Summer 2015: Previewing the Upcoming Movie Season

This was a lot of fun. For Deadspin, Will and I dove into the summer release schedule, which we decided started this week and goes all the way through Labor Day, and previewed each weekend. That's a lot of movies, folks. Dig in.

'Desert Dancer' Review

Some movies mean well, taking on important topics and worthy causes, but that doesn't mean they should automatically get a pass. Such is the case with Desert Dancer, which is a fact-based drama about Afshin Ghaffarian, a young man living in Iran who, in 2009, helped form an underground dance troupe in Tehran, even though the repressive government forbids dancing. It's a movie about the power of art to confront tyranny -- which, hey, I'm totally behind -- but, good heavens, this movie is so bloody earnest. I reviewed Desert Dancer, starring Freida Pinto and Reece Ritchie, for Screen International.

'The Longest Ride' Review

The Longest Ride is the latest Nicholas Sparks adaptation. How you respond to that last sentence will probably be all you need to know about this movie, which cuts between a modern-day romance and a postwar love affair. If you're down with films like The Notebook and Dear John, you'll probably like this one, too, which stars (among others) Britt Robertson, Scott Eastwood and Alan Alda. That's right, Alan Alda! I reviewed The Longest Ride for Screen International.

'Lost River' Review

Ryan Gosling made his feature directorial debut last year at Cannes with Lost River, a decidedly arty, dreamy offering starring Christina Hendricks. Critics were not kind. Almost a year later, the film (in a slightly shorter version) arrives in U.S. theaters. I don't think Lost River works, but it's occasionally fascinating and quite often hypnotic. And I hope Gosling doesn't let his film's detractors discourage him from trying again soon. My Lost River review is up at Paste.

'The Road Within' Review

The comedy-drama The Road Within has a somewhat provocative premise. Three patients at a clinic for psychological disorders -- a young man suffering from Tourette's (Robert Sheehan), his OCD-addled roommate (Dev Patel) and a young anorexic (Zoë Kravitz) -- steal a car and go on a road trip. Based on a recent German film, The Road Within goes nowhere, though. I reviewed the film for Screen International.

'Little Boy' Review

The inspirational, faith-based World War II drama Little Boy opens later this month and will perhaps appeal to the same audience that turned out for Heaven Is For Real. It's about a young boy who believes that if he follows a local priest's instructions for being a good person, his beloved father will return home safely from the war. But can the boy show kindness to a Japanese-American man after the bombing of Pearl Harbor? Lots of teachable moments, lots of me checking my watch. I reviewed Little Boy for Screen International.

Joni Mitchell - "See You Sometime"

Get well soon, Joni.

A Report From 'The Music of David Lynch'

How do you articulate the experience of seeing artists as diverse as the Flaming Lips, Moby and Duran Duran pay tribute to the music and work of David Lynch? Last night at the Theater at Ace Hotel, an array of stars performed music from his movies, as well as songs he produced. (And, yes, Lynch was there, too, briefly.) For Rolling Stone, I tried my best to give a sense of what the sensuous, moving, hypnotic evening was like. I hope you enjoy.

My Interview With Caitriona Balfe

One of the perks of my job is having the excuse to dive into different pieces of art I might not have had a chance to sample otherwise. I had quite loved the reboot of Battlestar Galactica -- the first few seasons, anyway -- and I was curious how Ronald D. Moore's new show, Outlander, was. Well, I got a chance to catch up on the series when Backstage asked me to interview its star, Caitriona Balfe.

Like Battlestar, Outlander is a genre show that transcends the potentially tacky elements of its genre, proving to be smarter, more moving and more intriguing than you might expect. So it was a pleasure to sit down with Balfe and talk about the show, her career, and what her life was like when she was a successful model desperately hoping to return to her real love: acting. You can read my interview here.

(Photo: Luc-Richard Elie for Backstage.)

Trevor Noah, 'The Daily Show' and the Future of Late Night

As you've probably heard, 31-year-old comedian Trevor Noah will take over The Daily Show after Jon Stewart steps aside. What does it mean for fake news? Over at Rolling Stone, I explained why Noah's roots (he's from South Africa) and relatively low-profile signal a significant change in the late-night landscape. (Plus, it gave me a chance to rave about Last Week Tonight.) You can read my piece here.

