When You Have to Wait, and Wait and Wait, for a New Album or Movie

On Friday, Kanye West's new album, Jesus Is King, was supposed to drop. It did not. On Sunday, it was supposed to drop. Once again, it did not. For MEL, I wrote about some of the most infamously long-delayed projects -- and if they ended up being worth the wait. My decisions are final.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Judy,' 'Bad Boys II' and 'Passing Strange'

It was the best of times and the worst of times on the podcast this week. First, we review the perfectly solid Judy. But in our Reboot section, we rip Bad Boys II and rhapsodize about Passing Strange. Hear the whole thing below.

A Brief History of Songs About Work

For MEL, I did a deep dive into songs about the workingman, including a certain classic by Mr. Merle Haggard. It's an interesting subset of music, reaching across all genres, and it's evolved over the years as blue-collar jobs have shifted. Hope you enjoy.

R.E.M. - "Crush With Eyeliner"

Happy 25th anniversary, Monster.

Brad Pitt, Genre Star

Brad Pitt has received multiple Oscar nominations for his acting, but some of his most indelible work has been in genre material. For SyFy, we looked at his five best roles.

Which Rambo Movie Is Best?

Here's a hint: There have been five films in the franchise, and there's only one good one. We ranked the Stallone series over at Vulture.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Ad Astra,' 'Rambo: Last Blood' and 'Ratatouille'

On this week's episode, we praise Ad Astra and eviscerate Rambo: Last Blood. And then we look back at Ratatouille, which we agree is ... a little overrated. Hear the whole thing down below.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Astronauts, Ferns, Rambo and 'Downton Abbey'

Very happy to be back on Press Play. Madeleine welcomed Amy Nicholson and me to her show to review Ad Astra and Between Two Ferns: The Movie. I soloed on Rambo: Last Blood, while Amy took on the Downton Abbey movie. Hear the whole thing down below.

Some Thoughts on 'Rambo: Last Blood'

John Rambo is a silent guardian, a watchful protector, a reactionary American hero who helps the country shake itself from its national malaise every few years. For MEL, I wrote about the awful Rambo: Last Blood.

Some Thoughts on 'Between Two Ferns: The Movie'

Why is the Between Two Ferns series so funny while the new Netflix movie is so disappointing?

Remember when Zach Galifianakis debuted on Letterman ... and Dave wasn't there?

And where did the Ferns theme song originate?

I answered those questions, and more, while writing about Between Two Ferns: The Movie for MEL.

The Cars - "Drive"

As a kid, I was always so confused by this song: The guy singing didn't sound anything like Ric Ocasek. Nope, it was bassist Benjamin Orr who handled the vocal. Orr died in 2000 at the age of 53. Ocasek, who wrote "Drive," died this week at the age of 75.

Some Thoughts on 'Ad Astra'

Why did Ad Astra wreck me?

Why don't more people know about Max Richter?

And what words of wisdom did I learn from James Gray's New Yorker profile?

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

The Best Original Songs in Science Fiction

I got to put on my music-critic hat for this SyFy list, which celebrates the best sci-fi songs. Queen and Iggy Pop made the Top Five. Check out the whole thing here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Hustlers,' 'The Goldfinch' and '8 1/2'

I'm back from Venice and Toronto! I talk about that on the latest podcast episode. Then, we review Hustlers and The Goldfinch. Finally, this week's Reboot is devoted to Fellini's Oscar-winning 8 1/2. Ah, cinema ... check out the whole thing down below.

Some Thoughts on 'Hustlers'

Since the Great Recession, Hollywood has made several films about that economic collapse, often studying the relationship between sex and money. Hustlers is the latest. I wrote about this crime drama for MEL.

Toronto 2019: The Wrap-Up and the Rankings

After two-and-a-half weeks, two countries, four flights and 22 reviews, I'm home. It's been a pretty exhilarating journey from my first Venice to my 11th Toronto, and I'm still processing the whole adventure.

