Film Critic
Vice president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association; Senior critic for Screen International, chief film critic for Paste, and film critic for the New Republic
PROFILE
Tim Grierson
Guest
FROM Tim Grierson
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
With women at the helm, 'Wonder Woman' wows Our critics review the long-awaited “Wonder Woman” blockbuster, starring Gal Gadot and directed by Patty Jenkins; “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie,” based on a popular children’s book series; and “Band Aid,” about a couple who hopes to alleviate their marriage problems by forming a band together.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Remembering Jonathan Demme and his impact on the concert film Academy Award-winning director Jonathan Demme died today in New York at age 73. He made “Silence of the Lambs,” “Philadelphia,” and the seminal Talking Heads concert film “Stop Making Sense.”
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
How is the "Fast and Furious" franchise holding up? Our critics review “The Fate of the Furious,” the eighth installment of the “Fast” franchise, which now includes Charlize Theron; “The Lost City of Z,” an old-fashioned epic about an explorer in the Amazon in the early 1900s; and “Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer,” which stars Richard Gere.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Is '50 Shades Darker' steamy or tedious? Our movie critics review new films, including the sequel to “Fifty Shades of Grey;” “A United Kingdom,” a love story starring David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike; and the much anticipated “The Lego Batman Movie.”
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Reviews: Harry potter-esque flick, family drama, and teen humor "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is a new film set in the Harry Potter universe. "Manchester by the Sea" deals with grief and recovering from loss. "The Edge of Seventeen" is possibly the teen movie you’ve been waiting for.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Justin Timberlake and concert films Whether you’re driving back from weekend two of the Desert Trip concert, or preparing for next year’s Coachella, shelling out hundreds of dollars to watch live music is a price some of us will gladly pay. But there’s always been the cheaper, less time-consuming option: watching a concert film. There’s a new one on Netflix that’s attracting some positive reviews. Not just for the artist, Justin Timberlake, but for the filmmaker, Jonathan Demme. He directed what’s considered one of the best concert films of all time called Stop Making Sense, about the band Talking Heads. The new film is called Justin Timberlake + the Tennessee Kids.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
What to see at the movie theater this weekend New releases at the cinema this weekend include: “Deepwater Horizon,” a film based on the explosion on an oil rig that led to the BP oil spill in 2010; Tim Burton’s “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children;’ “Napoleon Dynamite” director Jared Hess’s new flick, “Masterminds,” and Cannes indie fave “American Honey.”
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Film: Adults-only ‘Sausage Party’, Kid-friendly ‘Pete’s Dragon’ The weekend’s movies include something for everyone – a sex comedy about food (or is it a food comedy about sex?), a terrible opera singer, an animated dragon and mustachioed bank robbers. What’s worth heading out to the cineplex for?
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Movies: Star Trek, Divergent, Don't Think Twice Our movie critics talk about this weekend's premieres: What Trekkies have to look forward to in the third installment of the Star Trek reboot, failure and success among a circle of improv players in Mike Birbiglia's Don't Think Twice, and why dystopian teen saga Divergent is being dropped from theatrical release and going straight to TV.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Remembering Garry Marshall Garry Marshall, the legendary producer and director of “Happy Days” and “Pretty Woman,” died yesterday. The 81-year-old, who also has credits as a writer and actor, had a Hollywood career that spanned over 65 years and launched A-list celebrities like Robin Williams and Julia Roberts into international fame.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
New Releases: ‘The Shallows,’ ‘Swiss Army Man,’ and ‘Neon Demon’ In our weekly segment on the newest film releases, we look at the Independence Day sequel; a shark attack thriller, “The Shallows”; a buddy comedy with one live and one dead buddy, “Swiss Army Man”; and “Neon Demon,” a moody thriller about models in LA.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Summer Blockbuster Season in Full Swing It’s only May, but summer blockbuster season is in full swing. Big studios are betting on more of the familiar, with another X-Men film and an Alice in Wonderland sequel opening this weekend. What new movies are coming to a cineplex near you?
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Friday Movies Thinking of seeing a movie this weekend? Let film critics Witney Seibold and Tim Grierson guide your decision. Discussed today are sci-fi thriller Cloverfield, Eye in the Sky, Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Brothers Grimsby and Lolo.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Friday Movie Roundup: ‘The Witch’ and More We’ve got a pretty intense lineup of movies to talk about this week. We’ve got a horror film about witches in puritan New England, a Jesse Owens biopic and the devastation of indigenous tribes at the hands of Colombian rubber barons in the Amazon. Our critics give their takes in our regular Friday film roundup.
Recommended
Design and Architecture
Securing Public Spaces, Super Wealthy Asians Vehicles are increasingly being used as weapons, as seen in the London Bridge attack over the weekend and in New York’s Times Square last month. The Compton-based company Calpipe is designing security bollards to help make public spaces safer. And novelist Kevin Kwan satirizes the “crazy rich” Asian jet set and their luxurious tastes in his latest book, “Rich People Problems.”
UnFictional
The Other Man Stories of two men who meet by chance and emerge indelibly changed – or at least, one of them does.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why did Jared Kushner want a back channel with Russians? News broke Friday that President Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, tried setting up a back channel between the Trump transition team and the Russian government. What are the consequences for Kushner, President Trump, and the investigation into Russian meddling?
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Trump says goodbye Paris Accord: What does it mean for U.S. and the planet? President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the U.S. will withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, the landmark international agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Trump was to renegotiate a new deal, but will that happen?