Tubeway Army - "Are 'Friends' Electric?"

"I wrote it on an old pub piano my mum and dad bought, which I didn't realize was out of tune. It was initially two different songs, which is why it's over five minutes long. I had a verse from one, the chorus from the other, and was struggling to mix them together. I got so fed up, one day I played them one after another and suddenly they sounded right." -- Gary Numan, The Guardian, February 2014.

'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' Review

Do we need another Spider-Man movie? If it's this one, we sure do. I reviewed Into the Spider-Verse for Screen International.

My Interview With Maxim Pozdorovkin, Director of 'The Truth About Killer Robots'

Maxim Pozdorovkin's new film is about a dystopian future in which machines enslave humanity ... well, not exactly. The Truth About Killer Robots is a documentary that chronicles all the ways that robots are infiltrating our lives. This ain't The Terminator, though: As his movie argues, this revolution will be a lot more banal ... but just as scary. I talked with the director for MEL.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Boxing, Animation and 18th Century England

Welcome to this week's podcast, where we review Creed II and The Favourite. Then I solo on Ralph Breaks the Internet. Check out the whole thing down below.

Nicolas Roeg, 1928-2018

Nicolas Roeg died this weekend at the age of 90. For Rolling Stone, I remembered the director of Don't Look Now, The Man Who Fell to Earth and other iconic films. You can read my obituary here.

Some Thoughts on 'The Favourite'

To survive in a Yorgos Lanthimos movie, you can't have a heart. I talk about that, and The Favourite, over at MEL.

Some Thoughts on 'Creed II'

While watching Creed II, I came to a realization: I just don't like Rocky movies. I talked about that (and some other things) over at MEL.

Some Thoughts on 'Green Book'

How was Don Shirley's music?

What iconic HBO series was Tony Lip on?

What's the Farrelly brothers' best film?

And why is Green Book the annoyingly adorably puppy of movies?

I answer all these questions over at MEL.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': 'Ralph Breaks the Internet,' 'Creed II,' 'Roma' and 'The Favourite'

A most unusual episode of Press Play this week. First of all, I appeared on Wednesday rather than the usual Friday. Plus, Barbara Bogaev filled in as guest host. And, finally, I was the sole critic on the program. So you get to hear me talk a lot about this weekend's releases. You can hear the whole segment here.

No Small Children - "Laisse Tomber Les Filles"

You may remember I wasn't much of a fan of A Simple Favor. But I really liked its closing-credits tune, a cover of a Serge Gainsbourg song. It's from No Small Children, who director Paul Feig also featured in his Ghostbusters.

A Salute to Cinema's Best Families (Genre Edition)

Over at SyFy, we're getting into the Thanksgiving spirit by toasting some of science-fiction and horror's best families. Welcome to this week's edition of Debate Club.

My Interview With Viola Davis

When you have the opportunity to interview Viola Davis, you take it. For Screen International, I talked to the Widows star, who told me about the women in her life who inspired her performance. You can read my profile here.

My Interview With Olivia Colman

I had a lovely chat with Olivia Colman, the star of The Favourite, to talk about the movie, her costars and Yorgos Lanthimos. (And I also talked to Lanthimos about her.) You can read the whole thing over at Rolling Stone.

Some Thoughts on 'Widows'

Widows has a great ending -- by which I mean, in part, that it actually ends. I explain what I mean over at MEL.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Heists, Westerns, 'The Crimes of Grindelwald' and 'Green Book'

Lots of new movies to discuss. I rave about Widows. I opine on The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. I defend (barely) Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. And I talk to Will about Green Book. (He hasn't seen it yet.) You can hear the whole episode down below.

What's the Best Harry Potter Film?

We answer that question over at SyFy.

IDA: My Conversation With Morgan Neville

Very pleased to be asked by the International Documentary Association to speak with Morgan Neville for his second film of 2018, They'll Love Me When I'm Dead. This isn't the whole interview, but here are three representative clips. Hope you enjoy.

AFI Fest 2018: 'Mary Queen of Scots' Review

Mary Queen of Scots is a movie that's more fun to talk to about than see. It tells the story of two queens, Elizabeth (Margot Robbie) and Mary (Saoirse Ronan), fighting for power, and also fighting to hold onto their crowns when scheming men all around them want that power for themselves. The movie is deeply just-good-enough. My review is live over at Screen International.

'Creed II' Review

You may recall I wasn't the biggest fan of Creed. Three years later, the sequel is upon us. I remain indifferent. My review is up at Screen International.

Neneh Cherry - "Manchild"

Neneh Cherry has a brand new album. While I dig into it, I'm here to remind you that she's no one-hit wonder. Remember how great "Manchild" is?