
18. Last Summer
17. Rosalie
16. La Chimera
15. Monster
14. Cobweb
13. Omen
12. Fallen Leaves
11. Asteroid City
10. How to Have Sex
9. Robot Dreams
8. May December
7. Anatomy of a Fall
6. The Delinquents
5. The Animal Kingdom
4. Killers of the Flower Moon
3. The Pot-au-Feu
2. Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
1. The Zone of Interest

Now I'd like to take a moment to talk about my No. 2 film. I couldn't have been more exhausted than when I went to see director Pham Thien An's three-hour-long debut, which is about a young man on a spiritual quest of sorts in Vietnam. It's rare when a movie wakes me up to the degree that Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell did. It's an extraordinary experience, although it did inspire plenty of walkouts at my screening. Well, it's their loss: The film is transporting, moving, a total stunner. It deserves to win the Camera d'Or for best first feature. I hope an adventurous distributor picks it up soon: In a completely different way than The Zone of Interest, it needs to be seen on the big screen.

Finally, let's engage in a futile annual tradition wherein I try to predict what will win the Palme d'Or. I have been going to Cannes since 2013, missing one year because of a book project and another (in 2020) because Covid shut the festival down. And in all that time, I have never been right with my guess. Do I have any more confidence this year? Not really.

Nonetheless, I'm going to go with my heart and say that Ruben Östlund's jury will go for The Zone of Interest. It's easily the boldest film in the Competition, but it's also divisive among critics, which may prove true for his jury as well. Anatomy of a Fall may be a safer consensus pick, although part of me wonders if Sandra Hüller will take home Best Actress, which means that film couldn't win the Palme as well. (It's possible she gets Best Actress for Anatomy of a Fall, and then her other movie, The Zone of Interest, collects the big prize.) 

My sleeper pick is The Pot-au-Feu, which surprised a lot of folks here at the festival. On paper, it looked like a middlebrow food-porn period piece. But Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel are simply terrific in this deeply felt love story. Plus, the film can be read as a metaphor for the importance of art, and a Cannes jury could certainly get behind that message. Also worth noting: Documentaries are almost never part of the Competition, so perhaps Wang Bing's three-and-a-half-hour Youth will emerge victorious. I could just as easily see Glazer win Best Director, but fool that I am, I'm picking The Zone of Interest. I look forward to finding out just how wrong I was again.

Cannes 2023: 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' Review

The fifth Indiana Jones just premiered at Cannes. Here's my review.

What Is a "Male Savior" Movie?

You know those films where a guy has to protect someone: a boy, a pop star, the president? Well, I'm dubbing them "male savior" movies, and with a new one coming out this weekend (Sweet Girl), I thought I'd do a rundown of the many variations of the trope. Check it out over at MEL.

Let's Rank All the Tom Clancy Movies

Now that Tom Clancy's Without Remorse is out, let's determine where it ranks among all of the adaptations of the author's work. You can find the answer over at Vulture.

Harrison Ford Was Never Better Than He Was in 'The Mosquito Coast'

Apple TV+ has a new Mosquito Coast series out today. It's very average. But for GQ, I used the show as an excuse to sing the praises of Harrison Ford, who's terrific in the 1986 movie ... which was a critical and commercial bomb. I speak up for the film, and him, right here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' 'Good Bye, Lenin!' and Looking Back at 1977

There were many great films in 1977, but our conversation inevitably focuses on two -- Star Wars and Annie Hall -- and how the culture's impression of them has shifted over time. Then, we segue to our Reboot section. We rhapsodize about Raiders of the Lost Ark and Daniel Bruhl's breakout hit, the German-language Good Bye, Lenin! The whole thing is down below.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Call of the Wild' and 'Emma,' 'The Act of Killing' and 'The Hospital'

The new movies aren't what's most interesting about this week's episode. That would be our two Reboots: Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act of Killing and Arthur Hiller's The Hospital (which also could be called The Act of Killing.) Lots to dig into with those two films. I enjoyed our chat, and I hope you do, too.

The History of the Millennium Falcon

This was very fun: For Popular Mechanics, I spoke to the men who built (and rebuilt) the Millennium Falcon for the original trilogy, the new trilogy and Galaxy's Edge. I learned a lot about the fastest ship in the galaxy. Hope you enjoy.

Movies Based on TV Shows

Over at SyFy, we're saluting the best films adapted from TV shows. (How many people are unaware that The Fugitive used to be on television?) Check out the results here.

Which Jack Ryan Is Right for You?

John Krasinski plays Jack Ryan in a new Amazon series, making him the fifth actor to take on the role. For MEL, I decided to do a little research to determine what your favorite Jack says about you. My findings are here.

When Bombs Become Cult Favorites

For this week's Debate Club, we look back at five films that crashed and burned at the box office, only to be resurrected by audiences over time. (I had to write the Brazil capsule, naturally.) Check out the whole list here.

Patriotic Sci-Fi Films

I was away yesterday, so I didn't have a chance to post this on Independence Day: For Debate Club, Will and I paid tribute to five patriotic sci-fi films. Does that include superhero movies? It sure does. You can read the whole thing over at SyFy.

What's the Greatest Action Sequence of All Time?

Will and I devote our latest Debate Club to action sequences. Star Wars, The Dark Knight, Bullitt ... what movie had the greatest ever? Our answer is over at SyFy.