How Did 'Longlegs,' 'Anora' and 'Conclave' Become Arthouse Hits?

This was fun: For the Los Angeles Times, I spoke to the marketing teams behind three of this year's indie/arthouse success stories to find out how they did it. We keep hearing that audiences won't go see specialty films in theaters anymore. Here are three examples that contradict that received wisdom. Learn more about the campaigns behind Longlegs, Anora and Conclave here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Tornadoes, Serial Killers and 'Fly Me to the Moon'

After a week off, we're back with reviews of Twisters, Longlegs and Fly Me to the Moon. I only like one of those three movies, but I liked it a lot. (We also talked about the election and the Cardinals.) Hear our whole chat down below.

'Breakfast All Day': Lamenting 'Horizon,' Praising 'Longlegs'

I was very happy to be on Breakfast All Day with Christy Lemire to talk about Horizon and Longlegs. (Worth pointing out: When we recorded the Horizon segment, the news hadn't broken yet that the second chapter was being delayed.) You can check out the videos down below.

'Longlegs' Review

A great Nicolas Cage performance. A choking sense of evil filling every frame. For Screen International, I reviewed Longlegs.

Cannes 2024: The Wrap-Up and the Rankings

The 2024 Cannes Film Festival is when I finally decided it's not worth debating whether a particular edition was "good" or "bad." Truth is, every Cannes is filled with triumphs, misfires, disappointments, underappreciated gems, surprises, and movies you liked a lot more (or a lot less) than your colleagues did. And because the festival doesn't necessarily front-load its strongest offerings, you really have no idea where the annual ebbs and flows will land. You have to take Cannes in its entirety, judging it not by one day but by the whole two-week experience. There's no festival like it because it's longer and, therefore, harder to process as it's happening. Only distance will tell you for sure -- and even then, you may be shocked to catch up with a few films you missed (or revisit ones you saw) and discover what a great year it had actually been. There's no such thing as a "bad" Cannes, just degrees of good.

That said, do I think I found a film this year that could match 2023's twin stunners in The Zone of Interest and Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell? No, but looking over my rankings, I'm pleased by how many strong films I saw, with the possibility of more bangers to come. (I wish I'd had time for The Balconettes, The Kingdom, Armand, Black Dog, Flow, Santosh, Viet and Nam and others. And I wish my screening of Universal Language had had English subtitles like it claimed it would.) 

Here's a list of everything I saw at Cannes, from worst to best, with links leading to individual reviews. And please note that I'm not including the first half of the restoration of Abel Nance's extraordinary Napoleon, which I saw and was completely blown away by.

34. Megalopolis
33. The Surfer
32. The Second Act
31. The Apprentice
30. Oh, Canada
29. Beating Hearts
28. Emilia Perez
27. Wild Diamond
26. Rumours
25. The Shrouds
24. Visiting Hours
23. Misericordia
22. Being Maria
21. I, the Executioner
20. Motel Destino
19. The Substance
18. It's Not Me
17. Christmas Eve in Miller's Point
16. Elementary
15. The Girl With the Needle
14. Bird
13. Three Kilometers to the End of the World
12. Blue Sun Palace
11. On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
10. Eephus
9. Good One
8. The Invasion
7. All We Imagine as Light
6. Anora
5. Grand Tour
4. Caught by the Tides
3. Kinds of Kindness
2. The Seed of the Sacred Fig
1. September Says

A few words about my No. 1 film. I went into Ariane Labed's directorial debut basically blind. (I knew the plot description, plus who had worked on the movie.) And from the first moment, I was enraptured, its spell never breaking. September Says (pictured above) was part of Un Certain Regard, but it crushed me more completely than anything in the Competition, although Mohammad Rasoulof's The Seed of the Sacred Fig got awfully close. When I review movies at a festival, I go home straight from the screening and write -- I don't talk to anyone or check online reactions. So I'm basically in a bubble, unaware of how others feel, and what I quickly discovered was that I was higher on September Says than, basically, anyone else. (As one colleague, who hadn't seen it, put it derisively, "It sounds like a Toronto film.") Maybe a second viewing will diminish the film in my estimation -- maybe revisits of The Seed of the Sacred Fig or Caught by the Tides or Anora or All We Imagine as Light will vault them up the rankings. But for now, this tale of two peculiar sisters -- too delicate and strange for this world -- earns the top spot.

