'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Happy 100th Birthday, Mel Brooks

I was very happy to be on KCRW yesterday to talk to Madeleine about Mel Brooks' birthday, and why he's the embodiment of American comedy for the last 75 years. You can hear my segment below.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Our Oscar Recap, 'Undertone' and 'Casino'

The Oscars happened on Sunday: What did we think of the broadcast? We talk about it on this week's podcast. Plus, we review the new horror film Undertone and revisit 1995's Casino. A fun show, which you can hear below.

My Review of the 2026 Academy Awards

It was a night billed as One Battle After Another versus Sinners. The show itself reflected those films' visionary qualities. Here's my review of last evening's Oscars. 

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The Bride!' and 'Hoppers' and Our Final Oscar Predictions

We have a big disagreement about The Bride! on this week's episode. Elsewhere, we look at the latest from Pixar. And then we try to figure out what's gonna win what at the Oscars. Lots of tough calls! Hear the whole show down below.

'Kokuho' Review

Spanning 50 years and running nearly three hours, the Oscar-nominated Kokuho traces the trajectory of two friends in the world of kabuki theater. My review is live over at the Los Angeles Times.  

How 2025's Best Movies Landed on the Right Ending

This was a fun one. For the Los Angeles Times, I spoke to the writers of five of this year's Oscar-nominated screenplays to learn how they decided on the ending of their movies. If you want to hear the stories behind Blue Moon, Bugonia, It Was Just an Accident, Sentimental Value and Train Dreams, click here. 

Robert Duvall's Best Movies

Over at Rolling Stone, I contributed to a roundup of Robert Duvall's essential roles. You can read our list right here. 

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: We Answer Your Questions and Disagree About 'Rocky'

It's always fun to do a mailbag episode. This week, we talk about erasing movies from history, running our own theater, Siskel & Ebert and Carter Burwell. Then, we go back to 1976 and revisit Rocky. Has it held up? We don't agree on the answer. Check out the show down below.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Sundance Recap, 'Send Help' and 'Sexy Beast'

I'm back from Sundance, so we have a new podcast episode for you. I talk about my time in Park City, and we both reflect on the Oscar nominations. After that, it's time for new reviews: We disagreed about Send Help while both praising Rachel McAdams. Lastly, we go back to the early Oughts to discuss Jonathan Glazer's stylish debut, Sexy Beast. Oh, and I worked in a reference to Zombo.com. Check out the whole thing down below.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' and Our Oscar Nomination Predictions

I leave for Sundance tomorrow. Thursday, the Oscar nominations are announced. But first, let's do a podcast. Will and I reviewed The Rip and the latest installment in the 28 Days Later franchise. And then we make some guesses about which people will and won't hear their names called on Thursday morning. Enjoy!

'All That's Left of You' Review

All That's Left of You is on the shortlist for the Best International Feature Oscar. Over at the Los Angeles Times, I reviewed Cherien Dabis' heartfelt, dutiful portrait of 70 years of Palestinian history told through the prism of one family. You can read my thoughts here.

How the Posters for 'No Other Choice,' 'Bugonia' and 'Sinners' Got Made

I am fascinated by movie posters. They are this special mixture of art and marketing that have to sell a film's essence in a single image. So, how do they do it? For the Los Angeles Times, I talked to the creative teams behind Bugonia, No Other Choice and Sinners to learn the behind-the-scenes secrets. It was very fun. 

(My thanks to Stephanie Jones for this great illustration.) 

My Interview With Imran Hamdulay and Keenan Arrison, the Team Behind 'The Heart Is a Muscle'

For Screen International, I spoke to writer-director Imran Hamdulay and star Keenan Arrison about The Heart Is a Muscle, which is South Africa's submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar. We talked about masculinity, fatherhood and depicting Cape Flats in a more nuanced way than it's usually seen on screen. You can check out our conversation down below or read excerpts from it here.

Your Guide to the Must-See Awards Season Movies

I helped Screen International with its roundup of 50 essentials films of this Oscar season. Individual bylines aren't indicated, but I wrote about Bugonia, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, The Life of Chuck, Marty Surpreme, The Mastermind, The Smashing Machine, Sorry, Baby and Sound of Falling. (I also sung the praises of Dylan O’Brien in Twinless.) Check the whole list out here. 

What Is Danny Boyle's Best Film?

For the fine folks at Vulture, Will and I put together our ranking of all of Danny Boyle's films, including 28 Years Later. You can check them out here. 

Mousterpiece Melodies: Randy Newman and 'Toy Story'

Basically, I will take any opportunity afforded me to talk about Randy Newman. So I was delighted that the guys behind Mousterpiece Cinema brought the podcast back to do a deep dive into the original music featured in Disney movies ... and then asked me to be on for an in-depth conversation about Newman's Toy Story songs. Yup, we got into all four films, and the many covers you can find out there on the web. A total blast, and you can check it out down below.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Our Oscar Reactions and Don Hertzfeldt's 'ME'

What a night. We talked about the Oscars on our new episode. We also finally got around to discussing ME, Don Hertzfeldt's terrific 2024 animated short. Then, in our Reboot segment,we went back to Robert De Niro's directorial debut, A Bronx Tale. Hope you enjoy.

The Films That Got Overlooked This Oscar Season

This year's Oscar nominees are fairly decent, but I'd like to take a moment to recognize 10 superb films we won't hear mentioned at all during Sunday's telecast. The voters forgot about these movies, but I have not.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The Monkey,' Sly Stone and Our Oscar Predictions

On this week's episode, we shake our heads at The Monkey and groove to Sly Lives! But then, we take our time offering our predictions in the eight major Oscar categories. Worth noting: We recorded just as the SAG Awards were getting underway Sunday night, so a few of the surprise winners hadn't happened yet. Still, I think I was fairly hesitant in my picks, knowing that several of the categories remain fairly wide open. Check out our conversation down below.

How Does Neon Put Together Its Cool DVD Box Set Every Year?

This was a treat. For the Los Angeles Times, I talked to the people at Neon who design the company's annual for-your-consideration DVD box set of its films. This collection has quickly become the one item each year critics love to brag about receiving. You can read what I learned here.