Episodes

1d ago

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 131 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Associate TV Editor Karen Peterson to discuss the final film in their Claire Denis series, High Life (2019) In the final look into the cinematic world of Claire Denis, we see the guys, alongside Karen, give into what is widely known as the director's most celebrated modern film, about a futuristic, sci-fi film that examines the flaws and humanity of those who have harmed or destroyed other human beings. Set on a spaceship travelling to the ends of our galaxy, carrying a group of dangerous group criminals being experimented on by a crazed, horned up doctor, Denis examines if these humans who have committed the most heinous crime should be treated like decent members of society, and what it is life to care for life at the end of the space and time; it's simple beautiful as well as complexly unique in terms of style and story, essentially Denis at her best. Ryan, Jay, and Karen break down their thoughts on the film, Robert Pattinson's performance, if these characters deserve a second chance, "the box" scenes, what this film says about being a parent, as well as the boys' rankings of Denis' filmography and a preview of their newest series. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 2h03m. The guys will be back later this week to begin their series on the films of Warren Beatty with a review of his first film, Heaven Can Wait. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

1d ago

On episode 321 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Cody Dericks to review the latest film from director James Cameron, Avatar: Fire & Ash. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h01m. We will be back later in the week with a 2025 award season focused podcast before the holiday break. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 16

Oscar pre-season is in full swing and nothing says that more than the annual Oscar shortlists , which expand to 12 categories this year, adding Casting and Cinematography. On episode 320 of the AwardsWatch podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson is joined by Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello break down the morning's shortlist announcement, discussing what surprised, what was snubbed and how it impacts the Oscar races overall. 12 categories for the 98th Academy Awards were announced this morning: Animated Short Film, Casting, Cinematography, Documentary Feature Film, Documentary Short Film, International Feature Film, Live Action Short Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Sound and Visual Effects. Leading the way with eight mentions apiece were Sinners and Wicked: For Good . Both films made the cut in the exact same categories: Casting, Cinematography, Makeup and Hairstyling, Score, two in Song, Sound and Visual Effects. Frankenstein came in with six: Casting, Cinematography, Makeup, Score, Sound and Visual Effects. Up next, with five mentions apiece were F1 and One Battle After Another but possibly one of the day's biggest surprises was the huge showing for Spain's Oscar entry and Cannes Grand Prize winner Sirāt . Also earning five spots on the shortlist, it showed up in International Feature, Sound and Score as was relatively easy to predict, but also in Casting and Cinematography. The Academy added two new shortlists this year. Well, one new one and one returning after several decades. The much-anticipated new Casting category that debuts this season brought contenders like The Secret Agent , Sentimental Value and Weapons but shockingly didn't have room for Wake Up Dead Man , the third in the Knives Out trilogy packed with a hearty ensemble. Cinematography is back on the menu after a 46-year absence with finalists that included the major players like Sinners , One Battle After Another and Hamnet but also Ballad of a Small Player , Die My Love , Nouvelle Vague and Song Sung Blue to the table. We focus a good deal of time on these new categories but also look to how sound and film editing are often in sync, if this means Wicked: For Good is back, if Hamnet might be in trouble, what the hell is Veni Verdi and much more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h1m. We will be back in next week for a review of the last big film of the year, Avatar: Fire and Ash . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 15

On episode 319 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer, Mark Johnson, and Josh Parham to go back five years and take a look at the 93rd Academy Awards, covering the films of 2020. On this retrospective, the AW team take one last trip to the past for the year to talk about the pandemic year of cinema that saw one of the worst Oscar telecasts of all time. Baffling decision after another, the night ended on a sour note instead of one of celebration for Nomadland winning the top prize and Chloé Zhao becoming the second female director to win Best Director. Still, even with the ceremony being so divisive, the year presented plenty of films the team wanted to highlight and discuss over the course of changing the Academy's nominations, with films such as The Nest, Tenet, Miss Juneteenth, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Clemency, Dick Johnson is Dead, I'm Thinking of Ending Things , The Father, Sound of Metal, Minari, Judas and the Black Messiah, and more. In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 2020, briefly discuss talk about Nomadland as a Best Picture winner, how this year is full of celebrities that are problematic or "cancelled" and how that speaks to the legacy of their nominates and or wins, do an extensive conversation over the below the line categories and nominees for the year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to four films to make up the final set of eight nominated films. Like past retrospective episodes, it was a fascinating, fun conversation including spirited debates, alliances, vote swinging, celebrating various movies, performances that aren't normally talked about and more that we all hope you enjoy. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 2h41m. We will be back in next week for a review of the last big film of the year, Avatar: Fire and Ash . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 11

No one is having as much fun making films as Rian Johnson. Over the course of the last twenty years, Johnson has delivered some of the most original, bold, entertaining films, dazzling audiences with noir mysteries, a sci-fi action thriller, and a journey to a galaxy far far away. But in his latest three pictures, Johnson has crafted his own IP, creating a new cinematic detective series with the help of one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, Daniel Craig. The director, alongside his famed actor and a crew of regular collaborators over the course of his career, delivered the smash hits Knives Out in 2019 and Glass Onion in 2022, whodunit mysteries following the cases of Detective Benoit Blanc. Known for the hilarious tone, massive ensemble casts, and immaculate third act resolutions, the first two entries of the franchise were widely acclaimed by audiences and critics, leading to Johnson landing two Oscar nominations for his screenplays. With the third entry in the Knives Out franchise, the director (in his own words) takes us "back to church" with a mystery centered around Reverend Jud Duplenticy (Josh O'Connor), a new priest who is framed for the murder of an another priest from a small parish in upstate New York. In trying to clear his name, Blanc hears of the case and is willing to assist Father Jud in clearing his name and getting the heart of who committed this horrible crime. In my review out of the Toronto International Film Festival, I raved about the film, calling it "the best entry in the Knives Out franchise to date" and also stating "Johnson and company pull out all the stops to create a dark, tense, comical, sharply-written mystery that sticks the landing." It's an entry that is not only darker, but seems more personal than ever for Johnson, as Wake Up Dead Man dabbles in ideas of faith, wickedness, revenge, spitefulness, how dangerous our world is, and how we need forgiveness more than ever if we are to heel as a species. In my recent, extensive, spoiler-filled discussion with the writer-director, we spoke about Johnson's approach to this entry, when he knew he was going to enter the world of the gothic mystery, and working with Craig on their third film together. We also spoke about collaborating with the new cast, the social, political, religious themes found at the center of the film, as well as his film and literary inspirations for Wake Up Dead Man , as well his thoughts on modern cinema, the importance of celebrating cinema, and if he could get a director to confess their secrets to him, who would he select and why. It's a more serious conversation than the last time Johnson and I spoke when Glass Onion was coming out, but that's a prime example of not just the tonal versatility found within the Knives Out , but also within the person its creator. Insightful, lively, introspectively honest, Rian Johnson is a real original and there aren't many left in Hollywood who are like him. Music: A Minor Omission, Nathan Johnson

Dec 11

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 130 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Claire Denis series, Let the Sunshine In (2017). Over the last couple of years, Denis has had a bit of a renaissance with her contemporary work, exploring complex stories with female characters at the forefront, mostly portrayed by the incredible Juliette Binoche. In their first collaboration together, the duo takes us on a journey of a woman who is uncertain in the male relationships she's in, but knows that she wants more than ever to not be alone, forcing herself into situations that aren't healthy. By doing this, they show how heartbreaking it can be to grow old alone without someone to share a life with. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, how grateful they are in the relationships they are in, how lonely it must be to grow old without a partner, Binoche's performance, and a couple of fun tangents as well. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h55m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Claire Denis with a review of her film, High Life. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 6

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 129 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Claire Denis series, White Material (2009). Within the latest film of the Denis series, she heads back to Africa to explore a family drama set in the background of an unstable, unknown country, but as the film plays out, seems to be more interested in what is in the background rather than the characters that are focused on within the film. Instead of making a "white savior" movie, Denis is using this film as a honest, reflective look at her own place within this world as a white woman, commenting on the violent world that surrounds these white characters, and mirrors her own childhood. While it's not her best film, it's her most personal, and a bold piece of filmmaking that isn't looking for a pat on the back, but rather exposing the flaws within power dynamics in a part of the world we will never be able to fix or understand. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, Denis' relationship to the source material, the violence in the background of the film, the lingering questions about the open ending, as well as plenty of fun tangents post-Thanksgiving for the boys, highlight some of their favorite films they've been catching up with lately. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h57m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Claire Denis with a review of her film, Let the Sunshine In. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 5

It's been a big first week of December with no less than five sets of critics groups announcing winners and nominations as we kick off the next three months of nonstop awards season. On episode 318 I am joined by AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to break down the awards landscape and more. Before we get into that we have to talk about the other huge piece of news this week and that was yesterday's announcement that Netflix had won the battle to buy Warner Bros and all of its properties, which includes the DC Universe films and HBO/HBO Max. Unsurprisingly, there is no one on the podcast thinks this move is a good idea and sees the Netflix model as intentionally destructive of the theatrical model. Next we move the Critics Choice Awards nominations , announced this morning, where Sinners and One Battle After Another lead the way, where Sentimental Value and Hamnet made comebacks and where Wicked: For Good faltered. Then it's onto the AFI and NBR lists, the New York Film Critics and the Gotham Awards , where Sophia gives her in the room insight of the event. This podcast runs 1h 18m You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 1

On episode 317 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson alongside AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer and Josh Parham to go back 30 years and take a look at the 68th Academy Awards, covering the films of 1995. On this retrospective, the AW team take a trip to 1995, where actor Mel Gibson rode off the with multiple Oscars, winning Best Picture for his war epic, Braveheart . While a hit within its own right, it was a bit of a shocking win considering many believed that Apollo 13 was going to take home Oscar's top prize. It's a massive upset that would have ripple effects over the course of Academy history that would have make up wins not just for Ron Howard, but for other nominees in this Oscar field. 1995 is a stacked, incredible year of cinema that the gang tries to reflect a little better than what the Academy nominated with films like Heat, Showgirls, Get Shorty, Clueless, Seven, Before Sunset, Friday, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar and more getting either mentions, nominations, or wins in the big top eight categories.Maybe one of them wins Best Picture, maybe they don't, you'll have to listen and try not to fall down a flight of stairs to find out. In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 1995, briefly discuss talk about Braveheart as a Best Picture winner, do an extensive conversation over the below the line categories and nominees for the year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to three films to make up the final set of five nominated films. Like past retrospective episodes, it was a fascinating, fun conversation including spirited debates, alliances, vote swinging, celebrating various movies, performances that aren't normally talked about and more that we all hope you enjoy. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 2h47m. We will be back in next week for another retrospective over the 83rd Academy Awards, covering the films of 2010. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 28

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 128 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Claire Denis series, 35 Shots of Rum (2008). Sometimes when you are planning a series, you don't think about the connections between the directors and their films, so this week is a happy surprise as Denis' 35 Shots of Rum is inspired by Yasujirō Ozu's film Late Spring , a film they covered earlier this year. Following a father-daughter relationship that is challenged by the arrival of a younger man who wants to date the daughter, Denis uses Ozu's masterpiece to reflect the racial, societal changes within France and Japan, as well as the differences between the two co-dependent family members, and the need for both to move on with their lives, no matter how heartbreaking it is. Ryan and Jay breakdown their thoughts on the film, its relationship to Ozu, how each film is different, as well as random thoughts on films from this year, Thanksgiving food, Jay's recent family vacation, and the pull quote that broke the internet this past week. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h50m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Claire Denis with a review of her film, White Material. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 24

On episode 316 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Josh Parham and Trace Sauveur to review the latest film from Universal Pictures, Wicked: For Good You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h54m. We will be back in next week for an Oscar retrospective for the 68th Academy Awards, covering the films of 1995. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 21

On episode 315 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson give their reactions to Wicked: For Good, Marty Supreme and give their updated thoughts on how both films will do in the Oscar race as well as an overview of where the race is at within the four acting categories. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h16m. We will be back on Monday for a full review of Wicked: For Good . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 20

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 127 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson discuss the next film in their Claire Denis series, Beau Travail (1999). Jumping ten years into Denis' filmography, the boys hit the film of the series with Beau Travail , a film that follows the story of a section of French Foreign Legion soldiers training in the desert of Djibouti. What can seem like a macho, male dominate setting it quickly, slowly shown to be a memory piece about longing, desire, regret, attention, and more as she centers the film on a Adjudant-Chef Galoup and his evolutionary yet repressive time within the group. In doing this, Denis created a defining piece of filmmaking that cemented her legacy in cinema, giving us one of the greatest films of all time. Ryan, Jay, and Erik break down the film, its themes of sexual repression, how things that are super straight and masculine can be something else entirely, the ending featuring "The Rhythm of the Night," and an update on where Madonna was at in 1999. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 2h07m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Claire Denis with a review of her film, 35 Shots of Rum. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 17

On episode 314 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Trace Sauveur to review the latest film from director Edgar Wright, The Running Man. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h24m. We will be back in next week for a review of Wicked: For Good . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 13

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 126 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the first film in their Claire Denis series, Chocolat (1988). One of the most singular, influential filmmaker of modern independent, French cinema is the subject of the boy's new series, Claire Denis. Known for making immersive, emotional films about repression and love, Denis' first film explores her childhood through the lens of a young girl who sees her country, France, imposing their will onto the people of Africa, at the same time her Mother's starts a longing, flirtatious relationship with the family's household servant. It's a stunning debut, instantly setting the bar high for the series and Denis' career. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, the idea of who this film is being shown through, Denis' personal connection to the story, the central romance, their cultural, racial ties at the center of the film's conflict, and a story about Ryan's recent trip to the theater that you'll want to hear. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h29m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Claire Denis with a review of her film, Beau Travail. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 10

On episode 313 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade, Associate TV Editor Karen Peterson, and Contributor Josh Parham to discuss the Original Score and Original Song categories at the Oscars and to do a quick state-of-play on the Best Director and Best Picture categories. First, they share their predictions for the Original Score category, discussing how this branch may vote, the old favorites that might return, and which potential new composers they could see in the category. Will any of the top scores be ruled ineligible? They dig into all of that and more. Next, it's time to talk about Diane Warren, the "Golden" ticket to the Oscars, and the potential for double nominations for Sinners and Wicked: For Good in the Original Song category. Finally, the team does a brief check-in on the Best Picture and Best Director categories. They chat about the excitement surrounding a potential coronation year for Paul Thomas Anderson, Hamnet 's audience prizes, and why One Battle After Another is the movie of the moment. What makes an awards season hero or villain? It's November, and the vultures are already circling. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube, and more. This podcast runs 1h17m. We will be back soon with a brand new episode. Until then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 7

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 125 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the final film in their Hughes Brothers series, The Book of Ell (2010). In their final collaboration as an artist pair, the Hughes Brothers take a dive into the end of the world, action genre where a man is roaming from town to town, searching for the haven of humanities last chance for hope within a broken country, where water is a privilege and knowledge is a weapon. In a making a film about the hunt for the last bible on Earth, the brothers tackle the rotten core of our humanity when faced up against each other, and the lust for power something as simple as a book can bring out of people. This plus it's just a cool idea for an action movie where Denzel Washington is being the best movie star on the planet and Gary Oldman is doing his villain thing that he does so well. But the real question with The Book of Eli is, why isn't it an all timer, why does it look the way it does, and why was this the last film the Hughes Brothers made together? Ryan and Jay breakdown all these questions, as well as look at the careers of Washington, Oldman, and Mila Kunis, what they learned from this series, what the Hughes Brothers are doing now, give their series rankings for the sibling duo, and preview their next director series. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h22m. The guys will be back next week to begin their new series on the films of Claire Denis with a review of her film, Chocolate. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 3

On episode 312 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson alongside AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to go back 20 years and take a look at the 78th Academy Awards, covering the films of 2005. We are finally out of film festival season and the team is back to give you one of their most anticipated Oscar retrospectives of the year, taking a look back at 2005, the year Crash beat Brokeback Mountain for Best Picture. In a time where the center of the film world was focused on a film centered around two gay men falling in love, the Oscars swung the opposite direction and gave it to one of the worst Best Picture winners of all time, a film so vile that its win hasn't aged well the moment it won. Beyond that, it was a fascinating year when the critically acclaimed films of the year took over the top eight categories, while the more populist films made up the winners in the below the line categories; an interesting split in the Oscar wins. In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 2005, briefly discuss talk about Crash as a Best Picture winner, do an extensive conversation over the below the line categories and nominees for the year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to three films to make up the final set of five nominated films. Like past retrospective episodes, it was a fascinating, fun conversation including spirited debates, alliances, vote swinging, celebrating various movies, performances that aren't normally talked about and more that we all hope you enjoy. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 2h40m. We will be back in next week for an update of the 2025 Oscar season. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Oct 30

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 124 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to discuss the next film in their Hughes Brothers series, From Hell (2001). After making two independent films that feel very much like the Hughes Brothers announcing their style and cinema language to the world, they took a detour to making a studio film, one that had been in development for some time. Based on the beloved Alan Moore graphic novel, From Hell centers around a renowned detective who is hunting down Jack the Ripper and using his helpful powers of deduction to save the girls being harmed by this mad man before it's too late, while also discovering the truth around who the Ripper is. Convoluted and silly, From Hell is a piece of early 2000s nostalgia for millennial audiences that works more as a fun, disposable period thriller than the next film within the Hughes Brothers' filmography, as it seems that they were directors for hire and doesn't have much of their voice found within their first two films. Ryan, Jay, and Josh talk about their thoughts on the film, how it fits in the Hughes Brothers filmography, the careers of Johnny Deep and Heather Graham, Josh's connection to the history of Jack the Ripper, how much a nice guy Alan Moore seems (sarcasm), and what the hell is going on with the James Bond franchise and plenty of more tangents. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 2h19m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of the Hughes Brothers with a review of their last film, The Book of Eli. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Oct 28

On episode 311 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to give their thoughts on the 2025 edition of the AFI FEST, their updated thoughts on the Best Actor, Actress categories, and give their live thoughts to the 2025 Gotham Award nominations. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h23m. We will be back in next week to do an Oscar retrospective for the 78th Academy Awards, covering the films for 2005. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Oct 23

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 123 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Hughes Brothers series, Dead Presidents (1995). After their astonishing debut feature film, the Hughes Brothers took a big swing with their next project, making a coming of age, period piece that is equal parts war film, heist film, and historical fiction, all set within the late 1960s to early 1970s. The scope of Dead Presidents is expansive, larger than their previous film, showing an elevation of filmmaking from the duo at such a young stage in their career. But the problem within the film lies its aimless pace, and the fact that most of their ideas don't gel as one, leading to a fascinating second feature that doesn't reach the heights of debut, which also leads the duo away from making mostly African American stories after this feature; a move that seems very disheartening upon retrospect. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, which section they think is the best one, how the influences of the past shape the narrative of the film as well as how influential this seems to be for future filmmaking, if they were the right age to tell this story, how this is a pivotal point in their filmography, and how Jay's trip to Europe went along with his hot takes on the state of modern pop music. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h55m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of the Hughes Brothers with a review of their next film, From Hell. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Oct 16

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decisionmaking process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 122 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the first film in their Hughes Brothers series, Menace II Society (1993). Leaving the world of Ozu, the boys return to a more contemporary setting by explore the films of Allen and Albert Hughes, identical twin brothers who became known for their bold music videos in the late 1980s, early 1990s for artists like Tone Loc and Tupac Shakur. But it was their first feature, Menace II Society , that took the world by storm as it followed the life young black men in LA trying to making it out the neighborhood they lived in, surrounded by the accepted violence that's systemic, perpetrated by a country willing to allow this section of the world fall apart from within. Released a few years after Boyz in the Hood , this is a sharper, edgier, meaner, realist look at the Watts and Crenshaw neighborhoods that we've ever seen before on screen, introducing the world to a duo of vital voices in cinema. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, it's comparisons to other African American coming of age films made in the early 1990s, the violence found within the film, the strong directorial voices found within this debut feature, the strong cast that make up the film, and their relationship with the directors and their filmography. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h53m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of the Hughes Brothers with a review of their next film, Dead Presidents. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Oct 13

On episode 310 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and Executive Editor Ryan McQuade to chat about the 63rd edition of the New York Film Festival and two below-the-line Oscar categories. First, the gang shares their overall experience at the festival before diving into quick reviews on the World Premieres of Anemone , Mr. Scorsese , and Is This Thing On? Then, they discuss the hype surrounding the electric Secret Screening of Josh Safdie's Marty Supreme . The film, starring Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Odessa A'zion, had a tremendous response at the festival, but what does that mean for Oscar season and the movie's upcoming Christmas release? Finally, Sophia, Erik, and Ryan take a look at two major technical categories, Film Editing and Cinematography. They discuss the upcoming Cinematography shortlist, the potential for history to be made, and the possible crossover between these two categories and Best Picture. Films mentioned include One Battle After Another , Hamnet , Sinners , Sentimental Value , Frankenstein, F1: The Movie , Marty Supreme , and more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube, and more. This podcast runs 1h8m. We will be back soon with a brand new episode. Until then, let's get into it.

Oct 9

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 121 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the final film in their Yasujirō Ozu series, An Autumn Afternoon (1962). The boys have come full circle within the end of their Ozu series, as the director takes a similar story structure of a father wanting his daughter to get married, and elevates to beyond what he's shown before on screen; a lasting note within a masterful filmography. In An Autumn Afternoon , Ozu explores what the future holds not just for his characters, but his country as a whole, while also examining the events and actions of his characters in the film through the lens of someone grieving the idea of losing their parent, as Ozu's mother had passed away shortly around the making of this film. A heartbroken director crafted his most personal family drama yet, and a beautiful note to end his career and this series on. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, get personal with what Ozu is showing here one last time, look at how the past shapes the present and future of Japan and their cinema, while also giving their Ozu rankings and previewing their new exciting directors' series that begins next week. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 2h01m. The guys will be back next week to begin their new series on the films of The Hughes Brothers with a review of their first film, Menace II Society. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Oct 5

On episode 309 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to give brief thoughts on The Smashing Machine , take a look at Oscar contenders at the Fall Box Office, and breakdown their thoughts on the 2026 Best Original and Best Adapted Screenplay categories. We are in the middle of the New York Film Festival (more on that next week) and at the beginning of the Mill Valley Film Festival, but festival season is in full swing as movies that premiered earlier in the year are making their way to the theaters with The Smashing Machine this weekend. The MMA-biopic vehicle to get The Rock an Oscar seems to be between a rock and a hard place after a lackluster showing at the box office and audience score. The team break down their thoughts of the film, why they think it didn't hit at the box office, as well as look at the other films releasing this weekend and circle back to the numbers for One Battle After Another . In the back half of the episode, Ryan, Erik, and Sophia take a deep look at the screenplay categories, Original and Adapted, which have become a vital category to win if a film is going to win Best Picture. Films mentioned are Sentimental Value, Sinners, Jay Kelly, One Battle After Another, Hamnet, Weapons, Train Dreams, It Was Just An Accident, and many more as possibilities that could make up the ten films that will become the nominees in March 2026. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 59m. We will be back in next week to recap and wrap up the 2025 New York Film Festival. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Oct 3

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 120 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Yasujirō Ozu series, Floating Weeds (1959). On the penultimate episode of the Ozu series, the boys take a look at the second feature film form 1959 from the Japanese director that was also a remake of his own work from 1934, A Story of Floating Weeds . In retelling this tale of an estranged father that returns with his theater company to the city former love and their son live in, Ozu explores the dynamics of jealousy and how the decisions of the past shaped the present and there is no fixing them because explore them could lead to even more disastrous outcomes that shape the future of the characters. Heartbreaking and real, Ozu perfected this storyline the second go-round with a prickly film about how keeping things a secret might be best for all. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, the idea of a director remaking their own work, how harmful the ending is to all involved, films releasing in the Fall that Jay will love, their thoughts on the packaging of the new Wes Anderson box set, and so much more. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h38m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Yasujirō Ozu with a review of his next film, An Autumn Afternoon. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Sep 29

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 119 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss the latest film from director Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another (2025). On the podcast, Ryan and Jay love nothing more than sitting back and seeing a passion project from a major director be given the greenlight to be shown to the masses, and such is the case for One Battle After Another, the latest invention from PTA, who has spent nearly twenty years tinkering away at this story, making it perfect for the big screen. Loosely based off the novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon, the film follows an ex-revolutionary who must find his daughter once a dangerous, evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years. What seems like a simple premise evolves into the grandest feature film PTA has made, combining social, political commentary with a wicked, sharp sense of humor, and centering it all around a father, mother, and daughter dynamic that heartwarming, sincere, and emotionally profound. By doing this, Anderson has made a successful odyssey that is the culmination of his career so far while pushing the director do things he's never done before and also things audiences have never seen on the big screen. It's the movie of our time and there was no way the boys weren't going to talk about it. Ryan, Jay, Erik, and Sophia breakdown their thoughts on the film, the various formats they've seen the film in, PTA's sentimental heart clashing with his audacious direction, how timely the film feels, how every performance is pitch-perfect, thoughts on the Christmas Adventurers club, and so much more including a new wrinkle in Jay's Oscar game where we put his expertise to the test and make him predict how many Oscars this film will be nominated for. It's a fun, long, wild ride full of SPOILERS, so if you haven't seen the film, you've been warned. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 3h09m. The guys will be back later this week to continue their series on the films of Yasujirō Ozu with a review of his next film, Floating Weeds. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Sep 26

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 118 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Ross Bonaime, Senior Movies Editor of Collider, discuss the next film in their Yasujirō Ozu series, Good Morning (1959). In the ultimate transition for Ozu, the rest of the films in this series goes from his elegant black and white filmmaking to the world of technicolor, as he slowly transitions into more modern forms of visual storytelling. By doing this, he's also going back in time, reimagining his own work, as Good Morning is a loose remake of his own 1932 silent film I Was Born, But... , and follows the story of two boys going on a silent strike against their parents in order to get a television. In what is an innocent film, is slowly morphs in a tale of gossip within a community and how perception by some doesn't make it a reality, leaving the film an introspective look at the shifting times in Japan. Ryan, Jay, and Ross break down their thoughts on the film, Ozu's evolution within the form, the running fart gags, the defiance of a stubborn child, and so much more. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h50m. The guys will be back next week to continue their new series on the films of Yasujirō Ozu with a review of his next film, Floating Weeds. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Sep 24

On episode 308 of the AwardsWatch podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello look at the competitive International Feature Film contenders and provide a preview of some of the major titles coming to the 63rd New York Film Festival. With more than 70 countries having submitted films for the International Feature Film Oscar so far, now was a good time to look at the frontrunners like Sentimental Value , I t Was Just an Accident and The Secret Agent , the NEON dominance of them and how many can really make the final five. We also look outside of those Cannes winners for titles that could pique the voters' interest as uniquely named films have done in the past. Next up is the preview of the 63rd New York Film Festival, which begins this Friday with the opening film, Luca Guadagnino's After the Hunt . After taking a critical drubbing at its Venice bow, we examine if it can rebound here in the states. Two world premieres will be a part of the festival including Anemone , the feature debut from Ronan Day-Lewis starring his three-time Oscar-winning father Daniel Day-Lewis, back on screen for the first time since 2017's Phantom Thread . At the time of recording both Sophia and I had just seen the film but were under embargo (until September 28). The Venice Golden Lion winner Father Mother Sister Brother from Jim Jarmusch is the Centerpiece film and then Bradley Cooper's third directorial effort, the stand-up comedian story Is This Thing On? will close the festival. Could this be Cooper's attempt to rein it in and silence some of the critics of Maestro ? This podcast runs 1h07m. We will be back next week with xxxxx Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Sep 19

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 117 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Matthew Huff, Senior Editor of Parade Magazine, discuss the next film in their Yasujirō Ozu series, Tokyo Twilight (1957). Following up an all-time masterpiece is always a task for the Director Watch hosts but Ozu strikes again with another beautiful, dark film about two sisters finding out the existence of their long-lost mother, exploring parental history and hidden secrets in a way only the master director could. This brilliant examination of a broken family is heartbreaking, but also the most mature film in the series to date, tackling an issue not normally discussed at the time in Japan, much less the rest of the world. Ryan, Jay, and Matthew breakdown their thoughts on the film, the impact this revelation has on each sister, how Ozu demonstrates the passage of time, how patient the film is as it is slowly building up to the finale, childhood backgrounds, VeggieTales, and more. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h55m. The guys will be back next week to continue their new series on the films of Yasujirō Ozu with a review of his next film, Good Morning. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Sep 15

Living in a post-Venice/Telluride/Toronto world means it's time get serious about our Oscar predictions and that's just what we're doing this week. On episode 307 of the AwardsWatch podcast, AW Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson is joined by Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to look at what shined at the fests, what lost its luster and the introduction of a new bombshell in the villa. In our conversation, we begin with the top winners at Venice and with Alexander Payne's contentious jury, including how Jim Jarmusch's Father Mother Sister Brother could factor in and if Benny Safdie's Silver Lion Best Director win for The Smashing Machine was what that film needed. Next we move to Telluride, where Hamnet was the most-liked film (while we still await the results of Michael's Telluride Blog polls of critics and non-critics) and how the Cannes winners held their ground. Moving to Toronto and Hamnet' s People's Choice Award win keeps it at as a top tier contender and we talk about some films, like 1st runner-up Frankenstein , fared better at TIFF than it did at Venice and Telluride. Then we dive into Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another , which began screening last week. While Ryan and Sophia had the film at the top of their predictions list last month, I was the idiot who rashly dropped it out of my top 10. That mistake is corrected here and we talk about the narratives at play for PTA, Chloé Zhao for Hamnet , Ryan Coogler for Sinners and Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value . You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h37m. We will be back next week with a preview of the 2025 New York Film Festival. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Sep 13

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 116 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Kevin L. Lee discuss the next film in their Yasujirō Ozu series, Tokyo Story (1953). Sometimes you see a film and it's so incredible, you wonder why you never saw it before you first screen. Such is the case with the transcendent film Tokyo Story , one of the greatest films of all time about an aging couple who travel to Tokyo to visit their family and see how they all turned out after moving away from home and growing up. Tender, reflective, and personal, Ryan, Jay and Kevin breakdown the dozens of layers found in this masterpiece, telling reflective, emotional stories of their past as they dive deep into explore the human themes found in this masterpiece from Ozu. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h33m. The guys will be back next week to continue their new series on the films of Yasujirō Ozu with a review of his next film, Tokyo Twilight. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Sep 13

On episode 306 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to break down the films, awards buzz, and wild moments they had at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. Packing the conversation is talk about No Other Choice , The Testament of Ann Lee , Frankenstein , Hamnet , Rental Family , The Lost Bus , Wake Up Dead Man , Hedda , The Smashing Machine and more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h25m. We will be back in next week for post-TIFF Oscar predictions and a preview of the 2025 New York Film Festival. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Sep 6

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 115 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Yasujirō Ozu series, Early Summer (1951). Coming off of seeing and discussing Late Spring , the boys dive deep into the next evolution of a similar story for Ozu, about a family changing their culture post-WWII. In Early Summer , it is less so about a woman not wanting to leave her father for a new life with a husband, but more so about a young girl choosing the match for herself that she wants rather than the set life her family arranged for her, causing strife within her family. Hilarious, insightful, and heartwarming, Ozu's evolution as a storyteller grows stronger and stronger with each project, leading up to next week's masterpiece with Tokyo Story . Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, the expanded scope of this story, if it's as emotionally relevant to them as Late Spring , early football predictions from the guys as well as what would Ozu have served at a Super Bowl party, and more. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h49m. The guys will be back next week to continue their new series on the films of Yasujirō Ozu with a review of his next film, Tokyo Story. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Sep 3

The 52nd Telluride Film Festival has wrapped up and that means it's time for the AW team to gather and talk about what we saw, what we heard and what it means for the rest of the fall season of festivals and films. As we began to record this podcast upon returning to our hotel in Montrose, Colorado, we thought it might be fun to record live from the lobby of the hotel. It's not a busy place, there was no one around for hours. But, as fate would intervene, as we started recording, people started filing in, talking across the room, microwave bings reverberated like sounds from a morning radio disc jockey. Add to that more than a little wine and it was a disaster not waiting to happen but happening live. We relented and headed up to one of our room's for some solitude (and to keep from laughing as much as we did) to fully give ourselves, and to our listeners, our thoughts on the films we saw and what people told us were their favorites (I'm looking at you, Hamnet ). On episode 305 of the AwardsWatch podcast, AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson is joined by Executive Editor Ryan McQuade, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello, contributor Mark Johnson and Pop Culture Confidential's Christina Birro to recall and reminisce about our time on the mountain; the things we loved, the things that surprised us and more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. And to everyone at the festival who told us they follow AW and listen to the podcast, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts, it means the world. This podcast runs 1h23m. We'll be back next with a recap of the Toronto International Film Festival, which kicks off on September 4. Til then, let's get into it.