What's the Greatest Sketch-Comedy Show of All Time?

Over at Rolling Stone, a group of writers (including yours truly) did write-ups for 40 of the best sketch-comedy programs ever. I didn't have a say in the final rankings, but I made the case for my three entries: Portlandia, Inside Amy Schumer and The Muppet Show.

Crosby, Stills & Nash - "Guinnevere"

My father likes to insist that Neil Young ruined Crosby, Stills & Nash. (What can I say: The man simply has never been on Young's wavelength.) So, in his honor, here's one of my favorite CSN tracks. And let's be honest: There really isn't a place for Young in it.



P.S. If you haven't heard the alternate version of "Guinnevere," you should check it out.

Let's Rank All Will Ferrell's Movies

For Vulture, Will and I gave ourselves the task of ranking every one of Will Ferrell's movies. (We did draw the line at his cameos and his animated roles, with the exception of The Lego Movie, of course.) Going through Ferrell's career, including the recent Get Hard, you notice that he's a better comedic actor than a dramatic one: His artistry doesn't require him to get serious to get our attention. Also, boy, he plays a lot of musical instruments in his films: everything from guitar to drums to banjo to jazz flute. OK, with that out of the way, let's get to the list.

'Get Hard' Review

You can probably start officially worrying about Will Ferrell's career. After The Campaign and Anchorman 2 (which I actually liked), he's begun to seem less relevant and fresh as a comic star. (Never mind that Anchorman 2 was a massive hit.) He's back with Get Hard, where he and Kevin Hart throw Molotov cocktails at all sorts of P.C. topics. For their trouble, they've been labeled racist and homophobic. I'm not that down on the movie, but I don't think it works. I reviewed Get Hard for Deadspin.

Update: On Wednesday, I was on Studio 11 LA to discuss whether or not the film was racist. You can see my segment here.

'Last Knights' Review

Clive Owen! Morgan Freeman! Swords! Crossbows! These are just some of the selling points of Last Knights, a decidedly threadbare action-adventure film set in ye olde medieval times. I'm going to be honest: I wrote this review weeks ago and remember almost nothing about it. So reading my Screen International piece now will be enlightening for me as well. Here it is.

'White God' Review

In the Hungarian film White God, a teenage girl and her beloved dog are separated, the girl forced to deal with adolescence and the dog struggling to survive on its own in a cruel, uncaring big city. Can they find their way back to one another? The film, from director Kornél Mundruczó, sounds like it could be a variation on The Incredible Journey, but this dark parable has much more on its mind. I reviewed White God for Paste.

True/False 2015: The Wrap-Up

Another True/False, my third, has come and gone. So, let's recap what I wrote about the festival and take a look at my final rankings.

As far as the below list goes, please note I didn't include The Act of Killing, which I've only seen in its theatrical cut. (The festival screened Joshua Oppenheimer's preferred director's cut.) I also decided to leave off Arena of Life, four shorts from Polish filmmaker Bogdan Dziworski, which were, mostly, exceptional. So, here we go, with links leading to individual pages/reviews....

15. What Happened, Miss Simone?
14. Finders Keepers
13. How to Change the World
12. The Chinese Mayor
11. Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait
10. The Visit
9. Tales of the Grim Sleeper
8. Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck
7. Best of Enemies
6. Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
5. Bitter Lake
4. Heaven Knows What
3. Western
2. Cartel Land
1. The Look of Silence

I struggled a bit deciding where to place each of the movies in my top four. All I know is they were the four finest films I saw at the festival. Second viewings will help sort out their placement.

In addition, I wrote a long overview of this year's festival. Rather than doing a standard recap, I explored the notion of how to change the world -- an idea that came to me after watching, you guessed it, How to Change the World. I wondered if a film, or a group of activists, or even a film festival can legitimately make a difference in the world. I hope you enjoy what I came up with.

And, finally, my thanks to Kevin B. Lee for including me in his annual rundown of critics' favorites from True/False. Look how handsome and wise I am.

'The Salt of the Earth' Review

Director Wim Wenders hit my Top 10 for 2011 with Pina, his startling 3D documentary dedicated to choreographer Pina Bausch. His new documentary, The Salt of the Earth, received an Oscar nomination, losing out to Citizenfour. This weekend, it opens in select cities, singing the praises of acclaimed photographer Sebastião Salgado. I think it's a quite fine primer on the man's work, even if the man remains a bit mysterious at its center. You can read my review at Paste.

