The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,' 'Him' and 'Predators'

Two not-good movies and one great movie are featured in this week's podcast. I stick up a little for Kogonada's latest, but the film to put on your radar is David Osit's superb documentary Predators. (As for Him, the less said the better.) Hear all our thoughts, and my reflections on the death of a friend, down below.

Toronto 2025: 'Ballad of a Small Player' Review

I figured I'd dig Ballad of a Small Player. A neo-noir set in Macau starring Colin Farrell as a mysterious gambler, the movie checks off lots of boxes for me. So what went wrong? I try to answer that over at Screen International.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: The New 'Transformers,' the 'Miami Vice' Movie and 'Tremors'

On this week's episode, we only reviewed one new film: Tranformers: Rise of the Beasts. Then, we did two Reboots: Michael Mann's big-screen take on Miami Vice and the 1990 horror-comedy Tremors. Those were far more rewarding than the robots. Check out the show below.

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.

Venice/Telluride/Toronto 2022: The Wrap-Up and the Rankings

Does it feel like awards season? Like it or not, we've entered fall, when the more serious, prestigious (or, at the very least, the ones that pretend to be prestigious) movies start taking center stage. And I was very happy to back in the thick of it: For the first time in three years, I attended the Toronto Film Festival, which along with Venice and Telluride kick-start the annual Oscar conversation. I had very much missed Toronto, and while it's premature to say that any festival is all the way "back" after the pandemic, TIFF did its best to create a reasonable facsimile of its pre-Covid editions.

But because Toronto doesn't encompass everything that screened at other fall fests, I decided to put together the below rankings by including movies I've seen that premiered at Toronto or Telluride or Venice. (To further complicate things, I opted not to rank any films screened in Toronto that had bowed at Cannes back in May. You can see my rankings for Cannes 2022 right here.)

There were several strong movies near the top of my list, and no clear-cut "best," but for No. 1, I went with a bit of a surprise. Coming out of Venice, the reviews for Joanna Hogg's continuation of The Souvenir were polite but not exactly rapturous. So imagine my shock when I attended a 9am press screening of The Eternal Daughter and was fairly knocked out. The less one knows about this third chapter the better, but suffice it to say Tilda Swinton is remarkable. In a fair world, she and Cate Blanchett would be battling it out for acting prizes this awards season. But in life as in the movies, "fair" rarely factors into the equation.

Links lead to individual reviews. And, yes, The Greatest Beer Run Ever is as awful as you've heard.

31. The Greatest Beer Run Ever
30. Don't Worry Darling
29. Dalíland
28. My Policeman
27. Wendell & Wild
26. Butcher's Crossing
25. Blueback
24. Catherine Called Birdy
23. My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock
22. Athena
21. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
20. Good Night Oppy
19. The Inspection
18. The Wonder
17. Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
16. A Compassionate Spy
15. The Woman King
14. Pearl
13. Bros
12. Other People's Children
11. Viking
10. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
9. Women Talking
8. Unruly
7. The Banshees of Inisherin
6. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
5. Saint Omer
4. Tár
3. No Bears
2. The Fabelmans
1. The Eternal Daughter

'Thirteen Lives' Review

It's been 27 years since Ron Howard made Apollo 13. He's back with a very different true-life rescue story in Thirteen Lives, about the 2018 Thai soccer team that was trapped in a cave. My review is up at Screen International.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: The Best Films of the First Half of 2022

There are several movies I wasn't able to catch in time for this week's episode, which I'm not happy about, but nonetheless: Will and I both list our six favorites of 2022 so far. Hope you enjoy.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The Batman,' 'After Yang,' 'Fresh'

 

Direct from True/False, I recorded this week's episode, where we both discussed the latest Batman and After Yang. Then, I asked Will some questions about Fresh. A good time was had by all. Check it out down below.

Cannes 2021: The Wrap-Up and the Rankings

For most of the year, I assumed I wouldn't be attending the 2021 edition of the Cannes Film Festival. Partly, that was because I figured there wasn't going to be a festival due to the ongoing pandemic. (And if it was held, the odds were good that American journalists wouldn't be allowed to travel to it.) Well, all that changed in late May, and quickly I found myself throwing together plans to fly to France, which included figuring out Covid protocols that seemingly changed on a daily basis -- not just for air travel but for the festival itself. I was hardly alone in feeling a little discombobulated: The other U.S. critics I knew who were going were all trying to decipher confusing and contradictory information, too.

