What Makes an HBO Documentary Film an HBO Documentary Film?

To get the answer, I spoke separately to five directors who have recently worked with the studio: Nanette Burstein (Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes), Alex Gibney (Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos), Eric Goode (Chimp Crazy), Lance Oppenheim (Ren Faire) and Matt Wolf (Pee-wee as Himself). These are very different kinds of documentaries, all under the same roof. The results of my conversations can be read over at the Los Angeles Times.

My Interview With Michael Imperioli

For the Los Angeles Times, I hopped on a Zoom call with Michael Imperioli to talk about his work on the new season of The White Lotus. Our conversation segued across several topics, such as the research he did into sex addiction for his character and his relationship with his father. Hope you enjoy.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Sopranos' Prequels, French Provocations and the New 'Venom'

 

We were split on The Many Saints of Newark.

One of us was bowled over by Titane.

And we both had to admit we fell for Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

Hear the whole episode below.

Ray Liotta and the Long Shadow of 'Goodfellas'

Ray Liotta is in The Many Saints of Newark. He plays a gangster. (Actually, he plays two.) Of course, that will only draw comparisons to his work in Goodfellas. For MEL, I wrote about how Henry Hill has haunted every role he's done since.

Digging Into 'The Many Saints of Newark'

In early 2020, I finally started watching The Sopranos in anticipation of The Many Saints of Newark, the prequel film that was set to come out later that year. Well, the pandemic delayed the movie's release, but at last it's finally coming out. What did I think? Read on.