Sam Cooke - "Mean Old World"

I was at a hotel the other day waiting to do an interview. In the room I was in, there's a record player, and someone had put Sam Cooke on. "Mean Old World" started playing, and it just fit the warm, lazy-afternoon vibe so perfectly it felt like it had been made for that exact moment. Now when I hear "Mean Old World," I think of that day.

'Halloween' Review

Is the new Halloween as good as the original? No. Is it still pretty darn good? Yes. My review is up at Screen International. (By the way, this is not how Jamie Lee Curtis looks in the movie.)

'Beautiful Boy' and the Tensions Between Fathers and Sons

Watching Beautiful Boy, I thought a lot about fathers' relationships with their sons. All children have to break free of the nest eventually, but what if the motivating factor is a son's drug addiction? What does that do to both men? I wrote about that for MEL.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Astronauts, Bad Times, Kindergarten Teachers, '22 July' and 'Beautiful Boy'

Five new movies are reviewed on this week's podcast, and I'm pretty lukewarm on most of them. I explain why First Man is just OK, Bad Times at the El Royale is superficially entertaining, The Kindergarten Teacher is merely modest and Beautiful Boy is minor. Of the lot, 22 July is my favorite. Hear the whole thing down below.

Some Thoughts on 'First Man'

How much better would First Man have been if Tig Notaro was in it?

How many American flags show up in the film?

And why are we fascinated by old-school American stoicism?

I answer those questions, and others, over at MEL.

Old 97's - "Champaign, Illinois"

Rhett Miller gave Bob Dylan partial songwriting credit on this track because of its melodic similarity to "Desolation Row." But that's only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Dylan's association with Champaign. Check it out, yo.

What's the Best Superhero Costume?

That's the topic for this week's Debate Club. Narrowing it down to five was hard, but our results are up at SyFy.

In Praise of Paul Greengrass and '22 July'

With his new film 22 July, director Paul Greengrass completes a trilogy of sorts grappling with post-9/11 life. It's very interesting how different United 93, Captain Phillips and 22 July are, though. My essay is up at MEL.

Some Thoughts on 'Venom'

Is Venom, technically, a Marvel movie?

What is Swet Shop Boys?

Why does Tom Hardy give his all in a movie that doesn't deserve his effort?

I answer those questions, and more, over at MEL.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Blockbusters, Oscar Contenders, 'Private Life' and 'Major League'

Lots of movies to discuss on this week's podcast. We dutifully review Venom and A Star Is Born. But the real action is with the indie releases. We enthuse about Private Life, and I solo on The Hate U Give. Then, in our Reboot segment, we look back at Major League. Check out the whole show down below.

What's the Best Chris Columbus Film?

Happy Columbus Day, everyone.