'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Remembering Val Kilmer

 

Val Kilmer died on Tuesday at the age of 65. I went on Press Play to talk about his career and legacy, spending extra time focusing on his best performance, as Jim Morrison in The Doors. You can listen to my segment down below.

'Breakfast All Day': 'A Complete Unknown' Doesn't 'Walk Hard' Bob Dylan's Story

Very happy to be back with my buddy Christy Lemire to go deep on A Complete Unknown. One thing I definitely wanted to get into here: I love Walk Hard, but I'm tired of it being used as a de-facto way to critique every music biopic released in its wake. Check out our conversation below.

'A Complete Unknown' Review

I loved it. I explain why over at Screen International.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The Brutalist,' 'Maria' and 'September 5'

Ah, thank goodness for good-movie season. We have three award contenders on this week's episode. Which one is my favorite? Listen below.

Toronto 2024: 'Better Man' Review

At the Toronto premiere of his biopic Better Man, Robbie Williams came out before the movie and cheekily reminded the audience that, in the U.K., he was a pretty big deal. It is amusing that the film is playing here (and, previously, in Telluride) since he was never the sensation in North America that he was in his homeland. Nonetheless, I found plenty to enjoy in this candid, snarky, surprisingly audacious and moving film. My review is up over at Screen International.

Why Aren't More Biopics Like 'Man on the Moon'?

For its 25th anniversary, the Jim Carrey film screened at Ebertfest. I explained why it still matters here.

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.

'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.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Napoleon, Leonard Bernstein, Felicia Montealegre and 'Saltburn'

Three big prestige movies are reviewed on this episode. You can hear our takes on Napoleon, Maestro and Saltburn down below.

SXSW 2023: 'Flamin' Hot' Review

Richard Montanez claimed he came up with Flamin' Hot Cheetos while working as a janitor at Frito-Lay. (I say "claimed" because there's now some dispute about that.) For her feature directorial debut, Eva Longoria tells his story. Here's my review of Flamin' Hot.

'Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody' Review

Growing up, I didn't much care for Whitney Houston. My feelings have softened over the years, but even so, I don't think I Wanna Dance With Somebody is much of a biopic. My review is over at Screen International.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The Banshees of Inisherin,' 'Causeway' and "Weird Al" Yankovic

We're in agreement on all three movies this week, which I wasn't necessarily expecting. You can hear us dig into Oscar-contenders and bizarre biopics down below.

Hollywood's Take on Mike Tyson

Hulu's new series Mike is just the latest attempt to tell Iron Mike's story. Why do filmmakers so often get it wrong? I have some thoughts over at GQ.

Edinburgh 2022: 'Whina' Review

I was not familiar with Dame Whina Cooper before watching Whina, which tells her story. Dying at the age of 98, she spent her long life fighting for the rights of her fellow Maori in New Zealand, whose government marginalized and displaced its Indigenous population. My review is up at Screen International. 

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.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Disagreeing About 'Elvis'

On this week's episode, we review The Black Phone and Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe. But we differ on Baz Lurhmann's latest. Hear the whole thing down below.

'Elvis,' 'Amadeus' and Our Fascination With Greatness

Elvis is told from the perspective of Colonel Tom Parker, not Elvis Presley. That got me thinking about other films that use a similar technique, and what they say about our relationship with supernaturally talented individuals. My latest for MEL is here.

Cannes 2022: 'Elvis' Review

Whoops! Amidst all the Cannes runaround, I completely forgot to mention that I reviewed Elvis, which is very Baz Luhrmann-y, unfortunately. My review is up at Screen International. 

Cannes 2022: The Wrap-Up and the Rankings

An informal poll I conducted of colleagues who, like me, attended last year's pandemic-affected Cannes confirmed my suspicion: The 2021 installment was better than this one. Partly, it was the fact that there were fewer people around, making navigating the festival easier, and partly it was because the films were stronger. To be fair, the 2021 edition had, essentially, two years worth of movies to work from, which allowed for an extra helping of greatness. (Also, there were simply more films programmed in 2021 than this year.) But even so, 2022 yielded fewer terrific movies, although I am cognizant of having missed out on several pictures that were well-reviewed, including Aftersun, Corsage, Godland and The Blue Caftan. You spend 11 days watching movies, but there are still some you can't get to.

