Grierson & Leitch

Two new releases highlight the podcast this week which, last week's show notwithstanding, will not in fact turn into a weekly podcast about "The Room." First, Will and Tim did into the Romanian moral drama "Graduation," which feels like '90s "Crimes and Misdemeanors"-era Woody Allen, but even more spare and despairing. Then they discuss Nacho Vigalondo's "Colossal," which features Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis as two Americans who have the strange, unwitting ability to control monsters attacking downtown Seoul. In this week's Reboot segment, we dig into Michael Mann's "The Last of the Mohicans," which features a brawny Daniel Day-Lewis being hyper intense. There's even a fun skit from the old "Ben Stiller Show" that we added. Stay alive, no matter what occurs! We will find you! Timestamps: 4:06 "Graduation" 18:50 "Colossal" 36:41 "The Last of the Mohicans" 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 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

So ... those Oscars sure were something! We recap the 2017 Oscars, including the crazy-pants, WHAT? moment in which "La La Land" was briefly and erroneously awarded the Best Picture Oscar before it was rightly given to "Moonlight." For all the Monday morning quarterbacking, though, we find that the moment isn't just a WTF one ... it was actually downright inspiration. Jordan Horowitz for President. The Oscars did not stop us from our regular appointed rounds, though, and we dug into the big new release of the weekend, "Get Out," the Jordan Peele horror-comedy. Then, in our Reboot section, we got very dark: 1995's "Se7en" and 1978's "The Deer Hunter." Neither will make you feel positive about humanity. But hopefully this podcast will! Timestamps: 0:15 The Oscar Moment That Will Never Be Forgotten 26:28 "Get Out" 47:10 "Se7en" 1:09:35 "The Deer Hunter" 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 s

The Oscars are less than a week away, and if you want to win your office Oscar pool, we have you covered. We go through every category and predict winners, and then argue who SHOULD have won. We don't even require a commission. OK, only a small one. Then we dig into the Chinese production "The Great Wall," in which Matt Damon has insane hair and there are dragons, sort of. Then, in our Reboot segment, we unpack all that 1984's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" has to offer us in the year 2017. Timestamps: 4:32 Oscar Preview 39:55 "The Great Wall" 53:15 "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" 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 Music: "City of Stars," Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone Closing Music: "Luke Skywalker and Indiana Jones," P

After a meager first month of the movie release calendar, we finally have a full slate of three new releases this week. Sure, all three of them are sequels, but new movies are new movies: At least we don't have to pretend to care about "The Bye Bye Man." So! New movies! First, we discuss "The LEGO Batman Movie," technically a spinoff of the most popular character from "The LEGO Movie" and, oh yeah, one of the most popular characters in all of American popular culture. Then we dig into Keanu Reeves' blast of an action franchise, "John Wick Chapter Two." And then we slap on our handcuffs and blindfolds for "Fifty Shades Darker." There are so many new releases we didn't even have time for our Reboot section. It'll be back next week. Timestamps: 2:35 "The LEGO Batman Movie" 18:05 "John Wick Chapter Two" 32:10 "Fifty Shades Darker" 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 al

There are no major releases this week -- sorry, "The Comedian" and "Rings" -- so we decided on a special show. Inspired by an email from a reader asking why our show had taken on more a political tone of late, we are steering into the curve, talking about movies that particularly inform our understanding of this specific political moment. Tim's picks: "Singin' in the Rain," "JFK" and "Dogville." Will's picks: "The Siege," "Being There" and "Death Proof." Find out why. Then, in our Reboot section, we discuss Tony Gilroy's 2007 dark thriller "Michael Clayton" and last year's Sundance hit "Other People." Timestamps: 8:20 "Singin' in the Rain" 12:00 "The Siege" 16:50 "JFK" 23:00 "Being There" 29:00 "Dogville" 34:25 "Death Proof" 40:55 "Michael Clayton" 57:00 "Other People" 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 y

America may be in turmoil and chaos, but there's one thing you can always count on: Beautiful actors trying to make themselves look ugly on screen. Thus, this week, we discuss Matthew McConaughey's "Gold," in which Wooderson is bald and has a gut. Good for him. Then, in our reboot section, we dig into Christopher Nolan's breakthrough "Memento," a movie that is obsessively rewatchable. Also, in our quest to find a 1980s comedy that hasn't aged terribly, we give 1983's "Trading Places" a shot. We'll say this: It's better than "Fletch." We also wrap up Grierson's experiences at Sundance 2017. Timestamps: 12:39 "Gold" 25:30 "Memento" 41:10 "Trading Places" 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a

The surprise twist ending of this podcast is that there is no twist ending: It turns out everything happened in Philadelphia and there was some sort of supernatural element and M. Night Shyamalan makes a cameo. Yep, this week, Tim and Will discuss Shayamalan's "Split," which is probably his best movie in 15 years and, undeniably, his first big hit in a while. Then Grierson talks about his time in Sundance so far. It is sort of cold. Then, in our Reboot section, we head all the way back to 1949 to discuss Carol Reed's "The Third Man." Don't be melodramatic. Look down there. Tell us: Would you really feel any pity if one of those dots stopped moving forever? (Orson Welles rules.) Timestamps: 5:34 Sundance 2017 Update 13:50 "Split" 33:50 "The Third Man" 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 rev

