Dakota Johnson, the Queen of Memes

Most agree that Madame Web is bad. So why does everyone still love Dakota Johnson? Because she has the superpower of being able to rise above the shoddy film that she's in and be a delightful public presence. For RogerEbert.com, I wrote about how her appeal transcends her movies. (Which is not to say she isn't a good actress, because she is.) Hope you enjoy.

Some Thoughts on 'Fifty Shades Freed'

Fifty Shades Freed was the first of the series that I didn't review for Screen International. (Alas, the premiere was out of Paris this year, not Los Angeles.) But for MEL, I decided to share some thoughts about the final film in the trilogy, including why straight guys ought to give these movies some consideration. Check out all my observations right here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Cloverfield' in Space, 'Fifty Shades' Ends and 'Baby Doll'

On this week's episode, Will tells me all about The Cloverfield Paradox, which doubles as a conversation regarding how we're gonna handle Netflix films on the show going forward. Then, he and I dig into Fifty Shades Freed and The 15:17 to Paris. Finally, for our Reboot segment, we discuss Elia Kazan's controversial 1958 film Baby Doll. Lots to enjoy, and you can hear the whole thing below.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Legos, BDSM and 'John Wick: Chapter 2'

I was on KCRW today to talk about this weekend's big releases: The Lego Batman Movie, John Wick: Chapter 2 and Fifty Shades Darker. Alicia Malone was also on with me, and she dives into A United Kingdom and Stray Bullets. It was a fine time. Check it out here.

'Fifty Shades Darker' Review

I didn't mind Fifty Shades of Grey, so I was curious about the sequel. Well, if the first film was sexy and silly, this one is a little-less sexy and a lot sillier. Poor director James Foley ... this is the man who once brought Glengarry Glen Ross to the big screen. My review of Fifty Shades Darker is up at Screen International.

'Fifty Shades of Grey' Review

When I told people I was going to be seeing Fifty Shades of Grey, I got a surprising amount of responses that ranged from "Oh god, why?" to "Well, good luck with that" to "Yeah, that's not my kind of thing." Putting aside for a moment the fact that I saw the film because, you know, it's my job, I was shocked how quick some folks were to assume that the movie would be bad. I then, of course, wondered how many people would be furious if a critic went into a movie with such strong preconceived notions. This is an occupational pet peeve of mine: Readers expect us to be open-minded (which I work very hard to be) but don't apply the same standard to themselves for films they assume aren't worth their time.

So, with that said, let me tell you that I found Fifty Shades of Grey to be fascinating -- and I don't mean that in a coy, condescending way. That rare Hollywood movie that deals (somewhat) seriously with its characters' sexual life, Fifty Shades stands alone among the studio blockbusters. (It's also just about the only "event movie" based around a love story in recent times.) There is much to discuss about this flawed, ultimately satisfying film, and I go into all of it in my Screen International review.