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.

'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Review

Wakanda Forever is unlike any Marvel movie, in large part because of the immeasurable loss of Chadwick Boseman. And while I admired much of it, I don't this sequel entirely works. Here's my Screen International review.

When the MCU Actors Weren't in the MCU

There's a whole crop of world-class actors starring in the Avengers films. But for MEL, I decided to spotlight their best non-MCU work. Take a look.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Ma Rainey, Reggae and 'Stardust'

All three of this week's movies have a musical connection. Hope you enjoy our reviews of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Lovers Rock and that terrible David Bowie biopic.

'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' Review

"Chadwick Boseman didn’t intend for his performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom to be his last. But everyone who watches the film will be thinking about the fact that it is."

I wrote about the film (and him) for MEL.

2020 Gotham Awards Nominees

I was very happy to be invited once again this year to serve on one of the Gotham Awards juries. I was part of the committee that picked the nominees for Best Actor and Best Actress, and I was joined by Mark Harris, Christy Lemire, Jessica Kiang and Robert Daniels. I was thrilled with our choices, and you can see them all here.

Wesley Snipes Gave the World Blade

This is a sad weekend because of the death of Chadwick Boseman. Several days ago, I wrote about Blade, which helped solidify Wesley Snipes' action-hero credentials, and in the research, I was reminded that he had initially tried to get a Black Panther movie going. So I'd been thinking about Boseman a bit this week. Anyway, for Syfy, I looked back at the legacy of Blade, which come out around this time 22 years ago. Hope you enjoy.

This Century's Finest African-American Genre Films

With it being February, and Black History Month, we decided to turn our attention to the best genre films from African-American directors. Check out the list over at SyFy.

The 2020 Movies That Aren't Based on Anything

No reboots. No sequels. No adaptations. For MEL, I previewed this year's most intriguing original films. Enjoy!

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Marriage Story,' 'Beautiful Day,' '21 Bridges' and 'Frozen II'

Will and I both review Marriage Story and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood on this week's podcast. Then I go solo on 21 Bridges and Frozen II. Also, our big Best of the Decade episode is coming soon. (Gulp.) Hear the whole show down below.

Some Thoughts on '21 Bridges'

Where do B-movies fit in the modern cinema landscape?

How many Manhattan bridges can you name?

And why do people get so annoyed when politicians eat pizza with a fork?

I answer those questions, and more, while writing about 21 Bridges for MEL.

'21 Bridges' Review

Chadwick Boseman needs to find himself some better material. For Screen International, I reviewed the so-so crime thriller 21 Bridges.

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.

The Best Black Superheroes

As Black History Month winds down, we salute the finest black superheroes. It's telling that, in Hollywood, it's taken a while for these characters to hit the big screen. But 2018 was a landmark year. Here are the five best.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Superheroes, Soccer and 'The Wanderers'

On the podcast, Will and I review Black Panther and Early Man. Then, for our Reboot segment, we look back at 1979's The Wanderers, which I hereby nickname Problematic: The Movie. You can hear the whole episode below.

Some Thoughts on 'Black Panther'

How do you pronounce T'Challa? How do you deal with online trolls trying to ruin a movie? And why did Black Panther remind me of growing up listening to hip-hop? All those questions are answered in my MEL piece.

'Black Panther' Review

Black Panther started generating plenty of buzz more than two weeks before its release. The review embargo lifted this morning; my thoughts on the latest Marvel movie are over at Screen International.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The Meyerowitz Stories,' 'Heathers' and More

On this week's episode, we dive into the latest from Noah Baumbach. Then, we spend a little time on Marshall and Professor Marston and the Wonder Women. And may I also recommend our Reboot segment, which is devoted to 1989's Heathers? You can hear the whole thing here.

'Marshall' Review

Marshall tells the story of a young Thurgood Marshall (played by Chadwick Boseman) in the early 1940s as he defends a black chauffeur accused of raping a white woman. The film is based on an actual case, but Marshall had a basic phoniness that bugged me. I get into it over at Paste.

2014 in Review: The Year's Best Forgotten Movie Performance

Back in August, it seemed like a no-brainer that Chadwick Boseman would be in the running for a Best Actor nomination for Get on Up. After all, actors playing musicians like Jamie Foxx (Ray) and Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line) had gotten attention from the Academy. Instead, Boseman's great turn as James Brown has all but been forgotten. I sing his praises in this piece for Deadspin, where Will and I both reveal our choices for the year's best forgotten performance.