'War for the Planet of the Apes' Review

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was the best blockbuster since The Dark Knight, so I had high hopes for the trilogy's finale, War for the Planet of the Apes. Alas, War is not unlike The Dark Knight Rises: a perfectly good last act that can't quite live up to what's come before. My review is up at Paste.

Misleading Men: Tobey Maguire

Spider-Man: Homecoming is out now, but for MEL, I decided to take a look back at the first big-screen Peter Parker. That would be Tobey Maguire, and here's my appreciation of an actor who has remained the culture's idea of who Spider-Man is.

The xx - "I Dare You"

I've been a romantic for so long 
All I've ever had are love songs

I feel you, Romy.

In Praise of 'A Ghost Story'

I flipped for A Ghost Story earlier this year. Now that it opens Friday, I sing its praises again over at MEL, where I talk about how the movie makes the afterlife seem like the most horrifying thing imaginable. You can read my piece here.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: The Best Movies of 2017 (So Far)

On this week's podcast, we review Okja and The House. But the majority of the episode is devoted to our lists of the best films of the first half of 2017.

Let me say that these are the films I still need to see and will be dutifully catching up on over the next several months: Beatriz at Dinner, Contemporary Color, Dark Night, The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki, Heal the Living, I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore, Kedi, Land of Mine, Last Man in Aleppo, The Lovers, My Journey Through French Cinema, A Quiet Passion and A Woman’s Life. So, yeah, I've got some work to do.

Listen to the whole thing here:



(Pssst..... my picks, in alphabetical order, are Casting JonBenet, Graduation, Hermia & Helena, It Comes at Night, The Lost City of Z and Personal Shopper.)

'The House' Review

Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler and Jason Mantzoukas are all really funny people. They're all in The House, which is a stunningly unfunny movie. Seriously, what happened? I gaze at the wreckage in my Paste review.

J-Kwon - "Tipsy"

Happy Fourth, everyone. St. Louis in the house.

'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Review

Spider-Man: Homecoming is the first web-slinger adventure to take place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This means that Captain America and Iron Man show up, which will excite comic-book fans but made me wish more and more that these superheroes could just do their own thing in their own movies. (Is this the reason why I've become such a fan of the practically standalone Guardians of the Galaxy films?) Regardless, this is a fun, engaging reboot highlighted by a very good Michael Keaton as the bad guy. You can read my review over at Screen International.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Nobody Speak,' 'Inside Moves' and 'Baby Driver'

Will and I tackled six movies on the most recent podcast. I talked about The Big Sick and The Beguiled. We both reviewed Transformers: The Last Knight and Baby Driver. We sorted out our personal feelings to discuss Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press. And, in our Reboot section, we looked back at Inside Moves. An epic episode, and you can hear it all below.

'Despicable Me 3' Review

Let me start by mentioning this:

You're not gonna get a better pull quote than @TimGrierson's tonight: "that movie makes you want to put your junk in a microwave."

— Todd Gilchrist (@mtgilchrist) June 27, 2017

Yup, I said it, and I was referring to Despicable Me 3, which I also told Todd was like an advertisement for birth control. I'm not opposed to kids' films, but when they're this witless, they're a pox. My review is up at Screen International.

'Baby Driver' Review

I think I've made peace with the fact that Edgar Wright is a filmmaker for other people. Baby Driver, like many of his movies, is very entertaining and innovative. But there's nothing underneath the whiz-bang exterior. I reviewed the film for Screen International.

'The B-Side' Review

Errol Morris remains one of our finest filmmakers. Even in a minor key, he rules. The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Portrait Photography is about his good friend, and the affection is obvious from the first frame. But this is also a smart, wise documentary about the impermanence of everything. I reviewed the film for Paste.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Transformers, 'The Bad Batch,' Romantic Comedies and 'The Beguiled'

Always fun to be on Press Play. This week, I guest alongside Alicia Malone, and we review Transformers: The Last Knight, The Bad Batch, The Beguiled, The Big Sick and Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press. We had fun, fun, fun ... you can hear the whole thing here.