Aug 22

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 114 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the first film in their Yasujirō Ozu series, Late Spring (1949). Known as one of the defining directors of Japanese cinema, Yasujirō Ozu is a staple of slow-burn, emotionally impactful cinema that evolved over time as his nation was coming to terms with what their identity was going to be post-World War II. Ozu, a popular director of domestic dramas and comedies before the war, made propaganda pictures for his country during the world struggle to entertain the people of Japan while the horrific violence of war played on throughout multiple countries over many years. The events of the war changed the country forever, and so did the director, as he started to question in his later films the traditions of the past with the western ideas that would become a part of modern culture around the world. In Late Spring , he does this within a father, daughter dynamic about when is the right time to leave one's family to create their own life, and when is it okay for a parent to let go of their child. In reviewing this first film, Ryan and Jay not only review the film and its themes, but explore their own personal relationships within the decisions Ozu makes within the framework of the narrative, making for one of their most personal podcasts to date as they start this new discovery into the world of Ozu. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h39m. The guys will be back next week to continue their new series on the films of Yasujirō Ozu with a review of his next film, Early Summer. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 22

It's time for our weekly Oscar talk and the one before everything changes. Next week begins the fall festival season with Venice and Telluride on top of each other, then bleeding into Toronto in the first week of September. Everything that looked 'good on paper' now has to put up or shut up because this is where real buzz begins. On episode 303 AwardsWatch Editor-In-chief Erik Anderson is joined by Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello look at the trailers for Anemone and Hedda and break down the Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress Oscar races. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 57m. We'll be back next with a Telluride wrap up. Til then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 21

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 113 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello discuss the last film in their Paul Verhoeven series, Benedetta (2021). For Verhoeven's latest film, the director reteamed with his Elle collaborator David Birke, to make a religious film, as he's an expert scholar of the Jesus Seminar, even writing a book in 2007 entitled Jesus of Nazareth . Though his adaptation of his book, along with several other projects, didn't come to head, he was able to make Benedetta, a loose adaptation of Judith C. Brown's Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy , following the life of a nun (Virginie Efira) who joins the Italian convent while she was a young child and later has a forbidden love affair with another nun, while also seeing religious visions that make her seem like she has direct contact with Jesus. Wickedly hilarious, sensual, and fascinating, Benedetta is a thorny tale of the complexities of faith, as well as Verhoeven's critique of the church, an institution that he's examined for all of his life. Ryan, Jay, and Sophia break down their thoughts on the film, just how funny the film is, if it has more to say than what Verhoeven is bringing up on the surface, the dream sequences, Benedetta's struggles with temptation, Jay's love of The Great Gatsby , Sophia's story about seeing the film at the world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, and splinters. And seeing that it is the end of the series, the boys give out their Paul Verhoeven rankings as well as preview their new director series starting new week. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 2h44m. The guys will be back next week to begin their new series on the films of Yasujirō Ozu with a review of his film, Late Spring. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 19

For over thirty years, Adam Scott has been one of the most engaging, hilarious, versatile actors we have working today. Born in Santa Cruz, California, Scott, the son of two teachers and the youngest of three children, sent all of his schooling in The Golden State, as he was a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Post college, Scott started to get acting gigs in several feature films like Star Trek: First Contact, The Lesser Evil, High Crimes, and a notable supporting role in The Aviator , sharing scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio. At the same time, he had made a name for himself on the small screen with appearances on shows like Boy Meets World, Party of Five , and as a love interest on Six Feet Under . Growing up, Scott always dreamed of becoming either the next Al Pacino or David Letterman, becoming obsessed with Pacino as a beacon of acting for a generation as well with Letterman's obscure sense of humor tickling his funny bone. It's funny how life works out, because as Scott was making his mark in more dramatic work, the summer of 2008 changed his career forever when he starred in the latest comedy from director Adam McKay, Step Brothers , and without any improve skills to his resume, was able to land giant laughs opposite the biggest comedy star of the time, Will Ferrell. From this moment, things took off for Scott, as the following summer saw the release of the cult comedy television classic, Party Down , which followed a group of caterers in Los Angeles as they hope to make it in Hollywood. The show was cancelled after two seasons in 2010 (though it was brought back in 2023 for a third season), but as that door closed for Scott, another one opened with his role as Ben Wyatt on Parks and Recreation , a state auditor who slowly becomes the love interest for Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler). As a fan of the acclaimed NBC show, I can say that the best thing to happen to Parks and Recreation was the addition of Scott as Ben Wyatt, delivering one of the funniest characters on the show as well as one of the best television couples of the last twenty years. Since his time with the gang from Pawnee, Indiana, he's continued to showcase his range as an actor, with guest comedic spots on shows like The Good Place and Veep , was part of the ensemble for Big Little Lies , appeared in the sequel to Wet Hot American Summer , and even hosted comedic physical game show called Don't in 2020. But all of this work has lead him to the biggest role of his career so far as Mark on hit Apple TV+ drama, Severance . From the mind of creator Dan Erickson, Severance follows employeesat a mysterious company called Lumon Industries that have undergone a procedure known as "severance" to ensure that they have no memories to the outside world while they are at work, with no memory of their work life once they leave the building. This creates then the idea of an "innie" and "outie" personality within one's self, which would be dangerous if the worlds crosses, but that's exactly what happens to Mark at the end of season one, as he and his other colleges at Lumon briefly are able to bring their innie selves into the real world in their outie's body. The second season grapples with the repercussions of the rebellious Lumon employee's actions, as well as goes down various rabbit holes to show that the company that Mark works for is various dangerous as well as a deeper, personal connection to him that he could've ever known. It's riveting, thought-provoking, thrilling television that has slowly become the best show on television in large part to the excellent writing by Erickson, the inventive direction by Ben Stiller, and the incredible work by the show's massive ensemble, led by Scott, who in season two, not only gives the best performance of his career so far, but the best performance by any actor on television this year. In his glowing review of the season, our television editor Tyler Doster stated that Scott was "at his best this season," finding "a new hunger" within his performance that grows this season as the mystery around Mark and the other characters begins to take shape. In my in-depth conversation with the Emmy nominated actor and producer, we discussed the anticipation of filming season two, the differences in playing Mark S. and Mark Scout, how trust is a key theme throughout the second season, and what it is like to be part of a global television phenomenon similar to The Twilight Zone and Lost ; two shows that mean a lot to him and speak to the power of character forward storytelling. We also spoke about the dueling romantic relationships Mark finds himself in, what it is like working with co-stars Britt Lower and Dichen Lachman, the technical challenges of filming the camcorder and running sequences found in first and last episode of the season, as well as his versatility as a character actor; moving from drama to comedy, and how that helped him form who Mark is. In between all of this, Scott shared his favorite flavor of Gatorade, the need for bananas when performing stunts on set, his fondness for his time on his other beloved television series Party Down and Parks and Recreation , and why he loves the Fast and The Furious franchise. From comedy to drama to everything in between, Scott can do it all, and with Severance , he's showcasing a confidence of an actor who is destiny to continue to empty the tank until it's time to punch out his time card a long time from now. Adam Scott is Emmy-nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the episode "Cold Harbor" of Severance . Music: Severance, Opening Title Sequence: Season 2 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 18

We're a mere 11 days before the 52nd Telluride Film Festival kicks off on Labor Day weekend and we have a packed show. On episode 303 AwardsWatch Editor-In-chief Erik Anderson is joined by Executive Editor Ryan McQuade, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello, contributors Mark Johnson and Jorge Tenreiro and Christina Birro of Pop Culture Confidential to break down what we think will be at Telluride this season, who might be getting Silver Medallions and much more. On this episode the crew looks at how Toronto and New York film festival designations give us the clues we need to see what will, or might, be showing up at Telluride including coveted world premieres, Chloé Zhao's Hamnet starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, and Edward Berger's Ballad of a Small Player with Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton among them. Telluride is also full of Cannes winner carryovers and we expect to see Jafar Panahi's Palme d'Or winner It Was Just an Accident , Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value (Grand Prize winner) and Kleber Mendonça Filho's double winner The Secret Agent (Best Director, Best Actor Wagner Moura) -- all NEON films -- in the lineup. There's also a certain amount of sleuthing involved in the guessing game and is there a chance that A24 debuts Mother Mary here? We'll have to wait and see... You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h4m. We will be back in next week to talk about Spike Lee's newest film Highest 2 Lowest and talk about our Top 5 Spike Lee joints. Till then, let's get into it.

Aug 15

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 112 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer discuss the latest film in their Paul Verhoeven series, Elle (2016). After a full decade without making a film, Verhoeven returned to the big screen doing what he does best; pushing buttons. With Elle , he made one of his most talked about, controversial films of his entire career about a successful businesswoman who get caught up in a dangerous, sexual game of cat and mouse with the man whom she believes raped her. Blurring the lines between a female's liberation, sexual desire, and abuse, Elle explores the complex emotions attached to those who have been abused. Ryan, Jay, and Dan break down their thoughts on this complex masterpiece, the performance from Isabelle Huppert, the sexual politics presented in the film, how controversial the film was at the time, if this would've been embraced more by the Academy if it was released today, how the film foreshadows the film will cover next week on the show, and the differences between video games now and the ones made from our childhood in terms of the graphics. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h32m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Paul Verhoeven with a review of his film, Benedetta. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 14

On episode 302 of the AwardsWatch podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson is joined by Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello as we look at the state of the Oscar race post-TIFF and NYFF lineup announcements and ahead of the Venice and Telluride film festivals. In our conversation, which begins looking at how a film's surplus of festival appearances can help or hurt its chances and, on the other side, how a minimal footprint can be a hindrance or a benefit, especially for voters who feel they can discover a film rather than be told what to vote for. We turn our eyes to two specific categories on this episode: Best Casting and Best Supporting Actress. With the new Casting category making its Oscar debut this season, we wanted to look at not just the types of films we expect to see - like Sinners , Jay Kelly , Sentimental Value , Wicked: For Good and more - but also why, and how much the branch might raise up titans in their industry who will be earning the highest accolade for the first time. Our focus then moves to Best Supporting Actress as the fervor over Amy Madigan's performance as Aunt Gladys in Zach Cregger's horror hit Weapons this last weekend has people pounding the alarm to take her seriously as a potential nominee. We look at the reality of it happening in a race full of potential contenders. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 47m. We will be back in next week for a preview of the 2025 Telluride Film Festival. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 8

On episode 301 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson alongside AwardsWatch contributor Karen Peterson to give their thoughts on the latest horror film from director Zach Cregger, Weapons . This podcast contains full SPOILERS! You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h27m. We will be back in next week for a preview of the 2025 Telluride Film Festival. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 7

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 111 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by film critic Ben Miller discuss the latest film in their Paul Verhoeven series, Black Book (2006). After a six-year absence from the film world following Hollow Man , Verhoeven resurfaced with a World War II drama about a young Jewish woman in the Netherlands who becomes a spy for the resistance. In doing so, as she gets deeper behind enemy lines, she starts to fall in love with one of the high ranking members of the Nazi military. As scandalous and provocative as Verhoeven usually is, this is a whole other level and reminds his audience of the director that he once was before he went to Hollywood; asking questions and pushing buttons with sophisticated intrigue. In the years since its release, it's not only become one of his more underrated film of his filmography that people have discovered as genius work, but the Dutch public voted it the best Dutch film ever made, which is very high praise. Ryan, Jay, and Ben breakdown their thoughts on the film, the performance of Carice van Houten, the murkiness of the love interests in the film, the depictions of violence and sex, how both sides of the fight mirror each other, the interesting final shots of the film, and what kind of cake do the host think the Germans made for their leader's birthday depicted in the film. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 2h05m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Paul Verhoeven with a review of his film, Elle. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 4

On episode 300 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson alongside AwardsWatch contributors Karen Peterson and Josh Parham to go back 35 years and take a look at the 63rd Academy Awards, covering the films of 1990. On this retrospective, the AW team take a trip to 1990, where actor Kevin Costner rode off the with multiple Oscars, winning Best Picture for his western Dances With Wolves . While a massive hit at the time, history has not been kind to the winner here as it has become one of the biggest mistakes in Best Picture history, with many believing this was the right time to give Martin Scorsese his due with his masterpiece, Goodfellas . Alongside talking about that, the team explores a turning point of cinema, where the big Hollywood hits made or released from the 1980s were starting to blend with the independent cinema that would dominate the 1990s. It's a fascinating year at the intersection of Hollywood's biggest night. In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 1990, briefly discuss talk about Dances With Wolves as a Best Picture winner, do an extensive conversation over the below the line categories and nominees for the year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to three films to make up the final set of five nominated films. Like past retrospective episodes, it was a fascinating, fun conversation including spirited debates, alliances, vote swinging, celebrating various movies, performances that aren't normally talked about and more that we all hope you enjoy. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h07m. We will be back in next week for a review of the latest horror, Weapons . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 31

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 110 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham discuss the latest film in their Paul Verhoeven series, Hollow Man (2000). In his final project within the Hollywood system, Paul Verhoeven entered the new millennium looking to make a new take on a classic horror film, about a scientist working on a special government project that turns you invisible by taking a special serum. In aiming to make a more conventional blockbuster, the director made one of his most controversial, thorny pictures as the main protagonist of the film is a downright psycho, hell bent on staying invisible despite being told how dangerous he has become by his long time co-workers on the project. It's a mostly entertaining throwback to the 2000s with excellent special effects as well as a deeply disturbing commentary attached to it. Ryan, Jay, and Josh break down their thoughts on the film, the creepy nature of tech-bros, the unfocused nature of who really is the lead of this film, the filmography of Kevin Bacon, how cool this movie poster was at a Blockbuster video, and just how many jokes can Josh make about Jay relating to the main characters of this film. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h23m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Paul Verhoeven with a review of his film, Black Book. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 25

On episode 299 of the AwardsWatch Podcast, it's an all editors show as Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello look at the wealth of fall festival lineup announcements that came in this week from Venice and Toronto. In the pod, the trio start with Venice , which will be the kickoff of no less than three Netflix titles: Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein , Noah Baumbach's Jay Kelly and the return of Kathryn Bigelow with A House of Dynamite. With a few other Netflix titles rolling around, we talk about the impact of these three titles starting off here and where else we'll see them this season. Yorgos Lanthimos' newest collab with Emma Stone, Bugonia , will also bow at Venice, leaving Focus Features' other top title Hamnet, rip for Telluride. Mona Fastvold, fresh off The Brutalist last year (with her partner Brady Corbet), has The Testament of Ann Lee with Amanda Seyfried, something has all of us buzzing. Then there's The Smashing Machine from Benny Safdie and starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. We also dig into the Out of Competition titles, specifically Luca Guadagnino's After the Hunt , which has some internet folks thinking it means something more than it does. Onto TIFF , always the most helpful as specific designations are listed for each film, we talk about Rental Family starring Brendan Fraser, Sydney Sweeney in Christy and where the big Cannes winners from NEON and MUBI, like Sentimental Value , It Was Just an Accident , The Secret Agent , Sirāt and Sound of Falling landed. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h14m. We'll be back next week with an Oscar retrospective of the 63rd Academy Awards, covering the films of 1990. Till then, let's get into it.

Jul 24

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 109 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Trace Sauveur discuss the latest film in their Paul Verhoeven series, Starship Troopers (1997). After making a cult classic with Showgirls , Verhoeven took to space to go back to his political, social satire with an adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's novel, Starship Troopers. The director readapted the book heavily, not liking the politics of the book, making his film more aware that these characters were fascists in a fascist country that didn't know that they are fascists. By using this tool, he made a masterpiece grilling the military industrial complex, and our countries obsession with concurring other nations. Ryan, Jay, and Trace break down their thoughts on the film, their thoughts on the films politics, the casting in the film, the visual effects that have aged well and are horrific, the spin-off sequels, how relevant the film is in the modern era, and how clever Verhoeven is able to mix the horror of war with his usual, twisted humor found in his films. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 2h08m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Paul Verhoeven with a review of his film, Hollow Man. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 23

On episode 298 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Griffin Schiller to review the latest film in the MCU, The Fantastic Four: The First Steps . You can also read the published review from Trace Sauveur on the website here . You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h27m. We will be back soon to talk about the fall festivals and give a preview to the upcoming Oscar season. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 21

On episode 297 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer, Josh Parham, and Jay Ledbetter to go back 50 years and take a look at the 48th Academy Awards, covering the films of 1975. On this retrospective, the AW team take a look back at what might've been the greatest Best Picture lineup of all time, featuring the films One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest , Barry Lyndon , Nashville , Dog Day Afternoon , and Jaws . This group of five films collectively encapsulate the type of films audiences clamored for fifty years ago and are all considered all-time classic in their own right, some being the best film within their respected director's filmography. But the interesting exercise with this line-up is looking at the lackluster films surrounding these masterful films. But this is the fun part of the process of looking back and talking about a year like this, if it is a landmark year like others in the 1970s or if it just top heavy. In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 1975, briefly discuss talk about One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest as a Best Picture winner, do an extensive conversation over the below the line categories and nominees for the year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to three films to make up the final set of five nominated films. Like past retrospective episodes, it was a fascinating, fun conversation including spirited debates, alliances, vote swinging, celebrating various movies, performances that aren't normally talked about and more that we all hope you enjoy. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h40m. We will be back in next week for a review of the latest film from Marvel, The Fantastic Four: First Steps . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 17

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 108 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson discuss the latest film in their Paul Verhoeven series, Showgirls (1995). Following the massive cultural, commercial success of Basic Instinct , Verhoeven and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas turned their eye to the world of professional dancing as a young, ambitious girl, with a mysterious past, sets her sights on becoming a star as the main showgirl in over-the-top production set on the Las Vegas strip. The film was set up with massive expectations and the largest budget ever for an NC-17 film ($45m), Showgirls was hailed as one of the worst films of the 1990s, a box office bomb, and ruined star Elizabeth Berkley chances at becoming a star on the big screen like she was on television. But the film became a cult classic, and has now been fully reevaluated as a "masterpiece" of excess and the dangers women face within the entertainment industry; Verhoeven's The Red Shoes . Ryan, Jay, and Erik breakdown their relationship with the film, their favorite lines within the movie, the definition of "camp," Berkley's rocky relationship with the film, how horrifying the sex is within the film, the legendary performance given by Gina Gershon, which characters they relate to, and which modern day pop-star Jay says has had a better 21st century success on the Billboard Charts than Madonna; a move that might see the end of the co-host as we know. Listen now to find out who mentions. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h45m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Paul Verhoeven with a review of his film, Starship Troopers. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 15

It's still warm from the heat of the nominations this morning for the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, where Apple dominated the competition, leading both the drama and comedy fields with the long-awaited second season of Severance (27) and the first season of The Studio (a record-setting 23). On episode 296 I am joined by The Ankler's Katey Rich to break down this year's nominees. From the ongoing strength of The White Lotus , continuing to dominate the acting categories, to buzzy new shows like The Pitt , Rich and we look at how and why certain shows remain strong in the minds of Emmy voters, why The Bear fell dramatically, and talk about some of the biggest snubs and surprises of the day. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 34m. We will be back in next week for an Oscar retrospective on the 48th Academy Awards and the films of 1975. Till then, let's get into it.

Jul 12

On episode 295 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Griffin Schiller to review the latest film from director James Gunn, Superman , starring David Corenswet as the Last Son of Krypton (and Clark Kent, of course), Rachel Brosnahan as intrepid reporter Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as evil real estate tycoon turned government-overthrowing villain Lex Luthor. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h38m. We will be back in next week for an Oscar retrospective on the 48th Academy Awards and the films of 1975. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 10

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 107 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by film critic Brandon Streussnig discuss the latest film in their Paul Verhoeven series, Basic Instinct (1992). We enter a new chapter in the Verhoeven series, as the guys talk about one of the most iconic erotic-thrillers of all time with the most iconic image of the genre. But beyond that one scene lies an ode to Hitchcock, as we follow a sleazy detective down a rabbit hole of deception, sex, and murder as he investigates the death of a wealthy rock star, and the prime suspect is his old girlfriend, a writer whom wrote about his death in her latest book. Purposive, wild, and slightly progressive and regressive at the same time, Basic Instinct is the crown jewel of a type of film that audiences used to obsess over, perfectly made by a director at the height of his powers, featuring an all-time performance from Sharon Stone. Ryan, Jay, and Brandon breakdown their thoughts on the film, the history of the erotic thriller, the controversy over the iconic scene, how sex is weaponized throughout, the introduction to Joe Eszterhas as a writer to the world, the laughable sequel made several years later, ice picks, and just how good of a cop is Michael Douglas' Nick Curran. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h56m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Paul Verhoeven with a review of his film, Showgirls. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental or stream on HBO Max in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 7

On episode 294 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Josh Parham and Jay Ledbetter to play the Director Stock Market Game. Two years ago, the AW podcast team talked about the state of modern movie stars and discussed who might be the future movie stars of films. Given how the trend of the film industry is leaning more towards IP driven films and becoming a director's medium, it's only right the team did a follow-up episode to talk about some of the bright talent from behind the camera, and who could become the premiere visionary directors that we will follow for years of releases to come. With this in mind, Ryan, Josh, and Jay put together a list of directors under the age of fifty who they believe have the potential to join the rank of some of the greatest filmmakers of the modern era of cinema. The list of names included a wide range of talent like Emerald Fennell, Damien Chazelle, Ryan Coogler, Ari Aster, Celine Song, Jordan Peele, The Daniels, The Safdie Brothers, and many more the team had to decide if they were going to buy, sell, or hold the stock of these directors. It was a lot of fun doing this episode, we hope you enjoy it. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 2h19m. We will be back in next week to review the latest release, Superman . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 3

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 106 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by the host of The Waffle Press Movie Podcast, Diego Crespo discuss the latest film in their Paul Verhoeven series, Total Recall (1990). Following up the massive success of RoboCop, Verhoeven turned his attention to another world, the planet Mars and the work of Philip K. Dick to make another commentary on our military obsessed culture with Total Recall . Following the story of a construction worker who finds out he is actually a super spy who has been planted with false memories of his past and who he is, setting off a chain of events that leads he into a war between the powerful elites of our world and the newly formed colony on Mars. Thought provoking then as it is now, Verhoeven taps into our ongoing paranoia of who is in-charge of our world, and questions whether their leadership is more relevant than a body of citizens willing to fight for their place in the world. Ryan, Jay, and Diego breakdown their thoughts on the film, if its commentary is as strong as RoboCop , the visual effects, Arnold Schwarzenegger's performance, the meaning of the film's ending, and so much more. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 2h3m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Paul Verhoeven with a review of his film, Basic Instinct. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 1

On episode 293 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer to review F1: The Movie , and talk about their favorite films of 2025 so far, which include conversations on Black Bag, Sinners, The Life of Chuck, and more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h21m. We will be back in next week for an exciting new episode where we play The Director Stock Market Game. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 26

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 105 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the first film in their Paul Verhoeven series, RoboCop (1987). Known for being one of the most provocative directors of our lifetime, Paul Verhoeven has expertly used genre to tackle strong satirical elements of our society in ways his counterparts have never been able to. From the late 1960's to the early 1980s, the Dutch director mostly worked on films from his side of the world, slowly making his way to American productions by the end of the 80s. His first big introduction to commercial audiences was RoboCop , a futuristic examination on the power of corporations, corruption, crime, and lawlessness left unchecked by justice. Centering on a former police officer turning into the ultimate killing machine, Verhoeven delivers one of the most damning criticisms of American capitalism, as well as a signature film of the era. Ryan and Jay breakdown their thoughts on the film, their favorite lines in the movie, the over-the-top action set pieces, Murphy's (Peter Weller) journey and his reckoning with who he has become at the hands of those who harmed him, the episodic logistics of crime shows, and why no one can make a good satire, political commentary anymore. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Paul Verhoeven with a review of his film, Total Recall. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 23

On episode 292 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to review the latest film from Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle, 28 Years Later. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h08m. We will be back in next week for a review of F1: The Movie , and talk about our favorite films of the year so far. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 19

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 104 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Editor-In-Chief of InSession Film Dave Giannini to discuss the last films in their Peter Jackson series, The Hobbit Trilogy (2012/2013/2014). After the failure of The Lovely Bones , Jackson and company turned their attention back to a familiar place, Middle Earth. First starting as a producer, The Hobbit would find Jackson getting back in the director's chair for the prequel to his acclaimed The Lord of the Rings series, taking over the project from Guillermo del Toro, who seemed to struggle to get his vision of the film to mash with what the studio wanted. Instead of the initial two films suggested to tell the story, Jackson set out to make another trilogy, drawing from other texts of J. R. R. Tolkien in order to expand on this smaller story, giving it a grander history to the original trilogy, as well as adding new characters and elements to the classic tale. But Jackson can't capture the magic of The Lord of the Rings , making a messy, CGI heavy collection of films that become more and more tedious as the trilogy goes on; wasting solid performances because the story is now in the hands of a director more focused on his creative toys than making something as spectacular as the trilogy that made him a household name. Ryan, Jay, and Dave breakdown their thoughts on the films, why they look so ugly, the unnecessary love story found in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, how cool dragons are, how there aren't five armies in The Battle of the Five Armies, why these films turn into being a chore by the time they were released, and wonder if Jackson will ever go back to making feature films. The guys also give out their rankings on the Jackson series and reveal who they will be covering for their next movie series. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 2h42m. The guys will be back next week to begin their series on the films of Paul Verhoeven with a review of his film, RoboCop. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 16

On episode 291 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Karen Peterson to review the second feature film from Oscar-nominated writer-director Celine Song, Materialists. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h05m. We will be back in next week for a review of the latest film from Pixar, Elio , as well as the latest from director Danny Boyle, 28 Years Later . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 13

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 103 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Karen Peterson to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, The Lovely Bones (2009). Oh how the mighty fall. By the end of the 2000s, director Peter Jackson was still riding off the high of The Lord of the Rings and King Kong , as he looked to make his next project. In finding the novel The Lovely Bones , Jackson connected with the idea of a young girl using the afterlife to process her death as well as help her family heal after said tragedy, and attempt to catch the person who killed her. Using CGI and green-screen for the in-between world and the afterlife, Jackson tried to bring together one of the most popular young-adult novels of the time, but in doing so, got distracted by his special effects and new techniques for these sequences, and instead, he created an emotionless slog of a film that was (and still is) considered by all to be a massive misstep within his career. Ryan, Jay, and Karen breakdown the film, how Jackson and his team did in adapting the novel to the big screen, the major casting shift at the center of the film, the current status of Saoirse Ronan's career, how Stanley Tucci should never have hair in a movie, and how massive of a misstep it is from the same mind that brought us Heavenly Creatures. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h21m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his set of other Middle Earth films, The Hobbit trilogy . You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 10

Good horror films should terrify audiences with memorable monsters and eerie effects, but great horror will also fearlessly tackle timely issues with complex characters and impactful resolve. This is exactly what Tina Romero does in her feature debut, "Queens of the Dead," with her talented team of collaborators. Though she never expected to make a movie about zombies, the title makes for a beautiful nod to her dad, George, aka the "Father of the Zombie Film" or "Godfather of the Dead," while still remaining true to herself. Which, as a talented multi-hyphenate, allowed her to imbue the film with even more soul and called back to her early days as a DJ. She speaks to the collective energy music fosters, how her DJ name added another layer to the film's setting, and how Kesha became the ideal voice for a queer-coded apocalyptic battle cry. Romero joined me for a lively, revealing interview along with producer Natalie Metzger and actors Tomás Matos ( Fire Island , Fantasmas ) and Julie J before the film's premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. They all expressed their overwhelming excitement for working on a project that was as unapologetically queer and richly imagined, and were quick to hype up their sensational co-stars, including: Katy O'Brian, Jaquel Spivey, Riki Lindhome, Margaret Cho, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Jack Haven, Nina West, Dominique Jackson, and Cheyenne Jackson. Furthermore, they credit the makeup designer Christina Grant, hair department head Mitchell Beck, and costume designer David Tabbert for creating unforgettable looks that quite literally slay the house down boots. The effortless rapport in the following recording and seen on-screen is a direct result of the entire team cultivating a sense of community and tolerance. Attacks against the LGBTQ+ community continue every day and this film is a testament that having an open dialogue and fighting back with kindness and honesty is the only way to achieve a brighter, more accepting future.

Jun 9

On episode 290 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello, AwardsWatch contributor Mark Johnson, and special guest Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly Content Update Editor and host of the And the Runner Up Is podcast, for part two of their Best Actress Tier Rankings. In the second part of the Best Actress tier rankings (listen to Part 1 here ), the team return to the scene of the crime from last week to rank the remaining 49 Oscar winning performances, and discuss where they place them in their all-ranking. In trying to place these winners in the correct spot, the team had to come together and decide on whether to place these performances in the S (all-time winner), A, B, C, D, or F tier and explain the ranking. For the first time in the tier ranking episodes, the performances have been randomized, making the show even more unpredictable as to who will be covered from the list of winners on this episode. Also, the team has instituted two rules that include only 15 winners being able to be in the "S tier" and if an actress has multiple wins, only one of their wins can make it into the 15. Some of the winners ranked on this week's episode are Claudette Colbert for It Happened One Night , Nicole Kidman for The Hours , Meryl Streep for Sophie's Choice, Julia Roberts for Erin Brockovi ch, Jodie Foster for The Silence of the Lambs , Diane Keaton for Annie Hall , Faye Dunaway for Network, Michelle Yeoh for Everything Everywhere All at Once, our most recent winner Mikey Madison, Anora , and many more. By the end of the episode, some of the wildest takes of the episode start coming out, so you will want to listen all the way to the end to hear them; it's lot of fun. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 4h18m. We will be back in next week reviews of Materialists and The Phoenician Scheme . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 5

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 102 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by the Head of Content for The Ringer and co-host of The Big Picture podcast Sean Fennessey to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, King Kong (2005). After making one of the most successful trilogies of all time, winning dozens of Oscars, making billions of dollars at the box office, and defying all odds due to the inadaptability of the source material, Peter Jackson was on top of the cinematic world. Following up The Lord of the Rings was going to be no small task, but the director had essentially created an opportunity that very few artists get to have in a career; he earned a blank check to make whatever he wanted. In doing this, he came back to a project he had been trying to make years before his work in Middle Earth; a remake of one of the most iconic films in the history of cinema, King Kong . In making a direct remake of the 1939 classic, Jackson was able to recreate and expand a film that changed his life when he first saw it as a child in a local theater with his mother. But in doing so, he made a heavily CGI'd spectacle filled with dinosaurs that bogs down the emotional, fantastical elements at the core of the original story, and an effort that showed the problematic signs of what happens when total creative control is handed to those that need a little bit of a guiding hand. Ryan, Jay, and Sean breakdown their thoughts on the film, the other versions of King Kong , the career of Naomi Watts, how Jack Black is still a giant movie star, Adrian Brody's Oscar speech, why no one can make a good dinosaur film outside the first Jurassic Park , why this movie didn't work, why Sean picked this film to come on and talk about, and how nice a guy David Cronenberg seems. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h43m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his next film, The Lovely Bones. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 2

On episode 289 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello, AwardsWatch contributor Mark Johnson, and special guest Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly Content Update Editor and host of the And the Runner Up Is podcast. Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night. While everyone is settling into the summer blockbuster season and recovering from the Cannes Film Festival from the month of May, the AW team turn to the month of June by going back to a favorite exercise from last year, an extensive tier ranking of an Oscar category. After doing Best Director last year, the team moves the most popular category the Oscars has for the team; Best Actress and its 98 winners. In trying to place these winners in the correct spot, the team had to come together and decide on whether to place these performances in the S (all-time winner), A, B, C, D, or F tier and explain the ranking. Only 49 of the winners are discussed on this episode, including Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind , Liza Minnelli in Cabaret , Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye , Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday , Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose , Loretta Young in The Farmer's Daughter and Sally Field in Norma Rae , with the rest covered next week. For the first time in the tier ranking episodes, the performances have been randomized, making the show even more unpredictable as to who will be covered from the list of winners on this episode. Also, the team has instituted two rules that include only 15 winners being able to be in the "S tier" and if an actress has multiple wins, only one of their wins can make it into the 15. It adds a fun wrinkle for the team to try and figure out when they get to their final rankings. It may only be part one, but it's a great episode and we hope you all enjoy it and listen next week to part two. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 3h58m. We will be back in next week for part 2 of our Best Actress tier ranking episode. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 29

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 101 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Griffin Schiller to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). One final time, in the winter of 2003, the world ran to the theaters to see the final chapter in what was the greatest, most important cinematic trilogy with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King . In the climatic ending of Peter Jackson's masterpiece, we find the war for Middle Earth taking full effect as Frodo and Sam get closer and closer to destroying the ring of power once and for all. With many memorable moments (and a few too many endings?), Jackson was able to stick the landing, resulting the movie event of the 21st century, the highest grossing film of 2003, and performing a clean sweep as Return of the King went on to win eleven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Jackson. Ryan, Jay, and Griffin break down their thoughts on the third film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, if the extended cut of the film adds anything but runtime to the final film, the ending controversy, every character's arc and how they are wrapped up, how emotional the film is, if this is the most important, best blockbuster of the 21st century, and so much more. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h25m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his next film, King Kong. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 27

The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival has ended but not without a few bumps along the way, including a full city power outage just hours before the Closing Ceremony. AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello (along with a handful of contributors) were on the ground, watching the films that will soon be hitting future festivals and cinemas near you. On episode 288, we discuss our impressions of this year's fest as a first-timer (Ryan), a second-timer (Sophia) and a fourth-timer (Erik) from the city, the food, and of course, the films. And the coughing. So. much. coughing. We break down our favorites that we saw (and a few we really didn't like) like Sentimental Value , The Mastermind , Highest 2 Lowest , The History of Sound , Pillion and more, plus we look at the winners as chosen Academy Award-winning French actress Juliette Binoche and her jury, including Academy Award-winning American actress and filmmaker Halle Berry, Indian director and screenwriter Payal Kapadia, Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher, French-Moroccan writer Leïla Slimani, Congolese director, documentarist and producer Dieudo Hamadi, Korean director and screenwriter Hong Sangsoo, Mexican director, screenwriter and producer Carlos Reygadas and American actor Jeremy Strong. We had to talk about the NEON of it all, winning its sixth Palme d'Or in a row with Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident , and buying up the lion's share of In Competition contenders to help shore that up. We look at how these wins could factor into the upcoming Oscar race as Cannes has become the new kickoff of awards season. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h24m. We'll be back next week with the first part of our Best Actress Rankings.

