A Salute to the Funniest Music Videos

For Cracked, I went through decades of music videos to select the 20 funniest of all time. What's No. 1? Read on.

Sundance 2024: Ranking the Best and Worst of the Festival

My first Sundance was 2009. It was my first film festival. Those realizations hit me in the middle of this Sundance, so many years later. Back then I didn't know the basic rules: how you should just have your snow boots on when you board the plane to Salt Lake City, how you should make sure to drink enough water to avoid headaches. I don't think you ever truly master a film festival, but over time at least you're more prepared for what might come your way. 

Last year's edition was deemed an instant classic simply because of Past Lives -- not to mention movies like Passages and All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt -- that it was inevitable that this year's installment must suffer by comparison. But I have to say: I saw several gems, including at least one that's going to merit serious consideration for my end-of-the-year list. And, even better, it wasn't one I was expecting greatness from when this Sundance started. But Jesse Eisenberg's beautiful, hilarious A Real Pain floored me. That's the part of a festival you never can plan for -- the movie that comes out of nowhere and knocks your socks off. (And, also, a special shout-out to In the Summers, pictured above, which won the U.S. Dramatic prize, as well as the directing award.)

Below are my rankings, with links leading to individual reviews.

27. Your Monster
26. Rob Peace
25. Love Lies Bleeding
24. Love Me
23. The Outrun
22. Will & Harper
21. A New Kind of Wilderness
20. Exhibiting Forgiveness
19. Gaucho Gaucho
18. Thelma
17. Power
16. DEVO
15. Union
14. War Game
13. My Old Ass
12. Black Box Diaries
11. Presence
10. I Saw the TV Glow
9. Hit Man
8. Girls State
7. Girls Will Be Girls
6. How to Have Sex
5. Good One
4. Sasquatch Sunset
3. A Different Man
2. In the Summers
1. A Real Pain

What's the Best Comedy of the 1990s?

I provide the answer over at Cracked.

Sundance 2024: 'Rob Peace' Review

Chiwetel Ejiofor has directed two movies now, and I'm sad to say that I am not convinced he's a great filmmaker. My review of the true-life drama Rob Peace is here.

Sundance 2024: 'Exhibiting Forgiveness' Review

Titus Kaphar is a renowned painter who just made his feature directorial debut. It's a drama called Exhibiting Forgiveness in which a rising painter (Andre Holland) must finally confront his father, who was an addict and abusive when he was a boy. My review of this semi-autobiographical film is up at Screen International.

My Interview With Penn Jillette

He's one half of Penn & Teller. He's an avowed atheist and Libertarian. (Well, the latter he used to be.) And he is very worried about this year's presidential election. For Cracked, I had a long conversation with Penn Jillette about comedy, magic, politics and Bob Dylan. Hope you enjoy.

Melanie - "Brand New Key"

Rest in peace, Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Recapping Sundance 2024

I'm back from Park City and was very happy to chat with Madeleine Brand about the highs and lows of this year's Sundance. Check out my report down below.

Sundance 2024: 'Gaucho Gaucho' Review

In Argentina, a community of cowboys live on their own, away from society. Gaucho Gaucho is an immersive, dreamlike look at their world. My Screen International review is here.

Sundance 2024: 'A New Kind of Wilderness' Review

This Norwegian documentary follows a family that lives off the grid, until the death of the mother forces them to reevaluate their situation. For Screen International, I reviewed A New Kind of Wilderness.

Sundance 2024: 'The Outrun' Review

There have been plenty of addiction dramas, and while The Outrun (based on a true story) isn't an especially unique one, it does have Saoirse Ronan, which helps a lot. My Sundance review is here.

Sundance 2024: 'Your Monster' Review

In Your Monster, Melissa Barrera plays a New York actress who just got dumped by her musical-theater boyfriend. That's when the monster under her bed from childhood pays her a visit. I reviewed this so-so romantic comedy for Screen International. 

Sundance 2024: 'A Different Man' Review

A Different Man stars Sebastian Stan as a struggling actor with neurofibromatosis who undergoes a radical experimental facial procedure. The test works, but there are surprises in store for him. Costarring Renate Reinsve and Adam Pearson, this surreal comedy-drama really got to me. You can read my review here.

