Grierson & Leitch

Grierson & Leitch, Episode 80 Timestamps: 5:25 "The Dark Tower" 22:52 "Kidnap" 25:55 "Columbus" 29:22 "Superbad" 47:40 "Anything Else" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grierson and Leitch discuss Detroit, Atomic Blonde, Brigsby Bear, The Last Face, The Emoji Movie and Delicatessen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Podcast strong. Ape proud. This week in the Grierson & Leitch podcast, we discuss the final film in the much-lauded "Planet of the Apes" trilogy, "War for the Planet of the Apes." Grierson is a huge fan of the first two films, especially the second one, but they left Leitch cold. So it's a little surprising where they both land here.
 Then we have two Reboot movies. First, it's 2001's "Mulholland Drive," David Lynch's masterwork that is considered by some to be the best movie so far this century. We're not quite willing to go that far, but it's still great. Then, they tackle 1995's "Kicking and Screaming," which is not the Will Ferrell soccer movie: It's Noah Baumbach's first feature. It's the '90s again!
 Timestamps: 
5:55 "War the Planet of the Apes"
 24:15 "Mulholland Drive"
 46:52 "Kicking and Screaming"

 We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or griersonleitch@gmail.com. As always, give us a review on iTunes with the name of a movie you'd like us to review, and we'll d

We are delighted to come at you with nothing but happiness this week. We've got three movies this week, and we like all three of them. But there is shading in our praise. Will loves the new "Spider-Man" reboot, while Tim likes it, but finds it a little bit too familiar to his taste. They both love "A Ghost Story," though, David Lowery's strange, gorgeous glimpse into the abyss of death and the cosmos. Then, in our Reboot segment, we dig into Paul Thomas Anderson's three-plus-hour 1999 epic "Magnolia." Honestly, we could talk about that movie for hours. Timestamps: 3:10 "Spider-Man: Homecoming" 28:25 "A Ghost Story" 42:44 "Magnolia" We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or griersonleitch@gmail.com. As always, give us a review on iTunes with the name of a movie you'd like us to review, and we'll discuss it on a later podcast. Opening Song: "Spider-Man," The Ramones Closing Song: "Save Me," Aimee Mann Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have reached the midway point of 2017, which means it's time to look back at our favorite movies from the first half the year. So Will and Tim each give their picks for the best six movies so far. There is only one crossover on both lists. Sorry: We're going to make you listen to find out what the films are. We also have two new reviews this week. First, Bong Joon-Ho's "Okja," a Netflix original that's the most ambitious and unwieldy movie the streaming service has made yet. Then a movie that is much, much worse than not only that, but almost any movie you will see this year: The airless, laugh-free "The House." No Reboot segment this week: Those will return next week. Timestamps: 6:40 Top Movies of the First Half of 2017 48:30 "Okja" 1:08:20 "The House" We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or griersonleitch@gmail.com. As always, give us a review on iTunes with the name of a movie you'd like us to review, and we'll discuss it on a later podcast. Opening Song: "Countdown

This is an insanely busy movie week, so: No chit-chat! Time to get down to business. Will and Tim first dig into Edgar Wright's unique vision that is "Baby Driver." (His name is Baby. He is not in fact a baby.) Will hasn't seen "The Beguiled" or "The Big Sick" yet, so Tim monologues on those, but they return to lament their lost souls after sitting through "Transformers: The Last Knight." But there's more! They both have a personal connection to the Netflix documentary "Nobody Speak," but they (mostly) put that aside to judge the movie on its merits. And then in their Reboot segment, they try to figure out why everyone liked Richard Donner's 1980 comedy-drama "Inside Moves." Timestamps: 5:30 "Baby Driver" 27:10 "The Beguiled" 31:45 "The Big Sick" 36:35 "Transformers: The Last Knight" 54:10 "Nobody Speak" 1:16:30 "Inside Moves" We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or griersonleitch@gmail.com. As always, give us a review on iTunes with the name of a movie you'd like us to re

