2019's Best Genre Films

For SyFy, I ranked this year's best genre movies -- which means fantasy, horror, sci-fi films, etc. I covered a wide gamut, everything from Avengers: Endgame to Shadow, from Us to Little Joe. Hope you enjoy.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'Joker,' 'Pain and Glory' and 'Lucy in the Sky'

Joker, Joker, Joker. We spend most of this week's episode dissecting that movie. Then, I solo on Pedro Almodovar's latest and Natalie Portman's nervy astronaut drama. Hear the whole thing down below.

Some Thoughts on 'Joker'

Todd Phillips is not a great director, but he's made a great film. How did that happen? I wrote about Joker for MEL.

Toronto 2019: The Wrap-Up and the Rankings

After two-and-a-half weeks, two countries, four flights and 22 reviews, I'm home. It's been a pretty exhilarating journey from my first Venice to my 11th Toronto, and I'm still processing the whole adventure.

But in terms of discoveries, let me focus on Darius Marder's Sound of Metal, which I've been raving about to anyone who would listen. Starring Riz Ahmed as a rock drummer losing his hearing, this is an addiction-and-recovery drama like no other; its potential conventionality is wiped away by what Marder and his capable cast have come up with. Amazon bought Sound of Metal at Toronto, and I hope it finds its audience. (One thing: I've had people express hesitation about seeing the movie because they don't like metal. That is a very small component of the film, and it's dispensed with pretty early on.)

Below is a ranking of every Toronto film I saw, either at TIFF or before, including at Sundance and Cannes. (Links lead to individual reviews.) For now, the adventures are over, and the passport and foreign currency are back in the drawer. It's very nice to be back with Susan, who has gotten hooked on Queer Eye while I've been gone. She also met Peter Farrelly at a screening. I think she was even busier than I was.

46. The Goldfinch
45. Jojo Rabbit
44. Wasp Network
43. Abominable 
42. My Zoe
41. Blackbird
40. Martin Eden
39. The Traitor
38. Lucy in the Sky
37. Honey Boy 
36. Les Misérables
35. The Climb
34. Bad Education
33. Atlantics
32. Pelican Blood
31. Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band
30. Radioactive
29. The Laundromat
28. Zombi Child
27. Adam
26. Dolemite Is My Name
25. Deerskin 
24. The Truth
23. Hope Gap
22. Ema
21. Bacurau
20. Sorry We Missed You
19. A Hidden Life
18. Pain and Glory
17. Portrait of a Lady on Fire 
16. The Perfect Candidate 
15. Knives Out
14. The Kingmaker 
13. State Funeral 
12. Waves
11. Clemency
10. Parasite
9. Frankie
8. The Wild Goose Lake
7. Synonyms 
6. The Whistlers
5. Sound of Metal
4. Joker
3. Uncut Gems
2. Marriage Story
1. The Lighthouse