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.

The Best Films About America

Rolling Stone put together a list of movies that have encapsulated America over the last 50 years. I didn't have a say in the rankings, but I was asked to write the capsules for Selma, Moonlight, O.J.: Made in America, Safe, Taxi Driver and Wendy and Lucy. A pleasure to write about such mighty films. The whole list is here.

Some Thoughts on 'Avengers: Endgame'

I like Avengers: Endgame, but I don't like how it deals with death. Or, rather, how it doesn't deal with death. I wrote about that for MEL, but I also dig into Marvel's unsuccessful history of approaching some directors, why Endgame doesn't have an intermission, and which people on the internet actually correctly predicted the film's ending. (Spoilers, obviously.) Hope you enjoy.

Some Thoughts on 'A Wrinkle in Time'

A Wrinkle in Time has been knocked around by critics. I stood up for it over at MEL, explaining where it fits into cinema's proud tradition of weird kids' movies. I also talk about God, Chris Pine and Middle of Nowhere. Check out my random thoughts here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The Boondock Saints' Is Terrible

On this week's episode, we review A Wrinkle in Time, Gringo and The Death of Stalin. (I promise to catch up with Thoroughbreds soon.) And in our Reboot segment, we look back at The Boondock Saints, which I never saw back in the day. I did, however, live through the time and place of its inception. You can hear the whole thing down below.

'A Wrinkle in Time' Review

Somehow, I got through my childhood never reading Madeleine L’Engle's award-winning book. Despite that (or maybe because of that), I liked Ava DuVernay's adaptation. I found it quite touching in its championing of goodness. My review of A Wrinkle in Time is now live at Screen International.

'Selma' Review

For Deadspin, I reviewed Selma, which recounts Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 1965 attempt to organize a peaceful march from Selma to Birmingham to raise awareness for voting equality. It's a strong, solid drama that has its shortcomings. But my review ponders whether such nitpicking matters in the face of American history: both 50 years ago and right now. You can read my piece here.

Back Stage: A Very Good Movie Weekend, Including 'Middle of Nowhere'

This week's Back Stage column is full of choice offerings, and I'm not just saying that because four of the six films I reviewed are at least partly set in Los Angeles. Argo is solidly entertaining, but I also got a big kick out of Seven Psychopaths and Smashed. (Even Here Comes the Boom is better than expected.) But I'd like to draw your attention to the low-budget gem Middle of Nowhere. It's probably the lowest-profile film in this week's column, but it may be the best of the bunch. Read on for more info.