A busy weekend means we have no time for a Reboot segment this week, but we've got plenty to discuss on this week's Grierson & Leitch podcast. First, we dig into "Cars 3," which Grierson believes is not only worse than "Cars 2" but in fact the worst movie Pixar has made. Leitch disagrees. There is much more agreement on the bewilderingly bad "All Eyez On Me," which is safe and dull in a way its subject Tupac Shakur never, ever was, and the limp comedy "Rough Night," which is one missed opportunity after another. Then Grierson tries to explain what in the world went wrong with Colin Trevorrow's "The Book of Henry," and whether we should worry about his impending "Star Wars" installment. Timestamps: 4:02 "Cars 3" 22:48 "All Eyez On Me" 41:00 "Rough Night" 1:00:10 "The Book of Henry" We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or griersonleitch@gmail.com. As always, give us a review on iTunes with the name of a movie you'd like us to review, and we'll discuss it on a later podcast.

"Wonder Woman" has already become one of the biggest hits of the year, something that probably shouldn't have been as much of a surprise to people as it is, but we're mostly just relieved by how different it is from "Batman v. Superman." We dig into the most enjoyable DC Comics movie since Christopher Nolan moved on with his life. Then, in our Reboot segment, we head into fierce battle with Elaine Benes by discussing the virtues of 1996's "The English Patient." Then, we head to Belgium, where we will sightsee and lament our hitman lifestyle with 2008's "In Bruges." Timestamps: 5:18 "Wonder Woman" 26:52 "The English Patient" 45:30 "In Bruges" We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or griersonleitch@gmail.com. As always, give us a review on iTunes with the name of a movie you'd like us to review, and we'll discuss it on a later podcast. Opening Song: "Rebel Girl," Bikini Kill Closing Song: "Wonder Woman," Lion Babe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back from your Memorial Day weekend, everyone: We return with a piping hot show, and man, do we ever have a lot to fit in. Grierson just got back from Cannes, so we talk about the major takeaways from the festival. Then we dig into the Netflix original film "War Machine," directed by "Animal Kingdom"'s David Michod and starring Brad Pitt, based off a book by the late journalist Michael Hastings. But that's just getting warmed up. We also have to wrap our minds around "Baywatch," and then Will has to explain what exactly a FIFTH "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequel might have to offer. It's smoother sailing, so to speak, in our Reboot section, in which we discuss David Gordon Green's 2000 debut film "George Washington." Timestamps: 5:55 2017 Cannes Film Festival recap 18:25 "War Machine" 52:35 "Baywatch" 1:07:05 "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" 1:20:30 "George Washington" We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or griersonleitch@gmail.com. As always, giv

Grierson is in Cannes, but that will not stop him from his appointed podcast rounds. So he takes a break from his constant partying in France to ask Leitch about "Alien: Covenant," which Will thinks is a lot better than it is being given credit for. Then, in our Reboot segment, we tackled Lawrence Kasdan's smash 1983 hit "The Big Chill," which your parents (and our parents) have many thoughts about. And then we look at 2005's "Game 6," the one Don DeLillo screenplay on record and a film that's almost a dry run for "Birdman." Timestamps: 4:30 "Alien: Covenant" 20:55 "The Big Chill" 41:40 "Game 6" We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or griersonleitch@gmail.com. As always, give us a review on iTunes with the name of a movie you'd like us to review, and we'll discuss it on a later podcast. Opening Song: "Sigourney Weaver," The Smith Street Band Closing Song: "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft," "The Langley Schools Music Project" Learn more about your ad choices. Visi

We come to you with announcements! This is our first show of the rest of our lives! Grierson & Leitch are leaving our friends at The New Republic and heading to Paste Magazine! We have details and warm memories, and also much excitement. But don't worry, we don't talk TOO much about it: We have movies to get to. We discuss Amy Schumer's new film "Snatched," which brings back Goldie Hawn about 15 years away ... to no positive result. Also, we discuss Guy Ritchie's "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword," which is basically King Arthur v. Young Pope. Then, in our Reboot section, we try to gleam something positive from 1995's Billy Madison. Timestamps: 6:20 "Snatched" 21:12 "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" 36:35 "Billy Madison" We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or griersonleitch@gmail.com. As always, give us a review on iTunes with the name of a movie you'd like us to review, and we'll discuss it on a later podcast. Opening Song: "Roll With the Changes," REO Speedwagon Closin