Sundance 2024: 'Love Lies Bleeding' Review

The second of two movies Kristen Stewart has at Sundance, Love Lies Bleeding is a sexy, 1980s-set thriller about young lovers who get tangled up with some bad varmints. I reviewed the film for Screen International. 

Sundance 2024: 'Sasquatch Sunset' Review

Have you ever wondered what Bigfoot's life is like? The Zellner brothers have crafted a bizarre comedy about a quartet of Sasquatches that reside in the forest. Who knew it would be one of the most poignant films of this year's Sundance? My review is up at Screen International.

Sundance 2024: 'A Real Pain' Review

I did not go into Jesse Eisenberg's A Real Pain with high expectations. I wasn't prepared for how much I'd end up loving the film. Here's my review.

Sundance 2024: 'Presence' Review

Is Presence a horror movie? I suppose technically it is: Steven Soderbergh tells the story of a family who move into a new house, which is already occupied by a ghostly presence. But the film is more of a fun cinematic exercise than a fright fest, as I explain over at Screen International.

Sundance 2024: 'Love Me' Review

She's a buoy. He's a satellite. Can they find love at a time when humanity has been wiped out? I reviewed the quirky love story Love Me for Screen International. 

Sundance 2024: 'I Saw the TV Glow' Review

Greetings from Park City. I really loved Jane Schoenbrun's We're All Going to the World's Fair, but I was a little less dazzled by their new film, I Saw the TV Glow. Still, it's incredibly hypnotic. My review is up at Screen International.

Link Wray - "Fallin' Rain"

Looks like we're gonna miss snow this Sundance. And also rain.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Mean Girls,' Sundance and Our Oscar Nominations

We're back after our holiday break, and we've got a big show for you. First, we review the Mean Girls musical. Then, we do a deep dive on Tina Fey's legacy. I give Will a preview of five films I'm really curious to see at Sundance. And, last but not least, we offer our predictions for who's getting nominated for Oscars on January 23. Check it all out down below.

What's the Best Comedy to Ever Premiere at Sundance?

 

I put on my thinking cap for Cracked.

Your 2024 Sundance Comedy Preview

Sundance starts Thursday. Dramas usually dominate the festival, but could we be in store for some laughs as well? Here's hoping.

'Monsieur Spade' Review

Clive Owen plays an aging, ailing Sam Spade in Monsieur Spade, which imagines Dashiell Hammett's iconic detective living out his life in a small village in France. But he has one last mystery to solve. Here's my review for The Daily Beast.

Muddy Waters - "Mannish Boy"

Hell yeah.

'Mean Girls' Review

Not the old movie, the new musical. My review is up at Screen International.

The Greatest Sci-Fi Films Ever

Ambitiously, Rolling Stone decided to create a list of the 150 best sci-fi films of all time. I, along with a lot of other fine folks, was asked to contribute capsules for the piece. You can see the results here.

Tina Fey in 2004 vs. Tina Fey in 2024

When the original Mean Girls came out, Tina Fey was a rising comic star. Twenty years later, the Mean Girls musical is on its way. The world views Fey very differently now. I wrote about what changed over at Cracked.

My Interview With Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, the Stars of 'May December'

This was a treat: For the Los Angeles Times, I sat down with Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore to discuss Stevie Wonder, Todd Haynes and May December. (And because I love Safe so much, I found a very organic way to bring that film into the conversation, too.) My piece is here. 

(Photo by Benjo Arwas.)

What's the Funniest Movie to Win the Golden Globe for Best Musical/Comedy?

I offer my rankings over at Cracked.

The Comedies I'm Curious to See in 2024

Will IF stink? What's this movie about a unicorn? I have the answers for you.

'Night Swim' Review

Stay out of the water: For Screen International, I reviewed the initially promising but ultimately disappointing Night Swim.

Barbra Streisand - "I Mean to Shine"

It's true: In the early 1970s, Barbra Streisand recorded a song from Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, a young writing duo who would soon become the driving force behind Steely Dan. You can hear trace elements of Can't Buy a Thrill in "I Mean to Shine."