Nicki Minaj (featuring Drake and Lil Wayne) - "Truffle Butter"

Currently, my car's CD player is on the fritz, which has left me at the mercy of terrestrial radio. It's pretty depressing out there, folks. But "Truffle Butter" has been my salvation.

'Amour Fou' Review

It's still one of my happiest memories from Sundance: A few years ago, I walked into a screening of Lourdes, knowing little about the film, and walked out utterly gobsmacked. That film's writer-director, Jessica Hausner, has finally returned with her follow-up. Amour Fou isn't as potent, but it's fascinating in its own right. How often do we get movies about suicide pacts? My review of Amour Fou is up at Paste.

'Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter' Review

One of the hits of last year's Sundance Film Festival, Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter finally arrives in theaters this week. Supposedly based on a true story, the film relates the strange tale of a Japanese woman (Rinko Kikuchi) who travels to America convinced that Fargo was nonfiction, hoping to locate the money Steve Buscemi's character buried in a field by the highway. Kumiko doesn't always work, but it's distinctly the vision of its filmmakers, David and Nathan Zellner. I reviewed the curiosity for Paste.

'Spy' Review

Spy premiered at SXSW last night, but I was able to catch it here in Los Angeles. And I'm very happy to report that Melissa McCarthy finally gets a starring vehicle where she doesn't have to play the overbearing, bulldozing Melissa McCarthy of her recent starring vehicles. No, Spy is a big, happy, generous comedy, and she's a total hoot in it: sexy and vulnerable and deeply charming. (As for Jason Statham fans, you should also be thrilled: Our guy is great in this.) (And, oh yeah, Jude Law's fun, too.) I reviewed Spy for Screen International.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Talking 'Cinderella'

Today on KCRW, I went on Madeleine Brand's show with my good buddy Justin Chang to talk about this weekend's big movies. We discussed Cinderella, Run All Night and Going Clear. I only liked one of them, and I'm guessing you know which one. You can hear me and Justin right here.

Django Django - "First Light"

I'm very much digging the new single from Django Django, which will appear on their forthcoming Born Under Saturn. But the video inspired these random snarky responses from yours truly...

1. "What do you mean, 'the band doesn't want to be in the video'?! We gotta film something!"

2. "We call our new video, Establishing Shot: The Movie."

3. "Do not stare directly into the 'First Light' video. You might burn out your retinas."

4. "Dude, I bet Terrence Malick freakin' loves this video."

True/False 2015: 'Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck' Review

I was apprehensive going into Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck. Sanctioned by Cobain's estate, the documentary could be just one big love letter to Nirvana. And, in a way, it is. But in a more important way, it's not: It's tougher and more risk-taking than that. For Paste I reviewed the film, which will next be screening at South by Southwest.

'Run All Night' Review

Wanna wait until pay cable to see Run All Night? That's probably fine. The latest Liam Neeson joint is aggressively OK. I reviewed it for Deadspin, where way too many commenters take issue with my contention that The Grey is fantastic.

'It Follows' Review

A big fan of David Robert Mitchell's first film, The Myth of the American Sleepover, I was curious what he'd do for a followup. Well, it's a horror movie, It Follows. It's not as strong as Myth but, intriguingly, they're thematic cousins in a way. I reviewed the film for Deadspin.

'Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief' Review

At True/False, I caught the latest film from documentarian Alex Gibney, Going Clear, which will be opening in limited release this Friday. (It comes to HBO March 29.) This exposé won't be groundbreaking for people who have been following the ins and outs of Scientology over the years, but it's nonetheless a smartly researched and argued attack on the Church. I reviewed the film for Paste.

True/False 2015: 'The Visit' Review

If aliens arrived on Earth, how would governments react? We see this scenario play out in movies a lot, but the documentary The Visit tries to take a realistic approach, asking scientists, thinkers and theologians to theorize about humanity's response. The movie is playful, thoughtful and a fun little conversation starter. I reviewed The Visit for Screen International.