'Wedding Crashers': The Oral History

A few weeks ago, my MEL editors were putting together ideas for an ambitious wedding-themed week of pieces. That's when they asked me, "We really, really want you to do an oral history of Wedding Crashers. What do you think?"

I went for it. Today, you see the results of that work. I spoke to several people involved in the 2005 comedy sensation to hear their behind-the-scenes stories. It was very fun. And I hope you enjoy.

Drive-By Truckers - "Outfit"

Jason Isbell's new album, The Nashville Sound, dropped last week. I'm still absorbing it, so in the meantime, here's a salute to probably the best song he's ever written.

'The Big Sick' Review

I feel the same way about The Big Sick now as I did when I first saw it at Sundance: It's immensely charming and very good, but it's not quite amazing. Still, the movie offers many, many pleasures, and I talk about them in my review at Paste.

A Salute to Daniel Day-Lewis

As you may have heard, Daniel Day-Lewis has said he's retiring. I'm not sure I entirely buy that, but if it's true, I wanted to pay tribute to our finest actor. Rolling Stone gave me the space to praise him -- and, specifically, to debunk this idea that he's just this grim, obsessive Method actor. Beyond being a brilliant performer, he made acting look like a total blast. You can read my piece here.

'Transformers: The Last Knight' Review

That's how I felt too, Mark.

I remain absolutely dazzled by Michael Bay's next-level aesthetic. Like it or not, nobody makes action sequences with such frenetic expertise as he does. But when the movie's this junky, well, who cares? I reviewed Transformers: The Last Knight for Screen International.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Talking Cars, Legendary Rappers, Crazy Gals

Many new movies to discuss on this week's episode. We split on Cars 3. We agree on All Eyez on Me. We agree about Rough Night. And I talk to Will about my experience of watching The Book of Henry. A lot of fun, and it's all right here.

'Becoming Cary Grant' and Our Obsession With Movie Stars' Dark Origin Stories

The Showtime documentary Becoming Cary Grant examines the hidden demons underneath the smooth, polished glamour of the beloved Hollywood legend. It got me thinking about the public's desire to build up celebrities and then convince ourselves that they're not that great. Grant may be our most visible example of that phenomenon. My piece is up at MEL.

Digable Planets - "Black Ego"

Sampling Grant Green's "Luanna's Theme," this standout track from Digable Planets' second album, Blowout Comb, has popped into my brain every once in a while ever since my then-roommate bought the record back in 1994. That's right, baby.

'What the Flick?!': Talking 'Cars 3,' 'Rough Night' and 'It Comes at Night'

It's been far too long since I've guested on What the Flick?! I had a blast with Alonso, Christy and Ben, and we dig into Cars 3 (ugh), Rough Night (eh) and It Comes at Night (great). Check out the videos below.

'All Eyez on Me' Review

What a stunning disappointment All Eyez on Me is. A biopic of Tupac Shakur's short, tragic life, the film is long and uninspired, detailing the rapper's story without much flair or insight. Demetrius Shipp Jr. looks a lot Tupac, but the movie has no sense of his brilliance. I reviewed All Eyez on Me for Paste.

Has Pixar Just Made Its Worst Movie?

That's the case I make over at Paste, going into detail about precisely why Cars 3 makes me so sad. Is it a terrible movie? No. But it's a lazy one ... and for a studio this great, that's just as unforgivable. You can read my piece here.

My Dad Taught Me How (Not) to Drink

For Father's Day, MEL is having its contributors write about their dads and drinking. This required me to do something I've never done, which is talk to my dad about alcohol. He doesn't drink ... at all. Literally, he's never had a drink. Am I a chip off the old block? I talk about that in my MEL essay.

'The Book of Henry' Review

The Book of Henry premiered last night at L.A. Film Festival. The movie, from Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow, has been carrying bad buzz for a while, and now that I've seen it ... well, I can see why. A bad movie by any measurement, it's also a fairly audacious one, about a single mom (Naomi Watts) who's raising two kids, one of whom is a genius. Few films try to combine the tearjerker and the Hitchcockian thriller: The Book of Henry gets points for being bold, I suppose. But as I explain in my Screen International review, this movie is still a mess.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Digging Into 'The Mummy,' 'It Comes at Night' and 'Shadow of a Doubt'

For whatever reason, Will and I haven't had any major disagreements on the podcast in a while. (Our last epic one was Rogue One.) But we don't see eye-to-eye at all on It Comes at Night. We talk about it -- and we (kinda, sorta) defend The Mummy. And then, in our Reboot segment, we take a look back at Shadow of a Doubt. You can hear the whole thing here.

