'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' Review

Michael Bay didn't direct this one, at least. For Screen International, I reviewed the seventh installment in the Transformers franchise, Rise of the Beasts.

Happy 10th Anniversary, 'Pain & Gain'

Michael Bay's Pain & Gain came out April 26, 2013. Today, I talked about its legacy -- and whether even Bay entirely understands what his satire of American excess is about. Hope you enjoy.

So, Who Directed the 'Lightyear' Movie Back in the 1990s?

Angus MacLane is the director (and co-writer) of Lightyear. But because the movie is supposed to be something that Toy Story's Andy watched back in the mid-1990s, that means someone else actually made the thing. So which filmmaker of that era would have most likely been the guy? For MEL, I came up with 10 possible choices, but I think my No. 1 pick is correct. Hope you enjoy.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: The Wizarding World, Bayhem and 'Cow'

After taking a week off, we're back with reviews of three new movies. We weren't fans of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, but we both liked Ambulance and Andrea Arnold's latest, which is her first documentary. 

Hear the whole thing down below.

'Breakfast All Day': Let's Talk About 'Ambulance'

I haven't done Breakfast All Day in a while, so it was fun to be on with Christy Lemire to talk about Michael Bay's latest. (By the way, if you want to hear a longer Ambulance discussion, you can check that out here.)

Is the Michael Bay Renaissance Upon Us?

Let's not get crazy. But I do think critics are starting to come around on the Transformers auteur, and Ambulance has a lot to do with it. For MEL, I wrote about what a strange turn of events this is.

'Ambulance' Review

Sue me, I liked a Michael Bay movie, despite some major reservations. Here's my review of Ambulance.

The Sequels That Destroyed Their Franchises

Hollywood will just keep pumping out sequels until audiences have had enough. For this week's edition of my MEL Ultimate Summer Movie Guide, I paid tribute to the franchise installments that turned viewers off, sometimes for good. Hope you enjoy.

I Come to Bury Skids and Mudflap

Michael Bay wanted to create some hip, cool robots to be the comic relief in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. He wanted them to appeal to kids. Instead, he hatched some horribly racist Black caricatures. For MEL, I look back at the ugly legacy of Skids and Mudflap.

The Best Buddy-Cop Movies

Wow, this is shocking: I realized I never mentioned that, back in August, Will and I ranked the finest buddy-cop movies ever made. You can see that over at Vulture.

My Interview With Ben Hardy

The Face asked me if I'd be interested in spending time with Ben Hardy, who played Roger Taylor in Bohemian Rhapsody. He's now part of the ensemble of Michael Bay's 6 Underground. I wasn't able to see the film in time for our chat, but we had a fine time regardless. Read my profile here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Judy,' 'Bad Boys II' and 'Passing Strange'

It was the best of times and the worst of times on the podcast this week. First, we review the perfectly solid Judy. But in our Reboot section, we rip Bad Boys II and rhapsodize about Passing Strange. Hear the whole thing below.

Some Thoughts on 'Bumblebee'

Why is Optimus Prime lame now? How happy are people that Michael Bay didn't direct the new Transformers film? And what's up with "The Touch"? I answer those questions, and more, for MEL.

What I Learned at the Movies This Summer

For Rolling Stone, I put together a little report of the lessons learned from this summer's box office. For example, people will go see Christopher Nolan movies. Also, people will go see movies with women in them. And although people in the U.S. may not care about Transformers sequels, the rest of the world still does. You can read the whole thing here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Talking Pixar, 'Armageddon' and 'Road to Perdition'

In the latest installment of our New Republic podcast, Will and I review Finding Dory. (I like it more than he does.) And we turn our attention to one of the quintessential summer movies, Armageddon, as well as Road to Perdition, which also came out during the summer. You can hear the whole thing here.

'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows' Review

The new Turtles movie is less horrendous than the last one. In fact, I actually caught myself enjoying Out of the Shadows on occasion. Not enough to recommend, mind you, but enough to at least appreciate what new director Dave Green brings to the proceedings. My review is live at Screen International.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Talking Michael Bay and the Oscars

As part of our move to The New Republic, Will and I will be doing a podcast. The first episode is up live now: We dig into 13 Hours and take another look at those Oscar nominations. Hope you enjoy what you hear.

'13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi' Review

I'll say this about 13 Hours: I think it contains some of the most visceral filmmaking Michael Bay has ever achieved. But, you know how it is -- eventually, people in his movie start to talk, and then he starts doing the nonsense in his films that always drives you nuts. I think this could be a pretty big hit, though. My review is up at Popular Mechanics.

'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Review

The worry about rebooting a beloved property is that the filmmakers will misplace the material's charm in the process. I'm not sure if anyone would call the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "beloved," but an argument can be made that there was a sweetness to the characters underneath the martial arts shenanigans. Produced by Michael Bay, the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a dark rethinking of the franchise -- there's even a Dark Knight joke, har har har -- and, boy, is it a bummer. My review is up at Screen International.

'Transformers: Age of Extinction' Review

Mark Wahlberg is an upgrade over Shia LaBeouf, and Age of Extinction was the Transformers movie I've liked best. But, really, none of that matters: This sequel stinks. My review is up at Deadspin.