'Extra Hot Great': Feeling Mixed on 'Furious,' Debating 'Soldier of Illusion'

I always have such fun on the Extra Hot Great podcast. And we had a lot to talk about. First up, we review the acclaimed new Hulu limited series Furious, which I had some reservations about. Then, I put in a plug for the delightful Lonely Island 2019 "visual poem" The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience. Finally, we discussed whether or not to add the Documentary Now! episode "Soldier of Illusion' into the Canon. Tara, Sarah and Dave are the best: You can hear our conversation down below.

My Review of the 2026 Academy Awards

It was a night billed as One Battle After Another versus Sinners. The show itself reflected those films' visionary qualities. Here's my review of last evening's Oscars. 

'Mountainhead' Review

Jesse Armstrong, the man behind Succession, has a new HBO movie about four billionaire tech bros hanging out at one of the dude's swanky Utah pad for a guys' weekend. It's a satire that works best when it's angry, not funny. My review is here.

'Extra Hot Great': I Survived Watching 'The Brady Bunch in the White House'

Did you know that there was a 2002 TV movie with Shelley Long and Gary Cole reprising their roles as the big-screen Carol and Mike Brady? Well, there was, and my pals at Extra Hot Great invited me on to talk about it. We also discussed Star Trek: The Next Generation and the Criterion Closet videos. This was recorded the morning of the Election. How young we were back then. Check it out below.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Let's Talk About the Oscars (and 'Love Lies Bleeding' and 'Ricky Stanicky')

How was your Oscars? We review the show on this week's episode. Then we dig into the latest from Kristen Stewart and Peter Farrelly. (There are many comments about John Cena as well.) Check it all out down below.

My Review of the 2024 Academy Awards

I will always love the Oscars. And I was generally very happy with what won last night. So why did I find the show so underwhelming? Here are my thoughts.

'Monsieur Spade' Review

Clive Owen plays an aging, ailing Sam Spade in Monsieur Spade, which imagines Dashiell Hammett's iconic detective living out his life in a small village in France. But he has one last mystery to solve. Here's my review for The Daily Beast.

'Marc Maron: From Bleak to Dark' Review

For Cracked, I wrote about Marc Maron's new standup special, his first in three years. A lot has happened since then, most notably the death of his partner, filmmaker Lynn Shelton, and he digs into it in From Bleak to Dark. You can read my thoughts here.

'The English' Review

For Chron, I took a look at Emily Blunt's new Western series for Amazon. I seem to be in the minority, but I didn't really love The English.

Weighing 'The Offer'

I probably enjoyed this silly, shallow Paramount+ series more than most. But this dramatized look at the making of The Godfather isn't without serious flaws. My piece is up at MEL.

'Peacemaker' and the John Cena Problem

I'm big enough to admit it: I don't quite get John Cena. For MEL, I wrestled with this issue in regards to his new show, Peacemaker.

Venice 2021: 'Scenes From a Marriage' Review

The original Scenes From a Marriage miniseries is terrific. The HBO remake has two excellent actors in it, but it's not nearly as good. What happened? I get into that over at MEL.

'Loki' Review

Disney made only the first two episodes of Loki available to critics. For Screen International, I gave the MCU spinoff a try.

'Chad' Review

I always liked Nasim Pedrad on Saturday Night Live, so I was curious to check out Chad, in which she plays a 14-year-old boy obsessed with being popular. It's a new vision of boyhood that I found touching. My review is up at InsideHook.

'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' Review

Who's ready for the Chief Wiggum, P.I. of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? For MEL, I reviewed The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

'WandaVision' Review

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

'Your Honor' Review

Bryan Cranston is back in a new limited series over at Showtime. It's a moral drama about a good man who breaks bad. Who could have imagined such a thing playing out? For MEL, I reviewed Your Honor.

'Industry' Review

A group of graduates start working together at a cutthroat London bank. Will they survive? And just how many drugs can they do? For MEL, I reviewed Industry.

'Social Distance' and the Problem With Quarantine Entertainment

The new Netflix anthology series was all filmed during lockdown, attempting to make sense of our COVID reality. For MEL, I explained why the rise of such programs doesn't work.

'Wild Card: The Downfall of a Radio Loudmouth' Review

Craig Carton was once one of the stars of sports talk radio, working alongside Boomer Esiason to earn big ratings on their hit New York morning show Boomer and Carton. Then, well, things happened. Does he deserve a second chance? For MEL, I reviewed Wild Card.