But if the highs of this year's slate weren't as high -- or as frequent -- then at least the lows weren't so low. Looking at my rankings, even the films at the very bottom of my list offered a few pleasures or some interesting ideas. There were no outright stinkers, and the truth is, I generally liked most of what I saw, even if my enthusiasm was often measured. That said, I know plenty of folks who strongly support Three Thousand Years of Longing, Elvis, Stars at Noon and Top Gun: Maverick, so my festival experience is no guarantee to have been anyone else's. That's part of the fun of being at Cannes.

So, without further ado, here are my rankings, including movies I'd seen prior to the festival. Links lead to individual reviews.

39. Three Thousand Years of Longing
38. Elvis
37. Stars at Noon
36. Father and Soldier
35. Remains of the Wind
34. Brother and Sister
33. The Innocent
32. Top Gun: Maverick
31. War Pony
30. Final Cut
29. Rebel
28. Mediterranean Fever
27. Our Brothers
26. Imagine
25. Funny Pages
24. Crimes of the Future
23. God's Creatures
22. Holy Spider
21. Smoking Causes Coughing
20. Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind
19. Tchaikovsky's Wife
18. The Silent Twins
17. Hunt
16. Plan 75
15. The Eight Mountains
14. Moonage Daydream
13. Armageddon Time
12. Decision to Leave
11. Leila's Brothers
10. Triangle of Sadness
9. Men
8. All That Breathes
7. Close
6. Broker
5. Tori and Lokita
4. EO
3. R.M.N.
2. Showing Up
1. One Fine Morning

(If you'd like to be additionally annoyed that I didn't care for Top Gun: Maverick, let me point you to this essay I wrote for MEL about my misgivings about Maverick as a character.)

For me, there were two true standouts, one I saw at the beginning of the festival and one I saw at the very end. One of the unfortunate themes of this year's Cannes was world-class directors bringing less-than-world-class films to the Croisette, with everyone from Claire Denis to David Cronenberg being accused of not living up to their previous high-water marks. (Of course, this take was subjective as well: I was quite taken with Broker, generally considered a letdown from former Palme d'Or-winner Hirokazu Kore-eda, and I deeply dug Tori and Lokita and R.M.N., which proved that, respectively, the Dardenne brothers and Cristian Mungiu still have plenty to say.) But One Fine Morning, Mia Hansen-Love's just plain lovely look at a widowed mother (Lea Seydoux, wonderful), and Kelly Reichardt's deceptively simple Showing Up were clear outliers, finding their makers doing some of the best work of their illustrious careers. The only reason I think Showing Up should win the Palme is because One Fine Morning was in Director's Fortnight, which keeps it out of the running. (Why it wasn't in the official competition, which slotted Hansen-Love's slightly-less-great Bergman Island last year, is a mystery to me.)

The other prevailing theme of the 2022 edition was the glut of good-enough films. Not bad, not amazing, just ... good. I suspect a second viewing will add dimension to Park Chan-wook's densely plotted Decision to Leave or may make me appreciate James Gray's Armageddon Time more. That's the hope, anyway: If this Cannes wasn't filled with stunners, the movies certainly didn't lack for ambition, and sometimes a fresh perspective away from the rush-around of a festival can help. Maybe just maybe I'll even come around on Stars at Noon. 

And now, here's where I indulge my annual tradition of incorrectly guessing what's going to win the Palme d'Or. It's impossible to know, of course, because the nine people who make up the competition jury will be giving out the prizes, and it's not like they're talking to anyone. But in terms of possible victors, Lukas Dhont's late-arriving Close, which just got picked up by A24, could be a consensus choice, emotional and heartfelt. If the jury wants to go in a more career-achievement direction, Cronenberg could walk away with the prize for his audacious (I'm not sure entirely successful) "return to form" Crimes of the Future. Nostalgia has been the best-reviewed of the competition films I haven't seen, and Armageddon Time got such a warm reception at its premiere, which featured Grey getting choked up about what the movie means to him, that I think it has a shot as well. 

But ultimately I see the Palme going to either Close or Decision to Leave, with my pick being the former. Park is a revered filmmaker, and Decision to Leave is a Hitchcockian thriller that's inspired plenty of comparisons to Vertigo. It's a work of consummate craftsmanship that deals in obsession, both familiar and challenging at the same time. But Close makes people cry. I'm gonna go with tears.

And if Showing Up should somehow win? Well, that loud noise you'll hear on Saturday is me turning on my phone when my plane lands and letting out a cheer when I see the news.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Uncharted,' 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and 'Ted K'

Three new movies, three thumbs-down. Some weeks are like that. You can hear the whole episode down below.