The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Sundance Recap, 'Send Help' and 'Sexy Beast'

I'm back from Sundance, so we have a new podcast episode for you. I talk about my time in Park City, and we both reflect on the Oscar nominations. After that, it's time for new reviews: We disagreed about Send Help while both praising Rachel McAdams. Lastly, we go back to the early Oughts to discuss Jonathan Glazer's stylish debut, Sexy Beast. Oh, and I worked in a reference to Zombo.com. Check out the whole thing down below.

The Forgotten Movies of This Oscar Season

Every year, a collection of really good movies miss out on being nominated for Academy Awards. As a result, you never hear about them during the final stretch of Oscar campaigning. For RogerEbert.com, I sang the praises of 10 of those films. I haven't forgotten them.

What Was the Funniest Film of 2023?

I have the answer over at Cracked.

2023 Gotham Awards Nominees

It is always incredibly flattering to be asked to be part of the Gotham Awards nominating jury. I took part in the acting committee, which was responsible for selecting 10 finalists in both the Lead and Supporting categories. (The Gothams went to non-gendered categories years ago.) I want to thank my fellow jurors Monica Castillo, Robert Daniels, Shawn Edwards and Tomris Laffly for such a fun deliberation; I couldn't be happier with our picks. You can see them here, as well as the other committees' nominations.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: The Best Films of the First Half of 2023

It's that time of year: On the podcast, we look back at the movies we liked from the first half of the year. Check it out. 

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Are You There, God? It's 'Peter Pan & Wendy'

Very much enjoyed discussing the delightful Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret on the podcast. We both lamented the misfire that is Peter Pan & Wendy. And Will has finally had a chance to catch Kelly Reichardt's latest, so we also discussed Showing Up. Hear the whole thing down below.

'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret' Review

I had heard good things about the long-anticipated adaptation of Judy Blume's most beloved novel. Well, the advance buzz was correct: I really loved Are You There God? My review is up at Screen International.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Irresistible,' 'Eurovision Song Contest' and 'Manhunter'

On this week's episode, we review two new comedies. Then, in our Reboot segment, we look back at one of Michael Mann's earliest films, Manhunter. Folks, it's good. Hear the whole thing down below.

‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’ Review

Advance buzz for Eurovision Song Contest was high. But I gotta say: I think it's pretty average. Still, Rachel McAdams almost makes it worthwhile. I reviewed the Netflix comedy for MEL.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Fast & Furious Presents: 'About Time' and 'Perfect Blue'

We didn't like Hobbs & Shaw, but you should tune into this week's episode for our discussion of two very different Reboot requests. First up is Richard Curtis' About Time. Then we go back to the future for Satoshi Kon's influential anime Perfect Blue. Hear the whole thing down below.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Reviews of 'Kings,' 'Disobedience' and 'Avengers: Infinity War'

Always fun to be on Press Play -- it just occurred to me, they should call the show On Brand -- to talk movies. On Friday, I shared the mic with Roth Cornet to review Avengers: Infinity War, as well as two English-language debuts. First up is Mustang's Deniz Gamze Ergüven, whose Kings is an unfortunate disaster. Then, there's Sebastian Lelio, who won the Oscar for A Fantastic Woman, who is back with Disobedience, starring Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams. You can hear the whole thing here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Oscar Predictions, 'Annihilation,' 'Mute' and 'Game Night'

The time has come: Will and I make our Oscar predictions. I've never felt less confident about my Best Picture pick than I do this year. We also review three new movies: Annihilation (yay), Mute (boo) and Game Night (hey, pretty good). You can hear the whole thing down below.

Some Thoughts on 'Game Night'

Game Night is a pleasant surprise: funny, well-acted, actually about something. For MEL, I shared some random thoughts about the film, including my praise for its terrific score and research I did about real-life Fight Club parties. You can read the whole thing here.

'Doctor Strange' Review

Sufficiently amusing and pretty exciting, Doctor Strange is the Marvel movie where I started suspecting that the MCU may be spreading itself too thin. Even though this is the first chapter in the adventures of the Master of the Mystic Arts, I feel like I've seen many parts of this film before. Doctor Strange is good-enough, which may not end up being good enough. My review is up at Screen International.