Because I am historically awful at predicting the Palme d'Or winner, my guess is worth nothing. Nonetheless, I'm with the consensus that it's going to be either All We Imagine as Light or The Seed of the Sacred Fig. It's impossible to know what a Cannes jury will go for, but my gut tells me that All We Imagine as Light's gentle beauty will win out over The Seed of the Sacred Fig's darker, more challenging tone -- although filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof's emotional appearance at the latter's premiere may be too much for the jury to resist. Could Anora pull off the upset? Emilia Perez? Absolutely. But I'm going with All We Imagine as Light, which premiered late this year and has all the momentum going into the weekend. Not that you should bet your mortgage on my hunch.  

Cannes 2024: 'The Surfer' Review

In The Surfer, Nicolas Cage plays an Australian who wants to take his son to the beach for some surfing. But a local gang stands in his way, humiliating the man in front of his kid. What happens next? A downward spiral in true Cage fashion. I reviewed the film for Screen International.

Ranking the Comic Actors Who Had the Worst 2023

Not every star had a great year. For Cracked, I wrote about the actors who are probably the happiest to see 2023 be over.

My Problem With 'Dream Scenario'

Dream Scenario has gotten mostly good reviews, but I found this Nicolas Cage satire to be lacking in one crucial regard. I wrote about that for Cracked.

What Upcoming Comedies Have a Shot at the Oscars?

Dramas usually get the bulk of the Oscar nominations, but could some funny movies sneak in as well? For Cracked, I looked at possible contenders.

How Does a Comedy "Age Well"?

For Cracked, I gave myself the task of selecting 25 films from the 20th century that have "aged perfectly." What does that mean? And which films did I pick? Read on.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Reviewing 'Haunted Mansion,' 'Talk to Me,' 'War Pony' and 'Sympathy for the Devil'

Katie Walsh and I were on KCRW Thursday to discuss this weekend's new releases. It's always fun being on with her. You can hear our conversation down below. 

Fantasia 2023: 'Sympathy for the Devil' Review

Joel Kinnaman plays a man driving to the hospital to see his pregnant wife. But when he gets there, a menacing figure (Nicolas Cage) gets into his car, pulls out a gun, and tells him to drive. Where are they headed? For Screen International, I reviewed Sympathy for the Devil.

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.

My Interview With Ben Schwartz

For Cracked, I got to speak to the one and only Jean-Ralphio. Hope you enjoy my conversation with Ben Schwartz, which touched on improv, anxiety, rejection, family, gray hair and Nicolas Cage.

The Best Comedic Performances Overlooked by the Oscars

So many funny performances received no love from the Academy. For Cracked, I shine a light on some of the most egregious oversights. Hope you enjoy. 

What Was the Funniest Movie of 2022?

I provide some answers over at Cracked.

The Secrets Behind Nicolas Cage's 'Adaptation' Hair

This week was the 20th anniversary of the Oscar-winning film. For Cracked, I had a lovely chat with Larry Waggoner, who worked on Cage's crazy hair for his character "Charlie Kaufman." I've never had this long of a conversation with a hairstylist before. I really enjoyed it. You can read my interview here.

Toronto 2022: 'Butcher's Crossing' Review

It is, perhaps, an indication of the merits of Butcher's Crossing that it's a Nicolas Cage movie that nobody is talking about. This western stars the Oscar-winner as a buffalo hunter who leads an expedition, leading to disastrous results. My review of this existential drama is here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Vikings, Nic Cage and 'Le Samourai'

Two new movies, one fantastic reboot: That's the story of this week's episode. Come for the reviews of The Northman and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, stay to hear me gush about Le Samourai.

'I'm Still Here' Remains the Ultimate Meta Movie

In honor of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, I considered a far more notorious satirical self-portrait of an eccentric actor. Here's my appreciation of Joaquin Phoenix's gutsy, fascinating, deeply flawed I'm Still Here.