'Danny Collins' Review

Oh, Al Pacino, why are you in movies like Danny Collins? No doubt because it's the sort of film that a certain audience will go see -- the same crowd that sampled Last Vegas, say. This story of an aging rock star who decides to change his life by reconnecting with his son (Bobby Cannavale) gets sappy and droopy fast. I reviewed the film for Screen International.

True/False 2015: 'Western' Review

The Ross brothers (Tchoupitoulas) return with their latest documentary, Western, which chronicles a Texas border town facing an uncertain future. This movie feels like a portrait of the new Wild Wild West, one in which Mexico and America merge into one new, different culture. I found it pretty striking. My review is up at Screen International.

True/False 2015: 'Finders Keepers' Review

One of the hit documentaries at this year's Sundance was Finders Keepers, about two men who fought over the custody of a severed leg. (Even stranger: The severed leg came from one of the two men.) I caught up with the film at True/False, and while I ultimately enjoyed this funny, affecting movie, I had plenty of reservations. I go into them in my Screen International review.

The New Pornographers - "Marching Orders"

With New Pornographers albums, you can go weeks obsessing over one track -- only to find a new favorite song for the next couple weeks. With Brill Bruisers, I've already gone through "Dancehall Domine," "Fantasy Fools," "War on the East Coast" and "Backstairs." Now, it's time for "Marching Orders."

They say we can't make this stuff up. But what else could we make?   

A Salute to True/False

In 2013, I attended the True/False Film Festival for the first time. I became a convert. I'm back for my third time this week, and for Deadspin I try to encapsulate what's so special about this documentary-centric festival. Hope you enjoy.

'Chappie' Review

Never convinced of the genius of filmmaker Neill Blomkamp, I can't say that I went into Chappie with huge expectations. Alas, the movie is as mediocre as I feared. Give the man credit for his ambition -- and then knock him down a few notches for having painfully so-so execution. My review is up at Screen International.

'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' Review

Was the world crying out for a sequel to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel? Well, we got it anyway. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel doesn't have nearly the amount of charm and humor as the first installment. And, oh lord, Dev Patel...... My review is up at Paste.

Will Smith: The Man Who Isn't There

As a longtime Will Smith fan, I struggled with Focus, an ostensibly just-for-fun caper movie, for reasons I couldn't pin down. The problem, I finally realized, was that I simply found Smith so opaque in the film that I couldn't sense a human being up there on the screen. That made me think about his first major film role, in Six Degrees of Separation, where he played another charlatan. And that made me think about this essay on Smith's career, which is now live on Deadspin.

Led Zeppelin - "Ten Years Gone"

This week, Led Zeppelin celebrated the 40th anniversary of the release of Physical Graffiti with a spiffy new deluxe edition. Never a slobbering fan of the hard rock titans, I'd nonetheless like to play a deep cut off the double album, the endlessly beautiful and mysterious "Ten Years Gone."

'The Lazarus Effect' Review

You've got a movie that stars Mark Duplass, Olivia Wilde and Donald Glover. So it's a comedy, right? Sadly, no: The Lazarus Effect is a horror movie about some scientists who discover they can bring back the dead. Of course, this turns out to be a bad idea -- for them and for the audience. I reviewed the film for Screen International.

'Focus' Review

Will Smith fans like me have been hoping he'll right the ship with Focus, his conman movie in which he stars alongside Margot Robbie. This is a genre I really enjoy -- we know we're being tricked, but we're not sure how, and so we try to figure it out, like watching a magic trick. But you have to pull it off just right, and Focus (for as much fun as it can be) sadly doesn't. I reviewed the film for Screen International.

''71' Review

'71 was one of the big hits from last year's Berlin Film Festival. This weekend, it finally opens in the U.S. The movie, a war drama, stars Jack O'Connell, who was the lead in Unbroken. (His best role so far remains his turn in Starred Up.) In '71, he plays a British soldier on the run in Belfast in 1971. Taut, tense, a little dry, '71 impresses without necessarily blowing you away. I reviewed the film for Paste.

My LAFCA Awards Presentation for 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'

Considering that Boyhood was my pick for 2014's best film, you can imagine that I was disappointed that it didn't win Best Picture last night at the Oscars. My other great sadness, however, came from the fact that Wes Anderson didn't walk away with Best Original Screenplay for The Grand Budapest Hotel, although that film did win four other prizes. (And, yes, Boyhood was also nominated in that category.)

