The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Will's Talking New Movies, I'm Talking Cannes

A unique episode this week: With me here in France, we decided to divide and conquer. Will reviewed If and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, while I recorded a segment in my apartment discussing some of the highlights from the first half of the Cannes Film Festival. (I also offered my quick thoughts on Kingdom.) Check it out down below.

The Comedies I'm Curious to See in 2024

Will IF stink? What's this movie about a unicorn? I have the answers for you.

When Young Actors Pivot to Dad Roles

The internet went into a tizzy about the fact that Zac Efron is now old enough to play a father in the new Firestarter. For all young actors, eventually you have to embrace adulthood and start portraying dads. For MEL, I looked at several of Efron's peers who got there before he did. Hope you enjoy.

What Is a "Male Savior" Movie?

You know those films where a guy has to protect someone: a boy, a pop star, the president? Well, I'm dubbing them "male savior" movies, and with a new one coming out this weekend (Sweet Girl), I thought I'd do a rundown of the many variations of the trope. Check it out over at MEL.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: The Best Films of 2021 (So Far) and My Cannes Preview

This episode is jam-packed with goodies. First, we each pick our six favorite movies from the first half of this year. (There are a few I haven't gotten to yet, sadly.) And then, I talk about a bunch of films I'm excited to see at Cannes. (I'm heading off tomorrow.) Hope you enjoy.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Sequels, Origin Stories and 'Plan B'

We tackled three new movies on this week's episode. We're both big fans of A Quiet Place Part II, we both disliked Cruella, and we both feel bad we didn't dig Plan B more. Hear the whole thing down below.

'A Quiet Place Part II' Review

Looking at the early reviews of A Quiet Place Part II, I'm apparently on the high side in terms of reactions. I think it's better than the original. You can read my review here.

Which Jack Ryan Is Right for You?

John Krasinski plays Jack Ryan in a new Amazon series, making him the fifth actor to take on the role. For MEL, I decided to do a little research to determine what your favorite Jack says about you. My findings are here.

Some Thoughts on 'A Quiet Place'

Over at MEL, I dig into A Quiet Place. Why are we obsessed with watching married couples play married couples? Why does the post-apocalyptic thriller always make life so terrible on the dad character? And what can other movies learn about the power of silence? Those thoughts and others are here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'A Quiet Place, 'Blockers,' 'You Were Never Really Here' and 'Lean on Pete'

On this week's episode, we review four new films. I like three of them. You can hear the whole thing down below.

'A Quiet Place' Review

I think A Quiet Place is very good. However ... I have one reservation. I talk about that over at Paste.

'The Office': Who's Had the Best Career Since the Show?

I'll be writing more about John Krasinski's A Quiet Place later this week. But for MEL, I decided to dig into the casts of both the U.K. and U.S. versions of The Office to see who's had the most successful career. Of course, "successful" is such a subjective term that it's impossible to measure these things with any scientific accuracy. But, on the other hand, that also makes exercises like this more interesting. You can read my rankings here.