But in terms of discoveries, let me focus on Darius Marder's Sound of Metal, which I've been raving about to anyone who would listen. Starring Riz Ahmed as a rock drummer losing his hearing, this is an addiction-and-recovery drama like no other; its potential conventionality is wiped away by what Marder and his capable cast have come up with. Amazon bought Sound of Metal at Toronto, and I hope it finds its audience. (One thing: I've had people express hesitation about seeing the movie because they don't like metal. That is a very small component of the film, and it's dispensed with pretty early on.)

Below is a ranking of every Toronto film I saw, either at TIFF or before, including at Sundance and Cannes. (Links lead to individual reviews.) For now, the adventures are over, and the passport and foreign currency are back in the drawer. It's very nice to be back with Susan, who has gotten hooked on Queer Eye while I've been gone. She also met Peter Farrelly at a screening. I think she was even busier than I was.

46. The Goldfinch
45. Jojo Rabbit
44. Wasp Network
43. Abominable 
42. My Zoe
41. Blackbird
40. Martin Eden
39. The Traitor
38. Lucy in the Sky
37. Honey Boy 
36. Les Misérables
35. The Climb
34. Bad Education
33. Atlantics
32. Pelican Blood
31. Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band
30. Radioactive
29. The Laundromat
28. Zombi Child
27. Adam
26. Dolemite Is My Name
25. Deerskin 
24. The Truth
23. Hope Gap
22. Ema
21. Bacurau
20. Sorry We Missed You
19. A Hidden Life
18. Pain and Glory
17. Portrait of a Lady on Fire 
16. The Perfect Candidate 
15. Knives Out
14. The Kingmaker 
13. State Funeral 
12. Waves
11. Clemency
10. Parasite
9. Frankie
8. The Wild Goose Lake
7. Synonyms 
6. The Whistlers
5. Sound of Metal
4. Joker
3. Uncut Gems
2. Marriage Story
1. The Lighthouse

Toronto 2019: 'My Zoe' Review

Julie Delpy's latest film is a study of a mother who refuses to give up on her ailing daughter ... which leads her to take some desperate measures. I reviewed this uneven drama for Screen International.

The New Pornographers - "Falling Down the Stairs of Your Smile"

You got what you want, be full.

Toronto 2019: 'Lucy in the Sky' Review

If Lucy in the Sky sorta reminds you of the Lisa Nowak story, well, that's kind of the idea. Natalie Portman plays Lucy, an astronaut who has an affair with another astronaut (Jon Hamm). This movie has tons of visual pizzazz but not equally dazzling ideas. My review is up at Screen International.

Toronto 2019: 'Bad Education' Review

Bad Education is like a mixture of Shattered Glass and Election, telling the true story of an incredible embezzling scheme that took place at a Long Island high school. Hugh Jackman goes dark, but I was unmoved, as I explain in my Screen International review.

Toronto 2019: 'Jojo Rabbit' Review

Last night was the world premiere of Toronto's most highly-anticipated title, the "anti-hate satire" Jojo Rabbit. It's certainly ambitious and well-intentioned. However...

Toronto 2019: 'Dolemite Is My Name' Review

Eddie Murphy plays Rudy Ray Moore in the biopic Dolemite Is My Name. It's very fun to see the comic get such a great platform, but I think the movie is merely good, not amazing. I reviewed this Netflix release for Screen International.

Toronto 2019: 'Abominable' Review

Abominable is a boy-and-his-dog tale concerning a teen girl and her new best friend, a Yeti. This is one of those films that makes me glad I don't have kids. (Looks pretty, though.) My review is up at Screen International.

Toronto 2019: 'Knives Out' Review

Rian Johnson's fifth feature is a whodunit that pays homage to Agatha Christie. For Screen International, I reviewed Knives Out.

Toronto 2019: 'Blackbird' Review

No, Blackbird does not use the Beatles song on the soundtrack. Yes, this film is based on the Danish drama Silent Heart. Yes, this has a pretty great cast. No, I didn't like it so much. My review is up at Screen International.