But I made it, and I'm so glad I did. I haven't traveled to a film festival since Sundance 2020, and it's remarkable how quickly muscle memory kicked in. I joked over the last several months about being out of festival shape, which isn't so much about physical conditioning as it is the rush-rush-rush, grind-grind-grind of doing a festival on a daily basis, which requires a lot of patience, stamina and a willingness to be flexible. Considering we were taking part in an international event in the midst of a pandemic, not to mention enduring a new press ticketing system and an unpredictable Covid testing program, the ability to go with the flow was crucial. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Because this year's Cannes was super-sized, packed with more films than usual, it was inevitable that I wouldn't be able to see everything on my wish list. The 2021 edition may have featured more options, but there's still only a finite amount of time to see films, and with reviewing responsibilities taking priority, I had to make peace with the fact that I would have to let promising movies like Vortex, Petrov's Flu, The Velvet Underground, Ali & Ava and Paris, 13th District slip away. I'll get to them eventually. 

So, let's get to the rankings. Links lead to individual reviews....  

29. Flag Day
28. Where Is Anne Frank
27. Stillwater
26. The Stronghold
25. Nitram
24. Annette 
23. Benedetta
22. Supremes
21. The French Dispatch
20. Ahed's Knee
19. Everything Went Fine
18. Belle
17. Cow
16. Val
15. Deception
14. Titane
13. Murina
12. Compartment No. 6
11. Bergman Island
10. A Hero
9. The Story of Film: A New Generation
8. After Yang
7. Hit the Road
6. Drive My Car
5. The Souvenir Part II
4. The Year of the Everlasting Storm
3. Red Rocket
2. Memoria
1. The Worst Person in the World

As I was putting together my list, I knew what my top two would be, but not in what order. Festival rankings are always a bit arbitrary, and picking a favorite often comes down to deciding between two very different films, and different impulses. Apichatpong Weerasethakul's return to the Cannes official competition for the first time in 11 years is an absolute triumph: a big, bold artistic stunner. It's the kind of film that invites "Masterpiece" hosannas. On the other side, there's Joachim Trier's thoroughly lovely and wise story of turning 30 and trying to figure yourself out. Hardly as formally inventive and singular as Weerasethakul's landmark, The Worst Person in the World nonetheless moved me beyond words and, for this moment anyway, wins by a photo finish. But it's worth pointing out that my Cannes rankings tend to shift over time: In 2013, Blue Is the Warmest Color beat out Inside Llewyn Davis, and in 2019, I slotted The Lighthouse higher than Parasite. By the end of their respective years, those films' placement had flipped. I would not be surprised if Memoria eventually reigns supreme.

My own indecision reflects that of my peers. There was no clear-cut critical consensus, with a wide range of films enjoying their own niche of support. Some people raved about The French Dispatch. Benedetta, Annette and Titane had their passionate champions. Everyone generally really liked Drive My Car and A Hero. Outside of Flag Day, another absolute stinker from Sean Penn after his The Last Face face-planted at Cannes five years ago, critics tended not to be too hard on the Competition films. And even Penn's folly inspired a few rave reviews. 

What was largely not commented on, at least among the people I was with, was the fact that ... we were watching movies in theaters again. A lot of movies in theaters. After basically avoiding theaters for more than a year, I was inside them for the last week and a half. That return couldn't have started better than by seeing the latest installment in Mark Cousins' The Story of Film series, which is no doubt why Cannes programmed it to open the festival. If it's perhaps a little too self-conscious about reminding everyone that, yes, movies still matter, A New Generation is stuffed with clips of the best and brightest films from this century, including a list of helpful suggestions for under-the-radar titles worth seeking out. Soon that initial giddy buzz went away and we went back to the grind of covering a film festival, as always. But, my god, the fact that we were there at all was a miracle I don't think enough of us paused to acknowledge.

I have a spectacular failure rate when it comes to predicting what will win the Palme d'Or, so I'm tempted not to even make a guess. But I'm going with A Hero over Titane or Drive My Car. Asghar Farhadi has never won, so the jury (headed by Spike Lee) may decide he's due. Plus, the film is seen as a return to form for him after the disappointing Everybody Knows. It wouldn't shock me if Lee went for something a little stylistically bolder, but it's always a risk to assume that the movie that most resembles the jury president's M.O. will win. So let me put it this way: If he gives it to The Worst Person in the World or Memoria, you won't hear me complaining.

'Voyagers' Review

Lord of the Flies gets a sci-fi revamp in Voyagers, which finds a group of young twentysomethings aboard a spaceship heading toward a distant planet forced to form their own society once their elder leader dies. Is the movie derivative? Absolutely? Does it still work? Just barely. My review is up at Screen International.

