The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The Phoenician Scheme,' 'Ballerina' and 'All That Money Can Buy'

On this week's episode, well, we're a little let down by both of the new movies we review. So it's good we went back to 1941's All That Money Can Buy, which is probably better known as The Devil and Daniel Webster. Check out all our wise insights down below.

Mousterpiece Melodies: Randy Newman and 'Toy Story'

Basically, I will take any opportunity afforded me to talk about Randy Newman. So I was delighted that the guys behind Mousterpiece Cinema brought the podcast back to do a deep dive into the original music featured in Disney movies ... and then asked me to be on for an in-depth conversation about Newman's Toy Story songs. Yup, we got into all four films, and the many covers you can find out there on the web. A total blast, and you can check it out down below.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Reviewing 'Here,' 'A Real Pain,' 'Blitz' and 'Emilia Perez'

Amy Nicholson and I had some big movies to dig into this week on KCRW, including one of my favorite films of the year. You can hear us down below.

AFI Fest 2024: 'Here' Review

Robert Zemeckis' last two films were abominations. So I'm happy to say that Here is a step up, utilizing an intriguing formal conceit to look at a group of people over centuries who all live on the same spot of land in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the director's worst tendencies betray him. My review is up at Screen International.

Happy 30th Anniversary, 'Forrest Gump' Soundtrack

The blockbuster movie won Best Picture, but the accompanying album was also a sensation, going 12-times platinum. I wrote about the soundtrack's legacy here.

What's the Funniest Movie to Open Over Fourth of July?

This time of year, the multiplex is ruled by action movies. But every once in a while, we get a great comedy. I looked back at a few for Cracked.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The Flash,' 'Elemental' and 'Asteroid City'

This past weekend was heavy with interesting new releases, both big and small. You can hear our takes on the latest DC spinoff, Pixar's misfire and the new Wes Anderson picture down below.

Tom Hanks Hates 'The Bonfire of the Vanities'

Recently, Tom Hanks gave an interview where he discussed his disdain for people who actively hate particular movies. That said, he admitted that he hates some of his own movies. He wouldn't say which ones, but I know for a fact he's not a fan of The Bonfire of the Vanities. I went into that historic debacle here.

Cannes 2023: 'Asteroid City' Review

Wes Anderson returns to the Croisette with Asteroid City, a look at an American desert community in 1955. My review is up at Screen International.

My Interview With Baz Luhrmann and Austin Butler, the Team Behind 'Elvis'

Early in the making of Elvis in Australia, production shut down because Tom Hanks got Covid. It was an uncertain time, for lots of reasons, and it wasn't clear if the film would ever get finished. For Screen International, I spoke with director Baz Luhrmann and star Austin Butler to find out how they coped with those anxious pandemic months. Our conversation is here.

Tom Hanks' History of Grumpy Men

In A Man Called Otto, the Oscar-winner portrays a real crank. But is Otto his grumpiest role? Not by a wide margin: In fact, Hanks has a history of showing off his grouchy side onscreen.

'A Man Called Otto' Review

Tom Hanks' remake of A Man Called Ove is about a grumpy older widow who has given up on life since losing his wife. But don't worry: He'll rediscover his sweeter side once he's befriended by an immigrant family. I reviewed A Man Called Otto for Screen International.

Why Do People Love David S. Pumpkins So Much?

Hint: It has everything to do with our fondness for Tom Hanks' silly side. 

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Confess, Fletch,' 'Barbarian' and Recapping Toronto

After a week off for Toronto, I'm back on the podcast, and we're reviewing four new movies: The Woman King, Barbarian, Pinocchio and Confess, Fletch. Plus, I offer some observations about the festival. Hear the whole thing down below.

'Pinocchio' Review

What a colossal disappointment the new Pinocchio is. This Robert Zemeckis live-action remake stinks in all kinds of ways.

The Tom Hanks We Don't See Anymore

Amazon will be releasing a TV version of A League of Their Own on Friday. For Decider, I revisited the original movie, which features a Tom Hanks performance that is so unlike what we've seen from him in the last several decades. Truth is, the film was something of a demarcation point between his early, goofier career and the serious, Oscar-winning one that was about to begin. You can read my piece here.

'Elvis,' 'Amadeus' and Our Fascination With Greatness

Elvis is told from the perspective of Colonel Tom Parker, not Elvis Presley. That got me thinking about other films that use a similar technique, and what they say about our relationship with supernaturally talented individuals. My latest for MEL is here.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': The King, 'The Black Phone,' 'Marcel the Shell' and 'Beavis and Butt-Head'

Amy Nicholson and I were on KCRW on Thursday to review this weekend's new releases. (She and I are just about the only critics who don't love love love Marcel the Shell With Shoes On.) Hear our segment down below.

Cannes 2022: 'Elvis' Review

Whoops! Amidst all the Cannes runaround, I completely forgot to mention that I reviewed Elvis, which is very Baz Luhrmann-y, unfortunately. My review is up at Screen International. 