May 22

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 100 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002). Once The Fellowship of the Ring released into theaters, and became the biggest film of the year, audiences didn't have to wait too long to go back and continue the journey in Middle Earth as the winter of 2002 brought the second chapter of The Lord of the Rings to the big screen. Continuing the events of the saga just after the separation of the fellowship, our heroes venture off into three separate but vital storylines for the ultimate destination of destroying the ring of power and saving Middle Earth from a dark war. Though the middle chapter, many, including Ryan, hold The Two Towers as their favorite entry into the trilogy, one with heart, action, and a new, game changing character in Gollum that makes for one of the most important villains in modern film. Ryan, Jay, and Sophia break down their thoughts on the film, the revolutionary work on Gollum, casting what ifs, the introduction to the Kingdom of Rohan and its incredible characters, why Jay doesn't think Legolas isn't that cool, what the gang was like in high school, space missions, favorite type of potato, and so many more thing about and not about the film. It's the 100th episode and it's a damn good one. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h54m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his next film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 16

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 99 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Cody Dericks to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). After making The Frighteners, Peter Jackson set out to make an epic, and had the blessing of the Hollywood studio system to do so. He spent a lot of his time trying to come up with an idea to remake the monster movie classic King Kong (more on that in a couple of weeks). After a failed attempt to get that project off the ground, he set off to make an action adventure film in the vein of The Lord of the Rings , and after a first draft, his partner Fran Walsh told Jackson that a lot of what he was writing basically was J.R.R Tolkien's trilogy of books. From that moment, Jackson decided to make his version of a collection of novels that were deemed unadaptable for the big screen, and in doing so, created one of the single most influential trilogies in cinema history. Ryan, Jay, and Cody break down their thoughts on the first entry into The Lord of the Rings saga, the behind the scenes drama leading up to making the film, re-casting what ifs, the earnestness of these films, the building and breaking apart of the fellowship, who is the character they relate to the most, and we finally find out after fifteen years of being agnostic to this trilogy if Jay now likes Lord of the Rings . You'll have to listen to find out. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 2h30m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his next film, The Lord of the Rings: The Tw Towers. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 8

On episode 287 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello, and special guest Christina Birro of Pop Culture Confidential to preview the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, which they will all be attending for the next two weeks. They talk about what it is like going to the festival, the film's in and out of competition that they are looking forward to see, and which film they think will win the Palme d'Or this year. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 55m. We will be back in next week for our thoughts on the first week of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 8

to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 98 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Brian Tallerico, Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, The Frighteners (1996). The critical success of Heavenly Creatures proved to put Jackson on the map, with Hollywood calling for him to start making bigger pictures. In writing a treatment in 1992 for an idea that would become The Frighteners , Oscar winning director Robert Zemeckis viewed their idea as a chance to be a spin off to the television series Tales from the Crypt , centering on a small town private eye who can see and speak to the dead. In working with Jackson and Fran Walsh, Zemeckis liked the idea of the young director making the film, and thus became the last film he would make before the biggest project of his life. But is it good, is it successful, or is it a forgotten relic that doesn't make sense within Jackson's filmography. Ryan, Jay, and Brian debate where The Frighteners lands, the importance of Weta Digital, the career of Michael J. Fox, Jackson getting the movie filmed in New Zealand even though it takes place in America, and preview the start of the boys' journey to Middle Earth over the next couple of weeks. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h21m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his next film, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 5

On episode 286 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Karen Peterson to review the latest film from the MCU, Thunderbolts* , in a discussion full of SPOILERS. They also take a look into what the future plan for the Marvel Cinematic Universe looks like via the post credit scene of this newest project. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h26m. We will be back soon preview the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 1

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 97 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by film critic Jesse Nussman to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, Heavenly Creatures (1994). After making a name for himself as a horror director, Jackson took a different route for his next film, incorporating his genre sensibilities for a drama about a real life murder case in New Zealand. Centered around two young girls who become friends and a tight bond that is threatened by their parents, who find it stranger than your average friendship. In an attempt to be with each other forever, the two girls come up with a plan to run away, and in doing so, commit a heinous crime that shocked the entire country. By tackling this subject, Jackson was able to embody a magical realism to the entire film, particularly in the imaginative world the girls have built for each other, and in doing so, created a one of a kind bio-pic that is haunting and heartbreaking. Ryan, Jay, and Jesse breakdown their thoughts on the film, if running away was a good plan, the murder weapon used in the crime, the breakout performances for Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet as well as the different paths each actress took, Jackson's imagery in the dream world, if the extended cut adds anything new to the story, and how hard it is to find this film on streaming and physical media. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h20m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his next film, The Frighteners. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 28

On episode 285 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Karen Peterson and Mark Johnson to preview the films coming during the 2025 Summer. Summer movie season is upon us. As Sinners and A Minecraft Movie dominate the Spring box office, we're heading into the time of the year where everyone is going on vacation, out of school, and looking to cool off from the heat by going to see some of the biggest films of the year. The AW team opts out of a Summer Movie Draft this year, and instead, breaks down the titles coming out over the course of the next four months, with extensive conversations over their box office potential as well as the groups anticipation for the live action Lilo and Stitch, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Jurassic World Rebirth, the live action How to Train Your Dragon, Superman, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, F1, Pixar's Elio, Thunderbolts, Weapons, Materialists, M3GAN 2.0, The Naked Gun, and more. Stay tuned to the end to hear what they think will be the Top 3 highest-grossing films of the summer. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h45m. We will be back in next week for a review of the latest film from Marvel, Thunderbolts . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 24

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 96 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the first film in their Peter Jackson series, Braindead (1992). The journey for the boys to talk about Peter Jackson has taken a long road, winding road to get here, much like the director's acclaimed trilogy. But in one of the more fascinating careers of the last thirty years, Peter Jackson saw a rise to fame after years of making scrappy, independent horror-leaning films that landed him a couple of big checks that became some of the most known films of the 21st century. By 1992, Jackson had already made two films; lesser known titles Bad Taste and Meet the Fables (which the guys give their brief thoughts on at the beginning of the episode). But it was his third film, Braindead , that was his breakout; a zombie comedy splatter film about a son's relationship with his needy mother that turns gory when she is bitten by a hybrid rat-monkey creature and begins to transform into a zombie. In the vein of the Evil Dead franchise, Jackson goes all out with the gore and mayhem to allow for a unique, memorable horror experience like no other. Ryan and Jay breakdown their thoughts on the film, the level of gore and blood in Braindead , ponder how this guy went on to make the films that he did, discuss their favorite kills in the film, preview the rest of the Jackson series and explain why this was the right time to finally do this series. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h48m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his next film, Heavenly Creatures. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 21

On episode 284 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Dan Bayer to review the latest film from director Ryan Coogler, Sinners , and talk about their favorite horror films of the century so far. The film world has been buzzing the last two weeks in the anticipation for Ryan Coogler's Sinners , a Southern gothic vampire musical that in one of the most original, authentic studio films released in sometime. After a strong opening box office and even stronger word of mouth from audiences, receiving an "A" CinemaScore this past weekend, Sinners is being considered one of, if not the best film of 2025 released so far. Ryan and Dan breakdown their extensive thoughts on the film, avoiding spoilers yet diving deep into the complex, exciting world Coogler has built. After they are done reviewing the film, they dive into a discussion over the horror genre for the last 25 years, and how it has evolved and changed over the course of the last two and a half decades. Films mentioned in their conversation ranged from Get Out, Saw, The Ring, The Cabin in the Woods, The Conjuring, Drag Me to Hell, The Others, American Psycho, The Witch, Midsommar, It Follows, Green Room, The Substance, Nosferatu, Suspiria, Titane, and many more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h17m. We will be back in next week for an extensive 2025 Summer Movie Preview. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 17

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 95 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the final film in their Elaine May series, Ishtar (1987). It had been a few years since Elaine May had been behind the camera, and her return to the big screen was likely her most talked about film, as Ishtar was considered by many at the time to be one of the worst films of all time, and a financial calamity. Following two down on their luck singers who take a gig in the Middle East and get caught up in international espionage, on paper, these films had two big movie stars in a what could be comedy gold. But the behind-the-scenes turmoil mixed with studio interference caused the film to be a disaster, and thus became the final film the director has ever directed. But is it as bad as history made it out to be? Ryan and Jay give their thoughts on the film, the music sung throughout the runtime, Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty's careers, why May hasn't been able to make another film, and give out their rankings of her films within the series and how they rank against her pal, Mike Nichols. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h. The guys will be back next week to begin their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his film, Braindead. You can rent it via YouTube in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 14

On episode 283 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to breakdown the 2025 Cannes Film Festival lineup and then review the latest film from A24, Warfare. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 48m. We will be back in next week to review the latest film from director Ryan Coogler, Sinners , and talk about their favorite horror films of the century so far. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 10

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 94 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Trace Sauveur to discuss the next film in their Elaine May series, Mikey and Nicky (1976). Just a few years after the second film, Elaine May set out to make her follow-up to The Heartbreak Kid , and in doing so, made one of the most memorable films of the 1970s in Mikey and Nicky . While the movie was another step forward for the director as a visual storyteller and featured to dynamite performances from Peter Falk and John Cassavetes, its journey to the big screen was wild, as it took May years to hand the studio a finished edit of the film, as she tinkered with it until she was forced to hand it over. Even after its release, she still wasn't fully satisfied with the final film, reworking on it some when it got into the Criterion Collection. In the end, what she gave us is an intense, heartbreaking looking into a crumbling friendship set over the course of one night. Ryan, Jay, and Trace breakdown their thoughts on the film, May's direction, the behind the scenes stories of the making of the film, their thoughts on the main character's friendship, the harsh ending, and the fall of auteur driven cinema of the 1970s. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h53m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Elaine May with a review of her final film, Ishtar. You can rent it via YouTube in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 7

On episode 282 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello as well as AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer, Jay Ledbetter, Josh Parham, and Karen Peterson to go back 10 years and take a look at the 88th Academy Awards, covering the films of 2015. The team take a trip back to just a decade ago where the Oscars were at a moment of reflection as the #OscarsSoWhite movement rang loudly as the nominations didn't fully show the diverse, talented artists that made the year in film so strong. Chris Rock (whose jokes this night would spark the later controversy for "The Slap" at the 2022 ceremony) hosted the ceremony and highlighted perfectly that the Academy had a long way to go to show the world that they can change and allow everyone the chance to be nominated and win an Oscar. For the telecast, it was a night dominated by Mad Max: Fury Road and The Revenant in the technical categories, Leonardo DiCaprio finally winning an Oscar, a cool, shocking upset in Best Visual Effects, and Spotlight winning the top prize, along with just Best Original Screenplay, making it the first film since The Greatest Show On Earth to win Best Picture while only winning one other award. In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 1980, briefly discuss talk about Spotlight as a Best Picture winner, do an extensive conversation over the below the line categories and nominees for the year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to four films to make up the final set of eight nominated films. Like past retrospective episodes, it was a fascinating, fun conversation including spirited debates, alliances, vote swinging, celebrating various movies, performances that aren't normally talked about and more that we all hope you enjoy. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 3h14m. We will be back next week for a review of the new A24 drama, Warfare, as well as talk about some of the best war films of the decade/century so far. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 3

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 93 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by film critic Jake Tropila to discuss the next film in their Elaine May series, The Heartbreak Kid (1972). It didn't take long for Elaine May to make her second feature, as she released The Heartbreak Kid just a year after A New Leaf was released. But much like her longtime friend and collaborator Mike Nichols, May elevated just about every aspect of her skills from behind the camera to make one of the greatest comedies of all time; a film that follows a newly married salesman who falls in love on his honeymoon with another woman, and will do whatever it takes to fix the "mistake" he has made. Written by great Neil Simon, May's sophomore feature is a great mirror to Nichol's The Graduate , and represents the same determination but ultimate sadness found within the decisions of the heart found within the younger generation of the 1970s. Ryan, Jay, and Jake break down their feelings on this masterpiece, how they were able to few this film given its copyright issues, the hilarious dialogue, the performance from Charles Grodin, the film's ending, the 2007 remake feature Ben Stiller, who would Hollywood cast as Lenny if The Heartbreak Kid was made today, and the importance of pecan pie. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h2m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Elaine May with a review of her film, 1976's Mikey and Nicky. You can rent it via YouTube in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 31

On episode 281 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Josh Parham to review Death of a Unicorn from A24, as well as talk about their favorite comedies of the 2020s as well as their favorite comedies of the last 25 years, the first quarter of the century. Before getting into their thoughts on the latest release, Ryan and Josh discuss the big trailer that dropped last week for Paul Thomas Anderson's film One Battle After Another, starting Leonardo DiCaprio. In the first glimpse of the biggest film of the director's career, there was plenty to love as well as be cautious about in anticipation of the film's release this coming September. After their brief thoughts on the trailer, they transition to Death of a Unicorn, which premiered earlier in the month at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival. Ryan, who reviewed the film at the festival, was mixed on it, and Josh joined him for a mixed reaction of a fascinating concept that never amounted to much in the final product. A disappointing comedy featuring a mostly wasted all-star cast. The conversation moves to talking about their favorite comedies of the 2020s so far, as the website and podcast will start to look at the best films of the decade so far. Films like Hundreds of Beavers, Bottoms, Anora, Benedetta, Barbie, Anora, and more. After discussing those films, they opened up the conversation to the best comedies of the last 25 years, as the team will also be taking a look at the best films of first quarter of the century. Films included in the conversation was Anchorman, A Serious Man, MacGruber, Bridesmaids, Spy, Mean Girls, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Walk Hard, Superbad, Hot Fuzz, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and plenty ore. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h39m. We will be back in next week for a Oscar retrospective over the 88th Academy Awards, covering the films of 2015. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 27

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 92 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Karen Peterson to discuss the first film in their Elaine May series, A New Leaf (1971). The first series of 2025 covered one half of the dynamic comedy duo of Nichols and May, so it only seemed right the guy's new auteur deep dive explored the fantastic (yet limited) work of Elaine May. Known as a renowned playwright and actress in the 1950s and 1960s, May turned in a script for A New Leaf based on the short story by author Jack Ritchie, about a New York City playboy has run out of money and decides to find a wealthy bride, and in doing so, finds a shy heiress who becomes fond of him. May never intended to direct the film, much less being one of the leading performances in the picture, but studio convinced her to do it, paying her much less than male counterparts at the time to create the project. While over-budget and with tons of delays withstanding, the film is a hilarious, sometimes heartwarming picture about opposites attracting to each other, while also maturing into the person you were meant to be. Ryan, Jay, and Karen break down their thoughts on the film, all the behind-the-scenes mess of the film's production, Walter Matthau and Elaine May's performances, the film's ending, finding May's films on physical media, and the impeccable screenplay at the heart of this debut. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h52m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Elaine May with a review of her film, The Heartbreak Kid. You can rent it via YouTube in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 24

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 91 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss a miniseries event for their Mike Nichols series, the multi-Emmy winning Angels in America (2003). There were a lot of films and stage productions that made Mike Nichols the household name that he was in Hollywood, but when HBO's Angels in America came out in the early 2000s, he introduced himself to a brand new audience with one of the most important pieces of television to ever be created. Following the lives of multiple individuals as they navigate life in 1980s New York City during the AIDS epidemic, Nichols examined the social, sexual, and religious implications of the deadly illness, and delivered a profound piece of art that remains just as vital today as it was back in 2003. Led by an all-star Emmy-winning cast of Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Jeffrey Wright and Mary-Louise Parker, who swept all four main acting wins, Angels in America is a definitive achievement found within Nichols' career and there was no way the boys were going to pass up the chance to talk about it. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the six-hour television event, who they think gave the best performance, Nichols direction, what the show is trying to say about humans, AIDS, and forgiveness, and tease their upcoming series on the films of Elaine May. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h21m. The guys will be back next week with to begin their next movie series covering the films of Elaine May with a review of her first film, A New Leaf. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 24

On episode 280 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello as well as AwardsWatch contributors Jay Ledbetter, Josh Parham, and Karen Peterson to go back forty-five years and take a look at the 53rd Academy Awards, covering the films of 1980. Throughout Oscar history, there have been Best Picture wins that have become "controversial," with some being about the quality of film that won or because of the films that lost Hollywood's top prize. The latter has become the case, as many cinephiles believe that Raging Bull should've won Best Picture over Ordinary People , which sets up a perfect challenge for the team to see if they believe this call for injustice by the Academy holds any merit. In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 1980, briefly discuss talk about Ordinary People as a Best Picture winner, do an extensive conversation over the below the line categories and nominees for the year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to three films to make up the final set of five nominated films. Like past retrospective episodes, it was a fascinating, fun conversation including spirited debates, alliances, vote swinging, celebrating various movies, performances that aren't normally talked about and more that we all hope you enjoy. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h24m. We will be back next week for a review of the new A24 comedy, Death of a Unicorn, as well as talk about some of the best comedies of the decade and century so far. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 21

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 90 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by film critic Tom O'Brien to discuss the final film in their Mike Nichols series, Charlie Wilson's War (2007). For the last film in Mike Nichols' filmography, he attempts again to try and make a political commentary that will stand out as one of best to ever get made. As someone who has tackled the human condition so well throughout his films, Nichols has also chased the idea of making a political film from his films of the 70s, to even a film on this series in Primary Colors . This time working with a script from Aaron Sorkin, Nichols does his best to tell the story of a Texas congressman and the CIA who worked together on a covert operation to support the Afghan mujahideen during the Soviet–Afghan War. Led by Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymour Hoffman's stellar performances, Charlie Wilson's War is mostly the best political film Nichols made; you just wonder if he ever needed to chase this whale in the first place considering this film is still a lesser script from the acclaimed screenwriter behind it. Ryan, Jay, and Tom break down their thoughts on the film, Sorkin as a figure in Hollywood, how uneventful the film feels, Hanks wanting Nichols for this film, the greatness of Hoffman, as well as the guys final rankings of Nichols' filmography, and a reminder of the next film series the guys will be covering after their upcoming bonus episode for Nichols' Angels in America . You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h. The guys will be back next week with a bonus episode for the Mike Nichols' series with a review of his acclaimed miniseries, Angels in America. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental or stream on Max in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 17

On episode 279 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributor Karen Peterson to discuss their thoughts on the latest 2025 releases, Mickey 17 and Black Bag . You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h37m. We will be back in next week for a Oscar retrospective over the 53rd Academy Awards, covering the films of 1980. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 14

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 89 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to discuss the next film in their Mike Nichols series, Closer (2004). Things got a little rough for Mike Nichols at the start of the 2000s, with one of the worst films of his career and the decade with What Planet Are You From? ; an horrendous idea of a film from the mind of comedian Garry Shandling. Just a few short years later though, Nichols returned to the big screen with a film adaptation of the popular play Closer , about four people entangled in a romance in rather sadistic ways. A controversial piece of work, this is a call back for Nichols, who much like earlier in his career, was fascinated by relationship dynamics and the idea of sex, as covered in films previously in this series, i.e. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Carnal Knowledge. Led by an excellent ensemble, Closer feels somewhat like the culmination of filmmaker, though no everyone on this episode will agree with that statement. Ryan, Jay, and Josh break down their thoughts on the film, if it has aged well, which of the four actors gives the best performance, the dated needle drops to throughout the film, and how Closer uses the idea of time passing throughout the film. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h28m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Mike Nichols with a review of his last film, Charlie Wilson's War. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 7

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 88 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by film critic Ben Miller to discuss the next film in their Mike Nichols series, Primary Colors (1998). Released shortly before one of the biggest political scandals in American history, director Mike Nichols reteamed with writer Elaine May to release their latest film, Primary Colors, based on the best-selling novel about of the same name about a southern governor's rise to becoming President of the United States. Though the book was deemed a work of fiction, it was based around Bill Clinton and his run to the White House, which made for a topical, fascinating subject to dissect, so much so Nichols paid a million dollars for the rights of the book to make it into a film. But as we all know, while Nichols was a hardcore member of the Democratic party and engrossed himself into politics, he struggled in his filmography to land a film that landed a punch when talking about the issues facing our country, and Primary Colors is another mixed bag. Ryan, Jay, and Ben break down their thoughts on the film, the behind the scenes of making the film, if Henry (Adrian Lester) is written poorly, John Travolta's over the top performance, the greatness of Kathy Bates and Billy Bob Thornton, if the film was made too soon during the Clinton administration's time in the White House, if the scandal's in the film are a walk in the park compared to today, and how each of the guys navigate talking politics and making the turkey at Thanksgiving. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h05m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Mike Nichols with a review of his next film, Closer. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 4

On episode 278 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Karen Peterson to talk about the 97th Academy Awards and wrap up the 2025 Oscar season. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h28m. We will be back in two weeks to talk about a couple of new 2025 film releases, Mickey 17 and Black Bag . Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 27

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 87 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by our Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson to discuss the next film in their Mike Nichols series, The Birdcage (1996). For the better part of two decades, Mike Nichols was chasing the idea of directing some version of the iconic play, La Cage aux Folles . Nichols called the play "one of the greatest comedy structures" of all time, and knew he to be involved with it somehow. So in the mid-1990s, he was able to convince the studios and producers to let him make an American remake of the play and have his longtime, iconic stage collaborator, Elaine May, to write the script; and thus The Birdcage was born. Centering around a gay Miami couple whose son is set to marry the daughter of a conservative U.S. senator, The Birdcage is a groundbreaking, iconic comedy that remains hilarious and timely to this day thanks to the incredible ensemble cast, May's sharp script, and Nichols steady direction bringing it all together. Ryan, Jay, and Erik discuss their thoughts on the film, what their favorite performance is in the movie, how Nichols was able to wrangle Robin Williams' persona in, the dozens of iconic lines, the entire third act of the film, and tangents, tangents, tangents. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h55m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Mike Nichols with a review of his next film, Primary Colors. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 25

On episode 277 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to give out their final Oscar winner predictions for the 97th Academy Awards. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h39m. We will be back next week to wrap of the 2025 Oscar season and give our reactions to the winners of the 97th Academy Awards. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 20

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 86 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Pop Culture Confidential host Christina Jeurling Birro to discuss the next film in their Mike Nichols series, Postcards from the Edge (1990). As we enter the 1990s, Mike Nichols is coming off one of the most successful films of his career, and with his follow-up to Working Girl , he brings to life the deeply honest, humorous, personal story of Carrie Fisher's autobiographical novel, Postcards from the Edge . Based on Fisher's novel inspired by real life events from her childhood, relationship with her mother Debbie Reynolds, her acting career post Star Wars , and her battle with substance abuse, Nichols is expertly able to bring every element of Fisher's life together with a brilliant performance by Meryl Streep, and the excellent work by Shirley MacLaine playing her version of Reynolds, and the tragic yet relatable bond the real mother-daughter had while going through the Hollywood machine. Ryan, Jay, and Christina break down their thoughts on the film, their connection to Fisher and Reynold's careers, how different a role like this is for both Streep and MacLaine, the perfect use of Gene Hackman, the film's depiction of substance abuse and if it goes deep enough on the matter, and the what might possibly be the funniest moment in the history of the show with the discovery of the plot of a Disney Channel original movie from 2004 and how it all ties to the career of Debbie Reynolds. And no, we aren't talking about Halloween Town . You will have to listen to find out, and trust us, it's worth it. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h48m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Mike Nichols with a review of his next film, The Birdcage. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 17

On episode 276 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AW's Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello break down the 2025 BAFTA winners and give a preview and their predictions of next week's SAG Awards. A very spread-the-wealth year, BAFTA gave no film more than four wins, including a split Best Film and Best Director, with Conclave claiming the former and Brady Corbet the latter for The Brutalist , the two films to to earn those four BAFTAs. No real surprises in the Leading Actor (Adrien Brody), Supporting Actor (Kieran Culkin) and Supporting Actress (Zoe Saldaña) races but when Anora won the Casting award early on it was the bellwether for Mikey Madison's 'surprise' win for Leading Actress at the end of the night over Demi Moore ( The Substance ). A Real Pain 's historically significant triumph over Anora in Original Screenplay also set up what will be one of the most competitive Oscar races on March 2 as winner voting ends tomorrow. We jump over to SAG, a conversation that mirrors BAFTA a bit, where we all feel strongly for three frontrunners and each make cases for Madison, Moore and the outside spoiler of a Cynthia Erivo. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h13m. We will be back next week to talk the results of the back-to-back Spirit Awards and SAG Awards and reveal our final Oscar predictions of the season. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 15

On episode 275 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Trace Sauveur to talk about the latest film from the MCU, Captain America: Brave New World and dive into a conversation about the current and future state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You can read Trace's review of the film here . You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h50m. We will be back soon to discuss the 2025 BAFTA winners and preview the 2025 SAG awards. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 14

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 85 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss the next film in their Mike Nichols series, Working Girl (1988). By the late 1980s, Mike Nichols was back to being a steady force in the industry. After the moderate success of Heartburn , and while filming his other 1988 feature film, Biloxi Blues , he found the script for the next big hit of his career, Working Girl . In finding a tale of an ambitious secretary from Staten Island working her way up the corporate ladder, pretending to be in her boss's role and proving herself valuable while also falling in love with the man she partners with on a big deal for both of their companies. Working Girl is not only a staple within Nichols' filmography, but it is a defining film of the 1980s led by extraordinary performances, zippy dialogue, and just the right amount of earnestness to make it a classic. Ryan, Jay, and Sophia talk about their thoughts on the film, Melanie Griffith's career best performance, just how complex the story is, the hotness of Harrison Ford, the elegance of Sigourney Weaver, which beer brand is the king of cheap beer, discussions on modern popstars, and over a dozen fun tangents that make this episode so long, yet so great. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h44m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Mike Nichols with a review of his next film, Postcards from the Edge. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 10

This weekend truly kicked off the Oscar race with the 1-2-3 punch of Critics Choice , the Directors Guild and the Producers Guild all announcing their winners in the span of 24 hours, including dueling ceremonies for the latter. On episode 274 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson is joined by AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to break down what happened, how it happened and what's next. In a surprising sweep, Sean Baker's Anora took home the top prize at all three: Best Picture at Critics Choice (its only win), the DGA for Theatrical Film and the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures at the PGA. Erik, who was at all three events, offers his insight to vibe in the rooms, which felt muted at Critics Choice until the left field Best Director win for Wicked 's Jon M. Chu (and the awkward Oscar-stat intro the category got), and the race from the DGA to the PGA that brought life back to everyone, making Anora the first film to win the Palme d'Or and DGA since 1955's Marty and pushing it (back?) to the top of the Best Picture race. But what does that mean for its star Mikey Madison? The young actress is the far and away critics' leader but so far has lost to Demi Moore ( The Substance ) in their first two face-offs, the Golden Globes and Critics Choice (ironically, or not so). With BAFTA and SAG looming, as well as the passion for Fernanda Torres ( I'm Still Here ), Best Actress remains the most exciting race of the season. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h57m. We will be back next week with the very fresh BAFTA winners and a preview of the Screen Actors Guild. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 6

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 84 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Izzy of Be Kind Rewind to discuss the next film in their Mike Nichols series, Silkwood (1983). While most directors from the 1970s flourished during this time period, Mike Nichols struggled through the decade trying to find himself. With two lackluster pictures under his belt, Nichols went back to the theater, look for inspiration and a chance to make something meaningful again. After making some successful plays, he came back to cinema in the early 1980s with one of his most celebrated films to date, a biopic about Karen Silkwood, a a nuclear whistleblower and a labor union activist who investigated alleged wrongdoing at the Kerr-McGee plutonium plant where she worked. The story was all over the news in the late 70s, and the rights to make the film went through hell and back again in the courts, but when it was all set and down, Nichols and company got the chance to make a vital picture that would become a blueprint for Hollywood in telling stories like this for decades to come. Ryan, Jay, and Izzy breakdown their thoughts on the film, how well it holds up, Meryl Streep's incredible performance at the center of the film, queer identity displayed through the eyes of Dolly played by Cher, how smoking hot Kurt Russell was at the time, their thoughts on the current state of physical media, and the worst foods to eat in a movie theater. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h54m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Mike Nichols with a review of his next film, Working Girl. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 3

On episode 273 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Jay Ledbetter and Josh Parham to go back 25 years and take a look at the 73rd Academy Awards, covering the films of 2000. The state of the new millennium say the Oscar get nostalgic as Ridley Scott's swords and sandals epic, Gladiator , took home the top prize of the night, alongside Best Actor and a couple wins in the technical categories. A giant hit from the summer, the film took down an international film sensation in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon , two films from Steven Soderbergh in Traffic and Erin Brockovich, and the sleeper, delightful indie film Chocolat . Overall, it was a descent list of nominees and winners that represented a shift from the indie films that dominated the 1990s, and the more populist films that would become winners in the early 2000s. In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 2000, briefly discuss talk about Gladiator as a Best Picture winner, do an extensive conversation over the below the line categories and nominees for the year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to three films to make up the final set of five nominated films. Like past retrospective episodes, it was a fascinating, fun conversation including spirited debates, alliances, vote swinging, celebrating various movies, performances that aren't normally talked about and more that we all hope you enjoy. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h14m. We will be back next week for a recap the winners from Critics Choice, DGA and PGA as the Oscar race starts to narrow before final winner voting begins. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 30

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 83 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Awards Connection writer Andrew Carden to discuss the next film in their Mike Nichols series, Carnal Knowledge (1971). After starting off on a hot streak with his first two films, Mike Nichols hit a bit of bad luck for his third film, with an adaptation of the renowned novel Catch-22 . Considering it was released after the smash hit that was Robert Altman's M*A*S*H , audiences didn't respond to the film at all, but the following year, audience did discuss Nichols' fourth film, the controversial Carnal Knowledge . Focusing on the troubled relationship between two men who meet in college, become friends, and their journey through the sexual relationships they have and share along the way. Might sound like a simple summary but the film is far thornier with the way these men and their relationship with each other and others evolve as the film plays out; making for a fascinating film. Ryan, Jay, and Andrew break down their thoughts on the film, Nicholson's unhinged performance, the idea of an unlikeable protagonist, Ann-Margret's vulnerable work, the film's battle with censorship, the final, controversial scene of the movie, and more. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h45m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Mike Nichols with a review of his next film, Silkwood . You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 27

On episode 272 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Trace Sauveur to talk about the latest film from Steven Soderbergh, Presence , and discuss the Top 5 film from the acclaimed director. Some of the films covered in the Top 5 range from Ocean's Eleven, Contagion, Magic Mike, Kimi, Out of Sight, and more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h23m. We will be back next week with an Oscar retrospective on the 73rd Academy Awards, covering the films of 2000. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 24

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 82 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Cody Dericks to discuss the final film in their Mike Nichols series, The Graduate (1967). Just a year after his impressive, celebrated debut film, Mike Nichols returned with one of the most important American films of all time; an era defining feature film that is still as vital, thorny, and thematically rich as it was in the late 1960s. The Graduate was a signature film that ushered in what would become the "New Hollywood," and showcased a generational anxiety of growing up and growing beyond the ease of one's college life, and the refusal to want to accept your place in the world. It also is a hilarious comedy featuring sexy, memorable performances anchored by the most confident, boundary-pushing directorial work from Nichols in his career. Simply put, it is a masterpiece. Ryan, Jay, and Cody break down their thoughts on the film, Nichol's camera work, their favorite moments of hilarity, the iconic soundtrack, the film's remarkable ending, the films of 1967, the relationship dynamics found in the film and share where they were at in their life post their time in school. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h52m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Mike Nichols with a review of his next film, Carnal Knowledge. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 24

Jan 23

2025 Oscar nominations for the 97th Academy Awards have been revealed and on episode 271 of the AwardsWatch podcast Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson is joined by Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to break down everything that went down. From the field best 13 nominations for Emilia Pérez (is this finally their Oscar Best Picture win?) to how The Brutalist , Wicked and Anora played out, the gang look at who is the frontrunner as we enter the second phase of awards season, who falls and our favorite nominations of the day. We try and crack some of those '5th spot' nominations like Fernanda Torres over Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Sebastian Stan over Daniel Craig and much more. For ways to donate or help with the ongoing fires in Los Angeles and their aftermath, go here . You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 57m. We'll be back next week to talk about our favorite Steven Soderbergh films and our thoughts on his newest, Presence .

