Episode 353 - “St. Denis Medical” star Wendi McLendon-Covey & 10 favorite movies of 2024

·1 hr 1 min·3 clips

Steve Mason says the Carla Sofia Gascon controversy has completely tanked Amelia Perez in the Best Picture race.

Steve Mason and Sue Kalinske kick things off with a guest chat about Wendi McLendon-Covey and a mention of St. Denis Medical. From there, the episode slides into their 2024 movie rundown. The Brutalist is first up, since Steve had put it off and finally watched it. One host was let down, saying it started out very compelling but lost steam in the middle. That opens into a broader awards conversation, including the question of whether there should be more best director nominees and the fact that Brady Corbett was not nominated. They still praise the film’s scale, calling it showstopper after showstopper, and point to the art direction, the dance, and the costumes. Challengers comes next. Steve puts it in his top ten and calls it sexy, hot, and full of things to like. He likes the way the tennis scenes were shot around the actors' lack of tennis experience, and he praises the score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Sue is less convinced, saying it did not grab her. They note how different their movie lists are even though they do the show all year, and the episode closes by circling back to Wendi McLendon-Covey and St. Denis Medical.

As heard by us

A friendly guest intro that turns into a conversational awards-season debate about The Brutalist and Challengers.

Culture Pop opens with Steve Mason and Sue Kalinske welcoming guest Wendy McClendon-Covey, then settles into awards-season talk about 2024 films. The back-and-forth lands on The Brutalist and Challengers, with clear disagreement on both.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Want a warm Wendy chat that turns into a real 2024 movie debate?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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