'Godzilla vs. Kong' Review

One of 'em is a lizard. The other is an ape. They don't get along. Also, they're freakin' huge. For Screen International, I reviewed Godzilla vs. Kong.

'A Film and a Movie': Talking About 'Safe' and 'She Dies Tomorrow'

I really enjoyed being on A Film and a Movie, a podcast (co-hosted by my old pal Alonso Duralde) in which the guest is invited to suggest two films (one older, one more recent) that have thematic similarities. I started with one of my all-time favorites, Safe, and then thought about what would be a good companion piece. And then it hit me: Amy Seimetz's terrific psychological horror film from last year. Lots of great analysis of both movies here. (And Alonso's story about the Safe premiere blew my mind.) Hope you enjoy.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Bob Odenkirk, 'Shoplifters of the World' and 'Six Minutes to Midnight'

I was on KCRW on Thursday, as opposed to the usual Friday, to review this weekend's new movies, alongside my pal Katie Walsh. Listen to our wise words down below.

SXSW 2021: 'Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free' Review

Since Tom Petty died a few years ago, I've noticed that he's been judged far more glowingly than he did when he was alive. Likewise, his 1994 solo album Wildflowers has grown in stature. The new documentary Somewhere You Feel Free pays tribute to both. It's a warm film, although it also feels a bit like an ad for the new expanded edition of the record, which came out last year. My review is up at Screen International.

Tina Turner - "Better Be Good to Me"

Years ago when I interviewed Carter -- just Carter -- for my Eels book, I didn't have time to get into this, but I really wanted to ask him about working with Tina Turner for Private Dancer. Alas, he died soon after. 

In other news, I'm very curious to check out Tina.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Going Back to the 1980s for 'Arthur' and 'Cobra'

We spent a lot of time talking about Zack Snyder's Justice League on this week's episode, but what was perhaps more interesting was our discussion of Arthur and Cobra in our Reboot segment. Hear the whole thing down below.

We Still Need "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)"

For MEL, I looked back at Tina Turner's big hit from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome ... and ended up learning a lot about the song's legacy in the process. Hope you enjoy.

Emilio Estevez and the Hell of Being Part of the Brat Pack

The Mighty Ducks star is returning to the franchise for the new Disney+ series. For MEL, that inspired some thoughts about his heyday in the Brat Pack, a label he hated, understandably. Hope you enjoy.

My Interview With the Authors of 'Nothin' But a Good Time'

Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock are music journalists who have compiled an oral history of the 1980s hard rock scene. The book is a doozy, and for MEL, I spoke with them about sexism, male beauty, power ballads and AIDS. You can read our interview here.

'Nobody' Review

Bob Odenkirk gets his John Wick on with Nobody. I think the movie is ... good enough. My review is up at Screen International.

'Breakfast All Day': Talking About 'Operation Varsity Blues' and 'This Is How You Make a Movie'

I always enjoyed joining the What the Flick?! crew to talk movies. Now, they're doing a new podcast, Breakfast All Day, and they were nice enough to invite me on this week. We discussed the Snyder Cut, movie news and Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal. Plus, I chatted about my book This Is How You Make a Movie. You can hear the whole thing down below.

SXSW 2021: 'The Fallout' Review

The Fallout won the jury dramatic prize at SXSW this year, and it tells the story of two teenagers (Jenny Ortega, Maddie Ziegler) grappling with the aftermath of a school shooting. I like how filmmaker Megan Park avoided straining for greater societal commentary and, instead, just watched these characters try to process what they went through. You can read my review here.

SXSW 2021: 'Swan Song' Review

Udo Kier is known for playing outlandish, often evil characters. But in Swan Song, he takes on a very different role, that of an aging hairdresser who decides he's going to make a former client (who's died) look beautiful for her funeral. But this last job will force him to take a trip down memory lane. My review is up at Screen International.

'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' Review

Who's ready for the Chief Wiggum, P.I. of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? For MEL, I reviewed The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Minnie Riperton - "Inside My Love"

"Minnie Riperton wrote 'Inside My Love' with Leon Ware and her husband Richard Rudolph. The soul-deep intimacy that Riperton was singing about was always interpreted as lust because of her earthy delivery. But in the liner notes from the posthumous Petals: The Minnie Riperton Collection Rudolph explains the emotional intentions of the song and Ware describes how hearing a preacher talk about 'coming inside the Lord' influenced the lyrics. Some radio programmers would not play 'Inside My Love' because of the carnal interpretation." -- Kickmag

SXSW 2021: 'Violet' Review

Olivia Munn is quite touching in Violet, which is about a Hollywood executive who can't shut off the negative voice in her head -- and we can't either, because we hear it on the soundtrack. (In addition, we see her thoughts written on the screen.) My review is up at Screen International.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Apocalypse Now: Final Cut,' 'Bend It Like Beckham' and 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire'

No new movies this week, so we did three Reboot requests: one from 1979 (kinda), one from 2002, and one from 2019. You can hear the whole thing down below.