Jan 16

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 81 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by 'Keep It' cohost and 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' writer Emmy nominee Louis Virtel (for writing the Oscars, no less), to discuss the first film in their Mike Nichols series, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). New year, new series, as the guys take a stroll down the career of one of the most famous, influential directors of the last sixty years, Mike Nichols. Known for his excellent reputation with actors and his work on the stage, Nichols first came on the film scene with one of the best debuts in cinema history with the explosive adaptation of the great American play, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Following the events of one evening spent with two couples, one being much more naive than the other, we watch a thrilling chess match of devilish wit, psychological damage, and imploding relationships bubble to incendiary results, with four incredible performances at the center of it. Ryan, Jay, and Louis break down their thoughts on the film, Nichols' rise to becoming a director, Burton and Taylor's relationship on and off screen, the historical relevance of this film, the importance of going to sleep, and more. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h35m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Mike Nichols with a review of his next film, 1967's The Graduate. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 13

On episode 270 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Karen Peterson and Mark Johnson to give out their final Oscar nomination predictions for the 97th Academy Awards. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 3h23m. We will be back next week with a brand new episode. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 10

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 80 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by film critic Ema Sasic to discuss the final film in their Nancy Meyers series, The Intern (2015). It's hard to imagine that the Nancy Meyers' series is already coming to an end, as the director feels like she has so many stories to tell, but alas here the boys are with the (for now) final film in the director's filmography. Six years after her last film, Meyers returned with a workplace dramedy about a retired widower that signs up to becoming a 'senior intern' for an up and coming, online clothing company. Over the course of the film, we see generations collide and a true friendship arise, making for one of the most delightful, heartwarming entries in the series so far, and one of Meyers' best films to date. Ryan, Jay, and Ema break down their thoughts on the film, if Meyers is a fan of Workaholics , how genuine these characters are, riding a bike in the office, Robert De Niro's incredible performance, why people need to stop hating on the great Anne Hathaway, and why the world needs more Nancy Meyers movies. They boys also give their personal ranking of Meyers' filmography and announce the next director movie series they will be covering. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h48m. The guys will be back next week to begin their series on the films of Mike Nichols with a review of his first film, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 7

On episode 269 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello discuss the winners of the 2025 Golden Globes and how they will impact the Oscar race. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast is brought to you by Orion Pictures' Nickel Boys, from director RaMell Ross. Nominated for five Critics Choice Awards; Best Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor for Supporting Actress, Best Director and Best Picture. Named "The best film of the year" by The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Indiewire, Boston Globe, and The New York Times. For Your Consideration in all categories including Best Picture. This podcast runs 1h45m. We will be back next week to announce our final Oscar nomination predictions. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 2

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 79 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly Content Update Editor and host of the And the Runner Up Is podcast, to discuss the latest film in their Nancy Meyers series, It's Complicated (2009). Divorce can be really tough, but getting back with your ex while he is married to the woman he left you for…sounds complicated. This is the premise to the latest film from Nancy Meyers, about a successful bakery owner who starts an affair with her ex-husband while also becoming romantically involved with her architect that is building her the kitchen she's always wanted. If you are thinking this is the ultimate Nancy Meyers fever dream of a film, well you would be one hundred percent correct, and it's a lot of fun. Ryan, Jay, Kevin break down their thoughts on the film, just how complicated this movie is, how this narrative could connect to Meyer's own life, smoking in the guest bathroom, Streep's killer comedic performance, how Baldwin and Martin work alongside her in the film, the elegant kitchen at the center of this film and how it doesn't need to be replaced. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h36m. The guys will be back next week to finish their series on the films of Nancy Meyers with a review of her film, The Intern. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 30, 2024

On episode 268 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello, and AwardsWatch Contributors Dan Bayer, Cody Dericks, Jay Ledbetter, Josh Parham, Karen Peterson, Trace Sauveur, and Griffin Schiller breakdown their favorite films of 2024. As we are about to begin an exciting new year of cinema in 2025, we say goodbye to 2024 with our AW team's favorite films of the year. Instead of having everyone on one call together, the show is split up into six sections, each section covering the six films the team loved the most. Those films included Robert Eggers' Nosferatu (Karen and Griffin), Radu Jude's Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (Trace), Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine as Light (Josh) Jane Schoenbrun's I Saw the TV Glow (Dan and Cody), RaMell Ross' Nickel Boys (Erik and Jay), and Brady Corbet's The Brutalist (Ryan and Sophia). In each segment, each person talks about why they selected the film as their favorite of the year, as well as an in-depth discussion over the film. At the end, the team gave honorable mentions for other films that they loved that included Challengers, Queer, Juror #2, Maria, Hit Man, Babygirl, Hundreds of Beavers, Hard Truths, Anora, Trap, Dahomey, The Substance , and many more. Please enjoy this wonderful last episode of 2024, thank you all for reading everything on the website as well as listening to the show this past year. We here at AwardsWatch hope you all have a Happy New Year. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 3h50m. We will be back next week to breakdown the winners of the 2025 Golden Globes. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "Once Upon a Time" from Robin Carolan, "Basm epic" from Z.O.B., "Imagined Light" from Topshe, "Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl" from yeule, "Color Memory" from Alex Somers, "Overture (Bus)," "Intermission" from Daniel Blumberg, "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 23, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 78 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Karen Peterson to discuss the latest film in their Nancy Meyers series, The Holiday (2006). Tis the season at Director Watch, as the boys and Karen have come together to talk about one of the most popular modern holiday classics, The Holiday. Billed as a house swap story of two heartbroken women wanting to leave their world's behind after terrible encounters with the men in their lives, Meyers sets a more dramatic, sweet tale of finding love and confidence during the holiday season. In what feels like her version of Love Actually , Meyers is able to deliver a much more compelling, romantic film than that British film from just a few years before, lead by an all-star cast of Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, and Jack Black. Ryan, Jay, and Karen break down their thoughts on the film, what their holiday traditions are with their families, who character gets a better deal within the house swap, Jude Law's summer tan, singing in a Blockbuster video, the charming Eli Wallach, and, of course, the most important person in cinema history, Mr. Napkin Head. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h06m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Nancy Meyers with a review of her film, It's Complicated. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 23, 2024

On episode 267 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributors Jay Ledbetter and Dan Bayer to go back a couple of years to take a look at the 92nd Academy Awards, celebrating the films of 2019. Five years ago, the Academy handed out one of the coolest Best Picture winners in our lifetime, awarding Bong Joon-ho's Parasite alongside a surprising win for Best Director as well as wins in the Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature. It was a historic win as it was the first non-English language film to win the Oscar's top prize, and might go down as one of the influential wins in the modern era. This film released inside a fantastic year of cinema to end the 2010s, though it was nominated in a selection of films that more or less didn't showcase just how strong of a year 2019 was. But that is what episodes like this is for, for the AW team to come in and make the changes necessary to the nominations (and winners) to showcase just how great a year in film is was. In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 2019, briefly discuss talk about Parasite as a Best Picture winner, do an extensive conversation over the below the line categories and nominees for the year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to five films to make up the final set of five nominated films. Like past retrospective episodes, it was a fascinating, fun conversation including spirited debates, alliances, vote swinging, celebrating various movies, performances that aren't normally talked about and more that we all hope you enjoy. They also do something for the first time in this episode in one category not yet done before, making for a wonderful new wrinkle to the game. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h14m. We will be back next week for our episode on the AW team favorite films of 2024. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 19, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 77 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss the latest film in their Nancy Meyers series, Something's Gotta Give (2003). With her third feature film, Nancy Meyers reunited with Diane Keaton and recruited Jack Nicholson to star in a romantic comedy about famous, neurotic playwright and elder playboy, philanthropist falling in love with each other, despite being complete opposites. Considered to be the best film in her filmography, Meyers' signature attention to detail and charm is matched by two incredible performances by Keaton and Nicholson, all wrapped within a hilarious, steamy screenplay that makes this film extremely rewatchable and quotable. Ryan, Jay, and Sophia extensively dive into why they love this movie, wearing turtleneck sweaters in the summers, the birth of the Nancy Meyers' kitchen obsession, the food in the film, how time works in this story, Nicholson's star power, how Keaton's character reflects Meyers' personality, the performances of Keanu Reeves and Frances McDormand, if Keaton picks the right man at the end of the film, and a new movie franchise "pitch" for the ages. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h34m. The guys will be back next week to begin continue their series on the films of Nancy Meyers with a review of her film, The Holiday. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 17, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 76 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer to discuss the first film in their Nancy Meyers series, What Women Want (2000). Following up her success of The Parent Trap , Nancy Meyers' second feature film follows an chauvinistic advertising executive who gains the ability to hear the inner thoughts of women, truly finding out what women want. A simple, amusing premise formed into the biggest box office hit of the director's career, with stars Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt lighting up the screen together. But over two decades later, the film, while successful, has become the most divisive film of her filmography, given her lack of involvement in the film's script, leading to some of the strangest storytelling decisions you'd see in a romantic comedy. What Women Want feels like a movie stuck between eras of time where most of the jokes don't work, characters and plot devices haven't aged well, and yet the premise is still interesting enough to keep things moving; it's a fascinating film to talk about. Ryan, Jay, and Dan break down their thoughts on the film, what still works within the film and what doesn't, the message Meyer's might be saying about her own personal life, the careers of Gibson, Hunt, and Marisa Tomei, if Nick Marshall is a redeemable character, and if hearing the thoughts of a female dog makes sense. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h06m. The guys will be back next week to begin continue their series on the films of Nancy Meyers with a review of her film, Something's Gotta Give. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 16, 2024

On episode 266 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Josh Parham to give their thoughts on some of the films releasing this holiday season, Queer, Babygirl, A Complete Unknown, and Nosferatu. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h7m. We will be back next week for retrospective over the 92nd Academy Awards, covering the films of 2019. This podcast is sponsored by Focus Features presenting Conclave . Your choice changes everything. In theaters now. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 13, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 75 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Pop Culture Confidential host Christina Jeurling Birro to discuss the first film in their Nancy Meyers series, The Parent Trap (1998). After nearly two decades of writing acclaimed screenplays that earned top dollar at the box office as well as an Oscar nomination, Nancy Meyers set out in the late 1990s to make her directorial debut with a remake of the 1961 Disney family film, The Parent Trap . Centering around two identical twins who discover each other while they are at summer camp who switch places on their return home in order to get their parents back together, Meyers used this property to not only establish her special cinematic we've all come to love, but as a vessel to handle her divorce from her co-collaborator for many years, director Charles Shyer. In doing this, she made a film that is far superior than the original, while also finding a star in the making with newcomer Lindsay Lohan. Ryan, Jay, and Christina break down their thoughts on the film, the plot of the film, Lohan's incredible performance, if Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson play the worst parents in the history of film, best camp movies, and the Disney live action film era of the late 1990s to early 2000s. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h34m. The guys will be back next week to begin continue their series on the films of Nancy Meyers with a review of her film, What Women Want. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 9, 2024

On episode 265 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello break down the nominations for the 2025 Golden Globes , as well as the winners for the European Film Awards and Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) . You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h8m. We will be back next week to discuss some of the latest 2024 film releases before the end of the year. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 9, 2024

On episode 264 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributors Karen Peterson, Jay Ledbetter and Josh Parham to go back 30 years to take a look at the 67th Academy Awards, celebrating the films of 1994. Thirty years ago, it was Bob's year as Robert Zemeckis' Forrest Gump took home the Oscar for Best Picture, alongside Tom Hanks winning his second straight gold statue for back to back wins. It was one of the most commercially successful films of 1994 that went on to win the big prize, and is part of one of the most influential years from the 1990s. Films like Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption , Four Weddings and a Funeral, Three Colours: Red, Hoop Dreams, The Lion King, and more highlight a crossover of studio films blending success with indie darlings to make for a fascinating film year to talk about. In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 1994, briefly discuss talk about Forrest Gump as a Best Picture winner, do an extensive conversation over the below the line categories and nominees for the year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to three films to make up the final set of five nominated films. Like past retrospective episodes, it was a fascinating, fun conversation including spirited debates, alliances, vote swinging, celebrating various movies, performances that aren't normally talked about and more that we all hope you enjoy. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h28m. We will be back next week to discuss some of the latest 2024 film releases before the end of the year. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 6, 2024

On episode 263 of the AwardsWatch podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello break down the deluge of early season goodies with Gotham Awards , New York Film Critics Circle , Spirit Awards nominations, National Board of Review winners and the AFI Top 10 announcements. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h24m. We'll return next week with reviews of A Complete Unknown , Nosferatu and Babygirl . Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 5, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 74 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Krzysztof Kieślowski series, Three Colours: Red (1994). In the last entry in his acclaimed trilogy, Kieślowski turns to the color red, which focuses on the idea of fraternity. In this drama, we find two characters, a young, curious girl and a reclusive older man, become interconnected within each other's lives and form a familiar bond that transforms into a surprising friendship. As other characters come in and out of their story, the film forms into a coming of age story for the younger protagonist and a redemption story for her male counterpart, making for a beautiful, profound piece of filmmaking from the director that saw him receive critical acclaimed, leading to several Oscar nominations. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, surveillance being a strong aspect of the story, it's connection to Blue and White , if the film's ending adds anything to the overall experience of the trilogy, Irène Jacob and Jean-Louis Trintignant performances, closing thoughts on Kieślowski, their rankings of his films, and how old some of our favorite directors are. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h29m. The guys will be back next week to begin their new series on the films of Nancy Meyers with a review of her film, the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 30, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 73 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Krzysztof Kieślowski series, Three Colours: White (1994). The next entry into Kieślowski trilogy might go down as one of the most surprising films the guys have covered so far, as this anti-comedy is a completed shift from the tone and ideas covered in Blue . Following a couple from two different countries playing a manipulative game of chess with one another over time, Kieślowski is able to use this duo as a personification of geo-political warfare and how smaller countries have to react and fight in order to relevant in the world. It makes for a fascinating examination of European ideals wrapped within a twist tale of love and country. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, how the logic of it only makes sense from a non-literal perspective, shifting point of views throughout the film, the film's ending, if these two really do love each other, what they each like to put on a sandwich, and what a "dumpster Whopper" is. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h16m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Krzysztof Kieślowski with with a review of his film, Three Colours: Red. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 25, 2024

On episode 262 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Jay Ledbetter to give their thoughts on Gladiator II and discuss their Top 5 Denzel Washington performances. Big weekend at the movie as audiences around the world got to see the long awaited Wicked Part 1 and Gladiator II . Before the guys get into their thoughts on Ridley Scott's latest, Ryan shares his reactions to Wicked Part 1 , and why for him, the film is mostly frustrating experiences with a couple of good performances in it. After that, Ryan and Jay dive right into Gladiator II , a film over twenty years in the making, as Scott dives back into the world he created in 2000's Best Picture winning epic. Much like the original, the film is a tale of revenge, centered around a main character looking to take on not just the ones of betrayed him, but the most powerful of Rome, leading to bloody battles and political intrigue around every corner. The boys were mixed on it, with Jay not being as positive on the film as Ryan is, with the totality of the conversation focusing on the film's script, Scott and his team's craft of recreating Rome, if Paul Mescal is a "movie star," and Denzel Washington's incredible performance. Once they are done reviewing the film, the episode shifts solely to Washington, one of the greatest movie stars of all time and his magnificent, celebrated career. The two time Oscar winner has built a career on and off screen that rivals many legendary actors and actresses. And after covering plenty of his films on Director Watch this year, Ryan and Jay give out their Top 5 Denzel Washington performances. The films discussed ranged from Remember the Titans, Malcolm X, Man on Fire, He Got Game, Crimson Tide, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Roman J Israel, Esq., John Q, Training Day, Philadelphia, Glory, Devil in a Blue Dress, and more. A fun, extensive dive into a career of one of the best to ever do it, and we hope you enjoy it. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h11m. We will be back next week for a retrospective of the 67th Academy Awards, covering the films of 1994. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 21, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 72 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Krzysztof Kieślowski series, Three Colours: Blue (1993). Moving right along into the trilogy that made Kieślowski a legend in the cinematic community, the director set out to make a trio of films based around the colors found in the French flag, the country to which he could get funding for the film. With Blue, we enter his first phase, liberty, and in the case of the film, a complex look into a woman recovery as she tries to go on living her life after a tragic car accident kills her husband and daughter. In turning cold on the world and everyone around her, Julie (Juliette Binoche in a masterful performance) slowly opens back up, and it is within the final act of the film we see her recover beyond her understandable, heartbreaking grief. It makes for a wonderful start to this important trilogy. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, the idea of grief and how everyone handles it differently, the use of the color blue throughout the film, the balance of the loss of Julie's husband and daughter, the guy's thoughts on Binoche's career and what type of reality, trash television shows people are watching today. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h42m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Krzysztof Kieślowski with a review of his film, Three Colours: White. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 19, 2024

Editors Claire Simpson and Sam Restivo had already worked together on several of Ridley Scott's movies, including House of Gucci and Napoleon , before embarking on Scott's massive motion picture Gladiator II . Restivo has previously worked with directors like Michael Mann and Cameron Crowe and Claire Simpson received an Academy Award for her work on Oliver Stone's Platoon. And, in a nice bit of symmetry with Gladiator , started her career as assistant editor on Caligula , with Malcom McDowell and Helen Mirren. For AwardsWatch we talked about the sheer volume of footage Ridley provides them with every day, the research process, the kiss Denzel Washington says was edited out and much more.

Nov 19, 2024

Emperors! Gladiators! Nearly 1000 extras! We talked to Jana Carboni (makeup designer) and hair designer Guiliano Mariano about their immense work on Ridley Scott's Gladiator II . How they were inspired by Fellini's Satyricon and the Sex Pistols. Battling the heat and the elements to get Paul Mescal's gladiator tan and body paint just right. Denzel's manicured hands and much more.

Nov 18, 2024

On episode 261 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributors Mark Johnson and Karen Peterson discuss where we are at in the 2024 Oscar race, giving an updated temperature check on the current award season. A lot has changed in the world since the last time the AW podcast talked about the Oscars and which films and performances will go home with the gold. A post-election shift could be coming, with audiences and voters seeing the contenders in the race differently than before the political results from two weeks ago. Ryan, Sophia, Mark, and Karen break down how they think the election will connect and effect the award season, where the Best Picture, Best Director, and Acting categories are right now, as well as give their reaction to the news that the Oscars have selected a host, former late-night talk show host, comedian Conan O'Brien. This discussion also includes who the team has at the front runners in all of these categories, as well as the other contenders that could come in overtake the films, performances in the lead right now. It was a fun conversation we hope you all enjoy. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h55m. We will be back next week to do discuss the latest film release, Gladiator II , and talk about our Top 5 Denzel Washington performances. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 11, 2024

On episode 260 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to review Steve McQueen's Blitz and A24's latest horror film, Heretic. It is a short, simple episode of the AW podcast this week as tons of films are being released right now before the holiday season, campaigning events are happening all around the country, and the world is still reeling from the results of last week's U.S. elections. Instead of a grand show, Ryan and Josh are here to talk about two films that hit theaters this weekend, Blitz and Heretic . The first is Blitz (read review here), the latest film from Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen ( 12 Years a Slave ), and premiered at the London Film Festival last month before making stops at the New York Film Festival (Closing Night selection) and Middleburg Film Festival (Opening Night selection). The boys talk about the film's relation to McQueen's filmography, the lackluster script, beautiful craft work, the performances from Saoirse Ronan and Elliott Heffernan, and where it sits in the Oscar race right now. Next up is the religious, psychological horror film Heretic (read our review here), from the writers of A Quiet Place . Led by an excellent performance from Hugh Grant, Ryan and Josh talk about the tense, exciting pace of the first act, Grant's monologue's, hint at hilarious pop culture references within the film, A24's run of films this year, and why the film crumbles, like a blueberry pie, in executing a thrilling finale. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 59m. We will be back next week to do a discussion on where everything is at in this year's Oscar race. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 7, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 71 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the first film in their Krzysztof Kieślowski series, The Double Life of Veronique (1991). Known for being a documentarian in the 1970s and making smaller, personal films and television shows in the 1980s, Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski broke through in the 1990s with four films that became some of the most influential films of the last 30 years. For the first film in this month long series, Kieślowski dives into the world of two young girls (both played by Irène Jacob) who feels connected to each other, a bond that transcends time, language and geography. In a unconventional, beautiful version of a coming of age story, Ryan and Jay talk about their relationship with Krzysztof Kieślowski, thoughts on the film, the differences between Weronika and Véronique, sex used as a vital tool for storytelling, the film's haunting tone and ending, and many stories about Jay's recent family Disney trip. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h04m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Krzysztof Kieślowski with a review of his film, Three Colours: Blue. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 4, 2024

On episode 259 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer and Josh Parham to go back 10 years to take a look at the 87th Academy Awards, celebrating the films of 2014. Ten years ago, Hollywood's biggest night was won over by Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Birdman, a dramedy about a washed up actor trying to form a comeback away from the big screen and back on stage in New York City, and while doing this, also making sure he can keep him mind sane. The film was a critical, commercial success, though winning Best Picture, Director and Original Screenplay for Iñárritu that night has put a target on his back for not only beating films like Boyhood and The Grand Budapest Hotel , but was the first of back to back years where the director found himself capturing Oscar gold. With these wins, it has become one of the most divisive years of the Oscars in recent memories, alongside a slew of other questionable winners and nominees inside a bountiful year of incredible cinema from the year 2014. A lot of Oscars from this year need to change hands, and the AW team is here to rewrite some Academy history. In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 2014, briefly discuss talk about Birdman as a Best Picture winner, do an extensive conversation over the below the line categories and nominees for the year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to three films to make up the final set of five nominated films. Like past retrospective episodes, it was a fascinating, fun conversation including spirited debates, alliances, vote swinging, celebrating various movies, performances that aren't normally talked about and more that we all hope you enjoy. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 3h21m. We will be back next week to do discuss the latest film release, Blitz , and doing a character actor movie draft. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Oct 31, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 70 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Carl Franklin series, Out of Time (2003). After the box office failure of Devil in a Blue Dress , and making a Meryl Streep movie ( One True Thing ) and a standard legal thriller starring Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman ( High Crimes ), Carl Franklin's last feature film was his last effort at trying to make a entertaining popcorn films starring Denzel Washington, Out of Time . What sounds like an interesting premise of a small town cop racing against the clock when the woman he is seeing ends up the prime murder suspect in his area of Florida, with the team investigating the crime run by his ex-wife (Eva Mendes). In what feels like a discount Tony Scott film, Franklin isn't able to elevate the movie beyond just being a decent film that Denzel carries to the finish line. Ryan and Jay talk about their thoughts on the film, diving into some heavy Jimmy Buffett references, Dean Cain's filmography, the illogical ending of the film, how much they've loved talking about Denzel Washington films this year, the sad reality behind where Franklin's career is now, as well as give their ranks of the films within this short but important series. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h03m. The guys will be back next week to begin their series on the films of Krzysztof Kieślowski with a review of his film, The Double Life of Veronique. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Oct 30, 2024

On episode 258 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello talk about the Gotham Awards nominations, the world premieres of AFI FEST 2024 and two films we saw outside of the festival that will be in the Oscar race. Always considered the kickoff of awards season, the Gotham Awards nominations were revealed this week and without too much surprise Sean Baker's Anora led with four nods: Best Feature, Best Director, Outstanding Lead Performance (Mikey Madison) and Outstanding Supporting Performance (Yura Borisnov). Next up with three apiece were RaMell Ross's Nickel Boys (Best Feature, Best Director, Breakthrough Performer – Brandon Wilson) and Jane Schoenbrun's I Saw the TV Glow (Best Director, Outstanding Lead Performance – Justice Smith, Outstanding Supporting Performance – Brigette Lundy-Paine). We break down these nominations, the surprises ( Challengers in Best Feature as its only nod, The Brutalist missing there) and snubs (notably, Joan Chen) and everything in between. See full list of nominations here . Then we head over to the AFI FEST 2024, which just ended last weekend, to talk about the world premieres of the fest: Music by John Williams ( review ), Robert Zemeckis's Here ( review ), Clint Eastwood's Juror #2 ( review ) and the new Aardman Animation film Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl . It's a pretty spirited conversation as the film from two directing giants are among our least favorite films of the year, but then buoyed by the joy and fun of the new Aardman. Conversely, we venture into two films that we loved and saw outside of the festival last week, Halina Reijn's Babygirl , starring Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson, and Ridley Scott's return to the Colosseum with Gladiator II , starring Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 58m. We will be back next week for a retrospective of the 87th Academy Awards, covering the films of 2014. Till then, let's get into it.

Oct 25, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 69 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Carl Franklin series, Devil in a Blue Dress (1995). Following the massive success of One False Move , Franklin turned down the opportunity to work on bigger studio films to adapt a neo-noir mystery thriller based on the popular series of books by Walter Mosley. With an Oscar winning star, Denzel Washington, on the poster to go along with an impressive ensemble cast around him, detailed production design and world building within the script, this movie was destined to be the start of a new Hollywood movie series. But sadly, we never go to see more stories of Easy Rawlins on the big screen, with the film earning a cult status since its release, becoming another gem in Franklin's filmography. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, the history behind the making of this movie, their continued love for Denzel, the amazing performance from Don Cheadle, the film's SAG nomination, the racial dynamics of the film, and answer why they think audiences didn't connect with it when it came out. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h43m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Carl Franklin with a review of his film, Out of Time. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Oct 18, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 68 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the first film in their Carl Franklin series, One False Move (1992). Much like Terrence Malick, the subject of the last Director Watch series, director Carl Franklin came out of the AFI Conservatory ready to take the world on fire as a force behind the camera. In his first couple of films, he was taken under the wing of producer Roger Corman, who saw something in a young Franklin and gave him the necessary experience to then make something of his own. By the early 1990s, when the American indie film era was beginning, Franklin made one of the most vital crime thrillers of the decade with One False Move, a film centered around a small town sheriff waiting for three killers to enter his town, with a connection to who they are leading to a dangerous conclusion. With a script written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson, Franklin was able to tap into the insecurities of being in a small town position as a police officer, the danger of being a fugitive on the run, and the racial dynamics (and insecurities) at the heart of the story. Ryan and Jay break down Franklin's early work, their thoughts on the overall film, Bill Paxton and Cynda Williams' performances, the film's shocking ending, the tragic final shot of the film, Thornton's career as a writer, and how influential a movie like this was for the decade. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h53m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Carl Franklin with a review of his film, Devil in a Blue Dress. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Oct 15, 2024

On episode 257 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello talk about some of our favorite (and not so favorite) films we saw at 62nd New York Film Festival and then look at them through the lens of the pending Oscar race. Kicking things off we start with The Brutalist , Brady Corbet's sprawling epic about a Hungarian architect, played by Adrien Brody, who emigrates to the United States post-World War II. Corbet won the Best Director award at the Venice Film Festival. You can read Sophia's review of that film here . Next we go into the Venice Golden Lion winner for Best Film, Pedro Almodóvar's The Room Next Door , starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, the director's first major festival top film win. Ryan's review of the maestro's festival favorite can be found here . The conversation here, about older directors creating films now that stand up against their best early work, moves to what we felt as a far less successful version of that, Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis (read Ryan's review here) but then we're back to the festival high of Luca Guadagnino's Queer, his adaptation of the 1985 William S. Burroughs short novel starring Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey, a drug-induced story of gay love and longing set among the lives of American expats in Mexico City in the late 1940s. You can read my review of Queer here . We also venture into some quick talk of other films we saw and loved at the festival, including Mike Leigh's Hard Truths and David Siegel and Scott McGehee's The Friend , starring the biggest attention getter of the fest, Bing the great Dane. From there we look at how looks at these films have shaped or changed our earlier Oscar predictions, what's out in front, what is falling off and the complete unknown entities coming up that could change race completely. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h16m. We will be back in two weeks to discuss AFI FEST and update our Oscar predictions. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Oct 14, 2024

On episode 256 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer and Josh Parham to discuss Sean Baker's latest film, Anora , and discuss their favorite films to win the prestigious Palme d'Or award. While we are coming towards the end of fall festival season, one of the hottest festival films of the year was the winner of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival back in May. Anora , written and directed by Sean Baker and starring Mikey Madison, has been the one of the most talked about films of the year, garnering praise from audiences around the world and setting itself up for a big run later this Oscar season. But just how good is the film? Ryan, Josh, and Dan breakdown Baker's latest, what they think of the film overall, the performances, mild discussion on the film's ending, and where they see its path in the Oscar race moving forward. Once they were done with that, they moved into a larger discussion over their favorite past winners of the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the Palme d'Or. With some of the most influential, celebrated films of their respected years winning the award, the Palme d'Or is a signal for excellence in cinema. Some of the films discussed ranged from All That Jazz, Taxi Driver, Pulp Fiction, The Piano, Brief Encounter, Blow Up, The Conversation, Parasite, Shoplifters, Barton Fink, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Tree of Life, and many more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h49m. We will be back next to do discuss the main trifecta of fall festivals - Telluride, Toronto and New York - then in two weeks for AFI FEST Film Festival and take a look at the Oscar race after each. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Oct 11, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 67 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Dave Giannini, Editor-In-Chief of InSession Film, to discuss the final film in their Terrence Malick series, A Hidden Life (2019). The time has come for the Malick series to come to an end, and it is ending with yet another beautiful look to the past by the director after years of making personal films about the present. In taking a journey back to the past, the director was able to search into a man's personal, religious reasoning for not wanting to go to war for the Nazis. Shot beautifully cinematographer Jörg Widmer, Malick has created another masterpiece of epic, poetic masterpiece, contrary to many who thought it was just another Malick film; this one is just as special as the rest. Ryan, Jay, and Dave break down their relationship with the film, Malick's stance on religion, the film's beautiful score, the excellent performance from August Diehl, give their final thoughts on the series, their final Malick rankings, and announce their next series they will be doing starting next week. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h26m. The guys will be back next week to begin their series on the films of Carl Franklin with a review of his film, One False Move. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Oct 7, 2024

On episode 255 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer, Jay Ledbetter, and Josh Parham to go back 15 years to take a look at the 82nd Academy Awards, celebrating the films of 2009. Fifteen years ago, after the Academy made an egregious snub and didn't include The Dark Knight in the Best Picture lineup, the Academy expanded the category to include ten films, in an effort to include a wider range of films that audiences had seen. The results ended up with one of the most balanced, representative selection of nominees in some time, with the biggest, highest grossing film of all time going up again the indie-war film, that would go on to win and make Academy history as the first female director to win Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow). In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 2009, briefly discuss talk about The Hurt Locker as a Best Picture winner, do an extensive conversation over the below the line categories and nominees for the year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to three films to make up the final set of five nominated films. Like past retrospective episodes, it was a fascinating, fun conversation including spirited debates, alliances, vote swinging, celebrating various movies, performances that aren't normally talked about and more that we all hope you enjoy. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h40m. We will be back next week to do discuss the latest film release, Anora , and discuss our Top 5 Palme d'Or winners. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Oct 3, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 66 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by hosts of the Screen Drafts podcast Clay Keller and Ryan Marker to discuss the next film in their Terrence Malick series, Song to Song (2017). The final film in Malick's modern, personal trilogy finds the director searching for love, loss, inspiration and faith in the music scene set in Austin, Texas. Filmed over multiple years, and at various music venues and festivals, Malick was able to explain the dirtiness that surrounds being in an artistic industry and how much of your soul you have to give up in order to find success. At the same time, he displays a location of this country that is evolving from it's "weird" roots and becoming more conventional, losing the very thing that makes the fabric of a town like Austin so unique. In one of the liveliest DW episodes the boys have ever had, Ryan, Jay, Clay, and Ryan break down the thoughts on the film, the use of real life musician's as actors throughout the film, Malick's relationship with casting movie stars, their love for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, first reactions to seeing a Malick film, which one of the guys on the show is actually in the film, who got cut from the film, how it is showcases Austin, and what is the best Malick movie to show someone if they have never seen one of his films. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h11m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Terrence Malick with a review of his next film, A Hidden Life. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Sep 26, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 65 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by film critic Jesse Nussman to discuss the next film in their Terrence Malick series, Knight of Cups (2015). The second entry in Malick's modern, personal trilogy finds the director exploring fame, love, family, faith, and one's purpose in the city of angles with Knight of Cups. Centered around the idea of chapters in a person's life, he uses tarot cards and their meanings to reflect on his own life, using Christian Bale as a surrogate to funnel the pain, love, and loss of his life. The result is a beautiful odyssey through the chaos and confusion of life that has been fully lived in, and doesn't know where to go next upon reflection of the past. Ryan, Jay, and Jesse break down the film, explore Bale's filmography, discuss the meaning behind each tarot card talked about in the film, examine Malick's thoughts on LA and Las Vegas as his version of hell, the use of comedians throughout the film, and a special surprise at the end of the episode that you aren't going to want to miss. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h59m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Terrence Malick with a review of his next film, Song to Song. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "Malick Mode" by Jesse Nussman (outro).

