On Emma Stone's Incredible 2023

I'm here to talk about Poor Things and The Curse, both of which are remarkable in their own way. But those are only two things that have recently demonstrated Emma Stone's creative dexterity. Read on.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Ethan Coen Solo, Christopher Nolan Reappraised and 'His Girl Friday'

On this week's podcast, there's only one new movie, which is Drive-Away Dolls. Then, we give Tenet a second look in honor of its re-release and go back to 1940 for His Girl Friday. Dive in!

Martin Scorsese's 10 Best Director Nominations

With Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese has now been nominated 10 times for the Oscar for Best Director. Which film is the best? I have the answers.

The Comeback of Robert Downey Jr.

For RogerEbert.com, I took a moment to appreciate that, 25 years ago, Robert Downey Jr. was at his lowest point, battling drug addiction and facing a prison sentence. Much has changed since, happily. Hope you enjoy.

The Forgotten Movies of This Oscar Season

Every year, a collection of really good movies miss out on being nominated for Academy Awards. As a result, you never hear about them during the final stretch of Oscar campaigning. For RogerEbert.com, I sang the praises of 10 of those films. I haven't forgotten them.

When Real-Life Fathers and Daughters Star in the Same Film

In honor of Bleeding Love, which I didn't like back when it was called You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder, I wrote about other movies featuring fathers and their daughters. Check it out here.

Revisiting Russell Crowe in 'Les Miserables'

Tenet isn't the only major movie getting a re-release this weekend: There's also the Oscar-winning Les Miserables, which co-starred Russell Crowe, who was widely mocked for his singing. Was that fair? I talk about it here.

The Jayhawks - "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me"

Time to let the sunshine in.

'About Dry Grasses' Review

At Cannes last year, I missed Nuri Bilge Ceylan's three-hour-plus About Dry Grasses, but I caught up with it by the end of the year. (In fact, it made my Top 10 of 2023.) The film's official release kicks off Friday. I think it's a major film: My Los Angeles Times review is here.

I Talked to 'Tenet' Fans

Four years ago, at the height of the pandemic, Christopher Nolan released Tenet. It wasn't as well-received as his other films, and for obvious reasons, it didn't do as well at the box office. This Friday, the movie returns to theaters. The people most excited about that fact are the folks online who have been beating the drum for this movie since 2020. For RogerEbert.com, I talked to five of the most vocal, learning who they are and what the film means to them. This ended up being sweeter and more poignant than I was expecting. Hope you enjoy.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Madame Web, Bob Marley, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

There's a wide range of characters in the three films we discuss on this week's podcast. You've got a reluctant superhero, a troubled reggae star, a conflicted sheriff and a brash outlaw. (Also, Bob Dylan.) Check out the full episode down below.

'Drive-Away Dolls' Review

Joel and Ethan Coen have been directing their own projects of late. Ethan's first narrative solo film is Drive-Away Dolls, which I know some people love. I ... did not. You can read my review here.

'Dune: Part Two' Review

I'm not sure I love Part Two as much as I loved Part One. But the new Dune is sure something. My review is up at Screen International.

My Interview With the Cast and Crew of 'Oppenheimer'

So, this was a massive undertaking, but I can't tell you how pleased I am with how it turned out. 

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been talking to different people in front of and behind the camera who were involved with Oppenheimer. Specifically, we've discussed Christopher Nolan's screenplay, which I've read and is a real wonder. Folks like Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr. gave me insights into how the script changed on set, and then Nolan and others shared tidbits regarding what was added and what was changed.

The design team did an incredible job with this piece -- hope you enjoy.

My Interview With Jimmy Kimmel

In a few weeks, he'll be hosting the Oscars. How is Jimmy Kimmel feeling? And is he serious about walking away from his talk show? I talked to the man for the Los Angeles Times.

My Interview With Dan Partland, Director of 'God & Country'

Dan Partland wants to sound the alarm on Christian Nationalism as the greatest threat to American democracy. He makes a convincing case with God & Country. I talked to him about preaching to the converted and the movement's obsession with a super-buff Jesus here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Suncoast' and 'Up in the Air'

Super Bowl Weekend tends to be a little barren at the multiplex. On this week's episode, Will and I both reviewed Suncoast and then I asked him about Lisa Frankenstein. Plus, we made one Reboot requester happy by taking a look back at Up in the Air. Did the movie hold up? Check out our thoughts below.

Linda Ronstadt - "Blue Bayou"

Have a nice long weekend, everybody.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Argylle,' 'How to Have Sex' and 'Ghost World'

Let the record show that we watched Argylle. And let the record also show we hated it. On the podcast, we review that stinker, but then we have a much better time discussing How to Have Sex, which I first saw at Cannes last year. Then, in our Reboot segment, we revisit Ghost World. Hope you enjoy.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: My Sundance Recap and 'The Man in the Moon'

I am so behind on posting about the podcast. When I got back from Sundance, Will and I discussed my favorites from the festival. Plus, Will had actually seen one of the films, A Real Pain, so we reviewed it together. Then, in our Reboot segment, we looked back at California Split and The Man in the Moon. Check it all out down below.

