The Face asked me if I'd be interested in spending time with Ben Hardy, who played Roger Taylor in Bohemian Rhapsody. He's now part of the ensemble of Michael Bay's 6 Underground. I wasn't able to see the film in time for our chat, but we had a fine time regardless. Read my profile here.
This week, we celebrate our 200th episode. Thanks to all who have listened and enjoyed what they heard. We go through five films in quick fashion: Uncut Gems, Little Women, Richard Jewell, Bombshell and Just Mercy. Hear the whole thing down below.
Christy Lemire and I were on KCRW yesterday reviewing some of this weekend's movies. We talk about Uncut Gems, A Hidden Life, Richard Jewell and Jumanji: The Next Level. All the fun can be heard down below.
Normally when a film doesn't screen until Wednesday night (with a review embargo of late Thursday), that's a bad sign. But I didn't mind Black Christmas, which I wrote about for Screen International.
2019 was the year I finally got Lana Del Rey. I suspect I'm not the only one: Norman Fucking Rockwell! looks poised to do better than any of her previous albums did on end-of-the-year lists. Very much positioning herself as a modern-day lovelorn Laurel Canyon denizen, Del Rey has the same sort of tart, confessional, melancholy tone that Joni Mitchell perfected about 50 years ago. (If nothing else, I hope this record encourages people to seek out Mitchell's most underrated great album, For the Roses.) She's her own person -- self-indulgent but candid about her insecurities -- and what used to annoy me about her zoned-out affectation now feels perfectly honed. Either she's matured as an artist or I've finally wised up about what made her special. Maybe it's a bit of both.
What a decade. On this week's episode, Will and I each count down the 10 best movies of the last 10 years. Will might revise his list depending on how he ranks his 2019 films, but I'm sticking with this 10. Hope you enjoy.
In preparation for reviewing Jumanji: The Next Level, I finally caught Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Many people told me that movie was fun. They were right; I was shocked how good (and even moving) it was. All of this is to say I was pretty disappointed with the new film, particularly because the last one was such a pleasant surprise. I wrote about The Next Level for Screen International.
Bombshell has rich subject matter -- the toxic misogyny of Fox News' offices -- but it's only so-so in its execution. Thankfully, the three leads help sell the film. My review is up at Screen International.
This week, MEL is featuring stories about cowboys: the archetype, the myth, the symbol of a certain kind of rugged masculinity. My contribution was to write about how Die Hard made John McClane into a modern cowboy. (You know his catchphrase.) My piece is here.
Midnight Family is a documentary about the Ochoa family, who operate a private ambulance in Mexico City. Theirs is a harrowing life that raises plenty of ethical questions. For MEL, I spoke with director Luke Lorentzen, who rode in the ambulance with the Ochoas. We talked about life, death and healthcare. Hope you enjoy.
On this week's episode, we review Knives Out, which we both enjoyed. But we differ on two other (very different) films: Queen & Slim and The Two Popes. Hear the whole thing down below.
