What's the Best Film to Launch Its Summer Movie Season This Century?

I provide my rankings here.

Doctor Strange Is Good Now

Long a second-tier character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Stephen Strange is starting to grow on me. For MEL, I wrote about his increased importance to the franchise here.

'Shang-Chi' Is the Latest Avenger With Daddy Issues

For MEL, I wrote about Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Specifically, I'm interested in its portrait of a reluctant hero and his domineering/evil dad. Hope you enjoy.

'WandaVision' Review

WandaVision is Marvel's first excursion into television. Does it work? Kinda.

'Avengers: Endgame' Review

Avengers: Endgame < Avengers: Infinity War. The new film is pretty entertaining, but it's not quite the home run you might be hoping for. My review is up at Screen International.

Let People Enjoy Hating Things

This month has been very exciting for fans of Star Wars (the trailer for The Rise of Skywalker), HBO fantasy dramas (the return of Game of Thrones) and Marvel movies (the release of Avengers: Endgame). There's lots of popular stuff out there in the culture right now. But what if you don't care about these entertainment Goliaths? For MEL, I wrote about the phenomenon of "Let people enjoy things," an internet argument that suggests you should keep your dislike of super-popular things to yourself. I disagree, which I get into here.

A Few Words About Superheroes Who Cry

For MEL, I wrote about the fact that Captain America cries during the Avengers: Endgame trailer, and why that matters. You can read my piece here.

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.

Some Thoughts on 'Avengers: Infinity War'

What superhero do people want to have an affair with? What's the silliest part of Avengers: Infinity War? Why are we such suckers for these Marvel movies? I answer those questions, and more, over at MEL.

Back Stage: 'The Avengers' and 'Last Call at the Oasis' Are Your Best Bets

This week's Screen Grab column over at Back Stage lays out six films choice for you this weekend. Do you need to hear anything more about The Avengers? Probably not, so let me suggest that, among the indies, the documentary Last Call at the Oasis is the strongest offering, although it's hardly the most high-profile. You can check out the whole column here.

Pretty Soon, Everybody's Going to Know Who Joss Whedon Is

For most of his career, writer-director Joss Whedon has been a favorite of the Comic-Con crowd. He's the man behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly and other shows that that one geeky friend in your life really, really likes. But even if you've been able to dismiss the guy up to this point, it'll be hard to ignore him much longer: He wrote and directed The Avengers, which will make a ton of money. For Deadspin, I wrote about the rocky road Whedon walked to get to where he is now. As someone who doesn't consider himself a fanboy, I tried to write this piece from the perspective of a non-apostle, essentially explaining what's special about Whedon to those who may have a knee-jerk reaction to such an article. Hope you enjoy.

What Will the Post-'Avengers' Movie World Look Like?

I really liked The Avengers, but I had to admit that I got a little worried about what the repercussions of its success will have on Hollywood, specifically when it comes to future comic-book movies. For Deadspin, I took a stab at predicting what The Avengers will bring in its wake. Feel free to check back in five years and laugh at how ridiculously off I was.

'The Avengers' Review

Marvel's The Avengers (or, as it's known in the U.K., Marvel's Avengers Assemble) is a lot of fun. It's also a bit of a mess. But, mostly, it's a lot of fun. I reviewed the film for Screen International.