Fifteen Years Ago, 'Serenity' Failed to Turn 'Firefly' Into a Franchise

Joss Whedon's short-lived, much beloved sci-fi/Western series got turned into a movie. But it wasn't in the cards for it to become another Star Trek. Over at SyFy, I looked back at Serenity.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Scammers, Assassins and 'Enola Holmes'

On this week's episode, we review three new movies, all about women in different kinds of peril. I liked Kajillionaire and Enola Holmes. As for Ava, eh, what can you do?

Listen to the whole thing down below.

'The Boys in the Band' Review

As a rule, I like to think that I can take on any movie, no matter what it's about. But with the new Netflix adaptation of The Boys in the Band, based on the landmark play about gay men in New York in 1968, I wanted to acknowledge obvious blind spots I might have. My piece is up at MEL.

'American Murder: The Family Next Door' Review

In 2018, Shanann Watts and her two young daughters were killed by her husband Chris. How did such a horrible thing occur? The new Netflix documentary American Murder recounts this sad event entirely through her Facebook posts, police bodycam footage, text messages and other media. I understand the intention, but I found the film ghoulish.

'Kajillionaire' Is a Comedy About Parental Neglect

Head over to MEL, where I make my case.

How 'Paranormal Activity' Ended the 'Saw' Age

Over at SyFy, I wrote about the original Paranormal Activity, which came out this week 11 years ago. Before this found-footage horror movie, torture porn was all the rage. Afterward, things changed. Hope you enjoy.

'The Life and Trials of Oscar Pistorius' Review

ESPN+ is airing this five-and-a-half-hour series about the disgraced South African sprinter. It's just the latest "30 for 30" portrait of a talented bad man. My review is up at MEL.

'Ava' Review

Jessica Chastain kicks a lot of butt in the action-thriller Ava. But the movie is very not good.

'The Trial of the Chicago 7' Review

Aaron Sorkin takes on the 1960s with his latest. The Trial of the Chicago 7 is very, very Sorkin-y, but I think it works pretty well.

Freddie Gibbs & the Alchemist (featuring Tyler, the Creator) - "Something to Rap About"

"I think that day, I was listening to The Blueprint or something like that," Freddie Gibbs said of this highlight track from Alfredo. "The beat carried me on that one, man. All I had to do was just talk and make it rhyme. It turned out to be a great song."

He is correct.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Unhappy Families, Gothic Thrillers and 'Antebellum'

On this week's podcast, I rhapsodize about The Nest and lament The Devil All the Time. Then, we figure out what went wrong with Antebellum. Hear the whole thing down below.

Axl Rose, Donald Trump and "November Rain"

Trump believes Guns N' Roses' "November Rain" is the greatest music video of all time pic.twitter.com/g02ylDJKZS

— Nando (@nandorvila) September 14, 2020

OK, let's talk about it.

Paul Newman 101

Where do you start with the career of Paul Newman? I'd like to suggest these 10 films.

'The Devil All the Time' and the Fallacy of the Anti-Violence Thriller

The Devil All the Time is about the fact that violence is bad. It proves this by ... having a fair amount of violence. Can an anti-violent movie ever truly be anti-violent? I pondered the question over at MEL.

'The Nest' and the Fear of Moving Homes

About five years ago, my wife and I moved to a new place. I was very excited, until we actually got to our new home, and then I was convinced we'd made a terrible mistake. Specifically, I was sure we would break up. What was that all about? Well, it's a similar sensation to what seems to have affected the characters in The Nest. I talked about my life (and the life of this remarkable film) over at MEL.

Sault - "Masterpiece"

It's so hard these days for a musical project to be completely clandestine. And yet, that's what we have with Sault. Who are they? No one knows for sure: "[N]o interviews, no photos, no videos, no live appearances, no Wikipedia entry, a perfunctory and entirely non-interactive social media presence," as The Guardian's Alexis Petridis puts it. We know that the artists are Black, but that's about it. 

Sault have a new record out today, called Untitled (Rise), and while I dig into that, let's enjoy this cut from 2019's 5. The mystery only adds to the pleasure.

'Ratched' Review

Another origin story! This time, it's Ratched, which purports to tell us who Nurse Ratched was before we met her in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. It didn't work for me.

'The Devil All the Time' Review

I really liked Antonio Campos' Christine. So I was pretty let down by his follow-up. For Screen International, I reviewed The Devil All the Time.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Are Movie Theaters Over?

This week, we have a long chat about the future of movie theaters, which allowed me to go to bat for the theatrical experience. Then, in our Reboot segment, we look at two comedies about kids connecting with the men who may be their fathers: Paper Moon and The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. Hear the whole thing down below.

'Challenger: The Final Flight' Review

Do people remember the Challenger explosion? If you were alive, probably so, although I think that tragedy has now been obscured a bit in our cultural memory because of the more recent 9/11 attacks. But Netflix has devoted a four-part docuseries to exploring what happened, what went wrong and what NASA learned from the disaster. My big takeaway: After we landed on the moon, the space agency thought it could do no wrong. That arrogance proved deadly. My piece is up at MEL.

Toronto 2020: 'Good Joe Bell' Review

Mark Wahlberg stars in this true-life drama as Joe Bell, a man who literally walked across America spreading a message of tolerance to anyone who would listen. (His reason: his gay son, who had been bullied in school.) I found a lot to dislike about Good Joe Bell.

