'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': 'One Battle After Another,' 'Predators,' 'Eleanor the Great' and 'Dead of Winter'

Very happy to be on KCRW on such a big weekend for movies. Shawn Edwards and I reviewed two great films and two very forgettable ones. (The latter category includes the Emma Thompson action-thriller Dead of Winter.) You can hear our segment down below.

The Greatest Political Movies Ever

An election is upon us, so the fine folks at Rolling Stone put together a list of the best political movies, asking different writers to contribute to the final choices. I was very happy to talk a little about Secret Honor, Primary Colors, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ... and the movie that ended up at No. 1. Check it out.

Celebrating 20 Years of People Making Fun of That One Scene from 'Love Actually'

You know the scene. I wrote about the backlash to Love Actually's big romantic gesture over at Cracked.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Lightyear,' 'Spiderhead,' 'Leo Grande' and 'Cha Cha Real Smooth'

So many movies to go through on this week's episode! We've got animated blockbusters, quirky thrillers, a thoughtful character drama about sex, and Cooper Raiff's followup to Shithouse. Hear the whole thing down below.

Kenneth Branagh: From 'Henry V' to 'Belfast'

This Friday, the Oscar front-runner Belfast hits theaters. For MEL, I took the opportunity to reconsider Kenneth Branagh's career trajectory, starting with his splashy directorial debut, Henry V. Really enjoyed wrestling with the man's legacy. You can read my thoughts here.

'Cruella' Review

Cruella looks great. And Emma Stone is fun in it. Otherwise? It just feels like another needless prequel/reboot. My review is up at Screen International.