‘How to Make a Killing’ Review: The Latest Eat the Rich Satire is Starving to Death [C-]
When the director of an impressive film made on a shoestring budget gets to spread their wings a bit with access to more money and... Read More
Jay Ledbetter
Jay Ledbetter is a finance manager by day, film critic by night living in Atlanta, Georgia. He began writing about film in 2013 and is not afraid to confront people of all ages if they are too loud in the theater.
In addition to his work at Awards Watch, Jay has written and hosted podcasts for Film Inquiry and InSession Film. He is an auteur obsessive, regularly diving deep into the filmographies of celebrated filmmakers.
Jay is a proud member of the Atlanta Film Critics Circle and the Georgia Film Critics Association. You can follow him on Twitter @MrJayLedbetter.
‘Crime 101’ Review: Chris Hemsworth Brings the Heat in Michael Man-Influenced Actioner as Good as its Title is Bad [B+]
Chaos and order. Shown but not told specifics of crime and law enforcement. A stoic protagonist with an underfurnished, beach-adjacent apartment. These are ideas central... Read More
‘Send Help’ Review: Rachel McAdams Goes Into ‘Survivor’ Mode Against Bad Boss Dylan O’Brien [B+]
While Sam Raimi has helmed two films since 2009’s Drag Me to Hell, it’s hard to say the horror auteur’s signature filmmaking personality has been... Read More
‘The Running Man’ Review: Edgar Wright Calls Out America’s Wrongs in the Latest and Largely Pointless Stephen King Adaptation [C+]
In a cinema landscape dominated by remakes and adaptations, Edgar Wright’s The Running Man brings to the table a frustratingly rare premise: the movies that... Read More
‘Lilo & Stitch’ (2025) Review: Nostalgia Can Only Carry So Far But Stitch Remains a Lovable Rascal [C+]
To call the flood of Disney’s live-action remakes of their animated classics cynical would be far, far too generous. Words like “scourge,” “artistically bankrupt,” and... Read More
‘Venom: The Last Dance’ Review: Clumsy Superhero Clunker Has Two Left Feet
If it’s possible for a billion-dollar franchise to accrue a “cult following,” the Venom films have done so. The original film, a massive domestic hit... Read More
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Review: Movies, Now Less Than Ever!
If ever there was a movie “for the fans,” it’s Deadpool & Wolverine, which requires an elevated level of Marvel Cinematic Universe fandom and/or business... Read More
‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ Review: Guy Ritchie’s Crowd-Pleasing Pic is a Perfect Match for Henry Cavill’s Charms and Alan Ritchson’s Arms
Rarely has the phrase “based on a true story” been stretched quite as thin as it has in Guy Ritchie’s bloody, bombastic, and wholly entertaining... Read More
‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ Review: Bustin’ Feels Terrible in this Joyless, Charmless Non-Corporeal Wasteland
“Yes, it’s true. This man has no dick,” Bill Murray’s Peter Venkman sarcastically says to the Mayor of New York in 1984’s Ghostbusters. It is,... Read More
‘The Beekeeper’ Review: David Ayer’s Latest is Not Buzz-Worthy
The roller coaster career of David Ayer, from hot screenwriter to exciting stylist to perceived Hollywood hack after his latest trifecta of Suicide Squad, Bright,... Read More
Director Watch Podcast Ep. 140 – ‘A Couch in New York’ (Chantal Akerman, 1996) 
Interview: ‘Pillion’ Director Harry Lighton and Star Harry Melling Bring Kink to the Mainstream 
Prime Video Announces Ensemble Cast of ‘Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat’ 
Academy Announces 27 Recipients From Wētā, ILM, DreamWorks Animation and More for Scientific and Technical Achievements 