What's the Best Fourth of July Release This Century?

I offer a Top 10 here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Covering a Lot of Movies in a Short Amount of Time

In mid-December, we always do a lightning-round episode where we review a bunch of holiday/award-season movies, spending about 10 minutes on each. This year, we tackled seven: American Fiction, All of Us Strangers, Origin, Wonka, The Boy and the Heron, Ferrari and Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. We disagreed on three of them. Check it out down below.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Our Big Fall Film Festival Preview and 'Dr. Strangelove'

On this week's episode, we select the films playing in Venice, Telluride and Toronto that we're most excited about. Then, we go back to 1964 to discuss Dr. Strangelove. Where does it rank among my favorites of Stanley Kubrick? Listen here:

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: The New 'Transformers,' the 'Miami Vice' Movie and 'Tremors'

On this week's episode, we only reviewed one new film: Tranformers: Rise of the Beasts. Then, we did two Reboots: Michael Mann's big-screen take on Miami Vice and the 1990 horror-comedy Tremors. Those were far more rewarding than the robots. Check out the show below.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Going Back to 'Collateral' and 'Dog Day Afternoon'

This week's episode only features one new review, the so-so Beast. But the real fun comes from our two Reboot movies, a classic Los Angeles crime film and a classic New York crime film. You can hear the whole thing down below.

The James Caan Films You Need to See (After You Watch 'The Godfather')

Vulture asked Will and me to come up with a list of essential James Caan performances, the assumption being that The Godfather was an obvious choice and therefore not worth including. You can see all our picks here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Here's Your Sundance 2021 Preview

No new movies this week. Instead, I give a preview of this year's surreal Sundance Film Festival. And then we dig into two Reboots: The Insider and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Get it while it's hot.

Let's Rank Russell Crowe's Movies

Now that Unhinged is out, let's consider the career of Russell Crowe. For Vulture, we ranked his performances. I think our top pick isn't very controversial.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Irresistible,' 'Eurovision Song Contest' and 'Manhunter'

On this week's episode, we review two new comedies. Then, in our Reboot segment, we look back at one of Michael Mann's earliest films, Manhunter. Folks, it's good. Hear the whole thing down below.

What's the Best Heist Film?

In honor of Ocean's 8, Will and I wrote about the 25 greatest heist movies. Will yours make the list? Probably not: Feel free to yell at us on social media. The piece is up at Vulture.

The Best Action/Music Combos in Movies

There are great actions scenes. There are great uses of music in movies. But when you combine them? Pure gold. For our new Debate Club piece, we look at the best action/music sequences in film. Enjoy!

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Reviewing 'Graduation' and 'Colossal'

This past weekend's major releases all looked negligible, so Will and I focused the latest installment of the podcast on two foreign/indie movies. First, we dig into Graduation. Then, we turn our attention to Colossal, which we disagree about. Finally, our Reboot segment is dedicated to Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans. Will loved it back in the day -- I was a lot less impressed. Anything changed in 25 years? Take a listen.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: We've Got Answers

For our first podcast of the new year, Will and I respond to a bunch of listener questions. This is one of my favorite episodes we've done so far -- it's a good FAQ for our philosophy on movies and criticism. (Plus, you get to hear a little of our backstory.) Later, for our Reboot segment, we tackle Michael Mann's Heat. I thought it was overrated then -- and I still do. Hear Episode 50 here.

Sam Cooke - "A Change Is Gonna Come"

For months, without me really becoming cognizant of it, I've been drawn to Ali. Michael Mann's 2001 biopic of the legendary boxer has popped up on TV enough that I found it to be a comforting presence, while also realizing that I'd underrated the film at the time of its release. It had gotten to the point that I'd watch it on flights, getting swept up all over again by Will Smith's performance and the film's emotional thrust. It's become one of those guide films for me now, a way to recenter myself. The movie is endlessly inspiring.

The other day, a DJ played "A Change Is Gonna Come" and I immediately associated its use in Ali. So I'm playing it for you today.

'Blackhat' Review

Normally, a Michael Mann movie wouldn't open during the dregs of January. So, you can imagine the amount of curiosity and anxiety surrounding Blackhat, his cyber-thriller starring Thor star Chris Hemsworth.

I suspect I will be in the minority for liking it. To be sure, I like it with massive reservations but, good heavens, what a gorgeous movie. Three absolutely ace action sequences combined with a generally propulsive, hypnotic sense of mood and movement: That's (just barely) enough for me to recommend this otherwise disposable genre offering.

I reviewed Blackhat for Screen International.