The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The End of Oak Street,' 'Amziah King' and 'Union County'

Listeners sometimes complain that Will and I agree too often. Well, those who feel that way will be pleased with this week's episode, where we really disagree on the dinosaur thriller The End of Oak Street. We are more aligned, however, on The Rivals of Amziah King and Union County. Hear us debate down below.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Let's Talk About 'The Odyssey' (and 'Office Space')

Will and I go long on Christopher Nolan's epic film. And then we go back to 1999 to revisit Mike Judge's Office Space. You can hear our discussion down below.

'The Odyssey' Review

The wait is over: Here's my review of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey for Screen International. 

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The Devil Wears Prada 2,' 'Hokum' and 'Animal Farm'

As luck would have it, I didn't actually write about any of the three films we reviewed this week on the podcast. So you can hear me express my disappointment in the Devil Wears Prada sequel, praise Adam Scott in Hokum and shake my head at the animated Animal Farm. The full episode is below:

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Michael,' 'Mother Mary' and 'Over Your Dead Body'

Two very different musicians are featured in new movies in this week's episode. And we also look at Jorma Taccone's Over Your Dead Body. Which film did we disagree on? You'll have to listen to find out.

'Mother Mary' and Male Filmmakers' Fascination With Female Pop Stars

David Lowery's Mother Mary is just the latest film about a female superstar in peril. Why do male directors love making these movies? I have some theories.

What's the Best Fourth of July Release This Century?

I offer a Top 10 here.

My Interview With Rebecca Miller, Writer-Director of 'She Came to Me'

As part of the Los Angeles Times fall film preview, I spoke with Rebecca Miller, whose new movie is a comedy. This may surprise people who know her most from dramas like Personal Velocity and The Ballad of Jack and Rose. But in recent years, she has found herself thinking more about embracing the lighter side of life. We talked about that, and a lot of other things. You can read my profile here.

What's the Funniest Movie to Open Over Fourth of July?

This time of year, the multiplex is ruled by action movies. But every once in a while, we get a great comedy. I looked back at a few for Cracked.

Sundance 2023: Ranking the Best and Worst of the Festival

Sundance 2020 was one of the last in-person film events before the pandemic changed everything, so there was a symbolic importance for me to return to Park City this year. It had been three years, and some things had changed, including the massively built-up Salt Lake City airport, which wasn't there in 2020. But the snow and the mountains and the general atmosphere of newness -- a new year with new movies, often made by new filmmakers -- hadn't.

Writing full reviews during a festival tends to lower your overall intake of movies, but I was grateful to avoid any outright stinkers. (Even the films ranked lowest on my list had their pleasures.) But there were plenty of movies I didn't have a chance to get to, which is always a bummer. But even if I'd seen twice as many, I doubt any would have been as beautiful as Past Lives, writer-director Celine Song's killer debut about soulmates, fate and romantic compromise. Greta Lee, Teo Yoo and John Magaro are all superb. It will truly be an amazing film year if it doesn't make my end-of-the-year Top 10. (Kudos to my No. 2 of the festival as well: writer-director Raven Jackson's lyrical debut All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, pictured above.)

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

25. Theater Camp
24. Blueback
23. Radical
22. Jamojaya
21. Infinity Pool
20. The Stroll
19. Polite Society
18. Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
17. A Thousand and One
16. Magazine Dreams
15. Fair Play
14. Cat Person
13. Judy Blume Forever
12. Shortcomings
11. The Eight Mountains
10. Other People's Children
9. Earth Mama
8. The Starling Girl
7. Shayda
6. You Hurt My Feelings
5. A Still Small Voice
4. Eileen
3. Passages
2. All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
1. Past Lives

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Wakanda Forever,' 'Armageddon Time' and 'Spirited'

I liked two out of the three movies we reviewed this past week. Can you guess which one I didn't care for? You can hear the whole thing down below.

Cannes 2022: 'Armageddon Time' Review

James Gray returns to Cannes for the first time since The Immigrant. Here's my review of Armageddon Time.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Reviews of 'The Lockdown,' 'The Dig' and 'American Skin'

Welcome to our first podcast of the new year. We've got reviews of three new movies, as well as some thoughts about the Capitol riot and Twitter dummies. Hope you enjoy.

'Locked Down' Review

Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor are a London couple who were thinking of ending things. Then came the pandemic. Locked Down is a film that examines what happens when a relationship comes to a close but you're stuck living together. (Also, there's a heist.) I reviewed the film for Screen International.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Sacha Baron Cohen, Robert Zemeckis and 'Bad Hair'

On this week's episode, we review films currently available on Amazon, HBO Max and Hulu. (How many people have all three services?) You can hear all our takes down below.

'Roald Dahl's The Witches' Review

The remake of The Witches might be the most generic film that Robert Zemeckis has ever made. So impersonal, so lazy, such a waste. I reviewed the HBO Max movie for Screen International.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Looking Back at '25th Hour' and 'Galaxy Quest'

I'm at Sundance. Will is home. So for this week's episode, I asked him a little about Serenity. Then we did two Reboot films: 25th Hour and Galaxy Quest. Hope you enjoy.

Some Thoughts on 'Ocean's 8'

For MEL, I dove deep on Ocean's 8, focusing on why I think the movie didn't suffer the same fate as the all-female Ghostbusters. I also have some thoughts about Anne Hathaway and George Clooney. You can read the whole thing here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Ocean's 8,' 'Hereditary,' 'Won't You Be My Neighbor?' and 'Before Sunset'

On this week's episode, we talk about three new movies: the ones with the women pulling a heist, the one with the woman whose house may be haunted, and the one about the kindly television host. Then, in our Reboot segment, we look back at Before Sunset. Up next week: Before Midnight. You can hear the whole show below.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Heists, Horror and 'Artemis Hotel'

I always have a lovely time hanging out with Madeleine. Today, April Wolfe and I were on KCRW to review Ocean's 8, Hereditary and Artemis Hotel. You can hear the whole thing here.