Toronto 2020: '76 Days' Review

What was COVID like for front-line caregivers? The documentary 76 Days takes us inside four Wuhan hospitals. Sobering stuff. My review is up at Screen International.

Toronto 2020: 'Concrete Cowboy' Review

Concrete Cowboy is based on an actual horse-riding club in Philadelphia whose members are predominantly Black. This drama tells the story of a troubled young man (Caleb McLaughlin) who is sent to live with his estranged father (Idris Elba), who's part of the club. The world is interesting, but the script isn't up to snuff. My review is up at Screen International.

Toronto 2020: 'I Care a Lot' Review

I Care a Lot has a great, maddening premise: It's about a legal guardian (Rosamund Pike) who bilks her elderly clients out of all their money and possessions. It's a horrible situation, and a real thing, and I was curious to see where the film would go from there. Alas, that's when the problems start. I reviewed the thriller for Screen International.

'We Are Who We Are' Review

Prefer your Luca Guadagnino more in the vein of Call Me by Your Name than Suspiria? Then you may very much dig We Are Who We Are, his languid new HBO series. My review is up at MEL.

Toronto 2020: 'MLK/FBI' Review

I imagine a lot of people will be angry after seeing MLK/FBI, which chronicles the agency's attempts to spy on Martin Luther King Jr. I found the documentary compelling, if also a bit dry. My review is live at Screen International.

Misleading Men: Kevin Bacon

You know how some bands come to hate their early hits? That's sorta similar to the relationship Kevin Bacon has had with Footloose over the years, although I don't think he ever outright hated the 1984 film. I dig into his career, and that movie's place in it, over at MEL.

'The Comey Rule' Review

The Comey Rule is a two-night event over at Showtime that looks back at James Comey's very difficult 2016. I had a lot to say at MEL about this series, which I think is very uneven but also a fitting reminder of what Trump's ascendance has felt like. It was good to get some of this off my chest.

'Coastal Elites' Review

Five members of the so-called coastal elite tell their stories right into the camera in this HBO comedy-drama. It is ... a very mixed bag, which I get into in my MEL review.

Toronto 2020: 'Get the Hell Out' Review

Taiwan's legislative body is known for getting into huge, public fights during the middle of sessions. But what would happen if a zombie outbreak happened at the same time? That's the premise of the silly, amusing, gonzo Get the Hell Out, which I enjoyed.

Toronto 2020: 'Penguin Bloom' Review

Toronto didn't allow Americans to attend the festival this year, understandably, but that doesn't keep up from covering the films premiering there. First up for me is Penguin Bloom, a drama based on the true friendship between a woman with a broken back ... and a bird. Yes, this really happened. My review is up at Screen International.

FKA twigs - "Two Weeks"

One day, Tahliah Debrett Barnett's music will finally fully click with me. For now, though, I'll stick with "Two Weeks."

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Tenet,' 'Mulan' and 'Ending Things'

I have yet to see Christopher Nolan's latest because L.A. theaters are still closed. So Will soloed on Tenet for this week's episode. We both talked about the latest Disney live-action remake and Charlie Kaufman's dazzling whatsit. Hear the whole thing below.

A Salute to Bad Labor Day Movies

Normally, summer movie season ends with a whimper. Labor Day weekend is when studios dump their bad films. For MEL, I paid tribute to some memorable stinkers.

'#Alive' Review

The zombies are coming! The zombies are coming! For MEL, I reviewed #Alive, which stars Burning's Yoo Ah-in as a young man facing down a bunch of the undead in Seoul. I get into the grisly details here.

Charlie Kaufman Is in Your Head

For MEL, I wrote about the Oscar-winning writer-director, whose movies are often about people trapped inside their own heads. His latest, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, is no different. Hope you enjoy.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: The Week We Went Back to the Movie Theater

Will and I both ended up seeing The New Mutants on the big screen, but in very different ways. We talked about that on this past week's episode. We also reviewed Bill & Ted Face the Music and The Personal History of David Copperfield. Then I spoke briefly about Get Duked! and Class Action Park. The episode is down below.

An Exceedingly Mild Defense of 'The Wicker Man'

Neil LaBute and Nicolas Cage's Wicker Man remake is often mocked because ... well, you know. But it's actually more interesting than your run-of-the-mill stinker. I wrote about the film for SyFy.

Eddie Murphy - "Party All the Time"

Maybe don't party all the time. But have a good Labor Day weekend.

'Away' Review

Away, which stars Hilary Swank as an astronaut leading a mission to Mars, is awfully sappy. But, sometimes, sappy is good. My review is live over at MEL.

'Raised by Wolves' Review

In the future, humanity has been all but destroyed, and two androids must raise the last remaining children. I reviewed Raised by Wolves for MEL.

When 'Fahrenheit 9/11' Was a Blockbuster

In the summer of 2004, Michael Moore was the king of the box office. For MEL, I looked back at Fahrenheit 9/11, which set out to ensure that George W. Bush didn't get a second term. Hope you enjoy.

Bill & Ted and Rock 'n' Roll

Bill and Ted are all grown up in Bill & Ted Face the Music, but their musical taste hasn't changed. I wrote about that for MEL.

'I'm Thinking of Ending Things' Review

Charlie Kaufman's latest is a dazzling puzzle you'll never be able to solve. My review is up at Screen International.

'Mulan' Review

Here's a review six months in the making. Back in March, I went to the Mulan premiere and filed my review. And then the pandemic happened. Now, the movie finally comes to Disney+. I can't wait to read what I wrote since I barely remember. Join me over at Screen International.