'Ava' Review

Jessica Chastain kicks a lot of butt in the action-thriller Ava. But the movie is very not good.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Diane' Is Good, 'Dumbo' and 'The Beach Bum' Are Not

On this week's podcast, we review Dumbo, The Highwaymen and The Beach Bum. I also spend a little time talking about an actual good movie, Diane. Hear the whole thing down below.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Elephants, Stoners, Lawmen, 'Diane' and Agnes Varda

I was very happy to be with TCM's Alicia Malone on Press Play yesterday, especially because we talked a little about the passing of Agnes Varda. (Actually, Alicia took the lead, for obvious reasons.) Then we reviewed Dumbo, The Highwaymen, Diane and The Beach Bum. You can hear the whole thing here.

'Dumbo' Review

Like plenty of other Tim Burton protagonists, Dumbo is an outsider in a cruel world in Dumbo. There are a lot of fascinating components to this live-action film -- specifically, how it echoes themes from his earlier work -- but it's still a thumbs-down for me. My review is up at Screen International.

Some Thoughts on 'The Favourite'

To survive in a Yorgos Lanthimos movie, you can't have a heart. I talk about that, and The Favourite, over at MEL.

What's the Best Comedy of the 21st Century?

Rolling Stone tapped a group of talented writers, including yours truly, to write about the 21st century's 50 best comedies. I had no say over the rankings, but I was happy to discuss Shaun of the Dead, Step Brothers, Anchorman, The Lego Movie and The Lobster. You can read the whole list here.

Misleading Men: Colin Farrell

Colin Farrell is in the midst of a comeback, but perhaps you've heard that before. It seems like every other year, some media outlet will declare that this is the movie or this is the year where he finally becomes a superstar. Why do we keep doing this with him? I dig into that over at MEL.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Sacred Deer,' 'Wonderstruck' and 'The Fugitive'

This week's episode is jam-packed with films. First, Will and I dig into The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Then, I go solo on Wonderstruck and Only the Brave, two movies I liked for very different reasons. After that, I ask Will some questions about The Snowman, a film that seems too ridiculous to be believed. Finally, we revisit The Fugitive in our Reboot segment. I'll admit it: I've never loved that movie. You can hear the whole thing here.

'The Killing of a Sacred Deer' Review

I saw The Killing of a Sacred Deer at Cannes and said this:

KILLING OF A SACRED DEER: A Haneke plot and Kubrick style, it's not as thematically deft as his best films. Still, quite a show. #Cannes2017

— Tim Grierson (@TimGrierson) May 22, 2017

I've revisited the film to review for Paste, and I have to say: I feel about the same, although maybe a little more measured. I explain why right here.

Toronto 2017: The Wrap-Up and the Rankings

I am fearful that 2017 is going to be the year of the B+ for me. For most movies, a B+ is a very respectable grade, indicative of a film that's of fairly high quality. But a B+ is also the grade I assign films that aren't quite amazing, that don't quite wow me. Toronto had a lot of B+ movies, when I was really hoping for something more.

Will some of the movies on my ranked list end up getting a higher grade on second viewing? It's very possible. But I note that the top two films on my list came from earlier festivals. And I should also say that I'm excited to catch up with Bodied, Dark River, Downsizing, Ex Libris, Foxtrot, Sweet Country and I, Tonya down the road.

In the meantime, let's hear it for Lean on Pete, the third and best film yet from director Andrew Haigh. It's the Kelly Reichardt movie of the year: I saw shades of Meek's Cutoff, Wendy and Lucy, Night Moves and Certain Women in this beautiful, tough coming-of-age story. Sadly, it's not arriving in theaters until 2018. Regardless, put it on your radar.

45. Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! 
44. Three Christs
43. The Summit
42. Suburbicon
41. The Mountain Between Us 
40. Papillon
39. Redoubtable
38. 55 Steps
37. Marrowbone
36. 1%
35. Mom and Dad
34. Professor Marston & the Wonder Women 
33. Stronger
32. Roman J. Israel, Esq.
31. A Ciambra
30. In the Fade 
29. Unicorn Store
28. Chappaquiddick 
27. Thelma
26. Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
25. Caniba 
24. Novitiate
23. Battle of the Sexes
22. The Death of Stalin 
21. I Love You, Daddy
20. The Day After
19. The Rider
18. The Square
17. Beats Per Minute
16. First Reformed 
15. Lady Bird 
14. Mudbound
13. Zama
12. The Shape of Water
11. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
10. The Other Side of Hope
9. The Disaster Artist
8. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
7. The Florida Project
6. Happy End  
5. Brad's Status
4. mother!
3. Lean on Pete
2. Loveless
1. Call Me by Your Name