'Cars 3' Review

If I may, a brief timeline of my feelings about the Cars movies...

2006: "Hey, Cars, isn't amazing, but it's good, OK? Lay off it!"
2011: "Oh, god, Cars 2 was terrible. What were they thinking?"
2017: "Was the first Cars any good? I don't honestly remember anymore."

Cars 3 is less irritating than its predecessor, but it's far more boring, which probably makes it worse. I reviewed the film for Screen International.

The Black Keys - "Everlasting Light"

Probably not their best song, but the one I'm feeling at the moment.

On 'Band Aid' and Its Portrait of Modern Marriage

I have issues with Band Aid, the new movie written and directed by Zoe Lister-Jones (who also stars), but what I responded to was its depiction of marriage. Specifically, I think it's dead-on about the importance of arguing. Not that you have to argue, but that you need to figure out how to do it well. I wrote about that for MEL.

'The Mummy' Review

I'm actually less brutal to The Mummy than a lot of my colleagues are. It's not a good film, but it is fascinating in a way -- especially in what it says about the modern blockbuster, where a star like Tom Cruise means a heck of a lot less than the maintenance of a possible franchise. My review is up at Paste.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Talking Wonder Woman, English Patients and 'In Bruges'

This week's episode features only one new review, but it's a big one. We go long on Wonder Woman. Then, in our Reboot segment, we discuss The English Patient (don't tell Elaine) and In Bruges. So, yup, it's a Ralph Fiennes double feature. Hear the whole thing down below.

On 'Dumb,' Big Brother Magazine and 'Jackass'

Hulu has a new documentary out called Dumb. It's a celebration of Big Brother, a rude-and-crude skateboard magazine that lived to annoy conservatives and parents in the 1990s. Big Brother's greatest claim to fame, though, was the franchise it helped inspire, the brilliant (and also rude-and-crude) Jackass. I wrote about the film for MEL.

'Wonder Woman' and Sexism

For Rolling Stone, I reflect on Wonder Woman's most provocative point: Diana isn't just battling bad guys but a bad society. Sexism runs rampant in the world of this movie -- and our modern-day world -- but Wonder Woman never lets it stop her. You can read my essay here.

'It Comes at Night' Review

Trey Edward Shults, the writer-director of Krisha, returns with It Comes at Night, which I consider a far superior film. It stars Joel Edgerton and Carmen Ejogo as a married couple that has survived an unnamed global plague. Soon, they're visited by Christopher Abbott and Riley Keough, a married couple seeking shelter. Thus begins a very tense chamber drama that gets more unsettling as it goes along. Great stuff, as I explain in my Screen International review.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': 'Wonder Woman,' 'Captain Underpants' and 'Band Aid'

Always have a great time on KCRW. Yesterday, my pal Amy Nicholson and I were on Press Play to discuss two very different superhero movies. And then we went long on Band Aid, a film that I have very mixed feelings about. You can hear the whole thing here.

On Chris Pine, the Perfect 'Wonder Woman' Love Interest

For MEL, I wrote about Chris Pine, who plays the damsel-in-distress in Wonder Woman. It's a fun gender-switch for a role that's usually portrayed by women. You can read my piece here.

Real Estate - "Stained Glass"

While I was at Cannes, I listened to In Mind a decent amount while writing reviews. I'm of two minds when it comes to Real Estate. On the one hand, they're exceedingly pleasant indie-rock: light, refreshing, ephemeral. On the other, they're almost too much aural wallpaper. Nonetheless, a track like "Stained Glass" is a good way to spend four minutes of your life.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'War Machine,' 'Baywatch,' Johnny Depp and 'George Washington'

We had lots to cover in this week's podcast. First up, I recap the Cannes Film Festival. Then, Will and I review War Machine, Baywatch and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. And finally, we look back at 2000's George Washington for our Reboot segment. It's a supersized episode, and you can hear it below.

