The State of the DC Extended Universe

With Birds of Prey out and Wonder Woman 1984 on the horizon, it seemed like a good time to check in on the so-called DCEU. These films can't compete with Marvel, not yet, but maybe there's hope on the horizon. We broke down the franchise's five best offerings for SyFy.

'The Invisible Man' and the Era of "Believe Women" Horror

For MEL, I wrote about The Invisible Man and the recent trend of horror movies that build their terrors out of women's fear of being abused -- and of society not believing them. You can read the piece here.

'Devs' Review

All winter, the ads for Devs had me excited for the latest work from Alex Garland. Alas, the man behind Ex Machina and Annihilation fumbles this limited series. I reviewed the FX show for MEL.

Wings - "Arrow Through Me"

I have to resist the urge to just throw a random Erykah Badu song on here every Friday. So instead, I'll do a Wings song that she sampled on "Gone Baby, Don't Be Long."

'The Invisible Man' Review

Elisabeth Moss is the best part of The Invisible Man. Is that enough? My review is up at Screen International.

'Hunters' Taught Me About Wernher von Braun

Recognize the name? Well, he was a German scientist who worked with the Nazis during World War II. Oh, and he helped America put a man on the moon. For MEL, I wrote about von Braun, and his connection to Hunters.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Call of the Wild' and 'Emma,' 'The Act of Killing' and 'The Hospital'

The new movies aren't what's most interesting about this week's episode. That would be our two Reboots: Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act of Killing and Arthur Hiller's The Hospital (which also could be called The Act of Killing.) Lots to dig into with those two films. I enjoyed our chat, and I hope you do, too.

Universal Remakes

With The Invisible Man about to come out, we decided to look back at Universal's history of (mostly good) remakes. Here are some of the studio's best.

Berlin 2020: 'Onward' Review

Onward isn't the worst Pixar film, but I think it's their least interesting and least distinctive. It's a movie that, say, Dreamworks Animation could have made. I reviewed this misfire for Screen International.

Soccer Mommy - "Lucy"

"Lucifer, yes. It is about the devil. A lot of people thought it was about Lucy Dacus. She actually posted on her [Instagram] story today, 'Stop asking if this song is about me; it’s not, I’m pretty sure it’s about the devil.'" -- Sophie Allison (a.k.a. Soccer Mommy) talking about "Lucy," off her forthcoming album Color Theory.

Let's Talk About 'Blister in the Sun'

I've never liked the Violent Femmes hit, but I had, of course, heard the urban legend that the song is about ... well, you know. So, since "Blister in the Sun" was featured in the new High Fidelity, I thought I'd do some investigating. The results of my research are over at MEL.

What's Jim Carrey's Best Movie?

With Sonic the Hedgehog now out, we decided to spend some time going back through Jim Carrey's oeuvre. It's a fascinating career. We ranked all his films for Vulture.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Downhill,' 'The Photograph' and 'Sonic the Hedgehog'

This week on the podcast, we review a so-so relationship comedy, a darn good relationship drama and a movie about a hedgehog. (I also talk smack about Fantasy Island.) Hear the whole thing below.

'Hunters' Review

The Amazon series Hunters has the soul of a graphic novel as it tells the story of a group of Nazi-hunters in 1977. Five episodes in, I'm underwhelmed.

When Animated Characters Invade Live-Action Movies

Roger Rabbit. Jessica Rabbit. Bugs Bunny. For this week's Debate Club, we looked at the best instances of animated characters in live-action settings. (And of course we had to include Paddington, too.) The list is here.

Jim Carrey and 'The Dead Pool'

It was 1988. Jim Carrey was trying to make his name as an actor. And then he was cast as a rock star with a drug problem. For MEL, I wrote about that time Carrey lip-synced to a Guns N' Roses song in a Clint Eastwood movie. Hope you enjoy.

James Marsden Is So Fun in 'Sonic the Hedgehog'

For MEL, I decided to sing the praises of Liz Lemon's boyfriend. Hope you enjoy.

'The Photograph' Review

The Photograph is a romantic drama with its share of flaws. But I actively tried to forget about them because I enjoyed Issa Rae and LaKeith Stainfield's chemistry so damn much. My review is up at Screen International.

'Fantasy Island' Review

Folks, this movie stinks.

Dusty Springfield - "I Don't Want to Hear It Anymore"

Fond as I am of "Son of a Preacher Man," it's so overplayed that I find myself reaching for other tracks off Dusty in Memphis. So let's go with this heartsick classic, written by Mr. Randy Newman.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.