The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Stop Making Sense,' 'Expend4bles' and 'Team America: World Police'

One of the greatest movies of all time leads this week's episode. We had a long, fun talk about Stop Making Sense, which is back in theaters. Then, we discuss Sylvester Stallone and puppets. Hope you enjoy.

Venice/Telluride/Toronto 2023: The Wrap-Up and the Rankings

Last week when I was at TIFF, I got an email from a friend back in Los Angeles: "I heard Toronto this year hasn't been stellar, but still hope you are having a good time." News travels fast: Indeed, the consensus was that the 48th edition of the festival was not particularly strong, with people blaming different factors. Was it the double strike? Was it that so many of the high-profile Venice entries didn't screen there? Was it that the Toronto world premieres were fairly lackluster? 

I'd say all three were contributing factors. I've been attending TIFF for about 15 years now, give or take a pandemic, and this was the first time that it didn't feel like one-stop shopping for the fall film festivals. All of Us Strangers, The Bikeriders, The Killer, Maestro, The Mission, Poor Things and Priscilla all either played Venice or Telluride (or both) but skipped Toronto. I was lucky enough to see the Telluride premiere Janet Planet ahead of time, and the Venice premiere Gasoline Rainbow, but much of my week in Toronto was spent hearing people lament what wasn't there -- especially after Yorgos Lanthimos' film won the Golden Lion at Venice. 

Still, you're not going to hear me complain. Going to a festival is a privilege, and I'll eventually get to all of the above-mentioned films, as well as others I couldn't fit into my schedule. Plus, it's not as if there weren't great movies to choose from. The below list reflects my rankings of every film that screened at Venice, Telluride or Toronto that I saw, either during the fall or previously. (As usual, choice Sundance, Berlin and Cannes titles show up as well.) Looking down the list, I'd say roughly 80 percent of these films I would categorize as at least "good" or "good enough." And more than half gave me considerable pleasure. As for the Top 10, well, those are absolute keepers, and so are several after that. However you slice it, plenty of excellent films are on our way soon.

A couple caveats about these rankings. I decided to leave off Reality, which played in Telluride, since that's already opened. I also opted not to rank Stop Making Sense, which I already adore beyond all measure, and whose IMAX restoration screening at TIFF only underlined its brilliance. It occurred to me afterward that I caught the Talking Heads concert film in the same IMAX venue that I saw Justin Timberlake + the Tennessee Kids back in 2016. As if I needed more reason to miss Jonathan Demme.

Links lead to individual reviews:

50. Riddle of Fire
49. The Teacher
48. Reptile
47. Pain Hustlers
46. Quiz Lady
45. Pet Shop Days
44. Mother, Couch
43. The Critic
42. Dear Jassi
41. Dicks: The Musical
40. Perfect Days
39. Les Indésirables
38. El Conde
37. Rustin
36. Seven Veils
35. An Endless Sunday
34. Last Summer
33. Cassandro
32. Dumb Money
31. Fingernails
30. Sleep
29. Fair Play
28. In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon
27. American Fiction
26. La Chimera
25. Monster
24. Fallen Leaves
23. Shayda
22. Hit Man
21. The Pigeon Tunnel
20. The Teachers' Lounge
19. Gasoline Rainbow
18. How to Have Sex
17. The Royal Hotel
16. Robot Dreams
15. Together 99
14. The Holdovers
13. Menus-Plaisirs Les Troisgros
12. Anatomy of a Fall
11. The Delinquents
10. The Taste of Things
9. The Boy and the Heron
8. The Beast
7. Evil Does Not Exist
6. Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World
5. Here
4. Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
3. His Three Daughters
2. Janet Planet
1. The Zone of Interest

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Renfield,' 'De Humani Corporis Fabrica' and 'Something Wild'

One bad new movie and one good new movie are featured on this week's podcast. We both raved about De Humani Corporis Fabrica, and then in our Reboot segment we rhapsodized about Something Wild. Sure made up for suffering though Renfield. Hear the whole thing down below.

Let's Rank Jodie Foster's Movies

In honor of The Mauritanian, her first film in several years, we take a look back at Jodie Foster's acting career. What's her best performance? Our pick is over at Vulture.

