The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Michael,' 'Mother Mary' and 'Over Your Dead Body'

Two very different musicians are featured in new movies in this week's episode. And we also look at Jorma Taccone's Over Your Dead Body. Which film did we disagree on? You'll have to listen to find out.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Michael Jackson, 'Blue Heron' and 'I Swear'

I was back on Press Play, this time alongside Christy Lemire, to discuss a variety of new movies. We've got biopics: Michael and I Swear. We've got violent dark comedies: Over Your Dead Body. And we've got the critically acclaimed indie Blue Heron. You can hear our thoughts down below.

'Michael' Review

Sight unseen, there were reasons to dread Michael. And, indeed, the movie is a stinker, both in terms of what it shows and what it leaves out about Michael Jackson's life. My review is up at Screen International. 

The Legacy of 'Leaving Neverland'

It has now been seven years since I saw Leaving Neverland. I've never forgotten it. Sadly, curious viewers will be unable to track the film down. For the A.V. Club, I wrote about a stunning documentary that has been buried. 

What to Watch After 'The Greatest Night in Pop'

The "We Are the World" documentary has been a hit on Netflix. So which music documentaries should you check out next? I'm the man with the answers.

The Least-Listened-To Songs on Great Albums

Recently, Spotify changed its layout, allowing you to see the play counts of every song on every album. For InsideHook, I checked out a bunch of classic albums to see which track was played least. Some of these songs are actually great -- I can't believe more folks don't listen to 'em. Here's my tribute to some underloved songs.

The Best Grammy Wins

Happy Grammy Sunday, everyone. People like to mock the Academy for their terrible choices, but for MEL, I decided to acknowledge the times the voters got it right. Check it out here.

Michael Jackson - "Just Good Friends"

So, I had reason to revisit Bad this week. This is such a fascinatingly half-great album, pointing to the dark, twisted, tortured music that Michael Jackson would make the rest of his career. "Bad" is still embarrassingly bad. "The Way You Make Me Feel" still smokes. And then there's "Just Good Friends," a duet with Stevie Wonder that was never a single. Of the non-hits, it's easily the strongest. (Dear god, have you listened to "Liberian Girl" or "Speed Demon" lately?) Definitely perked me up during some hellacious traffic. I'm sorry that Quincy Jones doesn't like it.

Alien Ant Farm, Michael Jackson and 'Smooth Criminal'

The folks at MEL asked me if I was interested in writing about the making of Alien Ant Farm's cover of "Smooth Criminal." Intrigued, I dove in. What I came back with is a rather sad story. Hope you enjoy.

Some Thoughts on 'The Irishman'

I think The Irishman is terrific. I tried to explain why over at MEL.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Reviewing 'Leaving Neverland,' 'Climax' and 'Greta'

Our latest episode was recorded while I was at True/False. We talk about that a little, but we focus on reviews of three new movies. First up is the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, which I saw back at Sundance. Then, we dig into Gaspar Noe's Climax. And lastly, we lament Greta. Hear the whole thing below.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Sundance, Soderbergh, 'Velvet Buzzsaw' and 'Inherit the Wind'

I'm back from Sundance, and it's time for this week's podcast. I do a brief recap of the festival, and then we review Velvet Buzzsaw, which I saw there. For a change of pace, we also introduce a new feature, where we go long on a particular filmmaker's oeuvre. Our first victim: Steven Soderbergh. Finally, we look back at the Oscar-nominated Inherit the Wind in our Reboot segment. You can hear the whole thing down below.

Sundance 2019: Ranking the Best and Worst of the Festival

At this year's Sundance, there wasn't much consensus about which films were "good" or "bad." Sure, most people liked The Last Black Man in San Francisco and The Souvenir, but you could just as easily find someone who hated The Lodge as someone who loved it. Ditto for Wounds or To the Stars.

As always, how you feel about a festival depends on what you saw -- and what you couldn't fit into your schedule. I'll catch up with Apollo 11, American Factory, The Sound of Silence and others soon enough. But for now, here's my ranking of what I saw, including links to individual reviews...

25. Wounds
24. Velvet Buzzsaw
23. After the Wedding
22. Honey Boy 
21. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
20. Blinded by the Light 
19. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
18. Them That Follow
17. Fighting With My Family
16. Birds of Passage
15. Untouchable
14. Native Son
13. Official Secrets
12. Share
11. The Farewell 
10. Give Me Liberty
9. Luce
8. Jawline
7. Monos
6. To the Stars
5. The Last Black Man in San Francisco
4. Clemency
3. The Lodge
2. The Souvenir
1. Leaving Neverland

For the second straight year, the best film I saw at Sundance was a harrowing look at child sexual abuse that will eventually air on HBO. I've been asked a lot if Leaving Neverland is "hard to watch." I suppose it is. But, as with all good films, there are ample rewards that make it more than worthwhile. Also, I was thrilled the U.S. Dramatic Jury Prize went to Clemency, a deceptively straightforward drama that grows and builds in beautiful ways. And kudos to World Cinema winner The Souvenir, which A24 will be putting out this year.

Sundance 2019: Michael Jackson and Harvey Weinstein Face the Music

For MEL, I wrote about the eerie similarities between Leaving Neverland and Untouchable. Michael Jackson and Harvey Weinstein were very different monsters ... but their strategies for praying on their victims had disturbing amounts of overlap. My essay is here.

(This great artwork is by MEL's own Sam Dworkin.)

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Talking About the New Michael Jackson Documentary

I'm still at Sundance, but I got on the phone to talk to the great Madeleine Brand about Leaving Neverland. You can hear our conversation here.

Sundance 2019: 'Leaving Neverland' Review

Leaving Neverland is four hours. It needs that much time to tell its story, which is devastating. I reviewed the documentary for Screen International.

The Jacksons - "Blame It on the Boogie"

Happy Friday. Don't blame it on the sunshine. Don't blame it on the moonlight. Don't blame it on good times.

michael jackson - I can't help it

With This Is It hitting theaters next week, I was thinking about Michael Jackson. You know his big smashes, but do you know his album cuts? For instance, do you know "I Can't Help It"? You should ... here it is.

remembering michael jackson ...

Reflecting on Michael Jackson's death, I thought back to a piece I wrote in 2003 about the ABC documentary Living With Michael Jackson, which was quite a tabloid sensation at the time. Looking at it again, I'm struck by how much it sums up how I feel about the artist, especially this passage near the end:

Near the beginning of Living with Michael Jackson, [British journalist Martin] Bashir asks him about some of those famous dance steps. After admitting to shyness, Jackson eventually acquiesces and performs a few moves. It's absolutely startling; they're still perfect and precise. It's as if 20 years have melted away and we're all back in the happy '80s. Jackson probably wishes the same thing; he seems so at peace during this brief flicker of magnificence. When art is your release, it allows you to escape the tedious crap of normal life -- insecurities, doubts, loneliness. But when that outlet dries up, when that level of adoration goes away, you're just stuck with yourself, trying somehow to bring it all back.

Sadly, he never got that chance. There are plenty of reasons to criticize Michael Jackson for some of the things he allegedly did. But like I said at the time, even though everybody wants me to hate him, I mostly just feel sorry for him.