The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Primetime,' Mahershala Ali and 'Heart of the Beast'

On this week's episode, we disagree on two movies: Primetime and Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother. Then, Will asks me about Brad Pitt's new survival thriller, Heart of the Beast. We also make some predictions about the MLB playoffs. Hear it all down below.

'The Last Thing I Saw': Griping About 'Primetime,' Raving About 'Possible Love'

It was great to catch up with Nicolas Rapold while recording an episode of his podcast in Venice. We talked about Possible Love and Unknown Woman, which ended up snagging the Golden Lion, but we also bonded over our shared dislike of Primetime. You can check out the conversation below.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Previewing Venice, Telluride and Toronto 2026

Greetings from Venice. The screenings started today, so for a fun bonus episode of the podcast, I picked five films I'm most curious to see at the fall festivals. Then, we look at the big movies coming out later in 2026. Folks, it's officially awards season. You can listen to our conversation down below.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Let's Talk About 'The Odyssey' (and 'Office Space')

Will and I go long on Christopher Nolan's epic film. And then we go back to 1999 to revisit Mike Judge's Office Space. You can hear our discussion down below.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Odysseus, Ross McElwee, 'Reading Lolita in Tehran' and 'Horsegirls'

I was on KCRW this week with fellow critic Angelica Jade Bastién to talk about the weekend's big releases. That means The Odyssey, of course, but also Remake, Reading Lolita in Tehran (pictured above) and Horsegirls. You can hear our segment down below.

'The Odyssey' Review

The wait is over: Here's my review of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey for Screen International. 

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The Drama,' 'Outcome' and 'Exit 8'

After a week off, we're back! And we're here to talk about how terrible Outcome is. Also, we differ on The Drama and get lost in Exit 8. You can hear all our thoughts down below.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Mario & Luigi & Zendaya & Robert Pattinson & 'Yes' & 'Kontinental '25'

Provocateurs dominate my segment of Press Play, where Shawn Edwards and I reviewed the button-pushing The Drama, Yes and Kontinental '25. As for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, it mostly provoked me to despair for society at large. You can hear our conversation down below.

My Interview With Shira Small

This article is a long time coming. In fact, I didn't know if it would ever happen. Four years ago, I devoted a Friday Video to an artist I had just discovered: Shira Small. As I explained back then, I had recently stumbled upon her song "My Life's All Right" while going through Spotify's Discover Weekly playlist. The track bewitched me, even more so when I realized it was from 1974. How had I never heard it before? Soon, I was digging into the album that included the song, The Line of Time and the Plane of Now. I instantly became a fan.

Then, a funny thing happened, Small's sister Beverly reached out after seeing my post. Would I want to write an article about Shira? I was very intrigued. She was only a teenager when she made her album, and then never recorded another. But I didn't have a good hook for the piece. Still, I never stopped thinking about The Line of Time and the Plane of Now, which I listen to constantly.

Cut to March 2026. I'm at a screening of The Drama. Early on in the film, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson's characters are practicing their first dance for their wedding. Suddenly, a song comes on that knocks me sideways. It's "I Want to Lay With You," from The Line of Time and the Plane of Now. I thought I was one of the few people who had heard the record. How did this A24 movie find it? At last, I had the hook I'd been looking for.

With much thanks to my Los Angeles Times editor Josh Rothkopf, who loved the idea instantly, I reached out to Small, who turns 70 in June, to interview her about her short-lived music career and learn what she's been up to since. It was a pleasure to finally meet her and talk about an album that means a lot to me. (I also spoke to, among others, The Drama's music supervisor, who was also a fan of Small.) 

Sometimes, you have ideas that just sit inside you for years. You think they'll be something you never get to write. I am so very glad this dream piece finally happened.

You can read my profile of Shira Small here. I hope you enjoy. 

'The Drama' Review

It's the buzziest film of the year so far. So what did I think of The Drama? You can read my thoughts here. (And fear not: There are no spoilers.)

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Bugonia,' Kelly Reichardt and 'Die My Love'

Four new movies this week, and I really like all four of them. In this episode, we talk about Die My Love, Predator: Badlands, Bugonia and The Mastermind. Give it a listen down below.

Cannes 2025: 'Die, My Love' Review

It has been eight years since Lynne Ramsay's last film, You Were Never Really Here, premiered at Cannes. At long last she's back. For Screen International, I reviewed Die, My Love.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': The Most-Anticipated Movies at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival

This year's Cannes is now underway. Before the storm, I jumped on a call with Madeleine Brand to preview four films to keep an eye out for, including Lynne Ramsay's Die My Love. You can hear our conversation down below.

The Film Comment Podcast: Talking About 'Opus' and 'Misericordia'

Very happy to be back on Film Comment's podcast, alongside Devika Girish and Clinton Krute, to discuss new and upcoming releases. We chatted about Opus, Mickey 17, Misericordia and Eephus. Hear our wise words down below.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Clones, Murderers and Baseball

I recorded this week's episode from my hotel at SXSW. We had movies to talk about, darn it! You can check out our reviews of Mickey 17, Chaos: The Manson Murders and Eephus down below.

Berlin 2025: 'Mickey 17' Review

I'm not in Berlin, but for Screen International I reviewed one of the festival's high-profile premieres. Here are my thoughts on Bong Joon Ho's latest.

The Comedies I'm Curious to See in 2025

Celine Song making a James L. Brooks-style romantic comedy? Adam Sandler returning as Happy Gilmore? Here's my preview of 2025's most intriguing comedies for Cracked.

How Kristen Stewart Became Kristen Stewart

The Criterion Channel is currently featuring the three most crucial movies in Kristen Stewart's post-Twilight career: Clouds of Sils Maria, Personal Shopper and Certain Women. I wrote about that remarkable run of superb films, and how they changed our perception of her, for RogerEbert.com.

I Talked to 'Tenet' Fans

Four years ago, at the height of the pandemic, Christopher Nolan released Tenet. It wasn't as well-received as his other films, and for obvious reasons, it didn't do as well at the box office. This Friday, the movie returns to theaters. The people most excited about that fact are the folks online who have been beating the drum for this movie since 2020. For RogerEbert.com, I talked to five of the most vocal, learning who they are and what the film means to them. This ended up being sweeter and more poignant than I was expecting. Hope you enjoy.

The Big 2022 Movie Draft on 'The Extra Credits'

This was fun: The hosts of The Extra Credits had Will and me on to participate in a draft of last year's best movies. The rules were that we'd each get five picks, and then we'd let the listeners choose whose slate was the best. You can hear our draft and deliberations down below. If you wanted a decent overview of the 20 most worthwhile/noteworthy movies of 2022, this is a good place to start.