Sep 23, 2024

On episode 254 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Karen Peterson and Dan Bayer to review and give their reactions to the movie everyone is talking about, The Substance. Since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, audience can't stop talking about the latest body horror thriller from director Coralie Fargeat, The Substance . Led by powerhouse performances from actresses Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, and filled with tons of blood, twists, and turns, the film just came off of winning the TIFF People's Choice Award for the Midnight Madness section of the program. As it heads into theaters across the country, Ryan, Karen, and Dan break down their inventive, unique world that Fargeat created, the make-up design as well as the stellar work by the entire ensemble, making for one of the team's favorite films of the year. They did their best to not give any of the film's reveals away, knowing audiences show go into The Substance knowing little to nothing about it in order for the full wave of shocking moments Fargeat's second feature presents. Also on the show this week was brief thoughts by Karen about Transformers One , and Dan's thoughts on the TIFF Audience Winner, The Life of Chuck. A rare one-hour episode with lots packed in, so we hope you enjoy! You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h08m. We will be back next week to do discuss the latest film release, Megalopolis . Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Sep 19, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 64 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com Brian Tallerico to discuss the next film in their Terrence Malick series, To the Wonder (2012). A year after his most celebrated film was released, Malick returned with something new, experimental for even his own standards. The director had looked to turn away from even more traditional storytelling, filming hours on end, searching for the meaning of his film in the edit as he made his first contemporary setting about a couple's troubled marriage. Mirroring a lot of his own personal life, Malick examines his role in his past marriage and in turn, makes one of his saddest, brutally open films of his filmography. Ryan, Jay, and Brian breakdown their feelings on the film, why it might be considered Malick's least successful work, the weight of expectations a movie can have on its shoulders, the wild career of Benjamin Affleck, how faith and love are tested to their ultimate limits, and how the director sees himself in this film, and if he is successful in pointing the finger at his past transgressions to make a compelling narrative. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h38m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Terrence Malick with a review of his next film, Knight of Cups. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Sep 18, 2024

On episode 253 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello take a look at the awards landscape now that we're in a post-Venice, Telluride and Toronto film festival world. With Venice, led by jury president Isabelle Huppert, choosing Pedro Almodóvar's The Room Next Door , Telluride critics and audiences both going for Sean Baker's Anora and Toronto voters choosing Mike Flanagan's currently distributor free The Life of Chuck as the People's Choice, there's plenty to talk about in how these choices impact the Oscar race, solidifying some early predictions and changing up others. Telluride saw strong showings for early frontrunner Conclave and late surprise September 5 , which just got a Paramount pick up and a prime awards release date while Saturday Night seems to have peaked and cratered in a matter of days. With Nicole Kidman winning the Volpi Cup at Venice for Babygirl and Sony Pictures Classics choosing to push both Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore in TRND for lead consideration, the Best Actress conversation gets more exciting and fruitful by the day. Angelina Jolie, Mikey Madison, Amy Adams and more are all circling that final five. But a lot of internet chatter hyper-focused on that TIFF win for The Life of Chuck and understandably so; all of but one of the last 15 winners there earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination. That stat caused lots of scurrying, lots of extra math, and for many, finding a place for it in their new top 10. But, stats fall every year and sometimes instinct beats out overthinking. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 51m. We will be back next week to do discuss the latest film release, The Substance . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Sep 16, 2024

On episode 252 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributors Karen Peterson and Josh Parham to go back 50 years to take a look at the 47th Academy Awards, celebrating the films of 1974. Fifty years ago, the Academy Awards gave out the Best Picture Oscar to the first sequel in their history by awarding The Godfather Part II their highest award, as well as Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction and Best Original Dramatic Score. 1974 not only featured one of the greatest sequels of all time, but multiple masterpieces like Chinatown, The Conversation, Young Frankenstein, and many more. The Best Picture lineup, as well as the nominees, showcased a pretty stacked, diverse year at the movies, with comedies, ensemble action films, costume dramas being represented alongside prestige crime dramas that spoke to the moment. In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 1974, briefly discuss talk about The Godfather Part II as a Best Picture winner, do an extensive conversation over the below the line categories and nominees for the year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to three films to make up the final set of five nominated films. Like past retrospective episodes, it was a fascinating, fun conversation including spirited debates, alliances, vote swinging, celebrating various movies, performances that aren't normally talked about and more that we all hope you enjoy. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 3h17m. We will be back next week to do discuss the latest film release, The Substance . Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Sep 13, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 63 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson to discuss the next film in their Terrence Malick series, The Tree of Life (2011). We've come to the midpoint mark of the Malick series and have hit the most important film in the filmography of the director, not just in terms of accolades and being known as one of the most important films of the 2010s, but it is also the film Jay claims as his favorite film of all time. A very personal episode of Director Watch is in store as the guys, alongside Erik, break down Malick's most personal film to date about a journey through time, our place in the universe, what our stamp on history is, and what the meaning of life is through the eyes of a family living in a small Texas town. Ryan, Jay, and Erik talk about their relationship with The Tree of Life , how well the film has aged from when they first saw it due to growth and experience in their lives, the masterful imagery conveyed by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, the work of Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain as not just parents to the boys in the film but as the personification of nature vs. nurture, the dinosaur sequence, the glorious ending mixed into the fascinating scenes feature Sean Penn as a grown up version of Jack, how Malick is able to evoke the viewer's memories of their past and juxtapose it to what he is showing on screen through his characters and setting, and of course, talk about the wild Oscar season that covered the films of 2011. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h17m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Terrence Malick with a review of his next film, To the Wonder. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Sep 9, 2024

On episode 251 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributos Karen Peterson and Cody Dericks to discuss Tim Burton's latest film, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice , and talk about some of the favorite (and least favorite) "legacy sequels." While everyone is making their way back from Venice and Telluride, and others are in Toronto for TIFF, the new release of the week spark a surprise hit at the box office, and a return to form for its director, Tim Burton. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice , a legacy sequel to the 1988 cult classic, took in close to $145 million at the worldwide box office after premiering to a mostly positive reception out of Venice just two weeks ago. The team break down the film, how it fits in with the original, Keaton's performance, the evolution of the existing characters alongside the addition of new one, and what Burton should do next. After talk about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, they transitioned to talking about the "legacy sequel," which is a film that follows the continuity of the original movie(s), but takes place further along the timeline and focuses on new characters with the original ones still existing in the new story. Sometimes the film can even follow the same formula as the original film, just adding in new special effects or characters to make the audience feel like they are witnessing this world for the first time; essentially a nostalgia bomb. While these don't always work, there are some that are an exception to the rule, as Ryan, Karen, and Cody discuss when they talked about films like Top Gun: Maverick, Creed, Doctor Sleep, The Color of Money, Before Sunset, Mad Max: Fury Road, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Mary Poppins Returns, and more, including some legacy sequels that frustrate them like the recent Scream and Indiana Jones films. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h05m. We will be back next week to do another AW Oscar Retrospective episode about the 47th Academy Awards, covering the films of 1974. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Sep 5, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 62 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Karen Peterson to discuss the next film in their Terrence Malick series, The New World (2005). Entering a new millennium, Malick embarked on a mission to create a vision of timeless story that he had been trying to make since the 1970s. After finally getting the financing to create The New World , he sent out to create a definitive take on the story of historical figures Captain John Smith (Colin Farrell), Pocahontas of the Powhatan tribe (Q'orianka Kilcher), and Englishman John Rolfe, without having to hold true to being one hundred percent accurate to their history. He uses this love story to breakdown our human relationship with exploration and nature, and how when these worlds collide, it provides change that irreversible, beautiful, and tragic. In short, he created another masterpiece. Ryan, Jay, and Karen give their reaction and relationship to the film, speak about how hot Colin Farrell was during this era of his career, Emmanuel Lubezki luscious cinematography, Q'orianka Kilcher's transformational performance, the movie's connection with the past, present, future via water and boats, the poor animated Disney version of this story, and how the freedom, if the extended version of this film is worth it, and how the experimental filmmaking of this movie set a path for the modern Malick we've come to know. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h02m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Terrence Malick with a review of his next film, The Tree of Life. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Sep 4, 2024

On episode 250 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello, and special guest Christina Birro of Pop Culture Confidential come together to discuss their reactions to the films at the 51st Telluride Film Festival. The 2024 film festival season has begun and many of the biggest titles of the fall film slate, Oscar season are being released over the last week with both the Venice Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival. Based on our past episode, the Telluride Film Festival announced their line-up with the world premieres of Conclave, Nickel Boys, Saturday Night, The Piano Lesson, The End alongside with several other films, as well as movie that have premiered at other festivals like Anora, The Outrun, Maria, A Real Pain, September 5, Emilia Perez , and more. It made for a great lineup over the Labor Day weekend, and the group break down their time at the festival, talk about all the movies they saw above and more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h01m. We will be back next week to discuss Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and talk about our favorite "legacy sequels." Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 30, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 61 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by film critic Jake Tropila to discuss the next film in their Terrence Malick series, The Thin Red Line (1998). After making two of the most celebrated, respected films of the 1970s, Terrence Malick spent the next twenty plus years crafting multiple projects, with nothing to show for it. Towards the beginning of the 1990s, the director was approached with the idea of crafting an adaptation of the World War II novel The Thin Red Line , which intrigued Malick enough to start working on this film, which seemed to spark every male actor in Hollywood to audition for him so they could be a part of this epic. The results of being gone from cinema for two plus decades gave us not only one of Malick's most signature films, but what some consider to be the greatest war film of all time. Ryan, Jay, and Jake discuss their thoughts on the film, the insane roster of actors in this film, how Malick cut Adrian Brody mostly out of the film to create a new vision from the original source material, the brutality of war and what it does to a soldier's morality, how it compares from Saving Private Ryan which came out from the same year, how something as so necessary as water becomes vital for the everyone involved, and the continued look into the career of Jim Caviezel. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h58m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Terrence Malick with a review of his next film, The New World. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 23, 2024

On episode 249 of the AwardsWatch Podcast it's another all editors edition as yours truly, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello are packed and ready to head to mountains of Colorado for the 51st Telluride Film Festival with special guest Christina Birro of Pop Culture Confidential. As Telluride famously does, the actual lineup of films isn't released until the day of the festival (August 30) but with Venice , Toronto and New York announcements and designations of films as a 'world premiere,' 'international premiere,' 'North American premiere' or 'Canadian premiere' we have a pretty good idea of many of the films we'll be seeing, with all important world premiere titles that we'll likely be seeing before anyone like Edward Berger's papal thriller Conclave (Focus Features) starring Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow and Stanley Tucci, Michael Gracey's Robbie Williams biopic Better Man (Paramount Pictures) with the UK star playing himself, Jason Reitman's Saturday Night (Sony Pictures), telling the story of the first night of SNL in 1975 with Gabriel LaBelle, Dylan O'Brien, Rachell Sennott, Cory Michael Smith and Willem Dafoe, Malcolm Washington's adaptation of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Piano Lesson starring Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Deadwyler and John David Washington and RaMell Ross's Nickel Boys (Amazon MGM), adapting Colson Whitehead's Nickel Boys with Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Hamish Linklater and more. We also expect a healthy selection of Sundance and Cannes features to make their way to Telluride for a fall resurgence like A Real Pain , Emilia Pérez , Anora , The Seed of the Sacred Fig and more. Telluride medallions are also a topic of conversation with three traditionally up for grabs. Based on the expected lineup we think it will be Jason Reitman, Angelina Jolie and Samuel L. Jackson but there's a handful of possible contenders here. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h10m. We will be back the week after next to recap the 2024 Telluride Film Festival. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 22, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 60 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss the next film in their Terrence Malick series, Days of Heaven (1978). Five years after delivering one of the best debut films of all time, Terrence Malick returned with an essential piece of art within his filmography, and one of the best films of the 1970s, Days of Heaven. Shot mostly in Alberta, Canada, Malick's epic follows lovers who travel to the Texas Panhandle for work harvesting crops for a wealthy grain farmer, only for the three of them to turn into a love triangle of biblical, spiritual proportions. While the shoot and edit of the film ran so long that additional editors and crew members had to be added to the film in order to get the film to the finish line, Malick was able to deliver a mesmerizing, lyrical cautionary tale about love, lust, greed, anger, desire, and finding your sense of freedom in a new world forming around. In other words, a masterpiece. Ryan, Jay, and Sophia breakdown their relationship with the film, the beautiful house built by Jack Fisk, the logistics of the locus scene, the film's incredible performances led by Richard Gere, Sam Shepard, and Brooke Adams, the troubled production of the film, the director's relationship with water, the insightful narration, if Malick's career relates to any other modern director, and how the film's ending full encapsulates all the themes suggested or mentioned throughout the film. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h16m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Terrence Malick with a review of his next film, The Thin Red Line. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 19, 2024

On episode 248 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to breakdown the various films in the Alien franchise and then give their thoughts on the latest entry, Alien: Romulus. For listeners of last week's episode, which covered the films of 1979 via a Oscar retrospective, you would've heard the team was really high on Ridley Scott's masterpiece, Alien . Known as one of the most celebrated films of the 1970s, as well as one of the greatest sci-fi films ever made, Alien set a standard of excellence for the sci-fi horror genre that everyone has tried to recreate. The film then spanned many sequels, prequels, spin-off films going on for the past 45 years. Ryan and Josh discuss their relationship with the franchise, their favorite and least favorite things about each film, which includes Alien, Aliens, Alien3, Alien: Resurrection, Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, and the two Alien vs Predator films. Once they've gotten through all of those titles, they jump right into a SPOILER-FILLED conversation about Fede Álvarez's Alien: Romulus (review here by Sophia Ciminello), which is a low stakes prequel set between the first two films in the franchise and stars Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson. While the film provides some decent kills, Ryan and Josh give their full thoughts on how disappointed they were by this film, and how they don't know where the future of this franchise will go after this confusing, wasted entry left things off. It's a very in-depth conversation we hope you like. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h56m. We will be back on the next episode to preview the 2024 Telluride Film Festival. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 16, 2024

There aren't many actors that are having, and about to have, a year like Jonathan Bailey. For Showtime's Fellow Travelers , a sprawling look at the Lavender Scare of the 1950s to the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s as told through the eyes of two lovers spanning these three decades, Bailey earned a Critics Choice Award for his performance in the series at Tim Laughlin and cheekily during his now viral speech thanking co-star Matt Bomer, "Those of you who have seen Fellow Travelers will know that Matt and I come together" and that was a moment I couldn't let pass by in my conversation with him after earning an Emmy nomination for Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie last month. He'll be guest starring on the third season of Netflix's Emmy-winning YA hit series Heartstopper in October and then the silver screen in November with the feature film version of the smash Broadway musical Wicked , portraying Fiyero, the prince of princes in the land of Oz. He's set to return to the stage next year in Richard II and oh, he'll also have the fourth Jurassic World film to catapult him into even more mainstream screen stardom next summer. For Bailey though, his focus is being able to talk about Fellow Travelers and like his co-star and fellow Emmy nominee Matt Bomer (read our interview with Bomer here ), bringing the truth about this period in American history is something he's passionate about. Based on the 2007 novel by Thomas Mallon and created for television by Ron Nyswaner ( Philadelphia ), the story chronicles the lives of staid State Department official Hawkins 'Hawk' Fuller (Bomer) and rebellious but deeply Catholic political neophyte with the eagerness of a golden retriever, who wants to work in the Eisenhower administration in the late 1950s as the government began weeding out anyone suspected of homosexuality. Through marriages and children, secret retreats and rendezvous that push into the civil rights era of the 1960s, the gay sexual liberation of the 1970s and the brutality of the political reaction to the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, Hawk and Tim live deeply complicated and conflicting lives; of love and commitment, or lack thereof, of unbridled passion and sex, and ultimately acceptance. He goes into great detail about how the book and series came to him, how much he wanted to do a gay romance of this scope after hitting such a starry stride from the huge success of Bridgerton . With both of us being gay men, Bailey's language quickly becomes an inclusive 'we' and 'our' and he also takes time to ask what my experience and knowledge was like. I mention my grandparents, who probably never knew what the Lavender Scare was and he talks about how his 92-year old nana, who was born the same year as his character, watched the show and recalled someone she knew and worked alongside with who was gay and killed himself and that the show was able to reveal a way for her to process and understand it. He wants to relate and wants Fellow Travelers to reach and be related to. But through serious questions, Bailey and I take time to have fun. To joke about his Critics Choice speech, to talk about carrying Kylie Minogue to the stage at Hyde Park with Andrew Scott. "The real trophy for any gay man is carry Kylie Minogue," he says, and he can't help but comment on Bomer's toes ("the most delicious I've ever come across") and we venture into the show's nakedly erotic and vulnerable sex scenes. So cheeky. Bailey also wants to make sure that I knew the collective effort it took for him to bring Tim to life, shouting out his agents and reps ("The power of asking 'why not?'"), and the cumulative nature of allyship in aligning him with gay journalists that 'get it' because we're a part of the same community. "This is interview is knockout, one of my favorites," he says, not to toot my own horn too much but then again, why not? As he says, "The conversations open when opportunities arise." Jonathan Bailey is Emmy-nominated in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Fellow Travelers with the episode "Make It Easy."

Aug 15, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 59 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer to discuss the first film in their Terrence Malick series, Badlands (1973). With the summer of Tony Scott in the rearview mirror, the newest Director Watch takes a look at one of the most celebrated, unique, creative, innovative, and important American directors of all time, Terrence Malick. Within Malick's filmography lies questions about nature, spirituality, creativity, violence, conflicting internal and external human emotion, and the longing for purpose in life. He is not only the perfect director to explore for a series, but he also happens to be Jay Ledbetter's favorite director, setting the expectations for this director deep dive at higher levels than usual. With Malick's first film, Badlands , the director took his first crack at tapping into the soul of the American culture he grew up in with a tale about a two young lovers who go on a killing spree in the summer of 1959. While it may seem as the most straight forward of Malick's narrative feature film, Badlands is an engrossing examination of the past that reflects the unstable, violent world we create amongst the love and beauty that surrounds us. Ryan, Jay, and Dan discuss their thoughts on the film, what they think of Malick overall, Sheen and Spacek's incredible performances, the exquisite, detailed work of production designer Jack Fisk, the narration sprinkled throughout the film, the loss of innocence between each of the main character and how that effects their overall love for one another, and the final fifteen minutes of the movie, which features one hell of a car chase sequence. A good start to a promising new series that is lengthy, but filled with tons of insightful detail (mostly to make sure the guys attempt to sound like they are smart when talking about the thematically heavy films of Terrence Malick). You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h25m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Terrence Malick with a review of his next film, Days of Heaven. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 14, 2024

On episode 247 of the AwardsWatch podcast, AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello take a look at the newest announcements from the Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival , changes to the Gotham Awards and the kickoff of International Feature Film Oscar submissions. Beginning with the TIFF announcements of new Gala and Special Presentations , we look into the heavy Venice to TIFF crossover with titles like Babygirl , Queer and The Brutalist (all skipping Telluride) as well as the 'Canadian Premiere' of Jason Reitman's Saturday Night, detailing the 90 minutes leading up to the first ever episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live 's debut in 1975. Toronto will also get the world premiere of On Swift Horses , with Jacob Elordi, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Diego Calva, which appears to be its sole major fest showing. We then venture into today's NYFF Spotlight additions, including A Real Pain , Emilia Pérez and Maria . We talk about studio strategies and the paths festivals can create for determining awards contenders and how flying a bit under the radar, like Netflix is doing this year, becomes a vehicle for audience discovery. Next we move to the 2024 Gotham Awards , which announced this week the introduction of two new categories (Best Director and the return of Breakthrough Performer) as well as the rules that come with each of them. Finally, the submissions for the International Feature Film Oscar have started to roll in with Ireland's Kneecap , Austria's The Devil's Bath and Latvia's animated film Flow as the first out of the gate. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 45m. We will be back next week on this show for our Telluride Film Festival preview and predictions and on the main show to talk about Alien: Romulus , the state of blockbusters and more. And keep your eyes out for the Thursday drops of Director Watch episodes, which kicks off its Terence Malick series this week. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 12, 2024

On episode 246 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to go back 45 years to take a look at the 52nd Academy Awards, celebrating the films of 1979. Before we step back into another AW Oscar retrospective, the team take a look at the summer movie box office game as we enter the final month of the summer. With Deadpool and Wolverine, Inside Out 2 , and Despicable Me 4 dominating the box office, they take a look at how the summer has shown to prove many of their initial thoughts right about the box office, as well as the couple of surprises that took over the box office like Longlegs . Ryan's team is in the lead by there is still plenty of time left for Erik's team to make a comeback. Onto the main portion of the podcast, Ryan, Sophia, and Josh travel back forty-five years, to 1979, where Hollywood was in the middle of a transition from the auteur filmmaking of the 1970s to the more conventional, franchise, populist filmmaking of the 1980s. The 52nd Academy Awards were a good showcase for this shift in focus as Kramer vs Kramer took home five Oscars, including Best Picture, a small family drama that was one of the top grossing films of the year; beating out All that Jazz, Apocalypse Now, Breaking Away, Norma Rae for the top prize. In their in-depth discussion, the trio talked about the film year of 1979, briefly discuss talk about Kramer vs Kramer as a Best Picture winner, do a little Oscar trivia as it relates to this year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to three films to make up the final set of five nominated films. As usual, it was a fascinating, fun conversation including spirited debates, alliances, vote swinging and more that we all hope you enjoy. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h42m. We will be back next week to talk about the latest release, Alien: Romulus, as well as break down the Alien franchise as a whole. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 9, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 58 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Kevin L. Lee to discuss the last film in their Tony Scott series, Unstoppable (2010). In 2009, Tony Scott received a script based on a real life event where a runaway freight train ran uncontrolled through a small, rural area of Ohio. The true story saw two men, who worked for the railroad company, chase down the coaster on their own train, saving thousands of civilians from the danger of the toxic chemicals on board the runaway train that could lay waste to a unspeakable amount of devastation. Thus laid the premise for Scott's last film, Unstoppable , starring his longtime actor, collaborator Denzel Washington and Chris Pine (whom Washington and Scott personally wanted to do this film), which is not only one of the best action films of the 2010s, but is a top-tier film in Scott's filmography due to its blend of incredible practical effects and a deeply earned emotional story found at the heart of this movie. Ryan, Jay, and Kevin break down their relationship to the film, Washington and Pine's chemistry, the film's chaotic behind the scene's production, the film's edge of your seat pacing, their thoughts on the lasting legacy of Tony Scott, as well as give out their rankings of the filmmaker's filmography. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h17m. The guys will be back next week to begin their series on the films of Terrence Malick with a review of his first film, Badlands. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 6, 2024

On episode 245 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, we're doing things a little different. Splitting off from the main pod that drops on Mondays, AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello focus on the fall festivals and the awards contenders that will potentially come from them. A leaner, shorter conversation, we'll be sharing hosting duties and digging into how important these festival plays, and which ones, can be a crucial part of the awards campaign. Looking at the Venice, New York and Toronto film festivals (which was recorded ahead of yesterday's TIFF 's Centerpiece and NYFF main slate announcements), we talk about New York's Opening, Centerpiece and Closing films with RaMell Ross's Nickel Boys , Pedro Almodóvar's The Room Next Door and Steve McQueen's Blitz , respectively. NYFF is also a great playground for Cannes winners, which we expect to see show up. We also have a few potential outliers, Jason Reitman's Saturday Night and James Mangold's A Complete Unknown , that haven't been announced for any festival yet that could pop up later. We talk a bit about Telluride (we'll do a singular pod on that soon), where the Reitman film could debut, and even earning the director a medallion on the mountain. We have a lot to say about Pablo Larraín's Maria and Luca Guadagnino's Queer , both premiering at Venice in a matter of weeks, still not having any U.S. distribution. While Maria, based on the date it's hitting the Lido, is likely to show up at Telluride, Queer definitely won't. Where else could it be this season? We talk about the strange reveal of Edward Berger's Conclave earning a PG rating from the MPA. The buzzy papal thriller beach read could be reverse appealed by Focus Features to up it to a PG-13 to give the film more adult gravitas (the only recent Best Picture nominee rated PG has been Greta Gerwig's Little Women ). Searchlight Pictures dropped news that Jesse Eisenberg's Sundance winner A Real Pain will move off its original October 18 bow to November 1, opening the door for a much bigger fall festival run right before it premieres. We close with BAFTA revealing a host changes to voting and eligibility in nearly all categories (including getting rid of the way the juries decide nominees) and introducing a whole new category, Best Children's and Family Film. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 51m. We will be back next week on the main show to do another Oscar retrospective episode over the 52nd Academy Awards and the films of 1979. Till then, let's get into it.

