The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The Exorcist: Believer,' 'The Royal Hotel' and 'Fair Play'

Sorry to be a week late on this one -- I've been a bit busy -- but on the podcast we dug into the missteps of David Gordon Green's attempt to revive the Exorcist franchise. Then we looked at the new film from Kitty Green and disagreed about the Sundance sensation Fair Play. Check it all out below.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Exorcisms, Sexual Harassment and 'Cat Person'

Alison Willmore and I joined Madeleine to review four new films: The Exorcist: Believer, Cat Person, The Royal Hotel and Dicks: The Musical. A very fun time, and you can hear the whole thing down below. 

Toronto 2023: 'The Royal Hotel' Review

I've been on the Kitty Green bandwagon for a while. For Screen International, I reviewed her latest, The Royal Hotel, which is a mixture of thriller and horror. You can read my thoughts here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Hamilton' and the Best Films of 2020 (So Far)

We devote a good chunk of this week's episode to reviewing Hamilton, which neither of us saw on stage. Then, it's the halfway point of 2020, which means it's time for each of us to pick our four favorite films so far from this year. (We have no overlaps in our picks, by the way.) Hear the whole thing down below.

Sundance 2020: 'The Assistant' Review

The Assistant opens today but played in Sundance's Spotlight section, which is where I saw it. This drama is about, as you might have guessed, an assistant (Julia Garner) who works for a high-powered Hollywood mogul. Does the film have any connection to Harvey Weinstein? Read on.

My Interview With Kitty Green, Director of 'Casting JonBenet'

At Sundance, I flipped for Casting JonBenet, a documentary that interviews people in the Boulder area who responded to an open casting call for a JonBenet Ramsey feature. But director Kitty Green was actually more interested in talking to these people about their feelings on the case, and the movie shows her subjects revealing much about themselves. For MEL, Green and I discuss why the movie was so therapeutic for its subjects, the strangeness of beauty pageants, and why everybody seems so harsh on JonBenet's mother Patsy. Check it out here.

Sundance 2017: 'Casting JonBenet' Review

I've reviewed more documentaries at this Sundance than I normally do. (Usually, I avoid them if I can so that I can see more features. Then, I catch up at True/False.) But I'm sure happy I saw the terrific Casting JonBenet. It's a movie about Ramsey's killing -- but not exactly. Compassionate, smart, fascinating ... it's the whole package. My review is up at Screen International.