'The Rivals of Amziah King' Review

Many people will go to Andrew Patterson's new film, which was a hit at SXSW back in 2025, because it stars Matthew McConaughey. But Angelina LookingGlass is the movie's secret weapon. Here's my review of The Rivals of Amziah King.

My Interview With Matty Wishnow, Director of 'The Last Critic'

Ever since I picked up Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s in 1990, I have been a fan of the man who calls himself the Dean of American Rock Critics. So I was delighted that a documentary about Robert Christgau, The Last Critic, premiered at SXSW. Even better, the film is quite good, winning a special jury prize at the festival. For Documentary Magazine, I interviewed Matty Wishnow, who directed the film. We talked about Christgau's famous surliness, the future of music criticism, and the Dean's abiding love affair with his wife (and fellow writer) Carola Dibbell. Hope you enjoy.

'Americana' Review

In 2023, Americana premiered at SXSW to rave reviews. At long last, the movie finally comes to theaters this Friday. I caught up with it last week. I was underwhelmed. My review is live at Screen International. 

SXSW 2025: 'Slanted' Review

The final film I was going to review out of SXSW was one that I'd grab when I got home: the narrative jury winner. The prize went to Slanted, which is about a Chinese-American teenager who wants to be prom queen. Her plan? Undergo a procedure that will turn her into a blonde white girl. My review is here.

'Ash' Review

Ash premiered at SXSW, but I was already back in Los Angeles when that screening happened. So I caught it here at its West Coast premiere. I had a lot of fun with this low-budget sci-fi horror/head-trip, which I reviewed for Screen International.

SXSW 2025: The Documentary Jury Winners

I attended SXSW for the first time for a good reason: I was invited to be part of the festival's Documentary Competition jury, alongside Aisha Harris and Jen Yamato. We saw eight films, all of them good (or better), and had a happily painless deliberation as we selected our top prize, as well as two special jury awards. 

Our winner was Shuffle, which opens the door to another reason why you should hate the way this country treats addiction. We also gave shout-outs to The Python Hunt and Remaining Native, two portraits of under-seen sections of America that are illuminating in different ways. 

You can read our write-ups here, as well as check out the winners in other section. Thanks for having me, Austin.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Clones, Murderers and Baseball

I recorded this week's episode from my hotel at SXSW. We had movies to talk about, darn it! You can check out our reviews of Mickey 17, Chaos: The Manson Murders and Eephus down below.

SXSW 2025: 'Holland' Review

Nicole Kidman is trapped in suburbia in Holland, a psychological thriller that doubles as a prickly character study. My review is live over at Screen International.

SXSW 2025: 'Death of a Unicorn' Review

Is it a horror movie? A dark comedy? A twisted fairy tale? A social commentary? A story about grief? All of the above: For Screen International, I reviewed the very uneven Death of a Unicorn.

SXSW 2025: 'Another Simple Favor' Review

I wasn't a fan of A Simple Favor. Did the long-awaited sequel change my mind about this stylish franchise? My review is up at Screen International.

SXSW 2025: 'The Accountant 2' Review

Greetings from Austin. My first review from SXSW is The Accountant 2, which is one of those rare cases where I didn't like the original, but I like the sequel. You can read my thoughts here.

Doug Liman: Is This Any Way to Conduct a Career?

In January, Doug Liman announced he wasn't going to attend the SXSW premiere of his new movie, the remake of Road House. It was just the latest example of a filmmaker who often causes headaches for studios, producers and his stars. I wrote about an idiosyncratic director for RogerEbert.com.

SXSW 2023: 'Air' Review

Ben Affleck's last film as a director was the unfortunate Live by Night. He returns to form with Air, about Nike's attempt to sign Michael Jordan in the 1980s. My review is here.

SXSW 2023: 'Bottoms' Review

 

In 2020, writer-director Emma Seligman made waves at SXSW with her first feature, Shiva Baby. She's back at the festival with her follow-up, Bottoms. My review is up at Screen International.

SXSW 2023: 'Tetris' Review

There's something especially disappointing about a movie that has a great premise but a muddled execution. Such is the case with Tetris, which isn't about the making of the video game but, instead, the complicated legal battle over who controlled the rights to it. That should have been fascinating, but it is not. My review is up at Screen International.

SXSW 2023: 'You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder' Review

Clara and Ewan McGregor, real-life daughter and father, star in You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder, which is about a daughter and father trying to reconnect after too many years apart. My review is up at Screen International.

SXSW 2023: 'Black Barbie' Review

Black Barbie digs into Black women's complicated relationship to the original Barbie, whose white skin and blonde hair created an idea of beauty that had nothing to do with them. This documentary examines how Mattel tried to rectify that. My review is here.

SXSW 2023: 'Flamin' Hot' Review

Richard Montanez claimed he came up with Flamin' Hot Cheetos while working as a janitor at Frito-Lay. (I say "claimed" because there's now some dispute about that.) For her feature directorial debut, Eva Longoria tells his story. Here's my review of Flamin' Hot.

SXSW 2023: 'John Wick: Chapter 4' Review

Chapter 4 is the biggest, most epic installment yet in the John Wick series. But I don't think it's the best. My review is up at Screen International.

SXSW 2022: 'We Feed People' Review

Documentaries can shed light on worthy issues while still being pretty mediocre as films. Take We Feed People, about celebrity chef Jose Andres and his nonprofit World Central Kitchen, which feeds the survivors of natural disasters. Sadly, Ron Howard's movie is bland and timid, more an infomercial than an inquisitive, insightful exploration. My review is up at Screen International.