My Interview With Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Star of 'Wonder Man'

It's nice to know, after all this time, that you can still experience a first in your work.

A few weeks ago, I interviewed Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, the star of Marvel's superb series Wonder Man. Abdul Mateen had been nominated for an Emmy, and the show was getting close to ramping up for its second season. So there was plenty to discuss. I really enjoyed our chat.

Then, after I sent the story to my editor and it was set to be published, Disney dropped a bombshell: Despite already being renewed for a second season, Wonder Man was canceled without explanation. And with that, my article wasn't the same as it had once been.

You can read my profile here. We chatted about turning 40, starring in a David Fincher movie, and what it's like to play a guy who's a struggling actor. 

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: We Answer Your Questions and Revisit 'The Abyss'

A big thanks to our listeners, who sent us so many great questions. We tried to answer as many as we could on this week's episode. Then, in our Reboot segment, we look back at 1989's The Abyss. (Yup, we did the director's cut.) Dive in down below.

Comedies With Twist Endings

We tend to think of dramas having big twist endings. But, every once in a while, a comedy pulls the rug out from under its audience. For Cracked, I looked at some of the most memorable examples, and discussed whether the twists worked.

Channing Tatum Does a Lot of Cameos

And I ranked them all for MEL.

What Classic Movies Couldn't Be Made Today? And Is That the Right Question to Ask?

I’m watching pulp fiction right now and wondering, 28 years later, if you could make this movie today

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) February 7, 2022

This tweet made the rounds the other day. You see this kind of thing online fairly frequently, and it always drives me a little nuts. I explain why over at MEL.

Bobby Womack - "Across 110th Street"

Of course this song (from the 1972 film of the same name) is used memorably in Jackie Brown, but I was not aware that Bobby Womack used to date Pam Grier back in the day.

Five Replacements for 'F9'

It's Memorial Day Weekend, which was meant to be the launching pad for F9. Instead, because of the coronavirus, it won't hit theaters until April 2021. What should you watch instead? Here are five streaming options.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Blue,' 'I'm Not There' and Looking Back at 1994

On this week's podcast, we introduce a new feature, in which we look back at a specific movie year. This week: 1994. Hoop Dreams! Pulp Fiction! Forrest Gump! The Shawshank Redemption!

We also have two Reboots. First is Krzysztof Kieślowski's Blue, the first installment in his Three Colors trilogy. Then, we dig into Todd Haynes' sorta-biopic I'm Not There. Hope you enjoy.

If I Had an Oscar Ballot for Best Picture

In case you forgot, the Academy uses a preferential ballot to vote for Best Picture. (My buddy Glenn Whipp explained the process perfectly a few years ago.) So if I had a vote, here's how it would look:

1. Parasite
2. Little Women
3. The Irishman
4. Marriage Story
5. Joker
6. Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood
7. 1917
8. Ford v Ferrari
9. Jojo Rabbit

It is very possible that Parasite is going to pull off the upset. Think how remarkable that would be. First non-English-language film to win. First film from Neon to win. Only the second Palme d'Or winner to do it. (The first was Marty about 65 years ago.) But I still think it's going to be 1917's night. And in case you're curious, here's my list of 2019's actual best pictures.

Enjoy the Oscars, everybody.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The Assistant,' 'The Rhythm Section,' 'Inglourious Basterds' and Our Oscar Predictions

Lots to get to on this week's show. (I also talk a little about Sundance 2020.) Hear the entire episode down below.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Quentin Tarantino and 'The Shining'

This week's episode only has two films, but they're biggies. First up, we go long on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, followed by a general conversation about Tarantino's work to this point. Then, in our Reboot segment, we tackle The Shining and I rhapsodize about Shelley Duvall. Hear the whole thing down below.

Some Thoughts on 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'

Is Quentin Tarantino getting sentimental in his (relative) old age?

How easy is it to own a flamethrower?

And what's Tarantino's worst movie?

