Watching Mates
17 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratingsFresh off of their hit podcast, Running Mates -- Lars and Michael pick up discussing your favorite postwar presidents through the lens of films released in the era. Each episode, Lars and Michael each watch a movie chosen by the other from that presidency and discuss how the silver screen reflects the particular administration.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Trailer for Floor Fight
February 23, 2022 16:00 - 1 minute - 1.68 MBWho was the best president we never had? Lars Emerson and Michael Lovito from ThePostrider.com are dedicated to finding out as they work their way through the ultimate bracket of losing presidential candidates in American history. Follow along to the podcast with the live bracket at ThePostrider.com/FloorFight and reach out to us at [email protected] or on Twitter to let us know who you'd pick!
Season Finale - Joe Biden: Free Guy / Minari
October 07, 2021 12:00 - 52 minutes - 48.5 MBIn the Watching Mates season finale, Lars and Michael unpack the nascent Biden administration through the films "Free Guy" and "Minari."
Donald Trump: Hell or High Water / BlacKkKlansman
September 23, 2021 13:00 - 52 minutes - 33.6 MBThe brief and tumultuous Trump administration proves to have one of the most direct impacts on American cinema, as Lars and Michael explore through the films Hell or High Water and BlacKkKlansman.
Barack Obama: Gran Torino / Sicario
September 09, 2021 13:00 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MBAmerica's first Black president comes to office offering a vision for a united country and promising change, but is bogged down in the policies and crises of the prior administration, as Lars and Michael explore through the films "Gran Torino" and "Sicario."
Trailer for Politics Express
August 28, 2021 01:57 - 55 seconds - 1.29 MBWatching Mates co-host Lars Emerson introduces The Postrider team's newest general interest politics podcast, Politics Express. Subscribe now and check out the first episode, available wherever podcasts are found and on thepostrider.com.
George W. Bush: Team America World Police / The Dark Knight
August 26, 2021 14:00 - 41 minutes - 26 MBThe world changes dramatically over the course of George W. Bush's presidency. One place it changes most visibly is Hollywood, as Lars and Michael unpack through "Team America: World Police" in his first term and "The Dark Knight" in his second.
Bill Clinton: Wag the Dog / The American President
July 29, 2021 14:00 - 38 minutes - 35.2 MBAs American presidencies approach the modern day, Lars and Michael dive into the world of scandal, neoliberalism, and partisanship in the Clinton era through the films "Wag the Dog" and "The American President."
George H.W. Bush: They Live / Roger & Me
July 15, 2021 12:00 - 31 minutes - 20.4 MBAmerica gets a little grungier as President George H.W. Bush comes into office and Lars and Michael explore trends in cinema during his brief tenure, focusing on a zeitgeist of decline and the new American economic reality through the films "They Live" and "Roger & Me."
Ronald Reagan: Back to the Future / Back to the Future Part II
July 01, 2021 14:00 - 44 minutes - 40.9 MBKnock knock, McFly! Lars and Michael discuss their film picks for the Reagan era -- how a decade of nostalgia viewed both the past and the future -- through the lens of the films "Back to the Future" and "Back to the Future Part II."
Jimmy Carter: Rocky / Star Wars
June 17, 2021 14:00 - 34 minutes - 22.9 MBLars and Michael discuss their film picks for the Carter era -- a blend of optimism, underdogs, and perhaps naivety over the coming backlash Jimmy Carter would face through the lens of "Rocky" and "Star Wars."
Gerald Ford: Jaws / Chinatown
June 03, 2021 13:00 - 43 minutes - 39.7 MBLars and Michael discuss the films of the Ford administration, exploring government incompetence and corruption (or maybe it's just about a shark) through the lens of "Jaws" and "Chinatown." But in true Gerald Ford fashion, they spend most of the time talking about Watergate and Nixon anyway.
Richard Nixon: Easy Rider / Blazing Saddles
May 20, 2021 13:00 - 32 minutes - 21.3 MBLars and Michael discuss the films of the Nixon administration, reflecting on hippie culture, racism, a developing "us versus them" mentality within the United States -- and a whole bunch of dirty tricks -- through the lens of "Easy Rider" and "Blazing Saddles."
Lyndon B. Johnson: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner / Dr. Strangelove
April 29, 2021 14:00 - 34 minutes - 21.7 MBLars and Michael discuss the films of the Johnson administration, reflecting on dramatic domestic progress and a distrust of America's foreign policy apparatus through the lens of "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" and "Dr. Strangelove."
John F. Kennedy: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance / Lolita
April 15, 2021 14:00 - 41 minutes - 24.8 MBLars and Michael discuss the films of the Kennedy era, discussing themes of heroism and elitism in American society through the lens of "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and "Lolita."
Dwight Eisenhower: The Blob / Shane
April 01, 2021 14:00 - 35 minutes - 22.1 MBLars and Michael discuss the films of the Eisenhower era, comparing the infamous "The Blob" and the more-critically-acclaimed "Shane." The narratives on being driven from one's home, McCarthyism, and generational strife give context to Eisenhower's above-the-fray approach in his presidency.
Harry Truman: The Third Man / The Hitch-Hiker
March 18, 2021 14:00 - 33 minutes - 19.9 MBIn the first episode of Watching Mates, Lars and Michael team up to discuss the films of the Truman era, comparing film noirs "The Third Man" and "The Hitch-Hiker." The international intrigue and sense of being lost in a new world that are reflected in both films shapes their discussion on how President Truman had to adapt the United States and shape the world order as the first post-war president.
Watching Mates Trailer
March 04, 2021 14:00 - 2 minutes - 1.74 MBRunning Mates stars Lars Emerson and Michael Lovito introduce their new show, Watching Mates.