Hello, fellow humans! The Oscar nominations come out on Tuesday, January 24, so this week, we decided to make our predictions for the six major categories (sorry, screenwriters) and mention films we wish would be nominated even though they have no chance. Tuesday should be a good day for "La La Land," "Manchester by the Sea," "Moonlight" ... and maybe even Mel Gibson? We also have two Reboots. We begin with Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York," and then dig into Gus Van Sant's "To Die For." Timestamps: 6:15 Oscar picks 49:00 "Gangs of New York" 1:00:20 "To Die For" 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. Also, Grierson now wants you to call him "Mahershala." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad

Welcome! It's our first show of 2017, and our very special 50th episode. So once a year, we answer a ton of questions from you, our lovely, wonderful listeners, because there are no interesting new movies being released (sorry, "Monster Trucks") and because it's not time for Oscar nominations yet. Thus! We answer your questions about what's acceptable to snack on in a movie theater, what we'll remember Tom Cruise for, what we think really happened at the end of The Lobster, what bad movie we would remake, how we saw indie movies in Mattoon, and much more. It's a very fun show, and a pleasant way to begin the new year. We also have a Reboot this week, Michael Mann's "Heat," in which we try to come to terms with the new information that Al Pacino claims his character was on cocaine throughout the events of the film. That explains a lot! Timestamps: Mailbag: 3:55 Heat: 1:06:45 We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or griersonleitch@newrepublic.com. (We're doing a mailbag show

It was quite the year, 2016, and now that it's (almost) over, it's time, at last, for our Top Ten Movies of 2016. This is the podcast version of Dorkfest, an annual discussion (and revealing) of both Will's and Tim's top-10 lists, which they've been doing since 1991. Though for the first time, you can listen. Our lists have a surprising amount of crossover, and far more than last year's. One thing we definitely agree on: It was a fantastic movie year. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Special Star Wars show alert! Special Star Wars show alert! Usually we look at several movies on each show, but the week that a Star Wars movie comes out, we focus just on that Star Wars movie. Thus: Rogue One discussion! Of all the episodes of this podcast, this might be the most contentious, because Grierson and Leitch are on opposite sides on Rogue One: One of them thinks it's "magnificent," the other thinks a complete mess. Which one is right? Listen and find out. You're seeing Rogue One. We're talking Rogue One. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's down to the nit and the grit, folks: We have only three shows left in 2016, and we have a LOT of movies to get to. So we kick off our show this week with a deep-dive discussion of early Oscar favorite "La La Land," the new musical from "Whiplash" director Damien Chazelle starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. We both think it's great and, yes, it reminds us of vintage Woody Allen. In our Reboot section -- our final Reboot section of 2016 -- we look at Bryan Singer's "The Usual Suspects" from 1995, and Robert Townsend's "The Five Heartbeats" from 1991. Timestamps: 7:01: "La La Land" 24:45 "The Usual Suspects" 38:25 "The Five Heartbeats" We will back on Friday with a special "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" episode. 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 late

We are hitting the home stretch of the 2016 movie year, with the year-end critics awards coming out and Oscar predictions all over the place. We have just three shows left in 2016, which we'll finish off with our Top 10 movies of 2016. But there's plenty to dig through until then. So, we kick off this week with Pablo Larrain's haunting, intense "Jackie," which shows that American tragedy in a whole new light. Then, we look at Isabelle Huppert, who is having an amazing year, in the moving French drama "Things To Come." We keep the good vibes going in our Reboot section with 1944's "Double Indemnity," before sending everything crashing down with 1991's "Hudson Hawk," which might be the worst movie we've discussed on this podcast. This DOES, however, get us talking about an eighth-grade school play we were both in. It's that kind of show. Timestamps: 8:35 "Jackie" 24:50 "Things to Come" 37:04 "Double Indemnity" 50:30 "Hudson Hawk" We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or grier

We hope you all had a grand Thanksgiving! May your harvests be bountiful! We are back looking at a rather uninspired couple of new releases. First, it's Robert Zemeckis' World War II drama "Allied," with Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard. And it's old directors week here, apparently, with Warren Beatty's long-awaited, and nearly entirely ignored, "Rules Don't Apply." At least he finally got to play Howard Hughes. We have a lot more fun with our Reboot section. We tackle one of our favorite movies from the '90s, Peter Weir's visionary "The Truman Show" from 1998. And for a long time, Grierson has loved 2008's "Hancock." Does he feel the same way today? Only one way to find out. Timestamps: 5:30 "Allied" 22:55 "Rules Don't Apply" 34:20 "The Truman Show" 53:15 "Hancock" 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. Learn more

Hey, early show this week! It's Thanksgiving Week, so we wanted to get the show to you as quickly as possible so you've got plenty of time before you go over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house you go. We do this because we love you. So, this week, we discuss two major new releases. First, it's the new Harry Potter spinoff "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," which launches yet another franchise you have to keep track of. Also, Tom Ford takes another break from his day job to direct another movie, "Nocturnal Animals" with Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon. Then, Grierson breaks down Kenneth Lonergan's "Manchester by the Sea;" Leitch hasn't seen it yet. Then, in our Reboot section, we revisit Alfonso Cuaron's brilliant "Children of Men." Timestamps: 4:50 "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" 22:35 "Nocturnal Animals" 39:45 "Manchester by the Sea" 47:45 "Children of Men" We hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think @griersonleitch on Twitter, or griersonleitch@newrepub