Five Replacements for 'A Quiet Place Part II'

So, for Vulture, we're going to start doing a regular series called "The Replacements." The idea: Blockbuster season was supposed to begin this weekend, and big movies were set to arrive on a regular basis from here on out. Well, things have changed, so we'll be suggesting alternative flicks for that week's postponed event movie. First up: Our picks for films that scratch that itch if you were wanting to see A Quiet Place Part II. Hope you enjoy.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Race Cars, Spies, 'The Report' and 'Waves'

On this week's episode, we both review Ford v Ferrari and Charlie's Angels. Then, I go solo on The Report and Waves. And Will talks to me about Jojo Rabbit now that he's seen it. Hear the whole thing down below.

My Interview With Trey Edward Shults, Writer-Director of 'Waves'

Trey Edward Shults has made three films. They're all about complicated families. He didn't plan it that way -- it's just how the movies worked out. For MEL, I spoke to the filmmaker about the act of autobiography and his latest, Waves.

Toronto 2019: The Wrap-Up and the Rankings

After two-and-a-half weeks, two countries, four flights and 22 reviews, I'm home. It's been a pretty exhilarating journey from my first Venice to my 11th Toronto, and I'm still processing the whole adventure.

But in terms of discoveries, let me focus on Darius Marder's Sound of Metal, which I've been raving about to anyone who would listen. Starring Riz Ahmed as a rock drummer losing his hearing, this is an addiction-and-recovery drama like no other; its potential conventionality is wiped away by what Marder and his capable cast have come up with. Amazon bought Sound of Metal at Toronto, and I hope it finds its audience. (One thing: I've had people express hesitation about seeing the movie because they don't like metal. That is a very small component of the film, and it's dispensed with pretty early on.)

Below is a ranking of every Toronto film I saw, either at TIFF or before, including at Sundance and Cannes. (Links lead to individual reviews.) For now, the adventures are over, and the passport and foreign currency are back in the drawer. It's very nice to be back with Susan, who has gotten hooked on Queer Eye while I've been gone. She also met Peter Farrelly at a screening. I think she was even busier than I was.

46. The Goldfinch
45. Jojo Rabbit
44. Wasp Network
43. Abominable 
42. My Zoe
41. Blackbird
40. Martin Eden
39. The Traitor
38. Lucy in the Sky
37. Honey Boy 
36. Les Misérables
35. The Climb
34. Bad Education
33. Atlantics
32. Pelican Blood
31. Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band
30. Radioactive
29. The Laundromat
28. Zombi Child
27. Adam
26. Dolemite Is My Name
25. Deerskin 
24. The Truth
23. Hope Gap
22. Ema
21. Bacurau
20. Sorry We Missed You
19. A Hidden Life
18. Pain and Glory
17. Portrait of a Lady on Fire 
16. The Perfect Candidate 
15. Knives Out
14. The Kingmaker 
13. State Funeral 
12. Waves
11. Clemency
10. Parasite
9. Frankie
8. The Wild Goose Lake
7. Synonyms 
6. The Whistlers
5. Sound of Metal
4. Joker
3. Uncut Gems
2. Marriage Story
1. The Lighthouse

Toronto 2019: 'Waves' Review

Waves got ecstatic reviews out of Telluride. I reviewed the film from Toronto for Screen International. I'm a little more muted, although I think it's quite a piece of work, in certain ways. I get into all that here.

'It Comes at Night' Review

Trey Edward Shults, the writer-director of Krisha, returns with It Comes at Night, which I consider a far superior film. It stars Joel Edgerton and Carmen Ejogo as a married couple that has survived an unnamed global plague. Soon, they're visited by Christopher Abbott and Riley Keough, a married couple seeking shelter. Thus begins a very tense chamber drama that gets more unsettling as it goes along. Great stuff, as I explain in my Screen International review.

'What the Flick?!': Talking 'Midnight Special,' 'Krisha' and Terrence Malick

I was pleased to be back on What the Flick?! to discuss recent and upcoming releases. Watch as I praise Midnight Special and Jeff Nichols, say nice things about the indie drama Krisha, and defend Terrence Malick's latest.

Cannes 2015: 'Krisha' Review

Krisha was a big hit at SXSW, winning the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award. Now, it comes to Cannes. On the eve of the festival, I reviewed this intimate, dark family story about a black-sheep alcoholic who discovers that her loved ones aren't necessarily happy to see her for the holidays. My piece is up at Screen International.