The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Reviewing 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' and 'I Love Boosters,' Looking Back at Cannes

I'm back. On Sunday, I caught up with this weekend's new releases and then did the podcast with Will. (I also talked a little about my Cannes experience.) You can hear our thoughts on baby Yodas and Boots Riley down below.

Screen International: My Screen Life

Screen International runs a regular feature in its print edition called "My Screen Life," in which the publication's editors, critics and reporters discuss the films and moments that shaped them. My turn was up recently, so I talked about 2001, George Clooney and Cannes. Check it out here.

James Earl Jones' Essential Performances

In memory of the legendary stage and screen actor, we highlighted nine of his most memorable films. Hope you enjoy.

'The Phantom Menace' Showed Hollywood How to Love the Prequel

There were prequels before The Phantom Menace, which is being re-released this weekend to celebrate its 25th anniversary. But George Lucas saw the future of franchises, which was going back in time rather than forward. Was that a good or bad thing for the industry? My thoughts are here.

'Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire' Review

And to think: We have to sit through another installment next year. For Screen International, I reviewed part one of the wretched Rebel Moon.

My Interview With Eddie Izzard

Eddie Izzard talked a blue streak the other day when I interviewed her. It was pretty dizzying, and also very entertaining. If you read one article this week about Darth Vader, make it this one.

'Ten Thousand Posts': Talking About Rotten Tomatoes and Film Criticism

This was fun: Hussein Kesvani and Phoebe Roy had me on for a special episode of Ten Thousand Posts to discuss how Rotten Tomatoes does or doesn't affect my job. You can hear a taste of our episode down below. If you'd like to hear the whole thing, consider subscribing to their Patreon.

My Interview With Joseph Williams, Son of John Williams

This week, MEL is doing a series of pieces connected to Father's Day. So I talked to Joseph Williams, who's a singer in Toto who grew up with John Williams, the man behind the scores for Star Wars and so many other blockbusters. Our conversation is here.

Why Are the Characters in Legacy Sequels (Almost) Always Less Interesting Than the Original Characters?

Jurassic World Dominion underscored a problem I've noticed for a while, which is that when sequels try to combine the original cast and the new cast, the new cast often looks pretty feeble by comparison. Is that because of nostalgia or something else? Here's my latest for MEL.

'Star Wars' Doesn't Deserve Darth Vader

A character whom George Lucas originally named Dark Water has far since transcended the franchise that spawned him. In honor of the new Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer, which made news because it featured the Sith Lord for all of about two seconds, I wrote about Darth Vader's lasting cultural relevance for MEL.

How Ewan McGregor Made Obi-Wan Kenobi His Own

The Scottish actor will be reprising his role from the Star Wars prequels for a new Disney+ series. Does Obi-Wan define his career? Here's my latest for MEL.

Why Does Hollywood Cast Non-Teens to Play Teenagers?

Inspired by Dear Evan Hansen, which has received a lot of criticism for casting Ben Platt to play the title teen, I did a deep dive into other teen movies that had older actors in the lead roles. I found out a lot of interesting stuff for this MEL piece.

'Revenge of the Sith' and the End of George Lucas' Reign

When I was doing research for my piece on the anniversary of Revenge of the Sith's release, I found this quote from an anonymous studio executive back when the prequels were first announced: "Somebody else doing Star Wars means nothing; George Lucas doing it means everything." And then I knew I had my in to talk about Lucas' legacy. My piece is up at SyFy.

Reconsidering the New 'Star Wars' Trilogy

After reading Kelly Marie Tran's Hollywood Reporter profile, in which she talks about the racism she faced online from being in the new Star Wars movies, I was struck by a thought: I don't think those movies were worth the trouble to make. I explain what I mean over at MEL.

Misleading Men: Hayden Christensen

Anakin Skywalker is back. For MEL, I talked about the unlikely redemption of Hayden Christensen, and the movie he ought to be known for. Hope you enjoy.

'Red, White and Blue' Review

For years, John Boyega spun his wheels in the Star Wars films. If you want to see what he's capable of, check out the latest in the Small Axe anthology. For MEL, I reviewed Red, White and Blue.

Looking Back at 'The Clone Wars,' the Movie That Ruined and Saved 'Star Wars'

In the summer of 2008, Lucasfilm put out an animated Star Wars movie that no one was particularly enthused about. But it turns out, The Clone Wars was massively important to a new generation of fans. I reconsider the film for MEL.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Stalag 17,' 'Big Night' and Looking Back at 1999

This week on the podcast, I lead the discussion about movie year 1999, which was awash in films bracing for this exciting/scary new century. Then, in our Reboot section, we dig into an underrated Billy Wilder gem and the debut directorial effort from actors Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott. Hope you enjoy.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: "Raising Arizona,' 'Tucker and Dale vs Evil' and Looking Back at 1997

On this week's podcast, our Reboot segment is devoted to the Coen brothers' first comedy and a beloved festival favorite. But the majority of the show is dedicated to a discussion of 1997, a year that started with Star Wars (really) and ended with Titanic, a film that was destined to supplant it (at least at the box office). A very fun episode ... and you can hear the whole thing down below.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' 'Good Bye, Lenin!' and Looking Back at 1977

There were many great films in 1977, but our conversation inevitably focuses on two -- Star Wars and Annie Hall -- and how the culture's impression of them has shifted over time. Then, we segue to our Reboot section. We rhapsodize about Raiders of the Lost Ark and Daniel Bruhl's breakout hit, the German-language Good Bye, Lenin! The whole thing is down below.