I answer those questions, and more, over at MEL.

Joe Cocker - "The Letter"

Growing up, I knew "The Letter" as a Joe Cocker song. (My dad had Joe Cocker's Greatest Hits.) Only later did I realize it was a cover. I haven't thought about the Cocker version in years, but it's used strikingly in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. So let's give it a spin right now.

Cannes 2019: The Wrap-Up and the Rankings

My sixth Cannes was unique in that, as opposed to previous editions, I wasn't in much agreement with my colleagues about what were the festival's best and worst films. I quite liked Little Joe and Frankie, two Competition selections that didn't receive much love elsewhere, while being duly impressed (but not blown away) by Parasite, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Pain and Glory, which were probably the consensus favorites. And yet, the fact that all four ended up ranking relatively high on my list suggests something I'd suspected over the last two weeks: Every Cannes you get to go to is amazing, but the overall quality of this year's films was below-average. It happens.

Another thing that made this an outlier Cannes: My favorite film wasn't part of the official selections. Over at Directors' Fortnight, Robert Eggers' follow-up to The Witch, The Lighthouse, was the big story, and I finally caught up with it last night. There will be more to say later, but it's a knockout -- and further proof that Robert Pattinson is one of our most exciting and surprising young actors. (While I was at Cannes, news broke that he probably, maybe will play Batman, and if comic-book nerds think he's just the "the Twilight guy," then they don't deserve him.)

I look forward to catching up with a few films that fell through the cracks, including Beanpole, I Lost My Body and The Unknown Saint. I confess there is still a part of me that wants to experience Mektoub, My Love: Intermezzo. I enjoyed seeing colleagues and spending time at my favorite annual festival. And I thank you for reading. My ranking of everything I saw, including films screened in advance, is below, with links leading to individual reviews.

33. Wounds
32. Matthias & Maxime
31. Rocketman
30. The Traitor
29. Les Misérables
28. The Climb
27. Atlantics
26. Tommaso
25. The Dead Don’t Die
24. Zombi Child
23. The Bare Necessity
22. Vivarium
21. Bull
20. Adam
19. The Swallows of Kabul
18. Deerskin
17. Share
16. Bacurau
15. Give Me Liberty
14. Sorry We Missed You
13. Young Ahmed
12. A Hidden Life
11. Pain and Glory
10. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
9. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
8. Oh Mercy!
7. Ghost Tropic
6. Parasite
5. Little Joe
4. Frankie
3. The Wild Goose Lake
2. The Whistlers
1. The Lighthouse

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Wine Country,' 'Detective Pikachu' and My Cannes Preview

Man, Wine Country should be better than it is. We talk about it on this week's episode. Plus, I review Pokemon Detective Pikachu and then discuss the films at this year's Cannes that I'm most excited to see. The whole thing is down below.

The Best Genre Movies of the 1990s

No horror movies are included on this list. (We'll be tackling that next week.) Hope you enjoy.

Film Geeks Turned Filmmakers

For this week's Debate Club, we spotlighted five filmmakers who are, above all else, film lovers. You can see it in every frame of their movies. The list is here.

The Greatest Hot Dogs and Hamburgers in the Movies

What other list brings together Pain & Gain, Meatballs, Pulp Fiction, National Lampoon's Vacation and The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover? For MEL, I wrote about the best meat performances in cinema. You know, in honor of the fact that everybody barbecues on the Fourth of July. Check it out here.

What's the Best Heist Film?

In honor of Ocean's 8, Will and I wrote about the 25 greatest heist movies. Will yours make the list? Probably not: Feel free to yell at us on social media. The piece is up at Vulture.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: The Latest Marvel Blockbuster and 'True Romance'

What would the impetuous lovers in True Romance think of Avengers: Infinity War? My guess is Christian Slater's character would be sick of the Marvel machine, but maybe Patricia Arquette would get a kick out of it? Regardless, those are the two movies we tackle on this week's podcast. You can hear it all below.