2024 Gotham Awards Nominees

It has been an annual tradition I am very proud to be a part of. The folks at the Gotham Film & Media Institute invited me to once again join the committee that selects the nominees for the Gothams' acting categories. Alongside Monica Castillo, Robert Daniels, Tomris Laffly and Brian Tallerico, I helped pick this year's best Lead, Supporting and Breakthrough performances. You can see our choices here, along with the nominees in other categories.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Conclaves, Symbiotes and the Presidential Election

Will wanted to try a little something different for this episode, the last one we'll record before the presidential election. We did our usual movie-reviewing thing, discussing Conclave and Venom: The Last Dance, but for the final segment, we had an off-the-cuff conversation about how we're feeling with the election right around the corner. I hadn't planned anything in advance, neither had Will, so we just talked some things out. Will others get anything out of it? I honestly don't know. You can hear the entire episode down below.

AFI Fest 2024: 'Juror #2' Review

Clint Eastwood is 94 years old, and he's still making movies. Good movies. For Screen International, I reviewed Juror #2.

AFI Fest 2024: 'Here' Review

Robert Zemeckis' last two films were abominations. So I'm happy to say that Here is a step up, utilizing an intriguing formal conceit to look at a group of people over centuries who all live on the same spot of land in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the director's worst tendencies betray him. My review is up at Screen International.

'The Colin McEnroe Show': Talking About 'The Sixth Sense'

As you probably know, Halloween is just around the corner. The fine folks at The Colin McEnroe Show invited me to be on this week for an episode devoted to horror. I talked about the 25th anniversary of The Sixth Sense and my piece in the Los Angeles Times. You can hear the whole episode down below. (I come on at about the 35:10 mark.)

Matthew Sweet - "Hide"

Get well soon, Matthew Sweet. Thinking of you while playing a song from your most underappreciated album, In Reverse.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Rumours,' 'Woman of the Hour' and 'Brothers'

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times on the podcast this week. We both really liked Anna Kendrick's directorial debut but, boy oh boy, did we despise the anemic crime comedy from Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage. Somewhere in the middle was Rumours. Hear our reviews down below.

'Venom: The Last Dance' Review

Is this the last Venom film? Sure seems like it. Is it the best of the bunch? My review is live over at Screen International.

The Greatest Political Movies Ever

An election is upon us, so the fine folks at Rolling Stone put together a list of the best political movies, asking different writers to contribute to the final choices. I was very happy to talk a little about Secret Honor, Primary Colors, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ... and the movie that ended up at No. 1. Check it out.

IDA: My Conversation With Ibrahim Nash'at, Director of 'Hollywoodgate'

Earlier in the year, I spoke with documentary filmmaker Ibrahim Nash'at, who spent a year embedded with the Taliban in Afghanistan right after U.S. forces left the country. The result of that was Hollywoodgate. I was happy recently to be asked by IDA to do a video chat with Nash'at, which allowed us to expand on that earlier conversation. We talked about war and Wiseman. Hope you enjoy.

Rosie Lowe - "Mood to Make Love"

Want some dreamy indie vibes? I got ya.

'Smile 2' Review

I really liked the first Smile. But this new one? It never finds the right rhythm. My review is up at Screen International.

My Interview With Sean Baker, Writer-Director of 'Anora'

Sean Baker is such a fan of indie theaters, I had a thought: Why not interview him at one for the Los Angeles Times? That's how I found myself at Gardena Cinema for the first time. He and I chatted about strip clubs, film school, sex workers, panic attacks and winning the Palme d'Or for Anora. (I also talked to three actors who have worked with him -- Mikey Madison, Simon Rex and Brooklynn Prince -- to get a sense of what he's like as a director.) Needless to say, I was very pleased with how this turned out. Hope you enjoy. 

(Photo by Carlin Stiehl.)

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Saturday Night,' 'The Apprentice' and 'La Haine'

How did Saturday Night Live become Saturday Night Live? How did Donald Trump turn into Donald Trump? Two movies try to answer those questions, and we reviewed them both on the podcast this week. Then, in our Reboot segment, we look back at 1995's La Haine. Hear the whole thing down below.

No Doubt - "Hella Good"

The only No Doubt song I ever really liked was this Rock Steady single. "Hella Good" has been in my life a lot lately as it's featured prominently in Piece by Piece and it's used in the promos for High Potential. So here you go.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Joker 2,' 'Will & Harper' and 'The Dead'

No surprise that we didn't like the Joker sequel, although it inspired some interesting conversation. On this week's episode, we also discussed the well-intentioned but flawed Netflix documentary Will & Harper and went back to 1987 to assess John Huston's The Dead. Hear the whole thing down below.

'Piece by Piece' Review

Pharrell Williams and Morgan Neville had an unconventional idea for a documentary about the superstar producer: Why not do it all in Lego animation? 

Does that strategy pay off? Here's my review of Piece by Piece.

Hamburg 2024: 'Pooja, Sir' Review

In Pooja, Sir, director Deepak Rauniyar draws from actual events to tell the story of a Nepalese detective (played by his wife Asha Magrati) tasked with finding two missing boys, discovering in the process the deep divisions within the country's different ethnic groups. I reviewed this somber thriller for Screen International.

A History of the Joker Being Funny (or Not)

In honor of Joker: Folie à Deux, I wrote a little something for Cracked about the Clown Prince of Crime. Specifically, I tried to answer this question: Is the Joker actually a funny supervillain? Hope you enjoy.

Kris Kristofferson - "For the Good Times"

There's no need to watch the bridges that we're burning.