It's not really a summer movie season until the new Marvel movie is released, which means, well, now it's summer movie season: Here comes "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2," the sequel to the smash James Gunn hit that redefined what a Marvel movie could be. Turns out: Tim and Will actually like the second one even better. Find out why. Then, in our Reboot segment, we look at Robert Zemeckis' 2000 hit "Cast Away," which features an incredibly shrinking Tom Hanks and a volleyball named Wilson. We also dig into Walter Hill's incredibly strange but admirably driven "rock and roll fable" from 1984, "Streets of Fire." Timestamps: 5:00 "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2" 22:45 "Cast Away" 44:15 "Streets of Fire" We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or griersonleitch@newrepublic.com. As always, give us a review on iTunes with the name of a movie you'd like us to review, and we'll discuss it on a later podcast. Opening Song: "Fox on the Run," Sweet Closing Song: "Nowhere Fast," Meat L

Tom Hanks. Emma Watson. John Boyega. Dave Eggers. Patton Oswalt. Bill Paxton, in his last film. The kid from "Boyhood." The guy who directed "The End of the Tour" and "The Spectacular Now." Yes, "The Circle" is a movie with nearly unparalleled pedigree, based off a well-regarded book by one of America's most beloved authors. So how in the world did "The Circle" end up being so jaw-droppingly horrible? We try to dig into what happened. Then, in our Reboot segment, we look back at 1951's "A Streetcar Named Desire," with Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden and, of course, a feral, animalistic Marlon Brandon in a performance that changed screen acting forever. And we wrap up with 2005's "A History of Violence," David Cronenberg's adaptation of a famous graphic novel that features Viggo Mortensen, Mario Bello, Ed Harris and William Hurt grappling with, well, violence, and its history. Timestamps: 6:05 "The Circle" 27:40 "A Streetcar Named Desire" 46:02 "A History of Violence" We hope you enjoy. Let us know what

A slow week for new releases -- it's apparently all "Boss Baby" all the time these days -- gives us only one major new release this week, Ben Wheatley's "Free Fire," starring Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy and Armie Hammer. We disagree on it: One of our critics thinks it's a fun experiment, but the other found it mostly tiresome. Then, in our Reboot segment, we discuss how that Sidney Lumet's "Network" doesn't hold up nearly as well as you might remember, and Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums" was a step forward for the filmmaker ... but just a peek at what he'd be able to do even better more than a decade later. Timestamps: 4:30 "Free Fire" 17:40 "Network" 38:58 "The Royal Tenenbaums" We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or griersonleitch@newrepublic.com. As always, give us a review on iTunes with the name of a movie you'd like us to review, and we'll discuss it on a later podcast. Opening Song: "Firestarter," The Prodigy Closing Song: "Judy Is a Punk," The Ramones Learn

This week, our critics can neither agree nor disagree: Tim is blissfully ignorant of the "Fast and the Furious" franchise -- he's only see the Tokyo Drift one -- and Will hasn't seen James Gray's "The Lost City of Z" yet. So they ask each other about each film, spoiler-free, so you can make your own decision. (But they're positive on both.) In their weekly Reboot segment, they head back to the late '90s to discuss Jake Kasden's "Zero Effect" and then go WAY back, all the way back to Gary Cooper, for 1958's "Man of the West." Timestamps: 4:00 "The Fate of the Furious" 21:25 "The Lost City of Z" 31:30 "Zero Effect" 48:12 "Man of the West" We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or griersonleitch@newrepublic.com. As always, give us a review on iTunes with the name of a movie you'd like us to review, and we'll discuss it on a later podcast. Opening Song: "Fast Car," Wyclef Jean (featuring Paul Simon) Closing Song: "Two States," Pavement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg

The big new release of the week was "Ghost in the Shell," and Tim and Will actively disagree on it, though neither can arguing that critics of its "whitewashing" have a point. But you should probably just watch "Under the Skin" instead. But that's all fine and dandy, but the REAL fun of this week's show comes in the Reboots. Our first Reboot is Peter Bogdanovich's masterpiece "The Last Picture Show," which feels even more urgent today. But that movie may still not live as long as our second Reboot, Tommy Wiseau's infamous "The Room." Neither Tim nor Will had never seen it. It is fair to say now that they will never forget it. Timestamps: 3:40 "Ghost in the Shell" 21:12 "The Last Picture Show" 38:55 "The Room" We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or griersonleitch@newrepublic.com. As always, give us a review on iTunes with the name of a movie you'd like us to review, and we'll discuss it on a later podcast. Opening Song: "Ghost," Neutral Milk Hotel Closing Song: "Song From

Grierson is back! Grierson is back! After two weeks away resting his voice after surgery to remove a polyp/nodule from his throat, our beloved co-host returns this week, and man, did we miss him. We dig right into the "Alien" homage/ripoff "Life," starring Ryan Reynolds, Rebecca Ferguson and Jake Gyllenhaal, and Grierson also answers Leitch's questions about "CHIPs" and "Power Rangers," which he didn't see because, hey, life's too short. Also, we have two Reboots, both taped pre-surgery, in case you're wondering why Grierson sounds rougher. First, we tackled Alfred Hitchcock's "The Trouble With Harry," which featured the first on-screen appearance of Shirley MacLaine. Then we delve into the 1988 twins comedy "Big Business," with Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin. Timestamps: 6:35 "Life" 22:26 "CHIPs" 31:27 "Power Rangers" 43:40 "The Trouble With Harry" 56:50 "Big Business" But yes: The real story here is that Grierson is back. We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or griersonlei

Grierson is out for a second consecutive week after having a polyp removed, so we are delighted to welcome the incomparable Christy Lemire, of RogerEbert.com and "What the Flick?" and so many other places to be our guest host this week. She is one of the best film critics on the planet, and without question the nicest. She is also so much smarter than either Grierson or Leitch. So Christy and Will dig into the remake/reboot/rewhatever of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast," and then Will asks Christy about "T2: Trainspotting," and whether it will mess with one's affections for the original. But don't fret: We still have some Grierson, with our previously taped Reboot segments. In those, we discuss cultural touchstone "Easy Rider," man, and we tackle '80s cult hit "Repo Man." Timestamps: 7:30 "Beauty and the Beast" 28:40 "T2: Trainspotting" 42:10 "Easy Rider" 1:01:36 "Repo Man" We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or griersonleitch@newrepublic.com. (We're doing a mailbag show a

Our beloved Tim is out recovering from minor surgery, so we have our first fill-in host to play around with Will: It's Mark Lisanti, of MTV News and formerly of Grantland and Defamer. He is one of our favorite people in the world, and as much as we miss Tim, we are delighted to have him. Mark and Will dig into the new, dull King Kong flick "Kong: Skull Island," and then wrestle with Olivier Assayas' mysterious Kristen Stewart ghost drama "Personal Shopper." You don't have to go without Tim's voice, though. Because we knew Tim was going to miss a few shows, we pretaped a bunch of Reboots. This week, we try to solve our '80s comedies conundrum with "A Fish Called Wanda." Timestamps: 4:30 "Kong: Skull Island" 21:20 "Personal Shopper" 36:20 "A Fish Called Wanda" We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or griersonleitch@newrepublic.com. (We're doing a mailbag show after the new year, so send us questions.) As always, give us a review on iTunes with the name of a movie you'd like u

We've all settled down from the Oscars and are back into the grind of regular releases, and we've had two universally beloved in two weeks: Last week's "Get Out" and this week's "Logan." But maybe we shouldn't consider it that universally beloved, because, well, we're the low men on the totem pole for "Logan." Listen to us explain why. Then, in our Reboot section, we look back at two well-regarded comedies of the past: 1998's "Waking Ned Devine" and 1989's "The Burbs." We also start the show off with a special announcement. It involves polyps. Timestamps: 7:30 "Logan" 28:40 "Waking Ned Devine" 40:25 "The 'Burbs" We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or griersonleitch@newrepublic.com. (We're doing a mailbag show after the new year, so send us questions.) As always, give us a review on iTunes with the name of a movie you'd like us to review, and we'll discuss it on a later podcast. Opening Song: "I Wipe My Ass With Wolverine Fur," The Dead Schembechlers Closing Song: "Let Me