The Horror Movies That Academy Voters Loved

Horror films tend not to get much attention at the Oscars. But there are some worthy exceptions. For this week's Debate Club, we look at five great examples of horror movies that audiences and Academy members both dug. You can read our write-up over at SyFy.

In Praise of 'Rachel Getting Married'

For MEL, I wrote about a Jonathan Demme movie that didn't get as much ink today as some of his acknowledged masterpieces. That would be Rachel Getting Married, which helped solidify Anne Hathaway's emergence as a serious actress. It's also another example of a film full of Demme's compassionate view of people. You can read my appreciation here.

(P.S. If you need more Demme recommendations, I contributed to Rolling Stone's overview of his all-time greats.)

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Saying Goodbye to Jonathan Demme

I was very pleased to be asked to appear on Press Play to talk about Jonathan Demme's legacy. I did my best to talk about such a varied, meaningful career. You can hear the segment here.

Remembering Jonathan Demme, the King of the Concert Film

Jonathan Demme passed away today at the age of 73. For Rolling Stone, I focused on a crucial aspect of his career: his concert films. Of course, that means a lot of love is shown to Stop Making Sense, but I also talk about his Neil Young movies and Justin Timberlake+ the Tennessee Kids. It's an incredible legacy, and I try to do it justice here.

Talking Heads - "Making Flippy Floppy" (from 'Stop Making Sense')

Our president's crazy 
Did you hear what he said?

Toronto 2016: Ranking the Best and the Worst

Among other things, what the 2016 installment of the Toronto Film Festival demonstrated convincingly is that this has been a fabulous year for movies. Combining the best of Sundance, Berlin and Cannes -- as well as the gems of Venice and Telluride -- this Toronto ought to kill any notion that we're not living in a great time for film.

There were films I missed -- Arrival, Frantz, Fire at Sea, Nocturnal Animals, etc. -- but the below ranking is pretty stacked even without those omissions. What's clear is that I'm going to have a hell of a time coming up with a Top 10 in a couple months. There will be at least two or three really great movies that will miss the cut.

One last thing: If I'd seen the whole thing, I would have included Justin Timberlake + the Tennessee Kids on my list. Directed by Jonathan Demme, it's a revelatory concert film from the guy who made the greatest of all time. I'm hoping I'll have a chance to write more about it later. For now, though, here are my rankings, with links leading to individual reviews.

1. American Honey
2. Paterson
3. Moonlight
4. La La Land
5. Jackie
6. Christine
7. Graduation
8. Toni Erdmann
9. Elle
10. Certain Women
11. Things to Come
12. Personal Shopper
13. Manchester by the Sea
14. Ma’ Rosa
15. The Unknown Girl
16. Sieranevada
17. Neruda
18. Safari
19. Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer
20. Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
21. The Salesman
22. Aquarius
23. Lion
24. I, Daniel Blake
25. The Birth of a Nation
26. My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea
27. Free Fire
28. The Cinema Travellers
29. Mascots
30. Blair Witch
31. American Pastoral
32. Maudie
33. Loving
34. The Edge of Seventeen
35. Barry
36. Wakefield
37. Snowden
38. LBJ
39. The Levelling
40. Blue Jay
41. The Magnificent Seven
42. Queen of Katwe
43. The Exception
44. The Promise
45. The Bad Batch
46. Dog Eat Dog
47. Daguerrotype
48. It’s Only the End of the World
49. (Re)Assignment

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Cannes, Jonathan Demme and James Bond

Over at The New Republic, Will and I devote our latest episode of the podcast to the Cannes Film Festival. (We taped it before I left for France.) And we go back in time to rewatch Married to the Mob (which isn't very good) and Casino Royale (which, happily, still is). Hope you enjoy.

'Ricki and the Flash' Review

Meryl Streep is one the best parts -- but not the only good part -- of Ricki and the Flash, which is slight but still pretty profound in its own minor way. I reviewed the movie for Deadspin. (Oh, and this isn't the only Meryl Streep item coming from me this week.)

All Hail Neil Young

This weekend, Neil Young Journeys opens. It's the third and final film in director Jonathan Demme's trilogy of concert films about the singer-songwriter. Like the previous two installments, it's great. For IFC Fix, I wrote about the lasting legacy of these three fine films. You can read it here.