Cannes 2022: The Wrap-Up and the Rankings

An informal poll I conducted of colleagues who, like me, attended last year's pandemic-affected Cannes confirmed my suspicion: The 2021 installment was better than this one. Partly, it was the fact that there were fewer people around, making navigating the festival easier, and partly it was because the films were stronger. To be fair, the 2021 edition had, essentially, two years worth of movies to work from, which allowed for an extra helping of greatness. (Also, there were simply more films programmed in 2021 than this year.) But even so, 2022 yielded fewer terrific movies, although I am cognizant of having missed out on several pictures that were well-reviewed, including Aftersun, Corsage, Godland and The Blue Caftan. You spend 11 days watching movies, but there are still some you can't get to.

But if the highs of this year's slate weren't as high -- or as frequent -- then at least the lows weren't so low. Looking at my rankings, even the films at the very bottom of my list offered a few pleasures or some interesting ideas. There were no outright stinkers, and the truth is, I generally liked most of what I saw, even if my enthusiasm was often measured. That said, I know plenty of folks who strongly support Three Thousand Years of Longing, Elvis, Stars at Noon and Top Gun: Maverick, so my festival experience is no guarantee to have been anyone else's. That's part of the fun of being at Cannes.

So, without further ado, here are my rankings, including movies I'd seen prior to the festival. Links lead to individual reviews.

39. Three Thousand Years of Longing
38. Elvis
37. Stars at Noon
36. Father and Soldier
35. Remains of the Wind
34. Brother and Sister
33. The Innocent
32. Top Gun: Maverick
31. War Pony
30. Final Cut
29. Rebel
28. Mediterranean Fever
27. Our Brothers
26. Imagine
25. Funny Pages
24. Crimes of the Future
23. God's Creatures
22. Holy Spider
21. Smoking Causes Coughing
20. Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind
19. Tchaikovsky's Wife
18. The Silent Twins
17. Hunt
16. Plan 75
15. The Eight Mountains
14. Moonage Daydream
13. Armageddon Time
12. Decision to Leave
11. Leila's Brothers
10. Triangle of Sadness
9. Men
8. All That Breathes
7. Close
6. Broker
5. Tori and Lokita
4. EO
3. R.M.N.
2. Showing Up
1. One Fine Morning

(If you'd like to be additionally annoyed that I didn't care for Top Gun: Maverick, let me point you to this essay I wrote for MEL about my misgivings about Maverick as a character.)

For me, there were two true standouts, one I saw at the beginning of the festival and one I saw at the very end. One of the unfortunate themes of this year's Cannes was world-class directors bringing less-than-world-class films to the Croisette, with everyone from Claire Denis to David Cronenberg being accused of not living up to their previous high-water marks. (Of course, this take was subjective as well: I was quite taken with Broker, generally considered a letdown from former Palme d'Or-winner Hirokazu Kore-eda, and I deeply dug Tori and Lokita and R.M.N., which proved that, respectively, the Dardenne brothers and Cristian Mungiu still have plenty to say.) But One Fine Morning, Mia Hansen-Love's just plain lovely look at a widowed mother (Lea Seydoux, wonderful), and Kelly Reichardt's deceptively simple Showing Up were clear outliers, finding their makers doing some of the best work of their illustrious careers. The only reason I think Showing Up should win the Palme is because One Fine Morning was in Director's Fortnight, which keeps it out of the running. (Why it wasn't in the official competition, which slotted Hansen-Love's slightly-less-great Bergman Island last year, is a mystery to me.)

The other prevailing theme of the 2022 edition was the glut of good-enough films. Not bad, not amazing, just ... good. I suspect a second viewing will add dimension to Park Chan-wook's densely plotted Decision to Leave or may make me appreciate James Gray's Armageddon Time more. That's the hope, anyway: If this Cannes wasn't filled with stunners, the movies certainly didn't lack for ambition, and sometimes a fresh perspective away from the rush-around of a festival can help. Maybe just maybe I'll even come around on Stars at Noon. 

And now, here's where I indulge my annual tradition of incorrectly guessing what's going to win the Palme d'Or. It's impossible to know, of course, because the nine people who make up the competition jury will be giving out the prizes, and it's not like they're talking to anyone. But in terms of possible victors, Lukas Dhont's late-arriving Close, which just got picked up by A24, could be a consensus choice, emotional and heartfelt. If the jury wants to go in a more career-achievement direction, Cronenberg could walk away with the prize for his audacious (I'm not sure entirely successful) "return to form" Crimes of the Future. Nostalgia has been the best-reviewed of the competition films I haven't seen, and Armageddon Time got such a warm reception at its premiere, which featured Grey getting choked up about what the movie means to him, that I think it has a shot as well. 

But ultimately I see the Palme going to either Close or Decision to Leave, with my pick being the former. Park is a revered filmmaker, and Decision to Leave is a Hitchcockian thriller that's inspired plenty of comparisons to Vertigo. It's a work of consummate craftsmanship that deals in obsession, both familiar and challenging at the same time. But Close makes people cry. I'm gonna go with tears.

And if Showing Up should somehow win? Well, that loud noise you'll hear on Saturday is me turning on my phone when my plane lands and letting out a cheer when I see the news.