On Britney Spears' 'Crossroads,' 22 Years Later

On February 15, 2002, Crossroads came out. Lots of people made fun of it. 

Much has happened to Britney Spears since then. For years, her one and only movie has languished in obscurity, but it's recently enjoyed a resurgence. (In fact, it comes to Netflix today on its 22nd anniversary.) I wrote about the movie, and our shifting feelings about the pop singer, here.

Dakota Johnson, the Queen of Memes

Most agree that Madame Web is bad. So why does everyone still love Dakota Johnson? Because she has the superpower of being able to rise above the shoddy film that she's in and be a delightful public presence. For RogerEbert.com, I wrote about how her appeal transcends her movies. (Which is not to say she isn't a good actress, because she is.) Hope you enjoy.

What to Watch After 'The Greatest Night in Pop'

The "We Are the World" documentary has been a hit on Netflix. So which music documentaries should you check out next? I'm the man with the answers.

'Madame Web' Review

Is it as bad as the advance buzz suggests? No. Is it actually good? No.

For Screen International, here's my review of Madame Web.

My Interview With Edward Zwick

Edward Zwick has won an Oscar, directed epic dramas and created indelible television. And now, he's written a memoir. For RogerEbert.com, I had a long talk with him about Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions.

What's the Best Sports Comedy?

As I'm sure you know, this weekend is the Super Bowl. For Cracked, I did a deep dive into sports comedies, selecting the 40 best. Hope you enjoy.

'Bob Marley: One Love' Review

Bob Marley: One Love does the sort of thing I like in music biopics, looking at a specific period in an artist's life, not the whole life. So why doesn't it work? I offer some answers over at Screen International.

Dan le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip - "Thou Shalt Always Kill"

Sometimes the inside of my head sounds like this.

My Interview With the Team Behind 'The Taste of Things'

I saw The Taste of Things at its first press screening in Cannes, quite taken by its portrait of love and art. For the Los Angeles Times, I spoke with writer-director Tran Anh Hung and star Juliette Binoche (as well as co-star Benoit Magimel and Tran Nu Yen Khe, who is Hung's wife and creative partner) about what's going on beneath the gorgeousness of the culinary world the film depicts. Hope you enjoy.

(Photo by Yuri Hasegawa.)

My LAFCA Awards Presentation for Jonathan Glazer, Director of 'The Zone of Interest'

January was a whirlwind, so I'm only now posting this. It was my honor at this year's Los Angeles Film Critics Association awards banquet, held January 13th at the Biltmore in downtown, to present our Best Director prize. These were my remarks from the stage.

Much has been made of the fact that writer-director Jonathan Glazer spent 10 years working on The Zone of Interest. But I would argue that it feels like a lifetime has been poured into this astonishing film. A lifetime of artistic growth and soul searching. A lifetime of witnessing the horrors of history repeat. Glazer’s drama is set during the Holocaust but it speaks to the present — it is an achievement that required every part of him.

Over the span of four monumental films, Glazer has forged a career that defies easy categorization. But after The Zone of Interest, what is clear is that what connects these films is a man who wants us to see beyond what we are accustomed — to marvel or be terrified by the world that exists just below the surface. To look, unblinking, at what’s been there the whole time.

In The Zone of Interest, Glazer presents fascism as a family affair, complete with the idyllic home, the wife and kids, the prestigious job. We don’t simply watch Rudolf and Hedwig — we inspect them, their focus on status a nightmare mirror of our own petty cravings for comfort and security at the expense of others. Evil is not extraordinary, Glazer tells us — in fact, it’s frighteningly common, and we are all susceptible to the virus.

That’s why he agonized over his masterpiece. The preciseness of tone, the rejection of cliches, the formulation of an ingenious shooting style that indicts rather than glamorizes: It took sensitivity and anger and sorrow and courage. The Zone of Interest is a work of profound moral seriousness. It is also a work of art. It took him a lifetime — may we not take that long to heed its warnings or fully absorb its terrible power.

Please join me in congratulating our winner for Best Director, Mr. Jonathan Glazer.

You can read Glazer's acceptance speech here. The photo is by Matt Harbicht. The Zone of Interest also won Best Picture, which was richly deserved. All the LAFCA winners can be seen here. 

This was the first banquet for the organization I didn't help oversee since 2010, and the new exec board did a smashing job. I've moderated several Q&As with members of the Zone team, so the evening felt like a happy reunion with some good folks. Being able to introduce Susan to Celine Song, our New Generation recipient as writer-director of Past Lives, was another highlight. Susan loves The Zone of Interest and Past Lives as much as I do. (She got to tell Glazer something she's been telling me for a while, which is that Zone may be one of the greatest films she's ever seen. Susan also adores Under the Skin). So, yes, a special night for us both.

An Obsessive Compiling of the Funniest Moments From 'Groundhog Day'

 

On this day every year, lots of folks will watch the Bill Murray film. I wrote about Groundhog Day's most memorable scenes and lines.

Os Mutantes - "A Minha Menina"

This is a love song, I am told. Not fluent in Portuguese, I just think it sounds like summer.