The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Evil Foster Moms and Tech Bros, and 'Pi'

Two reviews of new movies in this episode. We got creeped out, in different ways, from watching Bring Her Back and Mountainhead. Then, in our Reboot segment, we revisit Darren Aronofsky's 1998 debut. Check it all out down below.

'Ballerina' Review

Ballerina convinced me Ana de Armas has the goods as an action star. I just wish she was in a better movie. My review is up at Screen International.

What 'Dogma' Did to Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith's controversial 1999 comedy Dogma returns to theaters tomorrow. For Cracked, I looked back at the film's legacy, and why he never made as interesting a movie afterward. Hope you enjoy.

My Interview With the Cast of 'Severance'

This was fun. For the Los Angeles Times, I chatted with seven members of the Severance ensemble. (From left to right, that's Zach Cherry, Britt Lower, John Turturro, Adam Scott, Dichen Lachman, Tramell Tillman and Patricia Arquette.) The interesting wrinkle? I talked to them all separately and at different times over the span of a few weeks. What this created was a fascinating experiment in seeing how each of them, on their own, reacted to the challenges of living up to the show's first season. I found them to be candid, even confessional, about the anxieties and issues they faced while filming Season Two. The result is this very satisfying piece, which I hope you enjoy.

(Photos by Jason Armond.)

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Dissing 'Karate Kid: Legends,' Lamenting 'The Phoenician Scheme'

 

Alison Willmore and I were on KCRW yesterday to talk about this weekend's movie offerings. Check out our reviews of Karate Kid: Legends, The Phoenician Scheme, Bring Her Back and Mountainhead down below.

Queens of the Stone Age - "You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire"

In retrospect, this is the song Queens should have titled "Feel Good Hit of the Summer."

'Karate Kid: Legends' Review

For the first time in 15 years, there's a Karate Kid movie on the big screen. Unfortunately, I wasn't too keen on Legends.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Mission: Impossible,' 'Friendship' and My Cannes Recap

I'm back from Cannes, which means it's time to get the podcast back up and running. We reviewed Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (and I told the funny story of why I didn't end up reviewing it for Screen International). Then, we disagreed about the new Tim Robinson comedy Friendship. Last but not least, I offered some takeaways from this year's Cannes. Hope you enjoy.

'People Still Read Books': Talking to Will About 'Lloyd McNeil's Last Ride'

Will's new book, Lloyd McNeil's Last Ride, came out last week while I was in Cannes. Before I left for the festival, we had a long talk about the novel, which included conversations about death, optimism, cops and parenthood. You can hear the entire exchange down below.

The Film Comment Podcast: Talking about 'Resurrection,' 'The Mastermind' and 'Young Mothers'

My last day at Cannes, I was on the Film Comment podcast, hosted by Devika Girish. I was joined by my buddies Justin Chang and Alison Willmore, and we had a blast talking about a bunch of films we'd seen at the festival. Also: We were pretty loopy from exhaustion, so it was a loose and lively conversation. But I made sure I was focused while singing the praises of Kelly Reichardt's The Mastermind. It was the first time I had discussed the film with anyone and, well, I was pretty effusive. Hear the whole thing down below.

Cannes 2025: 'The Six Billion Dollar Man' Review

Such is the weirdness of a film festival that you can go to a premiere of a documentary and then the subject of the film will be there. Like when I saw The Six Billion Dollar Man and Julian Assange was in attendance. The movie traces the history of WikiLeaks and Assange's later imprisonment. You can read my review here.