Keith Law Interviews Me About 'This Is How You Make a Movie'

I'll get into it more later, but my latest book, This Is How You Make a Movie, is out now. (You can order it at Amazon or Bookshop.) In the meantime, I'm very happy to say that my friend Keith Law invited me to be on his podcast to talk about the book, the Oscar nominations and, yes, the St. Louis Cardinals. You can hear my episode of The Keith Law Show down below.

Zack Snyder Is Trying to Save Superhero Cinema

My strongest feeling while watching Zack Snyder's Justice League was just how ... old-fashioned it is. Redoing a four-year-old movie in a genre that's constantly reinventing itself seems ill-advised, but Snyder has personal reasons to do it. I get into all this over at MEL.

'City of Lies' Review

City of Lies has been sitting on the shelf for a while. It's a long story, but suffice it to say, the movie isn't very good. My review is up at Screen International.

My Interview With Ephraim Asili, the Writer-Director of 'The Inheritance'

The Inheritance is a daring mix of fiction and documentary, telling the story of a group of Black Philadelphia residents who form a collective. That plot is scripted, but it's inspired by filmmaker Ephraim Asili's actual experiences, and he also includes archival footage of different Black artists, thinkers and activists. For MEL, I had a great conversation with Asili about his film, his time in a collective and what he wants his project to achieve. He's an incredibly smart guy, especially when it came to educating me about how collectives are different than utopias. Hope you enjoy.

SXSW 2021: 'I'm Fine (Thanks for Asking)' Review

A young, houseless, widowed mother roller-skates around Pacoima braiding hair to earn enough money for a new apartment for her and her daughter. For Screen International, I reviewed I'm Fine (Thanks for Asking).

SXSW 2021: 'Ma Belle, My Beauty' Review

It was a year ago that I was supposed to go to my first South by Southwest. The pandemic kept that from happening. This year's SXSW is virtual, so from the comfort of home I watched the affecting polyamorous romantic drama Ma Belle, My Beauty. My review is up at Screen International.

'Zack Snyder’s Justice League' Review

The wait is over. Were you waiting? Well, anyway, here's my review of the hotly-anticipated, much-discussed, four-hour-long "Snyder cut" of Justice League.

When the MCU Actors Weren't in the MCU

There's a whole crop of world-class actors starring in the Avengers films. But for MEL, I decided to spotlight their best non-MCU work. Take a look.

The Complicated Story Behind "Bono Is a Pox"

It's popular graffiti in Dublin, where the U2 frontman was born and still lives. Do the Irish really hate Bono? It's complicated ... and also really interesting. I enjoyed digging deep into this story for MEL.

The Best Grammy Wins

Happy Grammy Sunday, everyone. People like to mock the Academy for their terrible choices, but for MEL, I decided to acknowledge the times the voters got it right. Check it out here.

My Interview With Craig Finn, Frontman of the Hold Steady

The Hold Steady's new album Open Door Policy has been out for a couple weeks, and today over at MEL I have my interview with main man Craig Finn, who talked about, well, everything. Catholicism. Mental health. How to stay sane during COVID. Being a bookworm. Loving lyrics. Not having kids. We had a blast.

Isaac Hayes - "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic"

The song keeps building and building and then, wham, you hear the part Public Enemy sampled for "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos."

'Resident Evil' Is the Little Franchise That Could

It's been 19 years since Milla Jovovich first appeared in this video game adaptation. Resident Evil has been with us ever since. I wrote about the original film for SyFy.

Looking Back at Zack Snyder's Passion Project, 'Sucker Punch'

 
Can it really be 10 years since Snyder unleashed this unfiltered vision upon the world? As we prepare for the Snyder Cut, I wrote about that rare big-budget studio offering not based on anything. You can read my essay here.

'Long Weekend' Review

Long Weekend is a tricky movie to write about because its story is built around something you shouldn't spoil. What I can tell you: It stars Finn Wittrock and Zoe Chao as two people who meet in Los Angeles and fall in love. Except, she has something she has to tell him that's shocking and unbelievable. What does he do? My review is up at Screen International.