Aug 5, 2024

On episode 244 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Karen Peterson to give their thoughts on the career of director M. Night Shyamalan and then give out a SPOILER review of his latest film, Trap . As we step into the second half of the year, one of the most anticipated films arrives from one of Hollywood's most fascinating figures with M. Night Shyamalan's Trap . The new thriller seems to be dividing audiences and critics alike, much like man of the films within the director's filmography, leading to a interesting conversation between Ryan and Karen as their review took place shortly after they saw the film opening night. But before they give their thoughts on Trap , the duo talked about the director's previous fifteen films, the good ones, the bad ones, and his place in Hollywood stands in the pantheon of the other directors from his era as well as where he stands as an artist today. Then they get into a full SPOILER review of Trap , where they talk at length about Hartnett's killer performance, the film's thoughts on fame, serial killers, being a dad, as well as the music and, of course, the film's ending. If you think this conversation was a good and in-depth about Shyamalan's career, go to our website and read both Ryan's ranking piece on Shyamalan's entire caree r, as well as Cody Dericks' retrospective review of the director's twenty year old classic, The Village. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h10m. We will be back next week to do another Oscar retrospective episode over the 52nd Academy Awards and the films of 1979. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 2, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 57 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by InSession Film podcaster and film critic Brendan Cassidy to to discuss the latest film in their Tony Scott series, Déjà Vu (2006). There have been many types of films Tony Scott has wanted to make throughout his celebrated career, but one of them wasn't science fiction. Scott didn't like the idea of the focus being taken away from the characters in exchange for a high concept idea like the one at the heart of Déjà Vu . But after some convincing from frequent collaborators Denzel Washington and Jerry Bruckheimer, Scott was able to get on board, as the sci-fi, time travel thriller slowly morphed into a character piece on one man's journey to save an innocent girl, along with a boat full of murdered Navy soldiers, from an attack by a psychopath. Scott also used the film as a chance to make a love letter to the city, spirit, and people of New Orleans, and in doing so, made one of his best films the guys have talked about in the series so far. Ryan, Jay and Brendan break down the logic of the film, their love for it, Denzel's stellar low-energy performance, the incredible chase sequence between both the past and the present, make a couple of Tenent jokes, and marvel at the blockbuster era of the early 2000s. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h07m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Tony Scott with a review of his last film, Unstoppable. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 28, 2024

On episode 243 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch Television Editor Tyler Doster to talk about Deadpool & Wolverine and discuss their favorite films of 2024 so far. Before we get into the meat of this week's episode, a couple of major pieces of news dropped this past week. First up is the first trailer for James Mangold's A Complete Unknown , starring Timothée Chalamet as music legend Bob Dylan. The film will be releasing in December, most likely heading straight to theaters and skipping the upcoming fall film festivals. Erik and Tyler were largely positive on the trailer, but Ryan had some…other thoughts that's well worth the listen. After that, the team broke down the announcements of the full line-ups for the Venice and Toronto Film Festival, as well as the opening night film for the New York Film Festival. We are starting to find out where all the films are going for each festival, setting up the upcoming Oscar season. More on that and some predictions of next week's podcast. Moving right along to the main review for the week, Deadpool & Wolverine , which destroyed all competition at the box office this past weekend while also showing a divide amongst critics and audiences. Ryan and Erik give their thoughts, which were just as mixed as our review from our own Jay Ledbetter that is up on the website. After talking about the film, Ryan, Erik, and Tyler discussed at length their favorite films of 2024, as we are pasted the halfway mark of the year and there have been plenty of good movies to discuss. Some of the titles mentioned are Babes, I Saw The TV Glow, Challengers, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Ghostlight, National Anthem, Sing Sing, and more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h42m. We will be back next week to talk about the latest release, Trap , as well as talk about some Oscar predictions before the fall festival season begins. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 25, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 56 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com Brian Tallerico to discuss the latest film in their Tony Scott series, Domino (2005). In the early 1990s, Tony Scott was sent an article about a young English woman who was the daughter of a movie star that turned into a bounty hunter, hunting down wanted people in the greater Los Angeles area. This intrigued the director so much that he tracked down Domino Harvey and spoke with her about turning her life story into a film. After getting her permission, and going through two versions of a screenplay, Scott and screenwriter Richard Kelly set out to make a thorny, sex, over-the-top action crime drama about the seedy underbelly of America through the lens of Harvey and her counterparts adventures, some real and some fictional. It made for one of the most divisive films in Scott's filmography and one of the more anticipated films to talk about within the series. Ryan, Jay, and Brian break down their relationship to the film, Kelly's screenplay and other directorial work, Scott's wild visual language throughout the film, Knightley's bold performance, and why a movie like this would never get made by modern studios. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h28m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Tony Scott with a review of his next film, Déjà Vu. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 22, 2024

On episode 242 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Josh Parham and Karen Peterson to give their thoughts on Twisters and discuss their favorite disaster movies. Before a big political announcement right before the recording of this episode, the news of the weekend was the success of Lee Isaac Chung's Twisters , which made over $80 million dollars, shattering expectations made by box office prognosticators. Though this is one victory for the film, the AW team's review of the film was rather mixed in their in-depth, layered conversation about the follow-up film to the original 1996 film. The team talked about the film as a whole, as well as the weak script, half-hearted attempts at connecting the original film to this new version, the chemistry between the film's leads, and the impressive visual effects that are on full display. We have a full review up on the site written by Erik, where he describes Twisters perfectly, as it is "more fizzle than sizzle." In the back half of the episode, inspirited by Twisters and the fondness for Twister , the team had a fun discussion over some of their favorite disaster movies; films that cover some form of natural disaster, accidents, attacks or global catastrophes such as a pandemic. The films mentioned included The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, Contagion, The Day After Tomorrow, Titanic, War of the Worlds, Sunshine, Jurassic Park, Dante's Peak, Armageddon Unstoppable, Airplane, Deep Impact, Volcano, Crawl, The Happening, The Perfect Storm, and more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h11m. We will be back next week to talk about the latest release, Deadpool & Wolverine, breakdown the lineup for the 2024 Venice Film Festival, and talk about their favorite films and performances of the year so far. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 18, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 55 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Editor-In-Chief of InSession Film Dave Giannini to discuss the latest film in their Tony Scott series, Man on Fire (2004). Back in 1980, when Tony Scott was trying to make his first film, he grew fond of a book series written by author A. J. Quinnell about an American-born former member of the French Foreign Legion. He wanted to make it as his follow-up to The Hunger , but studios didn't think he had enough experience to make this movie work. Twenty years later, Scott finally got the chance to make his passion project, and alongside his frequent collaborator Denzel Washington, set out and made one of the defining films of their careers and one of the great action films of the 21st century. Updating the story for the protagonist John Creasy, we see a one-man death machine reborn looking for closure and peace after the abduction of the young girl he was in charge of is kidnapped. In doing this, Scott creates a cathartic, violent, uniquely visual experience very rarely found in modern cinema. Ryan, Jay, and Dave break down the film, the film's visual style, Denzel Washington's performance and where is ranks in his career, the emotionally beautiful ending, why Rotten Tomatoes is frustrating, if Creasy earns his redemption, and the complicated shout out to the country of Mexico in the end credits of Man on Fire. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h27m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Tony Scott with a review of his next film, Domino. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 15, 2024

On episode 241 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributors Josh Parham and Jay Ledbetter go back 25 years to take a look at the 72nd Academy Awards, celebrating the films of 1999. Two and a half decades ago marked on of the richest years of cinema, showcasing some of the most influential films within popular culture that have lived on as classics that brought us into the 21st century. But with such a rich selection of cinema released by Hollywood, with innovated blockbusters, stellar comedies, groundbreaking international selections, and introspective, auteur driven projects that rank as some of the best films of the careers for filmmakers like Stanley Kubrick, The Wachowskis, David Fincher, Paul Thomas Anderson, Michael Mann, and more. But when it came to the Oscars for this year, the Academy went with a newcomer in director Sam Mendes and his suburban drama, American Beauty , a beloved film at the time that has become complicated and disliked by many, as well as most of the winners from this ceremony. On this episode, the team talk about where they were in 1999, their thoughts on the overall film year as well as the Oscar ceremony, briefly discuss talk about American Beauty as a Best Picture winner, do a little Oscar trivia as it relates to this year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to three films to make up the final set of five nominated films. It made for a lively, fun show with spirited debate, alliances, vote swinging and more that we all hope you enjoy. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 3h04m. We will be back next week to talk about the latest release, Twisters , and our favorite disaster movies. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 11, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 54 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Kelsi and Trey of The Extra Credits podcast to discuss the latest film in their Tony Scott series, Spy Game (2001). There is a phrase the Director Watch hosts like to use a lot when it comes to films starring two movie stars where one of the stars is a legend of the past and the other is a future star in the making that goes on to be one for their generation. This is called the "baton passing" film; think of Paul Newman and Tom Cruise in The Color of Money and you will understand the kind of film Spy Game is should be because it should not just be a passing of the movie star mantel, but it should also be a movie to showcase what makes these two actors so special; with Spy Game being that for Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. Instead, director Tony Scott gives us a political spy thriller that feature the duo less than one would want, making this more a vehicle for late career Redford to take center stage and face both the realities of his life as a spy, and the protégé (Pitt) he misguided on his way into the field. It makes for a messy, complicated, fascinating film to break down as Ryan, Jay, Kelsi and Trey talk about their reactions to the film, the release of this film post 9/11, the poorly written love interest played by Catherine McCormack, the lack of veteran actors that made Scott's other films shine, an examination of Redford and Pitt's career, and some remarks on the better spy movie from 2001, Robert Rodriguez's Spy Kids. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h51m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Tony Scott with a review of his next film, Man on Fire. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 11, 2024

On episode 240 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson is joined by AwardsWatch TV Editor Tyler Doster to give our final predictions for the 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards nominations in Drama and Comedy Series, Limited Series and TV Movie and all lead and supporting acting categories. I know it seems like we just had the Emmy Awards and because...we did. Just six months ago, the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards were held in January after the Television Academy vacated their usual September date due to the ongoing writers and actors strikes last year. Not only did we have the Emmys plunked right down in the heart of Oscar season, because the Television Academy uses its traditional eligibility period of June 1 - May 31 and groups like the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild use a regular calendar year (January 1 - December 31) that put, for example, the first season of The Bear winning Emmy Awards and the second season (which aired last June) winning Globes and SAGs. Messy and confusing for the average viewer, to say the least. Speaking of The Bear , after its domination last season (winning Comedy Series, Directing, Writing, Lead Actor, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress), the second season should find itself among the most-nominated comedy seasons of all time when nominations are announced next week. The current record holder for a comedy is 30 Rock when it earned 22 in 2009. With expanded supporting and guest categories, The Bear is very likely to tie if not surpass that this year. This year's nominations will also give us a wealth of new contenders, both as first seasons and as one or more in, as many shows have either ended their run or did not make the eligibility cutoff. Shows we won't hear on nomination morning include The White Lotus , House of the Dragon , The Last of Us , Yellowjackets , Jury Duty , and Wednesday while shows canceled or that have ended their run include Succession , Better Call Saul , Barry , and Ted Lasso . As Tyler and Erik break down who we think is getting in, it becomes clear that not only will some of these five-nomination slot categories be bloodsport competitive, the move by FX to soft greenlight more seasons of Shōgun , therefore allowing it to submit in Drama Series, has really shaken up the race. A race that seemed like a bit of a cake walk for the final season of The Crown as it limped to its finale. We start off with the limited series categories, which prove to be the most competitive with so many categories limited to five spots. Faves will fall on nomination morning. Moving into comedy, the dominance of The Bear after its season one triumphs point to a likelihood of it being able to take up half of any given supporting (or guest) acting category. Finishing off with drama, it's a similar story, figuring out how many actors from Shōgun will make it in. The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards nominations will be announced on Wednesday, July 17th at 8:30am PT by previous Emmy winners Tony Hale and Sheryl Lee Ralph (Hale is in Unfrosted and Quiz Lady , Ralph is in Abbott Elementary ) on emmys.com. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h30m. We will be back next week for a Oscar retrospective covering the 72nd Academy Awards, celebrating the films of 1999. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 8, 2024

On episode 239 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributors Karen Peterson and Dan Bayer to review Ti West's latest in his X franchise, MaXXXine , and talk about their favorite films set in Los Angeles. While the Minions dominated the box office this past weekend, it was Ti West newest horror film that got the attention of the AW team. Known for being one of the teams most anticipated films of the summer, MaXXXine continues the adventures of Mia Goth's titular character after her survival of the events of 2022's X , and finds her on the run for her life against a mysterious killer in 1985's L.A. While Ryan gave the film a mostly positive review on the website, the film has been received with mostly a mixed reaction by critics and audiences, which made for a fascinating conversation by the team as their thoughts varied in all different directions, much like the plot of the film. In the back half of the episodes, inspired by the setting of MaXXXine , the AW team got to sit down and talk about films that are some of their favorites set in the City of Angels, Los Angeles. Being one of the premiere destinations in all of the United States, and the birth place of Hollywood, L.A. can be a magical, daunting, mystical, romantic, terrifying, complex setting for a film, and thus makes it such an interesting place to talk about. Some of the films mentioned in the conversation ranged from Clueless, Mulholland Dr., Singin' in the Rain, Sunset Boulevard, Speed, Collateral, Heat, Chinatown, Double Indemnity, Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood, L.A. Confidential, The Player, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Licorice Pizza, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, and more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h11m. We will be back next week for a Oscar retrospective covering the 72nd Academy Awards, celebrating the films of 1999. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 5, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 53 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Robert Daniels, Associate Editor of RogerEbert.com, to discuss the latest film in their Tony Scott series, Enemy of the State (1998). The paranoid conspiracy, political thriller seemed like a perfect vehicle for Tony Scott at this moment in his career, and with Enemy of the State , it turned out to be the excellent choice after Crimson Tide . Based on a script by David Marconi, with additions by writers Aaron Sorkin, Henry Bean and Tony Gilroy, Scott and his team set out to create on the great paranoid thrillers that existed in a pre-9/11 world, using one of the biggest movie stars in the world, Will Smith, and pairing him with veteran actor Gene Hackman, who is no stranger this genre as his performance in Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation was an inspiration on the film. Ryan, Jay, and Robert break down their thoughts on the film, the stacked supporting cast of the film, how Will Smith's career seems like a massive missed opportunity, Hackman's incredible work in Enemy of the State , and reminiscing on the nominations for the 1999 MTV Movie Awards. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h33m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Tony Scott with a review of his next film, Spy Game. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 1, 2024

On episode 238 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to review the latest film releases, Kinds of Kindness and Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 , as well as discuss their Top 5 Westerns. While A Quiet Place: Day One was dominating the box office this past weekend, two other releases caught the attention of the AW team, Kinds of Kindness and Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 , both of which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. For Kinds of Kindness , we find acclaimed director Yorgos Lanthimos returning to the big screen with his follow up to Poor Things with a nearly three-hour anthology film with an all-star cast lead by Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Hong Chau, Margaret Qualley, and more that focuses on three separate stories that center around the idea of control. In the case of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 , we see the big screen return, and gamble, of director Kevin Costner, with a three hour sweeping epic set in the old west that takes place over five different storylines. Ryan and Josh (who saw both films at Cannes) break down their reactions to both films, the pros and cons of both, and whether they think they will dive into the remaining chapters of Horizon and what they hope to see in Lanthimos' next film coming out next fall. In the back half of the episode, the duo dive into a Top 5 based on the western genre, inspired by the release of Horizon . One of the oldest genres in the history of cinema, the western is one that speaks to the roots and fabric of America, while also being one to speak brilliantly of how our current world can be reflected so bold, brash, and violent as our past. This makes for the perfect conversation to talk about some of the best films in not just the genre, but some of greatest films of all time. Mentioned in this discussion were films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Unforgiven, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Once Upon a Time in the West, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and so many more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h18m. We will be back next week to talk about latest film from A24, MaXXXine , and discuss their Top 5 films set in Los Angeles. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 27, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 52 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss the latest film in their Tony Scott series, Crimson Tide (1995). Back in 1993, the U.S Navy allowed studio executives to come in and film their day-to-day operations in the hope of Hollywood making a submarine film in the vein of Top Gun . But what director Tony Scott and producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer took from their experience was a much more serious, deeper connection to the mindset of the officers below, thus became the beginning of a research process that would result in one of the great action thrillers of the 1990s, Crimson Tide. Based on a script by Michael Schiffer (with significant additions by Quentin Tarantino), Scott crafted a masterpiece in tension, pitting two generational actors, Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington, against each other for the battle of not just the ship they are on or the idea of going to all-out war with their enemy, but an examination of who people really are when they are faced with pressure, and just how dangerous or stubborn they can become in the name of having to be provide right. Ryan, Jay, and Sophia break down their feelings on the film, talk way too much about college football, the behind-the-scenes disagreement between Washington and Tarantino, dive deep into Hackman's career at this time, the racial component at the core of the film, the stacked supporting cast, and even sing a little bit of Seal once they get to the Oscar conversation at the end of the episode. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h13m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Tony Scott with a review of his next film, Enemy of the State. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 24, 2024

On episode 237 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Karen Peterson to discuss the latest film from Jeff Nichols, The Bikeriders , and talk about their Top 5 Hang Out Movies. Before getting into this week's topics, Ryan and Karen give a little update to the AW Summer Box Office Game as we are about to head into the month of July. For most of summer, Team Erik held a healthy lead in the friendly competition but things have changed with the entrance of Pixar's Inside Out 2 . With Despicable Me 4 , Deadpool and Wolverine , and each teams "bomb pick" still in play, the game looks to still have plenty of twists and turns that we will keep you updated on throughout the upcoming weeks. Transitioning to the main discussion, Jeff Nichols returns to theaters with his first film in eight years, The Bikeriders. Following a gang of bikers in the 1960s in Illinois, the film has been considered on the best releases of the year so far, but our two podcasters were left impressed that others and explained their thoughts as to way Nichols' latest effort felt half baked. Once they gave their thoughts on The Bikeriders , they used this new release as a chance to do a Top 5 over their favorite "hang out" movies, stories where the plot takes a back seat to a group of characters and their usually fun, vibrant interactions. During their Top 5, some of the films discussed during this conversation included Empire Records, Almost Famous, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Lost in Translation, American Graffiti, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Everybody Wants Some, A Hard Day's Night, and more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h46m. We will be back next week to talk about Yorgos Lanthimos' latest film, Kinds of Kindness , and discuss our Top 5 Westerns inspired by the release of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 20, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 51 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by the host of Two Peas On A Pod Podcast, Gerald Morris to discuss the latest film in their Tony Scott series, True Romance (1993). Continuing his trend of gravitating towards collaborations with in-demand screenwriters, Tony Scotts next project following The Last Boy Scouts has him teaming up with one of the most celebrated writers of the last thirty years right as he is breaking out, Quentin Tarantino. Coming off the heels of Reservoir Dogs releasing, Scott was able to direct the film after Tarantino sold the screenplay to the studio after losing interest himself in directing it. However, Tarantino is on record of saying that True Romance is one of his most autobiographical films to date, and while he tussled with Scott over aspects of the final cut, including the ending, Tarantino and Scott respected the hell out of each other by the end of this. The result was a cult classic about two cinema loving newlyweds on the run from the Mafia after stealing a shipment of drugs, and another signature film in Scott's filmography. Ryan, Jay, and Gerald talk about their thoughts on the film, the career of Christian Slater, the film's ending, the incredible supporting cast of veteran actors, Tarantino's controversial dialogue, the score by Hans Zimmer, and just how long should a movie really be. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h11m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Tony Scott with a review of his next film, Crimson Tide. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 17, 2024

On episode 236 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributors Karen Peterson and Jay Ledbetter to participate in a draft of the greatest movie stars of all time. A recurring question surrounding the talks about the future of modern cinema is the absence of the 'movie star,' a person audiences can trust when spending their money to go to the theaters. For close to a hundred years, the film industry has survived on the movie star to survive, though the idea of what makes one had changed as time has gone on. In trying to understand potentially the future of the 'movie star,' the AW team decided to have some fun with this topic by doing a Greatest Movie Star draft, consisting of six rounds where the team, in a 'snake order' draft picks the best movie stars that represent various decades that include 1930s-1940s. 1950s-1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s-2000s, and a wild card round where the team picks a current movie star that is under 35 years old that they think will be the new faces of Hollywood. Some of the stars mentioned in this draft are Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, Eddie Murphy, Katharine Hepburn, Julia Roberts, Robert Redford, Paul Newman and many more. Listen and see who everyone drafted and then go and vote to see which team is the best ensemble of the greatest movie stars of all time. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h53m. We will be back next week to talk about Jeff Nichols's latest film, The Bikeriders , and discuss our Top 5 Hang Out Movies. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 17, 2024

On episode 236 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributors Karen Peterson and Jay Ledbetter to participate in a draft of the greatest movie stars of all time. A recurring question surrounding the talks about the future of modern cinema is the absence of the 'movie star,' a person audiences can trust when spending their money to go to the theaters. For close to a hundred years, the film industry has survived on the movie star to survive, though the idea of what makes one had changed as time has gone on. In trying to understand potentially the future of the 'movie star,' the AW team decided to have some fun with this topic by doing a Greatest Movie Star draft, consisting of six rounds where the team, in a 'snake order' draft picks the best movie stars that represent various decades that include 1930s-1940s. 1950s-1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s-2000s, and a wild card round where the team picks a current movie star that is under 35 years old that they think will be the new faces of Hollywood. Some of the stars mentioned in this draft are Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, Eddie Murphy, Katharine Hepburn, Julia Roberts, Robert Redford, Paul Newman and many more. Listen and see who everyone drafted and then go and vote to see which team is the best ensemble of the greatest movie stars of all time. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h53m. We will be back next week to talk about Jeff Nichols's latest film, The Bikeriders , and discuss our Top 5 Hang Out Movies. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 12, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 50 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by the host of The Waffle Press Movie Podcast, Diego Crespo to discuss the latest film in their Tony Scott series, The Last Boy Scout (1991). After the mild success of Days of Thunder , Tony Scott transitioned away from the protective arms of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer to move over to a Joel Silver project with a script pinned by screenwriter Shane Black, who was coming off of writing Lethal Weapon and turning that into a franchise. But Black was kicked off the second installment of Lethal Weapon , and the script for The Last Boy Scout , a buddy action sports comedy about a private eye and a former pro Quarterback teaming up to stop corruption involving professional football and the US government, became the hottest thing in Hollywood (Black earned a record $1.75 million for the script, with over a $1 million guaranteed up front), and intrigued Scott immensely because of Black's overall vision. Led by the impeccable duo of Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans, this dark, even dystopian vision of 1990s Los Angeles is a relic of 90s action films with tons of politically incorrect, problematic moments of humor that is a cult classic and is a wildly impressive piece of filmmaking within Scott and Black's careers. Ryan, Jay, and Diego break down this complicated film, their history with it, kid acting, the body of work by its two stars Willis and Wayans, their relationship with the game of football, and why we don't get movies like this made anymore. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h03m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Tony Scott with a review of his next film, True Romance. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 10, 2024

On episode 235 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer, Cody Dericks, and Josh Parham conclude their tier ranking of the 97 Best Director winners from the Academy Awards. In the second part of the Best Picture tier rankings (listen to Part 1 here ), the AW team start in the 1980s and go all the way to the most recent winners of Best Director. This is where our hosts and audience are able to talk about the films they have most likely seen the most, and see the expansion of the limited "S tier," where compromise and sacrifices of some member's favorites are placed lower than you would be expected. But there are plenty of surprises amongst the team, leading to a fascinating final ranking of these 97 winners, including Ang Lee, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Sam Mendes, Steven Soderbergh, Christopher Nolan and Chloé Zhao. This was another fun exercise getting to talk about some of the best (and not so great) winners of all time and the team really hopes you enjoy this part as much as part one. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 3h06m. We will be back next week to review Richard Linklater's latest film Hitman and participate in a fun draft to determine who are the greatest movie stars of all time. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 6, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 49 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Karen Peterson to discuss the latest film in their Tony Scott series, Days of Thunder (1990). Four years after making the monster hit that was Top Gun , Tony Scott reteamed with Tom Cruise and producers Dom Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer to take their collaboration from the skies to the racetrack with Days of Thunder. After making Beverly Hills Cop II and Revenge (which are discussed briefly on the show), Scott was tapped to recreate the magic of his 1986 hit, this time with his leading man a bigger star and co-writer on the project, inspired by Cruise falling in love with racing, as well as the producers loving this new idea. While Scott clashed with Simpson and Bruckheimer throughout the production, the end result is an entertaining sports action drama with tremendous performances by Cruise and Robert Duvall, as well as the breakout role for Nicole Kidman. Ryan, Jay and Karen (the biggest Tom Cruise fan we know) discuss the film, their relationships to the sport of racing and their overall love of sports, Karen's favorite Tom Cruise movie, the overt boyish behavior the characters have throughout the film, if the ending/John C. Reilly side plot works, the racing scenes, the infamous wheelchair race scene between Cruise and Michael Rooker, and if this movie is better than Top Gun . You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h05m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Tony Scott with a review of his next film, The Last Boy Scout. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 3, 2024

On episode 234 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer, Cody Dericks, and Josh Parham to tier rank the 97 winners for Best Director from the Academy Awards. While everyone is breakdown the summer box office and the state of movies from the month of May, the AW team turn to the month of June by going back to a favorite exercise from last year, an extensive tier of an Oscar category. After doing Best Picture last year, the team moves onto the next most prestigious category at the Oscars; Best Director and its 97 winners. In trying to place these winners in the correct spot, the team had to come together and decide on whether to place the films in the S (all-time winner), A, B, C, D, or F tier and explain the ranking. The episode was so much fun that it had to be split into two parts, with this episode covering all the films up to 1980, placing a couple of classics making their way into the S tier early on. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h46m. We will be back next week with Part 2 of the Best Director tier rankings. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 30, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 48 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by founder and podcast host at InSession Film JD Duran to discuss the latest film in their Tony Scott series, Top Gun (1986). The Tony Scott series heads into the DANGER ZONE this week at Ryan, Jay and JD dive into one of the most popular films of the 1980s, Top Gun . After The Hunger , Scott was brought on to make a film fighter pilots in the Navy after a successful profile article done in "California" magazine. Used as both a vessel to entertain audiences and recruit young Americans into the military, Scott ultimately made a subversive, deeply emotional action packed spectacle that launch himself and the film's star, Tom Cruise, into the figures we know them today. In this lengthy, entertaining discussion, the guys talk about their relationship with Top Gun , famous aerial warfare moments in history, Cruise's rise as a movie star, the beach volleyball scene, the film's soundtrack, the homosexual, hyper masculine undertones throughout the film. They also talk about how the film handles grief, the modern phenomenon that was Top Gun: Maverick , and what the guys call signs would be. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h25m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Tony Scott with a review of his next film, Days of Thunder. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 27, 2024

On episode 233 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson to discuss director George Miller's latest film, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga , talk about the winners from the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, and preview the 2024-2025 Oscar season. We are getting close to the halfway point of the film season, and you know what that means; Oscar season is around the corner. Before talking about the season though, Ryan and Erik give their thoughts on Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga , which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and has been buzzed as one of the best films of the year so far. Erik would strongly disagree with that statement while Ryan, who wrote the review on the website, would say that Furiosa is " one of the greatest prequels of all time " as well as consider it one of the year's best. After have a well-rounded conversation about the film, they transitioned to talking about the winners at the Cannes Film Festival, which saw director Sean Baker take home the Palme d'Or for his latest film, Anora. This sparked a discussion that got Ryan and Erik talking about the impact this year's Cannes Film Festival will have on the rest of the award season, what films from the first half of the year have a shot at breaking into the race, and which films to keep an eye out for at the fall festivals, as studios start to get into their positions for another race towards a Best Picture win. The films discussed ranged from Dune Part 2, Sing Sing, Kinds of Kindness, Blitz, Conclave, Queer, Maria, The End, A Real Pain, Gladiator 2, We Live in Time, Emilia Perez, The Nickel Boys, Wicked, The Piano Lesson, The Fire Inside, Inside Out 2, Joker: Folie à Deux, and more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h34m. On our next episode, we will be doing a tier ranking episode based on Best Director winners at the Oscars to determine who the greatest winners of the category are. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 23, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 47 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to discuss the first film in their Tony Scott series, The Hunger (1983). Director Watch is entering the summer of Tony Scott, as they dive deep into the career of one of the most prolific directors of blockbuster entertainment of the last forty years. But before all the big budget, action packed spectacle, he started his career with an independent erotic, vampire thriller centered around two vampires (the insanely hot David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve) who have been together for hundreds of years. But when one starts to age in a rather hasty fashion, the other must finds their next companion in the form of a doctor (Susan Sarandon) in 1980s New York City. Known for being a controversial film at the time of release due to its steamy sex scene and being a commercial failure at the box office, The Hunger has been revaluated over the years as the first step in Scott's career of being known for mastering tone, and visually separating himself from his brother. Ryan, Jay, and Josh break down their thoughts on the film, the incredible vibes throughout the film, the logic around the film's nonclinical ending, some sports comparisons, and the forming of a question that will be asked to every guest throughout this series; whose filmography would you choose, Ridley or Tony Scott? You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h14m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Tony Scott with a review of his next film, Top Gun. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 20, 2024

On episode 232 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch TV Editor Tyler Doster to discuss NEON's latest film, Babes , and then dive into a conversation about the 2024 Emmy Race. Back at SXSW this year, Pamela Adlon's Babes premiered to glowing reviews, including Tyler's review that called it "the comedy of the year." Releasing in limited theaters this past weekend, Ryan and Tyler give their thoughts on the hilarious comedy starring the talented Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau. Once they are done talking about the film, Ryan and Tyler dive deep into the Emmy Race, as things are heating up since episode 226 when Tyler spoke with Erik about how things are going to look for the latest season. With Shōgun moving to the Drama Series categories, Baby Reindeer announcing itself in the Limited Series race, and shows like Hacks , The Sympathizer releasing their episodes, the Emmy season is looking to be one of the most head scratching yet exciting batch of nominees we've seen in a long time. The two editors go back and forth on the shows they are watch, the questions they have about the latest movements in the categories, and the impact a season like this could have on future Emmy seasons. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h01m. On our next episode, we will be discussing Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga , 2024 Cannes Film Festival winners and get into our first 2025 Oscar predictions of the year. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 17, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 46 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by film critic Ema Sasic to discuss the final film in their Sofia Coppola series, Priscilla (2023). 2023 brought us Sofia Coppola's latest examination of the past, as she dives into the life of one of the most famous spouse's in music history, Priscilla Presley. Adapting the film from Presley's autobiography titled Elvis and Me , Coppola's showcases the real life story about how an American teenager girl met, fell in love with, and married the "King of Rock and Roll", all the while become a caged birded trapped within Graceland while Elvis was on the road. In making the perfect counterweight to Baz Luhrmann's Elvis , Coppola added one of best films of her filmography, continuing her examination of women trapped within a world of powerful, dangerous men. Ryan, Jay and Ema break down the film, their relationship with Elvis's music, the stunning performances from Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi, the film's production design, a little Austin Butler talk, what the characters eat in the Dune franchise, as well as giving out their Sofia Coppola rankings and teasing their Tony Scott movie series that starts next week. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h52m. The guys will be back next week to begin their series on the films of Tony Scott with a review of his debut film, The Hunger. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch.. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 13, 2024

On episode 231 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer to review the latest film from A24, I Saw The TV Glow , and give out their Top A24 films. Since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, audience have been raving about Jane Schoenbrun's psychological drama, I Saw the TV Glow , which is a fascinating examination of our consumption of media as well as a queer allegory about trying to find yourself within a small town that doesn't accept you. The movie is considered by many to be the film of the year, with our own Savina Petkova calling it " fiercely beautiful " with her review out of the Berlin Film Festival. Ryan and Dan breakdown all the beautiful, complex aspects of this stellar second feature in a lengthy, spoiler free discussion. In the back half of the episode, in honor of the latest film released by the famous yet young studio, the duo takes a trip down memory lane and talk about their favorite film released by A24. With films ranging from modern horror classics, heartwarming coming of age comedies, experimental genre films, and even two Best Picture winners, A24 has released a wide range of films that can be considered some of the most vital, celebrated cinema from any studio in the last two decades. Some of the films they talked about included The Green Knight, Hereditary, Eighth Grade, 20th Century Women, A Most Violent Year, Past Lives, Moonlight, The Zone of Interest, Lady Bird, and many more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h18m. On our next episode, we will be discussing the latest release from NEON, Babes , and talking about our favorite films about parenthood. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 9, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 45 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Oscar Wild co-host and film critic Nick Ruhrkraut to discuss the next film in their Sofia Coppola series, On the Rocks (2020). We needed places to escape to during the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020, and leave it to Sofia Coppola to deliver an easy, breezy father-daughter hang out movie. On the Rocks not only feature fantastic chemistry between Rashida Jones and Bill Murray, but it has Coppola going back to the ideas she explored within the beginning of her career; the relationship she had with her father and where she is at currently in life as an artist as well as a parent and a spouse. What she delivers is a hilarious, insightful look at someone's life who is seeking too much instead of appreciating the good things they have in front of them. Ryan, Jay, and Nick break down their reactions to the film, Bill Murray's charm, Rashida Jones's career, what it's like to pal around in New York City, where this ranks in Coppola's filmography, and if they'd like to see this story continue or not. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h45m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Sofia Coppola with a review of her most recent film, Priscilla. You can stream the film on MAX, as well as rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 6, 2024

On episode 230 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer, Josh Parham, and Karen Peterson to give their thoughts on The Fall Guy and discuss their favorite movies that are about making movies. The summer movie season is in full swing as stars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt take to the big screen again, this time ditching their Barbie and Oppenheimer crews to come together for The Fall Guy, an action-adventure-romance spectacle about a stunt guy who is hired by a Hollywood producer to find the missing star (whom he used to double for) of a major studio film that is being directed by his ex-girlfriend. Lead by the chemistry between Gosling and Blunt, The Fall Guy is a kind of movie that "can remind you that going to the movies is a magical, highly entertaining experience." , Ryan, Dan, Josh and Karen break down their reactions to the film, its underperformance at the box office, and why they think people should give it a shot and go see it before it leaves theaters. In the second half of the show, the gang discuss their favorite movies about movies, which is a big part of the overall plot of The Fall Guy , speaking a ton about the film industry and the personalities that are at the center of it. But movies about movies can be a multitude of things, ranging from being a love letter to the art form to an examination of the dangerous, heartbreaking mirage that fame and filmmaker can be. This allowed the team to talk about a wide selection of films that included Sunset Boulevard, Get Shorty, Singin' in the Rain, The Player, American Movie, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Sullivan's Travels, Ed Wood, Dolemite Is My Name, Pain and Glory, Mank, and many more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h47m. On our next episode, we will be discussing the latest release from A24, I Saw the TV Glow , and revealing our top five A24 films. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

May 2, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 44 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Lead News Editor for Collider Maggie Lovitt to discuss the next film in their Sofia Coppola series, The Beguiled (2017). Four years after her most modern film to date, Sofia Coppola swerved back into a historical dramatic setting with The Beguiled , a remake of the 1971 Southern Gothic thriller set in Virginia during the American Civil War. When a young girl finds a wounded Union soldier right outside her all-girls school where she lives with several other women of various ages, the ladies nice, quiet way of life is turned upside down by the arrival of this sensual, seductive, ultimately menacing presence. Led by an all-star cast that includes Nicole Kidman, Kristen Dunst, Elle Fanning, and Colin Farrell, Coppola dives beautifully and patiently into the physiological nature of what it is like when a figure like this infuriates these women's lives and how their nature and unnatural responses to this soldier's inclusion in their life speaks to their basic human desires, and how temptation can overwhelm and get the best of them when it is all said and done. Ryan, Jay, and Maggie break down their reactions to the film, its connections to the original film, where it ranks in Coppola's filmography, Farrell and Kidman's career retrospective, how devilish Farrell's character is in the film, and if her second attempt at a period piece is just as successful as Marie Antoinette . You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h01m. The guys will be back next week to begin their new series covering the films of Sofia Coppola with a review of her next film, On the Rocks. You can stream the film on Apple TV+ rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 29, 2024

