The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Guardians,' 'Cast Away' and 'Streets of Fire'

Will and I both like Vol. 2 more than the original Guardians of the Galaxy, which puts us in the minority. So we talked about it on the podcast. Then, in our Reboot segment, we tackle Cast Away and Streets of Fire. I use the phrase "street toughs" at one point, and Will and I laugh at Willem Dafoe's outfits. A very fun episode, and you can hear it here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The Circle,' 'A Streetcar Named Desire' and 'A History of Violence'

In Episode 66 of the podcast, Will and I perform an autopsy on The Circle: Seriously, what happened here? Much more satisfying is digging into our two Reboots movies. Neither of us had ever seen A Streetcar Named Desire. And we were both excited to revisit A History of Violence, a much-acclaimed film that neither of us loved when it came out in 2005. You can hear the whole thing here.

'Free Fire' Review

Pew! Pew! Pew! Free Fire isn't exactly nonstop gunplay, but there is a lot of shooting in this action-comedy-thriller about an arms deal that goes wrong. I've seen the movie twice now, and both times I've appreciated the exercise without necessarily caring all that much about what happens. My review is up at The New Republic.

Summer 2017: The Must-Sees of the Season

Yup, it's that time of year again. Summer movie season is about to launch, and over at The New Republic, Will and I take a look at the next few months of the release calendar. There are some blockbusters that excite us. There are some auteurist indies that could be amazing. We'll find out soon enough. But for now, here's our preview.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Car Chases, Lost Cities, 'Zero Effect' and 'Man of the West'

This week's edition of the podcast finds me asking Will about The Fate of the Furious and him asking me about The Lost City of Z. But we team up to debate our two Reboot films: the late-1990s cult film Zero Effect and the Anthony Mann western Man of the West. Hear it all here.

'The Lost City of Z' Review

For its first half, The Lost City of Z was a perfectly solid, old-fashioned adventure film. Then, something shifted for me. By the end, I was pretty enraptured. I wrote about the movie for The New Republic.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Reviewing 'Graduation' and 'Colossal'

This past weekend's major releases all looked negligible, so Will and I focused the latest installment of the podcast on two foreign/indie movies. First, we dig into Graduation. Then, we turn our attention to Colossal, which we disagree about. Finally, our Reboot segment is dedicated to Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans. Will loved it back in the day -- I was a lot less impressed. Anything changed in 25 years? Take a listen.

On the Great 'Graduation'

I dug Graduation when I saw it at Cannes, taking issue with colleagues who thought it was merely one more good Romanian moral drama. In my book, you can't have enough of those. I reviewed the film for The New Republic.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Ghost in the Shell,' 'The Last Picture Show' and 'The Room'

My voice feeling back to normal, I very much enjoyed this week's installment of the Grierson & Leitch podcast. First, I come to the defense of Ghost in the Shell. Then, in our Reboot segment, I sing the praises of the anti-nostalgia The Last Picture Show. Finally, I give in and watch The Room, which I had suspected I would live my whole life without seeing. Turns out, I wasn't so lucky. Hear the whole thing here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Looking Back at 'The Trouble With Harry' and 'Big Business'

I make my glorious return to the podcast this week: Will and I reviewed Life, CHIPS and Power Rangers. It's good to be back. If you'd like to hear how my voice sounded before surgery, check out the Reboot segment, which was prerecorded. There, we dig into The Trouble With Harry and Big Business. Enjoy!

'Life' Review

Of the three big releases this weekend, I'll take Life over the not-that-bad CHIPS and the truly dreadful Power Rangers. Yes, it's a total Alien ripoff. But well-done ripoffs are still worthwhile, right? Right. My review is up at The New Republic.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Christy Lemire, 'Easy Rider' and 'Repo Man'

I'm still on vocal rest, so you won't hear me doing new reviews on this week's episode of our New Republic podcast. Thankfully, my good buddy Christy Lemire was kind enough to pinch-hit for me. She and Will discuss Beauty and the Beast and T2 Trainspotting. I am, however, part of the Reboot segment: Will and I look back at Easy Rider and Repo Man. Take a listen here.

'T2 Trainspotting' Review

It's been 21 years since Trainspotting, the movie, and Danny Boyle has brought back the gang for T2 Trainspotting, which couldn't afford a colon in its title, apparently. I confess I'm not the biggest fan of the original, so I was curious how I'd respond to this sequel. I walked away from T2 impressed with its thematic ambition. Which is something, I suppose. My review is live at The New Republic.

All Hail Kristen Stewart

Personal Shopper was one of my favorites at last year's Cannes. (I'm still annoyed at the idiots who booed after its premiere.) For The New Republic, I revisit the film, which contains the best performance Kristen Stewart has maybe ever given. Read all about it.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Talking 'Logan' and My Brief Hiatus

There is much going on in this week's episode. We review Logan and marvel at the fact that we're among the few critics who didn't actually like the movie. We take a look back at The 'Burbs and Waking Ned Devine in our Reboot section. But, most importantly, we talk about why I'm going to be taking a brief break from the podcast. Don't worry, I'm fine -- but I'm already excited to be back on the show soon. Hear it all here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: The Best Oscars Ever?

It was an incredible Academy Awards -- and I couldn't wait to talk about it. On this week's Grierson & Leitch podcast, we dig into the show and its ending. And we review Get Out. And we look back at Seven and The Deer Hunter. But, seriously, those Oscars. Hear it all here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Oscars, 'The Great Wall' and 'The Temple of Doom'

The latest episode of the Grierson & Leitch Podcast is consumed by Oscar fever. Will and I run down every single category and make our predictions. Plus, we review The Great Wall. And we figure out just how problematic Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is. Give a listen.

Oscars 2017: Predicting the Major Categories

The tightest Best Actor Oscar race since ... well, OK, that year when Michael Keaton and Eddie Redmayne duked it out. A possibly historic Best Director winner. Yeah, there are plenty of interesting story lines at this year's Academy Awards. Over at The New Republic, Will and I give our predictions in the eight major categories. Enjoy!

'The Great Wall' Review

The Great Wall -- or Matt Damon in a Ponytail -- is a very silly monster movie slightly redeemed by the fact that it's directed by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou. The thing has a ton of spectacle, and the monsters are pretty darn scary. But, seriously, good lord. Read all about it over at The New Republic.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Sequels and Spinoffs

There's no Reboot films on this week's Grierson & Leitch podcast. That's because we have three new movies to discuss. I liked The Lego Batman Movie a little more than Will did, and he liked John Wick: Chapter 2 a little more than I did. But we both preferred them to Fifty Shades Darker. You can check out the whole thing here.