I decided to reprint my speech I wrote for Anderson when I gave out the Los Angeles Film Critics Association's Best Screenplay prize to him back in early January. This encapsulates what I love about the film....

The Grand Budapest Hotel is about the stories we tell. Filled with characters who are authors or poets or simply old men reflecting on their lives over dinner, Wes Anderson’s film is consumed with the passage of time and how we chronicle it -- how we make sense of it through narratives, or personas that we invent for ourselves. Divided into novelistic chapters and spread out over different decades, The Grand Budapest Hotel may be Anderson’s most ambitious work yet. It is certainly his most poignant.  

But that’s not what you think of first. What you remember about The Grand Budapest Hotel is how funny it is. Working from a story he co-wrote with Hugo Guinness, Anderson has given us one of his richest creations in Gustave, a concierge so impeccably elegant he never suspects how ridiculous he is. Played to comedic perfection by Ralph Fiennes, Gustave embodies many of the traits we have come to love in Anderson’s films: that proud sense of individualism; that defiantly optimistic view of the world that no amount of cruel reality can squash.   

This is Anderson’s eighth feature, and one of his very best. If this film were a book, it would be a page-turner: part thriller, part war drama, part comedy, part romantic fable. The Grand Budapest Hotel is a splendid confection, an exquisite fantasy -- and to quote one of the character’s assessment of Gustave, Wes Anderson sustains the illusion with a marvelous grace.  

Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in congratulating our Best Screenplay winner, Mr. Wes Anderson.

Oscars 2015: Predicting the Major Categories

Will it be Boyhood or Birdman? One of the closest Oscar seasons in years winds down Sunday. Making my picks for Best Picture, Director and Actor was incredibly tough, and there's no guarantee I'm not wrong in a couple other categories. (Three of the eight major categories, though, seem like locks.) So, here we go.

Beyoncé - "Blow"

It's been almost two weeks since Beck's Morning Phase beat (among others) Beyoncé's self-titled disc for the Album of the Year Grammy. I've been meaning to write about Morning Phase since it topped my 2014 Pazz & Jop ballot, an outcome that surprised me as much as anyone. (I never liked Beck's previous sad-songs acoustic album Sea Change all that much.) But rather than spend the time arguing why Morning Phase is one of Beck's deepest, richest and (most importantly) least mannered albums, I decided instead to dive back into Beyoncé, which the loudest people online think should have won.

I might as well say this from the start: I don't get Beyoncé. I should also say that I don't like not "getting" people, and I try my best to at least understand what an artist is trying to do, even if that particular thing does nothing for me. As far as Bey goes, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" is one of the best singles of the last 10 years, but her other (many) hits leave me mostly cold. "Crazy in Love" bites "Are You My Woman? (Tell Me So)" without adding much new, and tracks like "Halo" are so demonstratively dramatic that I feel like I'm being trampled by an invading army.

That feeling extends to her persona, which in pop music matters almost as much as the songs. The lustful fantasy of many men (and perhaps some women, too) and an icon of self-empowerment and resourcefulness for many women (and perhaps some men, too), Beyoncé has always come across as more businesswoman than artist. Listening to her songs, I don't connect on an emotional level: It's like getting really jazzed about your Coca-Cola stocks. In this way, she and her husband Jay Z are well-matched. Especially in his recent albums, Jay has been more about brand management than artistic discovery. (And it should be said that he has utilized her incredibly well in his music: duets on "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" and "Part II [On the Run]," nailing the hook on his and Kanye West's Watch the Thrones cut "Lift Off.")

But because it's more fun to love music than to shake your head at it, I've been re-exploring Beyoncé in the hopes that it'll finally click with me. Her most acclaimed record -- it's the only one to land in the Top 10 in Pazz & Jop -- Beyoncé is, if nothing else, a model of state-of-the-art production. Featuring world-class sonics, the record gives Beyoncé a chance to exert her carnal, ferocious essence, which she can do with aplomb. I can't say I get a lot of insight into the person behind the persona, but if Beyoncé is a sleek, pricey Vegas hotel, she fills every room with fantasy, decoration, escapism.