On episode 229 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to review Luca Guadagnino's latest film Challengers , and then discuss their favorite sexiest/horniest films. Releasing this past weekend was one of the best reviewed films of the year so far, Challengers , which was supposed to come out last year but was delayed because of the SAG/WGA strikes. In his follow-up to 2022's Bones and All , Luca Guadagnino's tennis love triangle became the number one film at the box office, and had the AW team talking about it all week long. Ryan, Erik, and Sophia break down their overall reactions to the film, its excellent performances from its all-star cast, the innovated editing, fist-pumping score from Reznor and Ross, and of course, the hot, sexual tension at the core of this incredible film. Listen to their spoilers be damned review as well as read Josh Parham's written review of the film on the website. After they are done talking about Challengers , the gang transition into a conversation about their favorite films that they find sexy and/or horny. In trying to go within the vein of Challengers tone, they talked about some great films that not only just had sex scenes, but the feeling of falling in love, longing for the person they want to be it, as well as repressing one's love and how tragic that can feel. There are also just some obvious picks that are just straight up horny fun. Included into the conversation was Out of Sight, Don't Look Now, Wet Hot American Summer, Brokeback Mountain, Y tu mamá también, In the Mood for Love, Moonlight, Bull Durham, The Age of Innocence , and more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h22m. On our next episode, we will be reviewing The Fall Guy and talking about our favorite movies about movies. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 25, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 43 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Nicole Ackman to discuss the next film in their Sofia Coppola series, The Bling Ring (2013). Following her most subtle work to date, Sofia Coppola took a full swing the other way in tackling a larger than life, true story that is all about how we consume celebrity culture and consumerism. The Bling Ring follows a group of young, fame-obsessed teenagers in the late 2000s, that use the internet to track where their favorite movie and reality stars are so they can rob their homes while the stars are away. Led by Emma Watson, Taissa Farmiga, and a mostly unknown cast, Coppola examines the newest generations obsessions with the figures and institutions that she grew up around, how this mindset has gotten worse since the actions seen in the film, and how it all seems inconsequential in the grand scheme of things once all the dust settles on the robbers. Ryan, Jay, and Nicole break down their impressions on the film, if Coppola was the right choice to tackle this modern subject matter, Watson's career path (a lively, respectful argument between Ryan and Jay), the minimalist approach to the screenplay, the sharp contrast in the cinematography between the day and night sequences, what is the best sandwich they've ever had, and is this the best social film commentary released in 2013. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h01m. The guys will be back next week to begin their new series covering the films of Sofia Coppola with a review of her next film, The Beguiled. You can stream the film on Netflix, as well as rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 22, 2024

On episode 228 of the AwardsWatch podcast, it's a full house as Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello are joined by AwardsWatch contributors Jay Ledbetter, Josh Parham, Dan Bayer, Kevin Lee and new to the AW team, Karen Peterson, on her first pod with us. Executive Editor Ryan McQuade was unable to join today. This episode we're tackling the 2024 Summer Box Office Draft and we noticed something right away. Not only is there nothing close to resembling a 'Barbenheimer' like last year, it feels like a soft summer for most of us. After COVID decimated theaters and theater attendance in 2020 and 2021, it started to bounce back in 2022, if slightly. Then double industry strikes - first writers then actors - over the summer of 2023 sent scrambling studios moving some of their high profile films around (like Amazon MGM's Challengers and Warner Bros' Dune ) to spring and beyond. But even without clear box office behemoths like Barbie and Oppenheimer , there still look to be a few juggernauts that could spell a win for either Team Ryan (with Sophia, Josh and Karen) or last summer's winner, Team Erik (with Kevin, Jay and Dan). Shuffling through sequels, prequels, franchises and a handful of original films, the teams built their drafts with Team Ryan going first, followed by Team Erik, picking five films we think will get us across the finish line and one bomb we think will ding the other team's chances. Animated films like Despicable Me 4 , Inside Out 2 and The Garfield Movie making the list, as did the long-awaited teaming up of Deadpool & Wolverine . But smaller films found their way in to, with Trap and MaXXXine showing up. We close talking about some major titles that just the missed the cut, how this year's horror films have shaken out and more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h56m. On our next episode, we will reviewing Luca Guadagnino's hot, love triangle tennis drama Challengers , starring Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O'Connor. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 18, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 42 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Sofia Coppola series, Somewhere (2010). With the underwhelming commercial and critical reaction to Marie Antoinette , Sofia Coppola took a step back in terms of approach and returned to making a smaller, vibes based film set in modern day Los Angeles. By doing this, it was almost a reset for the director, and yet she delivered her most underrated film within her filmography, as she dives into making another personal, profound film about the anxiety of growing up as an adult, and the responsibility it takes to be a parent. Led by an incredible performance by Stephen Dorff and a breakout role for Elle Fanning, Ryan and Jay break down their reaction to the film, Coppola's loose filmmaking for this project, the mundanity found in being a celebrity, how much of Coppola is found in both Dorff or Fanning's character, the meaning behind the film's ending and how it might tie into Lost in Translation , the Fanning Sister's careers, and the appreciation of Chris Pontius as well as a look into the Jackass movies. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h42m. The guys will be back next week with a review of her next film, The Bling Ring. You can stream the film on MAX, as well as rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 15, 2024

On episode 227 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to discuss the latest film from director Alex Garland, Civil War , and discuss their favorite political and journalism thrillers. Before they jumped into the review of Civil War , the 2024 Cannes Film Festival was announced this past week, with dozens of American and European films dominating the lineup. Films from Francis Ford Coppola, Paul Schrader, Andrea Arnold, Yorgos Lanthimos, Sean Baker, Jacques Audiard, Paolo Sorrentino, David Cronenberg and more will be having their world premiere next month at the prestigious festival. Not only is it one of the biggest film festivals in the world, but it has become an important stomping ground for International Features, especially the ones that make it into the Oscar categories later in the season. The gang break down what they can't wait to see since Josh is going to the festival next month while Ryan, Erik, and Sophia will catch a lot of these titles at Telluride later in the year. Moving onto the main event of the podcast, Civil War has become one of the most talked about films of 2024 so far, even before its premiere at SXSW. The trailer alone sparked discussion and anger from many thinking it is not the right time to be releasing a film like this as the United States is ramping up for another Presidential Election. But much to the surprise of all, early reactions indicated a much different movie than the trailer suggested. The gang break down their reaction to it the film, covering everything from the film's political stance, the screenplay, the performances and so much more. After that, they dive into a fascinating, in-depth conversation over their favorite political and journalism thrillers, a topic that all of them love considering some of their favorite films of all time came out of the genres. Some of the films discussed in the extensive conversation include All the President's Men, Nightcrawler, JFK, Zodiac, Munich, The Hunt for Red October, Blow Out, The Ghost Writer, Zero Dark Thirty and so many more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h17m. On our next episode, we will be doing the 2024 AwardsWatch Summer Movie Draft. You won't want to miss it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 11, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 41 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss the next film in their Sofia Coppola series, Marie Antoinette (2006). Three years after Sofia Coppola was riding high off her Oscar winning, smash hit Lost in Translation , she cashed in her black check to create a stylized, personal account of the life of one of history's most recognizable figures. With Marie Antoinette , she took a forty-million-dollar budget and made it feel like a hundred-million-dollar epic about a young women force into a social, political world she is not ready for, and must find a way to blend in before she is devoured from the inside out. Led by a magnificent ensemble, as well as luscious costumes, production design and a modern soundtrack, Marie Antoinette may have been criticized by audiences at the time of release for not being the movie they wanted after Coppola's era defining masterpiece, but over time, it has become an essential piece of filmmaking within her celebrated career. Ryan, Jay and Sophia break down Dunst's brilliant performance, the non-existing French accent work by the casts, Coppola's confident scope and vision for the film, the idea of a 'birds in a cage' that the director loves to explore, the career of Jason Schwartzman, and what their favorite type of pie is (they aren't that big on cake). You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h13m. The guys will be back next week to begin their new series covering the films of Sofia Coppola with a review of her next film, Somewhere. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 9, 2024

Although the Emmy Awards were just earlier this year in January due to the SAG-AFTRA strike in summer and fall of 2023, we're back into the Emmy season once again as April and May find networks and streamers cramming content under the wire to hit the May 31 deadline. On episode 226 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and TV Editor Tyler Doster break down the top categories for a preview of what this new Emmy race could look like. We start with the most competitive section of this year's race, Limited or Anthology Series or Movie categories. While other top series categories have been expanded to eight nomination slots by the Television Academy, Limited or Anthology Series have just the classic five and as each year sees a meteoric rise in limited series content, it's going to be one of the toughest races in decades with Shōgun (FX), Fargo (FX), Lessons in Chemistry (AppleTV+), True Detective: Night Country (HBO/Max), Feud: Capote vs The Swans (FX), Masters of the Air (AppleTV+), The Regime (HBO/Max), Ripley (Netflix), Fellow Travelers (Showtime), The Sympathizer (HBO/Max) and more all vying for one of those previous five spots. That's before you even get into the acting categories, which could prove to be even more cutthroat with A-list Oscar winners like Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Brie Larson, Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman and Michael Douglas in the mix. In Comedy, we have several returning winners and previous nominees in the race (like Abbott Elementary (ABC), Hacks (HBO/Max) and reigning champ The Bear), shows waving farewell like Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO/Max) and Reservation Dogs (FX), and new hopefuls like Palm Royale (AppleTV+) and The Gentlemen (Netflix). But it's Drama that has proven to be the bleakest of the bunch, with so many non-returning shows that it's practically an easy coronation for The Crown (Netflix) in its final season. We'll see The Morning Show (AppleTV+) for its third season but after that it's a Wild West of programs never nominated like The Gilded Age (HBO/Max), Loki (Disney+) and Slow Horses (AppleTV+) going up against a flood of new programming, some of which has or could be strategically submitted here instead of Limited Series where they more likely belong (like Showtime's The Curse or Prime Video's Mr. and Mrs. Smith , neither of which have been renewed for a second season). Flooding the market with their first seasons include: 3 Body Problem (Netflix), Fallout (Prime Video), Sugar (AppleTV+), Hijack (AppleTV+) and more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h15m. On our next episode, we will be latest film from director Alex Garland, Civil War , along with discussing our favorite political thrillers, and breaking down the 2024 Cannes Film Festival line-up.

Apr 8, 2024

On episode 225 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss Dev Patel's directorial debut, Monkey Man , and talk about some of their favorite directorial debuts from actor turn directors. Some of the best debuts feature films within a yearly film slate come from actors taking their turn behind the director's chair. This is year is no different as Oscar nominee Dev Patel has released, alongside the help of Universal Studios and producer Jordan Peele, Monkey Man , an action revenge thriller that is a reimagining of childhood stories and myths Patel heard when he was growing up. Premiering earlier this year at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, the film was received extremely well, with Ryan's review from the fest stating that "Patel has announced himself as a directorial voice to be reckoned with a knockout, confident debut." Erik and Sophia were able to catch up with it this past week and gave their thoughts on this personal, action pack thrill ride from Patel. After talking about Monkey Man , the conversation shifted to a large discussion on the groups favorite directorial debuts by actor turn directors, which covered a large range of personalities and genres. Already being the public eye, and having some form of cache in the business, along with something to say, there can be a lot of pressure on actors who step into the role of directors and make their first films and beyond. Some go on to use their first film as a launch pad for a big career behind the camera, while others peck within their first project, never able to capture the magic again. In a wide-ranging conversation, some of the films discussed by Ryan, Erik and Sophia were Ordinary People, This is Spinal Tap, Get Out, Reds, Eve's Bayou, Yentl, A Star is Born (2018), The Virgin Suicides, Confessions of Dangerous Mind, Lady Bird, Whip It, The Night of the Hunter , and more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h2m. On our next episode, we will be latest film from director Alex Garland, Civil War , along with discussing our favorite political thrillers, and breaking down the 2024 Cannes Film Festival line-up. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 4, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 40 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Pop Culture Confidential host Christina Jeurling Birro to discuss the next film in their Sofia Coppola series, Lost in Translation (2003). Four years after her confident, striking debut, Sofia Coppola returned with her most celebrated, revered film to date with Lost in Translation . Set in modern day Tokyo, we follow a veteran movie star going through a mid-life crisis and a young woman neglected by her husband who form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in the hotel they are staying at. This innocent, sweet friendship blossoms into an awakening for the both of them, realizing what they must do going forward to live out their lives as well as continue to move on in their marriages. Shot on location in Japan a relatively cheap budget, Coppola was able to tap into her personal life, looking both at her family's material history as well as her own as she had just recently married at the time. In doing so, she created one of the most talked about, acclaimed films of the 21st century. Ryan, Jay, and Christina break down their relationship with the film, the aspects that have agreed well as well as the ones that haven't over time, fish out of water stories, personal stories of random connections they have had over time, Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson's performances, and how no one likes to cook their own meal at a restaurant. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h. The guys will be back next week to begin their new series covering the films of Sofia Coppola with a review of her next film, Marie Antoinette. You can stream the film on Pluto TV. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 2, 2024

On episode 224 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer and Cody Dericks to take a look back and review The Matrix for its 25th anniversary and give out their Top 5 1990s Action Films. As talked about a couple of times on the AwardsWatch Podcast as well as on Director Watch, 1999 is one of the greatest years for cinema, not just in the modern era but of all time. The collective batch of films released in that last year of the 20th century profoundly spoke to the times they were released, while also paving the way for the next 25 years of films and filmmakers to come. One of the most influential films from that year was The Matrix , which just celebrated its anniversary of release just a few days ago. In a wonderful conversation, Ryan, Dan, and Cody break down this one-of-a-kind sci-fi-noir- action spectacle, talking about what the films means to them and so many others, as well as it's substantial legacy that has made it stand as one of the best films of all time. In the back half of the show, in honor of speaking about The Wachowski's masterpiece, the AW team go back to their nostalgic pasts and talk about their Top 5 action movies released within the 1990s. A bountiful decade to choose from, they were able to narrow this difficult exercise down with films like Mission: Impossible, Twister, Heat, Speed, Face/Off, Saving Private Ryan, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and more were discussed. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h14m. On our next episode, we will be reviewing Dev Patel's directorial debut, Monkey Man , and talking about our favorite actor-director debut feature films. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 28, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 39 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the first film in their Sofia Coppola series, The Virgin Suicides (1999). Over the past thirty years, there have been few female filmmakers who have been as influential as Sofia Coppola. As the child of one of cinema's greatest America directors, the deck could be stacked against them to succeed. But Sofia Coppola directorial vision was focused from the beginning because when she read Jeffrey Eugenides's acclaimed novel, she knew exactly how to make this story come to life. Setting aside her acting career, her transition to writer director proved to be the correct decision as The Virgin Suicides was not only one of the great films released in 1999, but it was one of the best directorial debuts of all time. As we follow a group of young boys who become enamored with five mysterious sisters who are sheltered by their strict, religious parents in suburban Detroit in the mid 1970s, we see that Coppola is also examining not just how these boys see these girls, but rather the society around them. As a commentary on suburbia, adolescence, desire, and human insecurities, The Virgin Suicides is still as relevant as when it premiered 25 years ago. Ryan and Jay give a full break down into their thoughts on the film, Coppola's style and visual language, the incredible ensemble at work here, and give their overall thoughts on Sofia Coppola as an artist as they jump into this brand new, exciting series. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h46m. The guys will be back next week to begin their new series covering the films of Sofia Coppola with a review of her next film, Lost in Translation. You can stream the film on Amazon Prime Video. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 25, 2024

On episode 223 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham and Dan Bayer to do a look back twenty years at the 77th Academy Awards, celebrating the films of 2004. As the 2023 Oscar season and the 2024 SXSW Film Festival is behind us, the AW team are refreshed after a week off and ready to go back in time twenty years to discuss the Oscar ceremony where Million Dollar Baby took home the top prize, giving director Clint Eastwood his second Best Director Oscar of his career, and rewards Jamie Fox, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, and Cate Blanchett the acting awards for their work in Ray, Million Dollar Baby, and The Aviator . Hosted by comedian Chris Rock (his first time hosting), the ceremony represented a pretty good year in cinema, with movies like The Incredibles, Sideways, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Collateral, Vera Drake, Shrek 2, Closer, Finding Neverland, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and more making up the winners and nominees. On this episode, the team talk about where they were in 2004, their thoughts on the overall film year as well as the Oscar ceremony, what they think of Million Dollar Baby as a Best Picture winner, do a little Oscar trivia as it relates to this year, and then they play a new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a team who the nominees and winners should be in the eight categories. Only catch is, they can only replace two of the previous nominees from each category. It made for a lively, fun show that we all hope you enjoy. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 3h12m. On our next episode, we will be covering a retrospective review of The Matrix for its 25th anniversary and talk about their favorite 90s action movies. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 22, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 38 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the final film in their William Friedkin series, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (2023). After a 12-year absence from making a feature film, William Friedkin returned with a faithful, reverent adaption of one of the most celebrated plays of all time, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial . Being a movie he'd wanted to make his entire career, the film came together over the course of two months in early 2023; a modern, relevant version of Herman Wouk's classic text, only to sadly pass away before the film premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. For a final film, it is a perfect end to a celebrated career by one of Hollywood's most unique directorial talents. With an extraordinary cast lead by incredible performances from Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Clarke, Ryan and Jay break down Friedkin's last film, the modern setting of his adaption, Lance Reddick's career, the film's explosive ending, favorite court room dramas, and they give their definitive rankings of William Friedkin's filmography. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h48m. The guys will be back next week to begin their new series covering the films of Sofia Coppola with a review of her debut film, The Virgin Suicides. You can stream the film on Pluto TV. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 14, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 37 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the latest film in their William Friedkin series, Killer Joe (2011). After the successful collaboration with screenwriter Tracey Letts on his last film Bug , Freidkin went right back to work with him on an adaptation of Letts's debut play about a family who hire a corrupt police detective with a side career as a contract killer to take out their estranged mother for her insurance policy. Based in a small Texas town, Killer Joe is slowly unfolds into a twisted, violent American Southern Gothic crime drama that explodes with one of the craziest endings in the acclaimed director's career. Ryan and Jay break down their reactions to the film, if the ending justifies it's grizzly conclusion, the overall journey of the McConaissance, fried chicken legs and so much more. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h35m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series covering the films of William Friedkin with a review of his last film, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. You can stream the film on Paramount+. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 11, 2024

On episode 222 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer and Josh Parham to give their thoughts on the 96th Academy Awards and wrap up the 2023-2024 Oscar season. The Oscar season has come to an end as the 96th Academy Awards were announced this past Sunday, and not shocking anyone at all, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer took home seven Oscars including the night's top prize, Best Picture. Nolan walked away with the Best Director prize, and his leading man Cillian Murphy won Best Actor, alongside his co-star Robert Downey Jr. for Best Supporting Actor. Emma Stone pulled the upset over Lily Gladstone to take home Best Actress for Poor Things , giving her a second Best Actress Oscar within her career. And Da'Vine Joy Randolph was able to complete her season dominance as she won Best Supporting Actress for her work in The Holdovers. A full list of the winners can be found in our article on the site. Beyond the winners, there was plenty to discuss including Jimmy Kimmel's hosting, the telecast itself, Ryan Gosling's incredible "I'm Just Ken" performance, favorite speeches, and shocking upsets within our predictions. Ryan, Dan, and Josh cover it all as they close the book on what was another long but successful Oscar season. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h21m. On our next episode, we will be doing an Oscar retrospective on the films of 2004. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 8, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 36 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the latest film in their William Friedkin series, Bug (2007). Moving away from his early 2000s action thrillers era, Friedkin set his sights on a project of much small scale, as he saw a play by writer/actor Tracy Letts that blew him away. Set mostly in a single location, motel room, Bug follows Agnes (a fantastic Ashley Judd) as she begins a new relationship with Peter (an excellent Michael Shannon), a stranger that turns unstable and unpredictable as layers of his past unfold and we start to see the lines of what is real and what is fake collide. With this, Friedkin creates an effective paranoid thriller with stellar performances and a scorching good ending. Ryan and Jay break down what they like about the film, the careers of both Judd and Shannon, the wild choices made by Harry Connick Jr. with his work in the film, how the film handles PTSD, and once again discuss the great film year that was 2007. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h35m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of William Friedkin with a review of his next film, Killer Joe. You can stream the film on Amazon Prime Video. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 4, 2024

On episode 221 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to give out their final 2024 Oscar winner predictions. And just like that, the time has come for the final winner predictions for the 96th Academy Awards. In a year where the critic and industry awards have been dominated by Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer , the chances are near zero that the three-hour epic won't walk away with the top prize this coming Sunday. But just because Best Picture is all but certain doesn't mean some of the below the line categories and Best Actress race aren't still open for discussion. In an extension conversation, Ryan, Erik and Sophia break down every possible outcome as well as pick their winners for all twenty-three categories. They also speculate which former winners will show up in the presentation of the acting categories, something that hasn't been done on the telecast since the Oscars in 2009. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h48m. On our next episode, we will be back to wrap up the Oscar season. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 1, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 35 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss the latest film from director Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part Two (2024). Due to the WGA and SAG strikes from 2023, Warner Bros decided to move the second installment in their new franchise, Dune , thus making moviegoers around the world, as well as Ryan and Jay, have to wait till March 2024 to not only see the film, but to truly conclude their Denis Villeneuve movie series from last year. Well, the time has come to talk about one of the year's most anticipated films; one that has been called "a masterpiece" by many and worthy of being in the same conversation as movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Lawrence of Arabia, and even The Godfather . On this special episode of Director Watch, Ryan, Jay, and Sophia break down their thoughts on the latest sandworm epic by talking looking back on their thoughts on the first film, the relationship with the source material, and what about Dune: Part Two didn't fully work. In a very tough but fair overview of the film, the trio thoroughly explain the parts of Dune: Part Two that worked for them (the performances from the all-star cast, the production design of each world, the final thirty minutes of the film) and what didn't work (the screenplay and lack of visual wonder found in the first part), as well as look to the future and briefly talk about the film's Oscar chances. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of William Friedkin with a review of his next film, Bug. You can stream the film on Pluto TV. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 29, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 34 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the latest film in their William Friedkin series, The Hunted (2003). In the early 2000s, William Friedkin had transitioned into work in some mainstream adult action-dramas that looked into ideas of the military industrial complex and how those institutions can break and corrupt a man. With his 2000 feature, Rules of Engagement , he unsuccessfully tried to tackle these issues in a run of the mill court room drama that fell flat for most audiences, as well as Ryan and Jay. But with The Hunted , Friedkin makes a bloody, lean, mean action thriller about an FBI deep-woods tracker who attempts to capture a trained assassin he mentored who is going on a killing spree and must be stopped. Led by two entertaining performances from Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio del Toro, the guys break down this underrated gem in Friedkin's filmography, the wild action sequences, Tommy Lee Jones's career, the biting commentary Friedkin is able to pull off with making a cat and mouse thriller, and they get into a little bit of a debate on the correct year you should say when referring to a previous Oscar season. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h38m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of William Friedkin with a review of his next film, Bug. You can stream the film on Pluto TV. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 26, 2024

On episode 220 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to give their reactions to the 2024 SAG Awards. Before we get into talking about the SAG Awards , the first significant release of 2024 screened this past week, as many were able to get a first look at Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two before it arrives in theaters later this week. Ryan and Erik were able to be some of the lucky critics to catch it, and gave their quick, spoiler free reactions to the film at the top of the show. The full review from Ryan is live on the website, and there will be a new episode of Director Watch coming soon to discuss the film is its totality. Onto the main topic for this week, the gang come together to talk about the 2024 SAG Awards, which streamed live on Netflix this past Saturday night. While the show was a bit of a mess, the winners for the acting categories started to take full shape for the Oscars as Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Robert Downey Jr. continue their award season dominance for Supporting Actress and Supporting Actor, while Cillian Murphy and Lily Gladstone took the lead in Best Actor and Best Actress as we head into the final week of Oscar voting. Listen as the AW team breaks it all down and previews next week's show as we head into the final Oscar predictions for the season. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h09m. On our next episode, we will be giving our final 2024 Oscar predictions. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 22, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 33 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the latest film in their William Friedkin series, Blue Chips (1994). Since the mid-1980s with To Live and Die in L.A. , Friedkin started a stretch that would fully cement his journeyman status for the remainder of his career. After a couple of flops and uninteresting project, Friedkin was given a script by acclaimed screenwriter Ron Shelton ( Bull Durham, White Men Can't Jump) that dives deep into the world of college basketball, and the questionable tactics a coach would take to recruit players in the modern era. In what feels like a movie ahead of its time in terms of speaking out about the corruption within college athletics, as well as also outdated in some aspects given that the film is over 30 years old, Friedkin makes a more interesting film to discuss rather than one to watch. Led by a committed performance from Nick Nolte, Ryan and Jay discuss their relationship to the sport of basketball, their overall thoughts on the film, the connection between Nolte's character and legendary coach Bobby Knight, the use of real players, Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, where this film ranks in the genre of sports movies, and if the final speech at the end is earned. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h41m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of William Friedkin with a review of his next film, The Hunted. You can stream the film on Max. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 19, 2024

On episode 219 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer to give their reactions to the 2024 BAFTA Awards, and give out their predictions for the upcoming 2024 PGA, SAG, and Independent Spirit Awards, As discussed on last week's show, the 2024 BAFTA awards were this past Sunday, with Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer taking home seven awards including Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor for Cillian Murphy. With the film's other wins in Supporting Actor, Cinematography, Editing and Score, it has solidified itself not only as the frontrunner for Best Picture at the Oscars, but it is the forgone conclusion that it will be our winner this year. But with three weeks to go, can any other film set forward as a challenger and take Best Picture right at the last second? Poor Things looked to be the latest challenger to Oppenheimer as made its case by winning five BAFTA's including Best Actress for Emma Stone. But it lost Best British Film in a upset to Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest , thus making it clear which film the BAFTA voting membership was going to reward its top prize to. Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, and American Fiction also took home prizes, while films like Barbie. Saltburn, All of Us Strangers, Maestro, and Killers of the Flower Moon went home empty handed. The gang discuss the impact of these results and how much they will factor them in going into the final stage of season. After discussing the BAFTAs, Ryan, Erik, and Dan gave their full predictions for the PGA, SAG, and Independent Spirit Awards, which included plenty of talk about Oppenheimer another big step towards it's Best Picture win, discuss how the four acting races will conclude, how SAG will vote in their television categories, and what they think the unpredictable Film Independent voters will vote on for its winners. All in all, it was a fun predictions portion segment filled with tons of possibilities for various winners to walk away with the top prizes at each show. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h46m. On our next episode, we will be giving our reactions to the SAG Awards, as well as doing a review of the latest sci-fi epic, Dune: Part Two . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 16, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 32 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the latest film in their William Friedkin series, To Live and Die in L.A. (1985). At the midpoint of the 1980s, Friedkin found himself in no man's land, as the studios had made the full switch to more stylized, commercial vehicles that audiences would want to see, rather than blank check films made by popular directors. After failing hard with one of the worst films in his filmography in 1983's Deal of the Century , he set his sights on an adaptation of Gerald Petievich's novel To Live and Die in L.A. , in which we follow two Secret Service agents go on a wild investigation to arrest a dangerous counterfeiter. Wild a mild success at the time, it's influences could be traced throughout the rest of the decade, especially in the works of Michael Mann (whom Friedkin may have took a lot of ideas from). What we get in return is a lean mean neo-noir that ranks as one of the last great films from Friedkin. Ryan and Jay break down the film, the connections to Mann and other films and shows of the 1980s, the gruesome violence, the careers of William Petersen and Willem Dafoe, how cool it looks to make counterfeit money, and morality at play with the film's ending. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h44m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of William Friedkin with a review of his next film, Blue Chips. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 12, 2024

On episode 218 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer to give their 2024 BAFTA predictions and talk about their favorite romantic comedies. Before getting into the meat of this week's show, there was major Oscar news this past week, as the Academy announced the addition of a brand new category for the 2025/2026 season, Best Casting. While there is a lot of speculation as to the rules of this new category, but this is a welcome addition to the Oscar lineup. The gang speculate what they want to hear from the Academy when they announce the specifics to their new category in April 2025. Moving onto the awards talk, the guys talk about the recent wins at the DGA and ADG awards ceremonies from this past weekend, which saw not only Christopher Nolan get closer to an Oscar win for Best Director, but a real race for Best Production Design between Poor Things, Oppenheimer, and Barbie . This led right into the BAFTA predictions conversation, which could open up the race and lead to some surprises from this overseas voting body that has a big cross over with the Academy. Films like Oppenheimer, Poor Things should do well, with The Zone of Interest, Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers and All of Us Strangers looking to play spoiler in a few categories. Winners will be handed out next weekend and we will discuss them on next week's show. Then in the back half of the episode, as Valentine's Day rolls around this coming week, Ryan, Erik and Dan discuss their favorite romantic comedies. They talk about what they love about the genre, what makes them work, some of their favorite films and memorable theater experiences seeing them, as well as what they would like to see going forward when it comes to rom-coms. Some of the films discussed included My Big Fat Greek Wedding, When Harry Met Sally, Moonstruck, Bottoms, Fire Island, Annie Hall, Harold and Maude, The Shop Around the Corner, Sleepless in Seattle, and so many more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h53m. On our next episode, we will be giving our reactions to the BAFTA awards, as well as give our predictions to the SAG Awards and talk about the latest film from Ethan Coen, Drive-Away Dolls . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 8, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 31 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson to discuss the latest film in their William Friedkin series, Cruising (1980). Entering the 1980s, Friedkin is still reeling from the fall out of the box office mess of Sorcerer and the flop that followed it up with The Brink's Job . But as we entered the new decade, right as we is able to become a mostly "director for hire" for the good chunk of the next two decades, Friedkin delivered one of his most talked about features in Cruising , which is about a police officer that goes undercover in the underground, S&M gay subculture of New York City to catch a serial killer. After being approached by multiple producers to adapt reporter Gerald Walker's novel, Friedkin became interested in the project after string of an unsolved killings within gay leather bars within the 1970s. Working with the local Mafia members of New York City who owned the bars shot in the film, and having Al Pacino as his lead actor, Friedkin set out to make another significant, yet controversial film within not just his filmography but a milestone in the history of queer cinema. Ryan, Jay, and Erik break down the film's legacy, the film's depiction of S&M culture, the lost forty minutes of footage cut from the film, Pacino's laughable performance, Friedkin's intentions with the ending and violence throughout Cruising , pleasure vs. pain, and so much more. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h03m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of William Friedkin with a review of his next film, To Live and Die in L.A. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 5, 2024

On episode 217 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson stands in for AW Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and welcomes AW Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to talk a bit about the Oscars, review Argylle and dive into our favorite films of the spy and espionage genre. Early February is a quiet time for Oscar predicting; there are very few critics groups to still chime in and all guilds and industry nominations have landed. It's voting time for several, including SAG, DGA and PGA and idle hands are the devil's playground. In our opening, Erik, Sophia and Josh root around the lead acting and screenplay categories which seem more open and elusive than usual and we take an early stab at what could shake things up and why. Then it's Argylle , Apple Films' colossal box office, critical and audience flop that opened this weekend and Josh is tasked with stewarding that sinking ship as the only person on the pod who saw it. With its $16M opening, mid-40s Rotten Tomatoes score and C+ Cinemascore, the film is not long for theaters and Josh will tell you why. Then we get to the meat of the podcast and that's talking about spy and espionage films that do work for us and those that we count among our favorites. With the Mission: Impossible and Bond franchises looming so large over this genre – we give them space and due – we talk about some formative film in the genre for us like Goldfinger and the spy spoof Condorman and then into the films that we love the best like The Manchurian Candidate (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), Three Days of the Condor (1975), The Conversation (1974), No Way Out (1987) and Spy (2015). Plus, what list would be complete without Hitchcock? But we return to Bond and give out some of our choices to replace the iconic figure now that Daniel Craig is officially retired from the role. Hit us up in the comments with who you want to see play the dashing, rogue agent. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h36m. On our next episode, we will be talking about our favorite rom-coms just in time for Valentine's Day and our predictions for the BAFTA winners. Till then, let's get into it.