My Interview With Delroy Lindo

Will the Da 5 Bloods star receive his first Oscar nomination on Monday? It's possible. For Screen International, we did not talk about that, though: We were too busy discussing Spike Lee, the Vietnam War and that MAGA hat his character wears. Hope you enjoy.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Coming 2 America,' 'Chaos Walking' and Our Oscar Nomination Predictions

Forget the two new movies we review: It's more worthwhile to check out our conversation about this very weird Oscar season. You can hear the whole episode down below.

How Eddie Murphy Squandered His Comeback

People enjoyed Dolemite Is My Name. Everyone was so happy to see him back hosting Saturday Night Live after so long. So why is Coming 2 America such a disappointment? Because he forgot what made his character Akeem so charming. I get into this over at MEL.

My Interview With Jared Hess and Tyler Measom, Directors of 'Murder Among the Mormons'

Mark Hofmann was a world-class forger deep in debt. So, in 1985, he turned to murder. Murder Among the Mormons is one of the most popular series on Netflix right now. For MEL, I spoke to the filmmakers, who were both raised Mormon, about the process of telling a story about a brilliant, meticulous man who is deeply unknowable. Hope you enjoy our chat.

Berlin 2021: 'Night Raiders' Review

We've all seen dystopian dramas about bands of rebels trying to take down the oppressive government. But Night Raiders is different, because the rebels are Indigenous North Americans and the oppressive government is ... yep, you guessed it. I dug the film.

Berlin 2021: 'Ted K' Review

What prompted Ted Kaczynski to do what he did? The new film Ted K, with Sharlto Copley in the title role, doesn't approach that question head-on. Instead, this is an atmospheric, immersive journey into this insular man's world. I found the movie intriguing but also frustrating. I get into all of it over at Screen International.

In 1985, Eddie Murphy Wanted Us to "Party All the Time"

I dug deep into Eddie Murphy's nearly-chart-topping dance track. Lots of fun tidbits that I unearthed for my MEL piece.

Reconsidering the New 'Star Wars' Trilogy

After reading Kelly Marie Tran's Hollywood Reporter profile, in which she talks about the racism she faced online from being in the new Star Wars movies, I was struck by a thought: I don't think those movies were worth the trouble to make. I explain what I mean over at MEL.

Nina Simone - "Feeling Good"

Butterflies all havin' fun, you know what I mean. 

'Boogie' Review

Eddie Huang makes his directorial debut with this story of a promising Asian-American basketball prodigy facing racism and family strife in New York. It's a well-observed movie that mostly overcomes some convoluted plot problems. Here's my full review of Boogie.

'Coming 2 America' Review

Sorry, folks, it's not 2 good. My review is up at Screen International.

'Ted Lasso' and the Limits of Positive Thinking

After Jason Sudeikis won the Golden Globe on Sunday, I decided to finally watch Ted Lasso. I like the show, but I had some thoughts about the unreal universe it creates for its super-positive main character. You can read my essay over at MEL.

Is the Hootie & the Blowfish Renaissance Upon Us?

When Post Malone covered "Only Wanna Be With You" recently, it sparked conversation about the band being underrated. Listen, folks, I was there in the 1990s when they were huge. Let me tell you a story.

'Chaos Walking' Review

Chaos Walking was shot several years ago, but reshoots, the actors' schedules and COVID kept delaying the film's release. That time has only made this sci-fi/young-adult drama feel even more dated. I reviewed the movie for Screen International.

Trying to Listen to "Strange Fruit"

It's one of America's greatest protest anthems. It's also one of the most painful. For MEL, I went long on the incredible, ugly "Strange Fruit."

My Interview With Leslie Odom Jr.

He's one of the front-runners for Best Supporting Actor at this year's Oscars for One Night in Miami. Over at Screen International, it was my pleasure to speak to Leslie Odom Jr. about Sam Cooke, "A Change Is Gonna Come," Hamilton, The Many Saints of Newark and finding your own voice. Hope you enjoy.

My LAFCA Awards Presentation for Chloe Zhao

Because of the pandemic, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association did not hold our annual awards banquet. But we still honored our winners. I was very happy to write the essay for our Best Director winner, Chloe Zhao. You can read that here. (And if you'd like to read Zhao's acceptance statement, that's right here.)

'Raya and the Last Dragon' Review

I'd like to say a few words about my favorite non-Pixar Disney movie since Tangled. For Screen International, here's my review of Raya and the Last Dragon.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Billie Holiday, Tom Holland, and Tom and Jerry

Some weeks, the movies are all duds. This is one of those weeks. On the podcast, we sift through the wreckage of The United States vs. Billie Holiday, Cherry and Tom and Jerry. Follow along with us down below.