Toronto 2019: 'Radioactive' Review

Rosamund Pike is Marie Curie, discovering elements and winning Nobel Prizes. Tim Grierson is reviewing her biopic, Radioactive, for Screen International.

Toronto 2019: 'Waves' Review

Waves got ecstatic reviews out of Telluride. I reviewed the film from Toronto for Screen International. I'm a little more muted, although I think it's quite a piece of work, in certain ways. I get into all that here.

Robyn - "Ever Again"

I put away Honey for a while -- "oh, I've heard this enough recently" -- and then a new video comes out and I decide to immerse all over again.

Toronto 2019: 'Once Were Brothers' Review

My 11th Toronto Film Festival kicks off with a music documentary, the opening-night entry Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band. It is ... good-enough. My review is up at Screen International.

Fan Theories About 'The Shining,' Ranked

We talked about The Shining recently on the podcast, but this week for SyFy we dig into the best theories concerning what the movie is really about. A very fun list.

My Interview With Ursula Macfarlane, Director of 'Untouchable'

I saw Untouchable at Sundance; it's a documentary that speaks to several of the women who were allegedly sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein. Now that the movie's on Hulu, I had a chance to talk to its maker, Ursula Macfarlane, about what's at stake in Weinstein's upcoming court case. (Also, I wondered how she felt about the men who used to work for Harvey who now have severe misgivings.) You can read the whole thing here.

Venice 2019: The Wrap-Up and the Rankings

There are still a few days left in this year's Venice Film Festival -- and some high-profile movies yet to be unveiled from the likes of Roy Andersson, Shannon Murphy and Ciro Guerra -- but I'm off to Toronto, where the next wave of films awaits. My overall impression of my first Venice? It's a really lovely place to watch movies, with a very different vibe than Cannes. Also? I very much enjoyed navigating a festival on a bike. It made the whole experience more active and invigorating, simply because of the action of pedaling from place to place. I hope to do it all again next year.

Below is a ranking of everything I saw at this year's festival, with links leading to individual reviews. I went back and forth between my Nos. 1 and 2. But No. 16 was painfully obvious. Also, it's a bummer to go to a festival where the Olivier Assayas film is subpar.

16. American Skin
15. Rare Beasts
14. Wasp Network
13. Martin Eden
12. Pelican Blood
11. The Laundromat
10. Giants Being Lonely
9. The King
8. 5 Is the Perfect Number
7. Rialto
6. An Officer and a Spy
5. The Perfect Candidate
4. The Kingmaker
3. Ad Astra
2. Joker
1. Marriage Story

Venice 2019: 'Giants Being Lonely' Review

Grear Patterson, a mixed-media artist, makes his feature debut with Giants Being Lonely, which looks at high-school life from a dreamy, distant perspective. My review is up at Screen International.

Venice 2019: 'Rialto' Review

Colm is a 46-year-old family man who's lost his job and his father in quick succession. Is he depressed because of that? Or something deeper? For Screen International, I reviewed the small, intimate Rialto.

Venice 2019: 'American Skin' Review

I was there for the premiere of The Birth of a Nation three years ago at Sundance. It was an impassioned scene -- few movies get a standing ovation before they start -- and I did my best to capture the flaws and power of Nate Parker's debut in my review at the time. Parker has had a lot happen to him since then, and he's back with American Skin, a drama about racist cops and grieving fathers. It is, I take no pleasure in announcing, a catastrophe. My review is up at Screen International.

Venice 2019: 'Rare Beasts' Review

Actor-turned-director Billie Piper has cited Paul Thomas Anderson as one of her inspirations for her feature debut Rare Beasts. Based on the evidence, I'd say she watched Punch-Drunk Love a time or two while working on her tonally wild anti-romantic comedy. Sad to say, it doesn't quite work. My review is up at Screen International.