Cannes 2017: 'Happy End' Review

One final Cannes dispatch. I thought Michael Haneke's Happy End was real good. Most critics disagreed. So I decided to defend it. My review is up at Paste.

Cannes 2017: The Wrap-Up and the Rankings

This is my fourth Cannes. In terms of quality, it was the weakest. There were highlights, obviously, but the top of my rankings aren't as strong as they were, say, a year ago. Few unqualified raves and a general consensus that the competition titles were a bit lacking led to an overall sense of feeling underwhelmed. But then you remember you're at the Cannes Film Festival, and your mood brightens.

On to the rankings. Links lead to individual reviews...

32. Fortunata 
31. Bushwick
30. An Inconvenient Sequel
29. Ismael's Ghosts
28. Redoubtable 
27. The Summit
26. Based on a True Story
25. Filmworker
24. Okja
23. A Ciambra
22. In the Fade
21. La Familia
20. Brigsby Bear  
19. Jupiter's Moon
18. Alive in France
17. The Workshop
16. The Day After 
15. The Rider
14. The Square
13. A Gentle Creature
12. 120 Beats Per Minute
11. The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
10. You Were Never Really Here
9. Amant Double
8. The Killing of a Sacred Deer 
7. The Beguiled
6. Wonderstruck
5. The Florida Project
4. Happy End
3. Bright Sunshine In
2. Good Time
1. Loveless

What will win the Palme d'Or? My gut, which should never be trusted, says 120 Beats Per Minute. I wouldn't rule out Wonderstruck or Loveless, though. Don't be surprised if Robert Pattinson takes home Best Actor for the terrific Good Time. And I'm going out on a limb by picking Vasilina Makovtseva for A Gentle Creature, a movie that tied me in knots and continues to replay itself in my mind. If this was an underwhelming year at the festival, then Sergei Loznitsa's no-prisoners Russian drama was the most Cannes film I've seen in my four years. A singular, provocative vision that challenges viewers, A Gentle Creature stretched my brain in ways both pleasing and infuriating, and I'm grateful to have been at the first screening anywhere in the world for a film that will inspire plenty of reaction in the months to come.

See? Even a disappointing Cannes can be a great one.

Angel Olsen - "Sister"

Singer-songwriter gets sad and reflective, decides to walk around Southern California to clear her head.

Cannes 2017: 'Bushwick' Review

I saw Bushwick at Sundance and was very mixed on it. I gave it a second look here at Cannes, and I now know how I feel about it: I think it's pretty so-so. This action-thriller is meant to look like a single-shot story, but the gimmick gets old fast. I reviewed the movie for Screen International.

Cannes 2017: 'Brigsby Bear' Review

Brigsby Bear, which stars Saturday Night Live's Kyle Mooney, premiered at Sundance, but I caught up with it in Cannes. He plays a twentysomething man who doesn't realize (A) he was kidnapped as a baby; (B) he's been living in a bunker with his captors; and (C) his favorite show is actually something his kidnappers made specifically to keep him entertained. When the guy enters the real world, how will he react? My review of this decently funny and thoughtful comedy is up at Screen International.

Is 'Sgt. Pepper' the Greatest Album Ever Made?

For MEL, I spent a little time musing about Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. It's long been considered the greatest album ever. Rather than debating that point, I decided to focus on what exactly the "greatest album ever" would even mean. I was really pleased with how this came out. You can read it here.

Cannes 2017: 'Good Time' Review

I saw Good Time before Cannes but had to keep hush-hush about it until the film premiered at the festival. Well, now I can say: Holy cow, is it great. It's a triumph for the Safdie brothers and it's a triumph for its star, Robert Pattinson. My review is live at Screen International.

Cannes 2017: 'The Summit' Review

The Summit ought to be a lot of fun, telling the story of how the new president of Argentina (Ricardo Darín) tackles political and personal crises simultaneously while in the midst of a high-stakes summit with other Latin American leaders. There's potential for a pulpy airport-novel thriller, but the movie gets away from filmmaker Santiago Mitre. I reviewed The Summit for Screen International.

