The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Jurassic World Rebirth' and the Best Films of 2025 (So Far)

Welcome to the end of the first half of the movie year. On this episode, Will and I both reveal our favorite six films so far in 2025. Oh, and we also rip on Jurassic World Rebirth. Check it out below.

The Tubs - "One More Day"

When I first heard the Tubs, I thought, "Wait, is this Bob Mould's new solo album?" Owen Williams does sound a little like the former Husker Du frontman, but the more I listened to Cotton Crown, the more this Welsh band started to establish its own personality. Any similarities to the college rock you loved in your younger years is, I'm sure, purely coincidental.

 

'Heads of State' Review

John Cena plays the U.S. president. Idris Elba is the U.K. prime minister. Together, they barely survive an assassination attempt and then have to go on the run. Does hilarity ensue? You can read my review here.

What's the Funniest Moment in 'This Is Spinal Tap'?

This Is Spinal Tap returns to theaters this weekend in a remastered, restored version. For Cracked, I ranked this all-time comedy's 50 best moments. Enjoy! 

The Best Movies of the 21st Century (So Far)

Rolling Stone asked a bunch of its contributors to work on a massive list of the best films of the 21st century. Remarkably, we're already 25 years into this new century, which means a lot of good movies. As always, I didn't have any say in the final rankings, but I did some of the write-ups, including Y Tu Mama Tambien, Inside Llewyn Davis, Dogville, Burning, Uncut Gems, I Am Not Your Negro, The Souvenir and others. Dive in. 

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Two Very Different Sports Movies and 'M3GAN 2.0'

On the podcast, we review F1 and M3GAN 2.0. (We disagree about one of them.) Then, in our Reboot segment, we look back at 1978's Heaven Can Wait. You can check out the episode down below. (And next episode, Will and I will reveal our best films from the first half of this year.)

'Jurassic World Rebirth' Review

The latest Jurassic picture has Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali in it. And it's still bad bad bad. My review of Rebirth is up at Screen International. 

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Raving About 'Sorry, Baby' and 'Familiar Touch'

Christy Lemire and I were on KCRW this week to talk about new movies. We reviewed F1 and M3GAN 2.0, but the more interesting conversations regard the Sundance hit Sorry, Baby and the touching drama Familiar Touch. You can hear our segment down below.

'Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore' Review

 

Celebrity documentaries can be fawning puff pieces. But that's not the case with the affectionate, probing Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, which is candid about her struggles with addiction and sexual abuse. Of course, the film also talks about her deafness, and how she became a trailblazer for a community that still struggles for visibility. My review is up at the Los Angeles Times.

HAIM - "Relationships"

This song has been out for months, but it sounds so much better now that it's summer.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: '28 Years Later' and 'The Life of Chuck'

Because we unexpectedly weren't able to do an episode last week, this episode is super-sized, featuring reviews of four new movies. Going into the show, I wondered how many of the films we'd disagree on, and it turns out we saw two of them very differently. You can check out our thoughts on 28 Years Later, Materialists, Elio and The Life of Chuck down below.

What Is Danny Boyle's Best Film?

For the fine folks at Vulture, Will and I put together our ranking of all of Danny Boyle's films, including 28 Years Later. You can check them out here. 

'Caught by the Tides' Review

I'm not claiming it's any kind of blockbuster, but the fact that Jia Zhangke’s Caught by the Tides is still playing in and around Los Angeles more than a month after it opened is damn heartening. For the Los Angeles Times, I extol its virtues, and explain why it's actually a decent primer for someone just getting into Jia. Hope you enjoy.