So now let's listen to the Beyoncé song I absolutely love, "Blow." I still don't understand why this wasn't a single. Well, actually, considering its coda, maybe I do understand: I'm not sure if the radio would be ready for this filthy of a Beyoncé. Never mind that it's about a healthy married sex life.   

Oscars 2015: Predicting the Technical Categories

For the third straight year, I'm predicting the smaller Oscar categories over at Deadspin. (Tomorrow, Will and I will tackle the eight big prizes, including Best Picture.) So far, I have an 84% success rate, which I will no doubt jeopardize by even mentioning it. Oh well: Here are my picks for everything from Best Documentary to Best Production Design to Best Sound Editing to Best Live Action Short.

It's an Honor Never to Be Nominated: The Oscar Overlooked

For Playboy, I made a list of 10 great actors, filmmakers or composers who have never been nominated for an Oscar. This is an embarrassing collection of talent that's never gotten its due from the Academy. You can read my appreciation of folks like Jim Carrey right here.

My Best Picture Ballot for the 2015 Oscars

On Sunday, the 87th Academy Awards will be held here in Los Angeles. If I was a member of the Academy, this would be how I rank my Best Picture ballot. (As a reminder, the Oscars use a preferential voting system to determine what movie walks away with the top prize.) To be clear, this isn't a prediction of how it will play out, merely how I would vote if I could....

1. Boyhood
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel
3. Birdman
4. The Theory of Everything
5. Selma
6. The Imitation Game
7. American Sniper
8. Whiplash

Actual predictions will be coming later this week.

Mos Def - "Twilite Speedball"

Mos Def hasn't put out a solo album since The Ecstatic, one of 2009's best records. Since then, he has changed his name to Yasiin Bey and hasn't done a ton of recording or acting. But last year, he resurfaced, sorta, when a snippet from the track "Twilite Speedball" popped up in an ad for the Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas. if you find the music intoxicating, introduce yourself to the song.

'Kingsman: The Secret Service' Review

While we wait for Spectre, why not give Kingsman: The Secret Service a chance? Well, because it's not very good. This spy thriller-comedy starring Colin Firth likes to pat itself on the back for how clever it is. (This is the kind of movie that has its characters mention how movie-like their situation is, only to then assert that this isn't a movie.) Sure, the action sequences are pretty superb but, honestly, who cares? It's totally soulless without being witty about it. I reviewed Kingsman for Deadspin.

The Best Movies to Lose the Best Picture Oscar

I've often said that the worst thing that can happen to a good movie is to win Best Picture. Once you've been given that Oscar, everybody complains that you're not that great of a film: The accolade simply invites people to nitpick. With that in mind, for Rolling Stone I decided to rank the 25 best movies that were nominated for Best Picture but lost. This is an enormously difficult task, by the way, which meant leaving off plenty of worthy contenders. Also, my No. 1 pick is going to annoy lots of folks. Hey, sue me, it's my list.

My Interview With Randall Park

I couldn't have had a better time hanging out with Randall Park. The star of ABC's Fresh Off the Boat, he was in the news a lot last year because he played Kim Jong-un in The Interview, which made his life surreal for a bit. We talked about all that -- plus, why he loves MF Doom, one of the best undergrounds MCs out there. My piece is now live at Backstage.

'Fifty Shades of Grey' Review

When I told people I was going to be seeing Fifty Shades of Grey, I got a surprising amount of responses that ranged from "Oh god, why?" to "Well, good luck with that" to "Yeah, that's not my kind of thing." Putting aside for a moment the fact that I saw the film because, you know, it's my job, I was shocked how quick some folks were to assume that the movie would be bad. I then, of course, wondered how many people would be furious if a critic went into a movie with such strong preconceived notions. This is an occupational pet peeve of mine: Readers expect us to be open-minded (which I work very hard to be) but don't apply the same standard to themselves for films they assume aren't worth their time.

So, with that said, let me tell you that I found Fifty Shades of Grey to be fascinating -- and I don't mean that in a coy, condescending way. That rare Hollywood movie that deals (somewhat) seriously with its characters' sexual life, Fifty Shades stands alone among the studio blockbusters. (It's also just about the only "event movie" based around a love story in recent times.) There is much to discuss about this flawed, ultimately satisfying film, and I go into all of it in my Screen International review.