Cannes 2017: 'La Familia' Review

Venezuelan filmmaker Gustavo Rondón Córdova makes his feature debut with La Familia, a stripped-down story about a father and son on the run after the kid brutally attacks another boy in self-defense. A portrait of modern-day Caracas as much as it is a family drama, the film suggests Córdova might be someone worth keeping an eye on. My review is live at Screen International.

Cannes 2017: 'The Beguiled' Review

Sofia Coppola is back with her first feature since the slightly disappointing The Bling Ring. The Beguiled is a huge step up -- and maybe her best film since Marie Antoinette. Colin Farrell plays a wounded Union soldier who's taken in by a girls' school in Virginia run by Nicole Kidman. Heavily atmospheric and very thought-provoking, it packs a punch in just over 90 minutes. My review is live at Screen International.

Cannes 2017: 'The Square' Review

There is much to like about the ambitious The Square, the new dark comedy from Ruben Östlund, who brought us the Golden Globe-nominated Force Majeure. How much do you enjoy jokes about postmodern art? Do you have a tolerance for films that amble from subplot to subplot? The Square will test you on both fronts. My review is up at Paste.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Alien: Covenant,' 'The Big Chill' and 'Game 6'

I have yet to see Alien: Covenant. So for this week's podcast, I asked Will some questions about it. Then, in our Reboot segment, we dive into The Big Chill and Game 6. One's a Baby Boomer classic, the other is barely remembered. Which one did I like better? Check it out below:

Remembering Roger Moore

For MEL, I wrote a quick remembrance of Roger Moore, who, for people my age, was the James Bond we grew up with. His take on 007 was emblematic of its time, but it wasn't built to last. You can read my piece here.

Cannes 2017: 'Fortunata' Review

Even Cannes has its turkeys. Screening in Un Certain Regard, Fortunata is a super-melodramatic story about a single mom trying to realize her dream of owning her own beauty salon. No dice, says I. My review is up at Screen International.

Cannes 2017: Is Adam Sandler Back?

Adam Sandler has received a lot of praise for his role in Noah Baumbach's The Meyerowitz Stories. It's one of his rare "serious" roles, and he's never been more comfortable playing a regular guy. For MEL, I look at Sandler's artistic evolution.

'Baywatch' Review

You see these people? They made my life miserable for two hours. Folks, Baywatch stinks. It's just awful. It's not funny. It's just so bad. My review is up at Screen International.

Cannes 2017: 'The Florida Project' Review

Here's a little glimpse into how my life works at a film festival. On Monday morning, I went to see The Florida Project, the latest from Tangerine filmmaker Sean Baker. I then headed straight home to file my review, staying off social media so I could just focus on my piece. Right after, I headed off to see the new Hong Sang-soo movie, The Day After. Right after that, I headed to a party. Near the end of the event, someone came up to me and said, "So, you got to review the film of the festival, I hear." I had no idea what they were talking about. But, apparently, yes, The Florida Project has received stellar reviews. I'd been so swamped that I'd had no idea how others felt about it.

Anyway, here's mine, up at Screen International.

'War Machine' Review

I am starting to worry that Animal Kingdom was a fluke: Filmmaker David Michod hasn't come close to delivering a knockout since. His latest is War Machine, which stars Brad Pitt as a loony American general fighting in Afghanistan. There's a lot of anger and a lot of strained comedy in this misfire. My review is up at Screen International.

Cannes 2017: 'Alive in France' Review

Abel Ferrara isn't my idea of a master storyteller, but I was pretty pleased with his concert film Alive in France. The concept: In conjunction with a French retrospective of his oeuvre last October, he decided to stage some concerts of the songs from his films. It's a freewheeling behind-the-scenes look at the shows. My review is up at Screen International.

Cannes 2017: 'The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)' Review

With The Meyerowitz Stories, writer-director Noah Baumbach returns to the caustic dissection of family that marked his movies like The Squid and the Whale. But there's a noticeable uptick in warmth, though, which I talk about in my Screen International review.