A History of Hit Men at the Movies

In honor of Hit Man, which comes to Netflix on Friday, I wrote about cinematic hit men. We think of them as impervious and super-cool, but very often these characters fail to live up to our lofty impression of them. Why is that? My thoughts are here.

John Cusack Was a Different Type of Romantic Leading Man

...and it wasn't built to last. For MEL, I look at the 1980s heartthrob and how he personified Generation X. (People seem to dig this piece, which I'm glad about.)

'High Fidelity' Review

It's been a while since I've seen 2000's High Fidelity (based on the Nick Hornby novel). But now Hulu has remade the story into an episodic series starring Zoe Kravitz. I wish I liked it better.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Life of the Party,' 'JFK' and 'Grosse Pointe Blank'

In all the excitement, I forgot to post this week's podcast. Will talks to me about the new Melissa McCarthy movie. And then, for the Reboot segment, we look back at JFK and Grosse Pointe Blank. Go in the 1990s time machine with us.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Talking 'Warcraft,' 'Menace II Society' and 'Being John Malkovich'

On this week's installment of the Grierson & Leitch podcast, we get really angry about Warcraft. (Actually, it's more me.) Plus, for our regular Reboot section, we revisit Menace II Society and Being John Malkovich. Both movies made my Top 10 of their respective years. One of them, sadly, has not held up. You can hear the whole thing here.

'Love & Mercy' Review

Oops! Well, that's embarrassing: I just realized I never posted a link to my Love & Mercy review from earlier in the week. I'm not quite as high as some are on this unconventional Brian Wilson biopic, but I think it's a smart, engaging -- and, again, smart -- way of tackling a musical genius in a way that's not so straightforward. My review is up at Deadspin.

'The Raven' Review

For as much press as John Cusack is doing for The Raven, you'd assume he's rather proud of the movie. After seeing it, I'm not sure why. Though hardly a disaster, it's a misshapen mash-ups of ideas and tones that doesn't work. I go into more detail in my review over at Deadspin.

Igor

Igor is a cute but forgettable animated movie for kids about a hunchback (voiced by John Cusack) who wants to show the world he's more than just a stupid henchman. It's no Nightmare Before Christmas. My review is at Screen International.