What Are the Sci-Tech Awards?

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are the people who, among other things, put on the Oscars. But a few weeks before then, they also throw the annual Scientific and Technical Awards, or Sci-Tech. This show honors the latest in technical innovation, and it gets a cursory mention every year during the Oscar broadcast. I've always been curious to attend the Sci-Tech Awards, and for Popular Mechanics I finally got my chance. The event was this past Saturday, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, which required me getting into a tux. What I found was an awards show, hosted this year by Miles Teller and Margot Robbie, that suggests the future of moviegoing. I had a blast covering the event, and I hope you enjoy this recap. 

The Best Movies of the Decade (so far): My Ballot

You may remember the other day I mentioned that The Dissolve had asked me and other critics to contribute ballots to their poll of the best films of the decade (2010-2014). (You can see the master list, with write-ups, of Nos. 50-26 here. Nos. 25-1 are right here.)

For those interested, I decided to publish my ballot below.

Doing some quick number-crunching, I see that 10 of my Top 20 films ended up in the overall Dissolve Top 50. If some of my picks surprise you, well, they surprised me, too -- but I decided to go by instinct and not overthink my choices. If nothing else, this will help give me a guide for "Best of the Decade" lists in about four years, which will be here quicker than you think.

1. Inside Llewyn Davis
2. The Turin Horse
3. The Master
4. Boyhood
5. City of Life and Death
6. Lourdes
7. Shutter Island
8. Elena (the Andrei Zvyagintsev film)
9. It's Such a Beautiful Day
10. The Social Network
11. The Clock
12. Compliance
13. Let the Fire Burn
14. Blue Is the Warmest Color
15. Shame
16. Leviathan (the Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Véréna Paravel film)
17. Upstream Color
18. Take Shelter
19. Room 237
20. Before Midnight

Pet Shop Boys - "Suburbia"

Today, Andrew Sullivan closes down The Dish, a decision he has agonized over. It's no less difficult for all of us who loved reading his site. Between the loss of The Dish and The Colbert Report, I can't imagine how I'm going to get through the 2016 presidential election.

In honor of Sullivan, I decided I'd dedicate this week's Friday Video to him by choosing a track from his all-time favorite band.

'Seventh Son' Review

Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore reunite for The Big Lebowski 2 ... OK, that's not what happened. Instead, they're in Seventh Son, a patience-trying fantasy-adventure featuring witches, warlocks, monsters and other creatures. Too bad it's all so darn boring. I reviewed the film for Screen International.

'McFarland, USA' Review

There are few pleasures quite like watching Kevin Costner in a sports movie. (I've written about this before.) But his latest, McFarland, USA, is almost a little too comfortable. It's based on a true story: In the late 1980s, a white football coach, Jim White, started a cross-country team in a small Latino community, bridging cultural divides in the process. Sure, it's inspiring, but it's also rather rote. I reviewed the film for Screen International.

'Jupiter Ascending' Review

You have to hand it to Lana and Andy Wachowski: Jupiter Ascending is a wholly original sci-fi film. It's not based on a comic book or a TV show or anything else. (Well, it's definitely inspired from older sci-fi films like Star Wars and Dune.) But in an era of play-it-safe blockbusters, Jupiter Ascending is undeniably bold.

Now, here comes the bad news: It's pretty terrible. Because the Wachowskis always have a sense of grandeur about their projects, Jupiter Ascending feels unabashedly epic, which can make for fascinating viewing. I flipped for the divisive Cloud Atlas, but I just sat there shaking my head with their new film. I reviewed Jupiter Ascending for Screen International.

What Are the Best Movies of This Decade (so far)?

The fine folks at The Dissolve polled me and others for our picks for the best films this decade (2010-2014). Compiling those ballots, The Dissolve has now unveiled its list of "The 50 Best Films of the Decade So Far." The first half of the results (50-26) can be found here, including my write-ups for The Turin Horse and Upstream Color. Tomorrow, The Dissolve will reveal the Top 25, and each critic's individual ballot. (Spoiler alert: Four of the movies on my personal Top 20 are included in the 50-26 roundup.)

(Update: Here's 25-1. Six of the movies on my personal Top 20 are included in this section of the countdown.)

(Second Update: Here's my ballot.)