Feb 1, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 30 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined film critic Jake Tropila to discuss the latest film in their William Friedkin series, Sorcerer (1977). Riding off the high of two of the biggest films of his career, and having the cachet to make whatever film he wanted, Friedkin set out to make a semi remake of the classic film The Wages of Fear , about four outcasts who are forced to take a job transporting unstable dynamite through the Colombian jungles. On the screen, it is one of the most tense, cynical thrillers of the 1970s, looking deeply into the souls of these men, their circumstances, and the inevitability of their dangerous actions catching up to them; thus it is a masterpiece. But behind the scenes, Sorcerer was a financial disaster, and consider one of many films that push studios to get away from the auteur, blank check driven vehicles of the 1970s, and the studios controlled filmmaking processes of the 1980s. Ryan, Jay and Jake break down the creation of this project, where the production went wrong, the restoration of this film, how this movie impacted Friedkin's career going forward, and how a little film from a galaxy far, far away came in and stole Sorcerers thunder, and if the title of the movie actually fits the film. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h44m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of William Friedkin with a review of his next film, 1980's Cruising. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 26, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 29 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined film critic Jesse Nussman to discuss the latest film in their William Friedkin series, The Exorcist (1973). How does a director follow up his Oscar winning effort that landed him the prize for Best Director? That's simple, he goes on to make one of the greatest, most influential horror films of all time, and in the process, makes the film we would all remember him by. Friedkin's The Exorcist, which follows the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother's attempt to rescue her through an exorcism by two Catholic priests, was one of the biggest films of the 1970s. Controversial upon release, it's staying power in the mind of cinephiles is in large part to creating the template for every exorcist/possession/horror film to come along after it, as well as being notoriously known for its rocky behind the scene's production. But through all the good and the bad, Friedkin, alongside screenwriter and author of the original novel William Peter Blatty, made a flat out masterpiece. Ryan, Jay, and Jesse break down their love for The Exorcist by talking about the ambiguous opening to the film, their favorite scene, Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair's performances, the film's iconic score, the god awful sequels in this franchise, and ponder how long they would last in a room where an exorcism was being performed. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h03m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of William Friedkin with a review of his next film, Sorcerer. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 23, 2024

On episode 216 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to give their reactions to the 96th Academy Award nominations. Bright and early on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the 96th Oscar nominations, celebrating the films released within the year 2023. If you have been listening to the show, and following the race this season, it is no shock at all that Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer lead all films on nomination morning with 13 nominations, followed by Poor Things with 11 nominations, Killers of the Flower Moon with ten , and Barbie with eight. Speaking of Barbie , the biggest snubs and surprise of the nominations came when director Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie missed in the Best Director and Best Actress category, only for America Ferrera to sneak into the Best Supporting Actress line-up. There were other surprises that included five-nomination tallies for Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest , The Holdovers (but missing Best Director), and a solid showing for American Fiction. Ryan, Erik, and Josh break down every aspect of the above the line nominees, which predictions they got right as well as the ones they missed, and as they get into the below the line categories, question some of the stranger choices the members of the Academy made. An overall good conversation surrounding a (for the most part) good group of nominees. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h12m. On our next episode, we will be talking about our favorite spy/espionage films due to the release of Matthew Vaughn's latest film, Argylle . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 19, 2024

On episode 215 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributor Kevin L. Lee to give out their final 2024 Oscar nomination predictions. Tuesday, January 23, 2024 will mark the moment we have all been waiting for; this year's Oscar nominations. We've seen the Golden Globes and Critic Choice Awards hand out their winners, with SAG, PGA, BAFTA and many more industry groups hand out their nominations so far and it is shaping to be a big day for Oppenheimer, Poor Things, Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon , and The Holdovers . But before we find out the nominations, out team came together early to break down who they think will get in, as well as which films they could see being shut out on Oscar nominations morning, and which film could pull out some surprise nominations. Early in their discussion, they give a brief overview of the below the line categories before they dive in the big eight categories (Best Picture, Best Director, the four acting and two screenplay categories), as well as Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary, and Best International Feature. It was a very detailed, fun show where the team laid out all the various scenarios in each category that could take place, leaving plenty of room for doubt as many categories are still wide open for surprises on the morning of the nominations. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h39m. We will be back next week to talk about the 2023 Oscar nominations, what got in, what didn't and everything in between. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 19, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 28 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss the latest film in their William Friedkin series, The French Connection (1971). Though The Boys in the Band was a significant film in Friedkin's filmography, the young director hadn't quite yet made a hit, and was running out of chances within the Hollywood system. But along came The French Connection , a movie made right around the success of Bullitt , where audiences were ready for a cat and mouse cop movie with really good chance sequences. Though it fits that templet, The French Connection finds Friedkin dabbling into the grimy workings of a anti-hero cop who is looking to break the case of a lifetime, regardless of the collateral damage he leaves in his path. Led by an all time, Oscar winning performance from Gene Hackman, Friedkin made the hit of the year, and went on to win the Oscar for Best Director, and the film landed the Best Picture win of 1971. Ryan, Jay and Sophia breakdown all the crazy behind the scene stories from the making of the film, Friedkin's account of the events, Friedkin thought's on Hackman, the original ending of the film, the French New Wave influences, if Popeye Doyle is good at his job, if this is an all-time Best Picture winners for Dads, and more than a couple of signature tangents from the gang. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h10m. The guys will be back later this week to continue their series covering the films of William Friedkin with a review of his next film, The Exorcist. You can stream the film on Max. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 17, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On this special episode of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by the Head of Content for The Ringer and co-host of The Big Picture podcast Sean Fennessey to give out the first awards for a Director Watch series, the PTA Awards. Towards the end of last year, Ryan and Jay set out to cover the films of writer, director Paul Thomas Anderson, thus breaking down one of the great modern filmographies of any contemporary director. In doing this, they talked about dozens of great performances, lines of dialogue, needle drops, favorite scenes, and so much more. So it only made sense to come back one more time to the world of PTA to break down and single out the various categories and reasons why they love PTA's films. Joined by Sean (a fellow lover of PTA's work), they discuss give out awards ranging from Best Male Performance, Best Female Performance, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Needle Drop, Best Scene, the PTA Acting Muse award, Most Valuable Collaborator, and talk about the actor they would love to see in a future PTA film that hasn't already worked with the director. It was a very loose, fun conversation that we hope you all enjoy. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h27m. The guys will be back later this week to continue their series covering the films of William Friedkin with a review of his next film, The French Connection. You can stream the film on Max. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Jan 12, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 27 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to discuss the first film in their William Friedkin series, The Boys in the Band (1970). Early in his career, director William Friedkin started out unlike most directors, making studio for hire work like Good Times starring Sonny Bono and Cher. After a couple of other moderate to unsuccessful films, Friendkin was brought onto a project that would change his career, as he helmed one of the most influential LBGTQ+ films of all time, The Boys in the Band . Centered around a group of friends celebrating one of their owns birthday, the movie unravels into a look at the regrets and unspoken truths gay men were and still are feeling to this day. In this episode, Ryan, Jay, and Josh break down the film's themes, if it holds up, the over the top performances, if Friedkin's style and voice is found in the project, the 2020 Netflix remake, and if they would nominate this movie for any Oscars for the 1971 ceremony. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h54m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of William Friedkin with a review of his next film, The French Connection. You can stream the film on Max. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 8, 2024

On episode 214 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson break down the winners of the 81st Golden Globes. As we flip our calendars to 2024, the Oscar race has started to heat up at the winners of the 81st Golden Globe Awards were honored from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, live on CBS and Paramount +. The evening marked the first televised award show of the season, giving actors, writers, directors, producers and more the necessary opportunity to make the first speeches of the season, and see who can emerge as a front runner on the night. With an impressive haul, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer took home the most awards with 5 wins including Best Picture, Drama. Over on the Comedy-Musical side of things, Yorgos Lanthimos's Poor Things took home the Best Picture prize, with Barbie, Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, and The Boy and the Heron taking home many of the film awards. For television it was a dominating night for Succession, The Bear, and Beef , showcasing their strength in the industry right before the long-delayed Primetime Emmy awards next week. Ryan and Erik discuss it all, and talk about how these wins will shape what we see further in the Oscar and Emmy races. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 51m. We will be back next week to break down the winners of the SAG and DGA nominations and the winners of Critics Choice. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 5, 2024

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 26 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer to discuss the final film in their Paul Thomas Anderson series, Licorice Pizza (2021). In his latest film to date, PTA embarked on a cinematic return to his home, the San Fernando Valley, to create a nostalgic look back on the time and place he grew up in. In collecting stories from friends, permission to create characters based on real life people, and filming a movie with his friends and family during the end of the 2020 pandemic, PTA set out to make a hot bottom film that got a lot of people talking about the story of Alana and Gary, to lost souls that collide for a series of adventures during the summer of 1973. With two all-time first-time performances from Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman, PTA made relaxed comedy on the surface that works equally as a commentary on the uneven power dynamics men and women deal with throughout their lives. In this film episode of the series, Ryan, Jay, and Dan talk about the central relationship of the film, what the ending really means, some of the internet chatter surrounding the film, the veteran actor work from Sean Penn and Bradley Cooper, Alana Haim's real life family playing roles in the film, water beds, pinball machines, gas shortages, peanut butter sandwiches and a whole lot more. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h15m. The guys will be back next week to begin their series covering the films of William Friedkin with a review of his next film, The Boys in the Band. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 1, 2024

On episode 213 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello, TV Editor Tyler Doster and AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham, Dan Bayer, Cody Dericks, and Jay Ledbetter to discuss their favorite films of 2023. As we begin the new year, we say goodbye to 2023 with our AW team's favorite films of the year from a year filled with so many exceptional movies, it looks like we will be talking about 2023 as one of the great movie years for a long time. Instead of having everyone on one call together, the show is split up into four sections, each section covering the four films the team loved the movies. Those films included Andrew Haigh's All of Us Strangers (Erik and Josh), Celine Song's Past Lives (Tyler and Dan), Todd Haynes's May December (Sophia and Cody), and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer (Ryan and Jay). In each segment, each person talks about why they selected the film as their favorite of the year, as well as an in-depth discussion over the film. At the end, the team gave honorable mentions for other films that they loved that included The Zone of Interest, Killers of the Flower Moon, Barbie, The Taste of Things, The Killer, Asteroid City, Priscilla, Passages, Godzilla Minus One, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret., and many more. Please enjoy this wonderful first episode of 2024, thank you all for reading everything on the website as well as listening to the show in 2023. We hope you all have a Happy New Year. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h55m. We will be back next week to break down the winners of the 2024 Golden Globes. Till then, let's get into it.

Dec 28, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 25 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss the next film in their Paul Thomas Anderson series, Phantom Thread (2017). The idea for PTA's eighth film came to him when he was ill. As he laid helpless on his back in bed, he saw the look of his wife taking care of him, and knew there was something there to latch onto. In creating Phantom Thread , Anderson recruited his There Will Be Blood lead actor Daniel Day-Lewis, to craft a story about an eccentric, meticulously mannered dressmaker who meets his match with a strong-willed woman that becomes his muse. Within this period piece lies honest, captivating power dynamics that showcase not only what it is like to fall in love and live with an artist, but the realistic, day to day interactions one has with someone whom they've been in a long term relationship with. These interactions can be sad, sexy, hilarious, deliciously evil, or a combination of all of them at once, much like the film. Led by three fantastic performances, Ryan, Jay, Sophia breakdown why this is Sophia's favorite film of all time, if the dress in the film are actually good dresses, the iconic breakfast order, if this is really Daniel Day-Lewis's final role, their favorite lines from the film, their thoughts on Taylor Swift using the film as inspiration for one of her songs, and which of one our Director Watch co-hosts has the film as their favorite PTA film. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h33m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series covering the films of Paul Thomas Anderson with a review of his next film, Licorice Pizza. The film is streaming on Amazon Prime. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 21, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 24 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Paul Thomas Anderson series, Inherent Vice (2014). In what is his most controversial film of his career amongst cinephiles, PTA set out to do what many in the literary and film world deemed impossible; adapt a novel by author Thomas Pynchon. In doing this exercise, he was able to take this stoner neo-noir comedy and mold it into another brilliant examination of how power structures of the world is built on a system of corrupt that will eat you alive the more you go down the rabbit hole looking for answers. With an all-star cast led by a gonzo performance by Joaquin Phoenix, Inherent Vice rewards viewers more and more over time, making it a rewarding, layered puzzle box film within Anderson's filmography. Over the course of this episode, Ryan and Jay discuss their initial viewing experiences with the film, PTA's love of making movies in LA, the wild adaption process PTA took to bring the book to the screen, how great Josh Brolin and Reese Witherspoon are, how much paranoia was at play in the 1970s, the use of perfect needle drops throughout the film, and showcase their Jay Leno impressions. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h40m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of Paul Thomas Anderson with a review of his next film, Phantom Thread. The film is streaming on Netflix. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 18, 2023

On episode 212 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer to discuss their reactions to the Golden Globe and Critics Choice nominations, as well as talk about a slew of films releasing during the holidays. Right as we head into the holiday break, the 2023 Golden Globe and Critics Choice nominations were announced last week, with similarities and major differences to consider for the race to Oscar nominations next month. With the Globes, major love was found in the form of International films with Past Lives, The Zone of Interest, Fallen Leaves and Anatomy of a Fall landing big nominations in many of the major categories. At Critics Choice, Saltburn and The Color Purple landed in the Best Picture lineups, something they weren't able to do at the Golden Globes. But what was clear is the four films that collected a ton of nominations at both, with Barbie, Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Poor Things leading all films at both ceremonies. Ryan, Erik and Dan break it all down and even give a give a Golden Globe prediction or two. After this lovely, lively conversation, the guys transition to reviewing three of the major award season and commercial releases of the holidays, The Iron Claw, Wonka, and The Color Purple . While these weren't all glowing reviews of these new titles, Ryan, Erik and Dan had a balanced discussion of what worked and didn't work for each of them when it came to these titles. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h23m. We will be off next week but we will be back the following week for our end of the year, best of 2023 episode. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from HAAWK via AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 14, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 23 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson to discuss the next film in their Paul Thomas Anderson series, The Master (2012). How does someone follow up one of the most important films of the 2000s you may ask? It's simple, you make a film that is to its level and one of the best films of the 2010s. That's what PTA did with The Master , a philosophical drama with dark humor splashed throughout about a World War II vet who's struggling to fit back into society and finds himself in a religious movement (a cult) under the leadership of its charismatic leader and wife, who is always keeping a watchful eye on everything. What forms from there is one of Anderson's most complex films, exploring the dangers of religious fanaticism, toxic masculinity, mental health, alcoholism, and just about everything else you can think about when it comes to the human condition. Led by three titanic performances, Ryan, Jay and Erik dive right into deep process to discuss the film's themes, Amy Adams' career choices of late, weird Joaquin Phoenix performances, scientology, the film's lack of Oscar recognition for PTA, missing Philip Seymour Hoffman, and how the visual language of the film is so alluring. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h02m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of Paul Thomas Anderson with a review of his next film, Inherent Vice. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Dec 11, 2023

On episode 211 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer to discuss the four acting categories within the 2023 Oscar race. Before we get into the Oscar conversation, two titles came out this past weekend that have sparked a ton of acclaim and conversation, Yorgos Lanthimos's Poor Things and Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron . Considered by many to be two of the best films of the year, Ryan and Dan briefly dive into both, talking about the themes these two director's present in their respective new films, as well as the stunning visual language both offer. So far in their runs at the box office, both have been a success and look to continue to pick up critic's and industry prizes throughout the rest of the season. Once they are done talking about the new release, Ryan and Dan switch their attention to the four Oscar acting categories. While there are frontrunners in each category so far, no one has yet stuck out as clear winners this early in the race. With this, they dive deep into a long, detailed conversation about all four of the major categories, who they think they are confident could get in, who they are less sure about, and who are the long shots that need some help from critics groups or other outside help to get back into the mix. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h45m. We will be back next week to talk about our reactions to the 2023 Golden Globe nominations, and talk a little bit about Wonka . Till then, let's get into it. This podcast is supported by Amazon MGM Studios presenting AIR, from award-winning director Ben Affleck and starring Matt Damon, Chris Messina, and Viola Davis. The film follows the gamble of an unconventional team and the uncompromising vision of a mother who knows her son's worth. RogerEbert.com calls it "a timeless underdog story of grit, dreams, and moxie" and Variety says it's "this generation's 'Jerry Maguire.' AIR is awards eligible in all categories. Music: "Modern Fashion" from HAWWK and AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 7, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 22 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to discuss the next film in their Paul Thomas Anderson series, There Will Be Blood (2007). At the midpoint of the series, the boys have reached one of the most important films of the 21st century, and a vital film for both hosts in terms of their film taste and inspired them to become the writers/podcasters they are today. With There Will Be Blood, PTA created a film that broke through the zeitgeist, crossing over with audiences and the Academy, and thus he made the film he'd arguable be most remembered for, as Anderson constructed a captivating, darkly humorous masterpiece that clashes capitalism and religion in an oil filled epic set in the small, imaginary town of Little Boston. Led by an all time performance by Daniel Day Lewis, Ryan, Jay, and Josh discuss the film overall, Day Lewis and Paul Dano's performances, how There Will Be Blood shares a bond with No Country for Old Men in more ways than one, downloading movies in the early 2000s, Jonny Greenwood's iconic score, the morality of these characters, milkshakes and so much more. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h57m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of Paul Thomas Anderson with a review of his next film, The Master. The film is streaming on MAX. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Dec 4, 2023

On episode 2010 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia and AwardsWatch contributors Kevin L. Lee discuss the 2023 Best Picture race and the movies they watched way too young. It is December so that means we are right at the beginning of awards season, where the various critics groups are going to start handing out prizes to the best films and performances from the year. This past week saw the Gotham Awards give Past Lives Best Feature Film , Lily Gladstone ( The Unknown Country ) and Charles Melton ( May December ) taking the Best Lead and Supporting Performance awards. Sophia was able to attend the ceremony and gave her reactions to the night's events before the group talked about these wins alongside the NYFCC announcing their winners later in the week. This led right into the first major discussion of the episode about the Best Picture race and where everything stands. As of now, there seems to be three films that stand as the frontrunners for Best Picture, and those are Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Oppenheimer. The group discuss the strengths and weaknesses in these films chances of winning Hollywood's biggest prize, as well as the various films, The Holdovers, American Fiction, Maestro, Poor Things, The Color Purple , that are right there in the mix to win the Oscar. After that great conversation, they transitioned into talking about a topic the team has wanted to talk about for a long time, movies that they were way too young to see. In a deep dive into their taste in films, Ryan, Erik, Sophia and Kevin revealed the films that they were shocked they got to watch at such a young age, as well as movies that scared them, and made them cry. Titles included Jaws, Alien, Jurassic Park, Basic Instinct, As Good as It Gets and a ton of Disney animated films. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h45m. We will be back next week to talk about the Oscar Acting Categories, review Poor Things , and talk about our favorite coming of age films. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Nov 30, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 21 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Associate Editor of RogerEbert.com Robert Daniels to discuss the next film in their Paul Thomas Anderson series, Punch Drunk Love (2002). Following his previous two features, PTA looked to strip things back, opting out of making another three-hour epic of storytelling, and instead making something that was ninety minutes. Hand selecting one of the biggest stars on the planet at the time in Adam Sandler, Anderson set out to make a unconventional romantic-comedy that challenged himself as a filmmaker to stay within the lines and parameters he personally set on himself. In doing so, he created what many consider to be his most underrated film of his career, with the best performance Sandler has within his career, In diving into Punch-Drunk Love , Ryan, Jay, and Robert explore their love of Sandler from this era, Barry and Lena's relationship, an all-time supporting turn from the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, a minor discussion on Robert Altman's Popeye , and puka shells. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h33m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of Paul Thomas Anderson with a review of his next film, There Will Be Blood. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 27, 2023

On episode 209 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Josh Parham and Kevin L. Lee discuss Ridley Scott's latest film Napoleon and give out their Top 5 Ridley Scott films. With one of the most interesting filmographies of all time, director Ridley Scott's mark on cinema is one that will always leave you curious. In making some of the best, most influential films of his time, Scott has become a Hollywood journeyman, specializing in visual spectacle. Though he has just as many misfires as he does hits, there is always something drawing you into the theaters to see his latest film, regardless of how good or bad the last one was. With this in mind, Ryan, Josh, and Kevin review Napoleon , Scott's nearly three-hour epic about the French Emperor and the love of his life Josephine, played by Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby. Their reactions to the film vary, leading to a very good conversation. Afterwards, they transitioned into talking about their Top 5 Ridley Scott films, with discussions over titles such as The Last Duel, Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, Thelma and Louise, Matchstick Men, and more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h46m. We will be back next week to talk about our updated Oscar predictions and our Top 5 Films We Saw Way Too Young. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Nov 22, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 20 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com Brian Tallerico to discuss the next film in their Paul Thomas Anderson series, Magnolia (1999). After making a giant statement with Boogie Nights , Paul Thomas Anderson took it up a notch with his third feature film centered around a cast of lonely characters connected grief, chance, divine intervention, and the music of Aimee Mann. Inspired by the films of Robert Altman, in particular Short Cuts , PTA creates a masterful examination of the human condition and the complexities that exist in order to find peace within one's self. Ryan, Jay and Brian dive deep into the dozens of interpretations Magnolia presents, if the film is a religious movie, PTA find his voice so early on, the darkness surrounding each story line, the performances from one of the best ensembles of the 1990s, and where Magnolia ranks in the epic year of cinema that was 1999. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h32m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of Paul Thomas Anderson with a review of his next film, Punch Drunk Love . You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Nov 16, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 19 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss the next film in their Paul Thomas Anderson series, Boogie Nights (1996). By the time you are done watching Hard Eight, you can just feel that there was something wonderful just waiting to get out, and that was the sexy, wild comedy-drama that PTA made as his second feature. Set during the late 1970s, early 1980s in the San Fernando Valley, Boogie Nights falls the rise and fall of the porn industry through the eyes of a hot shot actor, his filmmaker mentor, and a cast of eccentric, heartbreaking characters that make up this broken family. Inspired by John C. Holmes, a real life porn star, and his own short from high school called The Dirk Diggler Story . Anderson through everything but the kitchen sink at the creation of his film, ruffling feathers with his cast, crew, audiences, and people in the industry. But in doing so, he created the first of his signature masterpieces, and a film that is an essential piece of filmmaking from the 1990s. Ryan, Jay, and Sophia breakdown what makes the film so special, if PTA's directorial influences get in the way of his creation, how is the MVP of this cast, if Leonardo DiCaprio would've made a good Dirk Diggler, and which character they identify with. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h59m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of Paul Thomas Anderson with a review of his next film, Magnolia . You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 13, 2023

On episode 208 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributor Jay Ledbetter discuss David Fincher's latest film The Killer and give out their Top 5 David Fincher films. One of the most celebrated directors of our time is a man that is fully obsessed with every detail about making a film. Known for being a perfectionist, director David Fincher has made a body of work that stands amongst many as one of the best to ever do it. From police procedurals to adaptations of popular novels to important stories based on a real life events, he prides himself in being a man that loves to showcase the process of how things are done or how we arrive at the most difficult moments humans can make. On this episode, Ryan, Sophia, and Jay breakdown why Fincher is one of their guys, what they love about him, and how his movies have shaped the good and bad tendencies of modern Hollywood. This includes talking about his latest thriller The Killer , which is streaming on Netflix and is one of the best films of the year so far, with stellar performances from Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton, as well as the usual excellent craft work done by Fincher and his collaborators. After that, the group breakdown their Top 5 Fincher films, that include Se7en, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Social Network, Gone Girl, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Zodiac. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h25m. We will be back next week to talk about our Top 5 Best and Worst Prequels of all time. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 10, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 18 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Ethan Warren, Senior editor at Bright Wall/Dark Room and author of The Cinema of Paul Thomas Anderson: American Apocrypha Ethan Warren, to discuss the first film in their Paul Thomas Anderson series, Hard Eight (1996). So begins a new series about a director that might not only be the best of his generation, but is a foundation filmmaker for both Ryan and Jay. But before he influenced them, a young PTA had to find his voice, and after breaking out with the short film Cigarettes & Coffee , he was given the chance to turn it into a feature film. In this somber directorial debut, Hard Eight follows an older gambler takes a younger, homeless kid (John C. Reilly) under his wing, and they do well making money, till they both meet a waitress (Gwyneth Paltrow) that will change their life, for better and for worse. Led a stellar performance from veteran actor Philip Baker Hall, Ryan, Jay and guest Ethan talk about the legacy of Anderson's debut, if he wears his influences too much on his sleeve, how this movie lead to Boogie Nights , the final shot of the film, and read an interesting review for Ethan's fantastic book. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h38m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of Paul Thomas Anderson with a review of his next film, Boogie Nights . You can stream Boogie Nights on Paramount + with the Showtime plan , as well as rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Nov 6, 2023

On episode 207 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia and AwardsWatch contributors Josh Parham and Jay Ledbetter discuss who might they think will be the future stars of Hollywood with the Movie Star Stock Market. For months, the AW podcast team have talked about the state of modern movie stars, and what the future of cinema looks like. Given how the trend of the film industry is leaning more towards IP driven films as well as a big point of emphasis on director's names attached to projects, the role, and criteria of what we have considered a traditional movie star has changed. With this in mind, Ryan, Sophia, Josh, and Jay put together a list of forty names of actors mostly under the age of forty who they believe have the potential to be the movie stars of the future and help carry movies like the stars before them. The list of names included a wide range of talent like Timothée Chalamet, Margot Robbie, Emma Stone, Daniel Kaluuya, Austin Butler, Paul Mescal, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and many more the team had to decide if they were going to buy, sell, or hold the stock of these potential movie stars. It was a lot of fun doing this episode, we hope you enjoy it. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h35m. We will be back next week to talk David Fincher's The Killer and our Top 5 David Fincher films. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Nov 2, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 17 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the last film in their Lynne Ramsay series, You Were Never Really Here (2018). In her fourth film of her career, Ramsay seemed to change direction back to the style of films she was making before We Need to Talk About Kevin , and strip everything back to a singular focus and tone rather than grander ideas. In doing so, she collaborated with one of Hollywood's most in demand actors, Joaquin Phoenix, to create a violent, tight neo-noir crime thriller about a mercenary haunted by his past, who is hired to rescue a politician's daughter who was kidnapped by a human trafficking network. Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017, Ramsay and Phoenix would go on to win prizes for her screenplay and his fully committed performance as Joe, some of the best work of his celebrated career. Ryan and Jay break down the film, speak briefly about Phoenix's filmography, the film's beautiful yet haunting ending, Jonny Greenwood's subtle score, and give out their rankings of Lynne Ramsay's small but fascinating body of work. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h18m. The guys will be back next week to begin their next series covering the films of Paul Thomas Anderson with a review of his debut film, Hard Eight . You can stream Hard Eight on Pluto TV, as well as rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Nov 1, 2023

On episode 206 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Sophia Ciminello recap the AFI FEST 2023. Before they get into their final festival experience of the year, the 2023 Gotham Awards were announced last week, giving us the first nominations of the upcoming Oscar season. Voted on by a jury system of selected critics, the films listed comprised of some of the best indie films of the year, including Past Lives, Passages, Showing Up, A Thousand and One, All of Us Strangers and more. This year, the organization removed the budget cap requirements, which limited the film's that could be considered for consideration to anything made for less than $35 million. Once they were done discussing that, Ryan and Sophia moved on to briefly talk about a big release that debuted in theaters while the podcast was off last week, Killers of the Flower Moon , and why it is one of the best films of the year, in their opinion. After they were done talking about Scorsese's latest, they moved on to the AFI FEST, that saw the world premieres of films like Leave the World Behind and Freud's Last Session and closed with Bradley Cooper's Maestro. Ryan and Sophia talk about those films, as well as their thoughts on Perfect Days, La Chimera, American Fiction , and two highlights, A Matter of Life and Death and All That Jazz , from Greta Gerwig's special Guest Director section, showcasing five big screen classics. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h27m. We will be back next week to talk about a really fun topic, our Top 5 Modern Movie Stars. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Oct 26, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 16 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Lynne Ramsay series, We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011). After coming out with two films back to back early in her career, Ramsay took nine years to return to the big screen with her third feature film that sparked tons of divisive reactions and was regarded as one of the best films of 2011 and of the 2010s decade. A tense psychological thriller about a mother's bond with her strange, disturbed child showcased Ramsay's unique ability to build tension throughout a complicated story, as well as the talents of one of the best working actresses in modern cinema, Tilda Swinton. Ryan and Jay breakdown their thoughts on the film, if it's still relevant subject matter about massive killings in America is handled properly as well as the narrative logistics of the aftermath, Swinton's stellar career, the titular actor in this film and their body of work, and how much bleak punishment is okay to put on the audience with a movie like this. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h32m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series covering the films of Lynn Ramsay with a review of her fourth feature film, You Were Never Really Here . You can stream You Were Never Really Here on Amazon Prime Video, as well as rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Oct 19, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 15 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Lynne Ramsay series, Morvern Callar (2002). Three years after making her feature film debut, Lynne Ramsay returned with another fascinating character study in Morvern Callar, which follows a young woman whose life completely changes for better and worse following the suicide of her boyfriend. Based on the novel by Alan Warner, Ramsay and her co-writer Liana Dognini took the experimental nature of the book and expanded the scope of who this protagonist is and created a fascinating look into the life of someone who is making things up as they go in order to run away from their grief. Led by an extraordinary performance from Samantha Morton, Ryan and Jay discuss the vibrant direction by Ramsay, Morvern's decision making process and how it fits within the rules of the film, the unsettled feeling they both had watching the film, and how this was their first experience using Freevee to watch a movie with commercials. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h22m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of Lynn Ramsay with a review of her third feature film, We Need to Talk About Kevin . You can stream We Need to Talk About Kevin on Amazon Prime Video, as well as rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Oct 16, 2023

On episode 205 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Zach Laws talk about their Top 5 favorite, and least favorite, franchise remakes/reboots. Before getting into the Top 5 for this week, Ryan announced the winner of the 2023 Summer Movie Draft, which ended up being a very close finish when the numbers were all added up, showcasing a lot of interesting lessons learned to be going forward into next year's draft. Once the winner was announced, Zach briefly talked about his review of The Exorcist: Believer, which was the inspiration for the Top 5 this week. As it seems to be another bad horror remake/reboot for director David Gordon Green, it made for an interesting idea to look some of the best franchise remakes/reboots and what makes those work so well, as well as look at the ones that didn't work out and set back their intellectual properties further than before. Ryan list covered a wide range of films and genres, while Zach primarily stayed in the horror genre for his selections, which included for both of them Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing, The Mummy, Ocean's Eleven, Casino Royale, The Fly as examples of their favorites, and Man of Steel, Fantastic 4 (2015), Jurassic World, Alice in Wonderland, and the recent Halloween reboot as films that were their least favorite attempts at making a franchise relevant again. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h47m. We will be back in two weeks to recap the AFI Film Festival and give our thoughts on the latest film from Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Oct 12, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 14 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the first film in their Lynne Ramsay series, 1999's Ratcatcher . Gaining notice throughout the 1990s for her short films, director Lynne Ramsay became a name cemented in the fabric of modern cinema as someone who was able to distinctly exam human relationships at such a raw yet honest perspective. After winning the 1996 Cannes Prix de Jury for her graduation short film, "Small Deaths," she spent some time working on various short films, all with critical success, leading her to develop one of the most personal debuts of the last 25 years, Ratcatcher . In telling the story of a young boy trying to move on in his life after a tragedy to one of his best friends, Ramsay showcases what happens when the innocence of childhood is taken too soon before you are ready to grow up, and announces herself as one of the best visual storytellers of her generation. Led by a cast of mostly unknown actors and shot impeccably by cinematographer Alwin H. Küchler, Ryan and Jay breakdown down Ramsay's debut and where it ranks as some of the best debuts of the 90s, the child performances in the film, the open ending for the film, and the film year that was 1999. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h19m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of Lynn Ramsay with a review of her second feature film, Morvern Callar . You can stream Morvern Callar on Max , as well as rent it via iTunes or Amazon Prime Video in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Oct 9, 2023

On episode 204 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello and Dan Bayer dive the newest AwardsWatch Oscar retrospective covering the 91st Academy Awards and the films of 2018. If you can remember back to just five years ago, the Oscars were coming off the heels of a couple of years of great winners from the Academy, with Spotlight , Moonlight , and The Shape of Water taking home the previous three Best Picture prizes. It looked like, with new members added every year, the Oscars were done giving disappointing winners their top honor, but the 2018 Oscar season proved to be a massive step back for the Academy as Green Book won Best Picture, and went down in history as one of the worst winners in Oscar history. Moreover, the season not only had other films of questionable quality nominated as well, but it started a path towards a host-less ceremony, ideas of cutting categories, not inviting the acting winners from the year before to the ceremony to present, and other problems that would come up in one form or another for the next few years at the Oscars. In this in depth retrospective, Ryan, Sophia and Dan break down the year in film, the good and bad nominees, and the overall legacy of Green Book 's win and the rest of the winners on the night. They also talked about where they were at just five years ago, the campaigning that got us this Best Picture win, and how similar tactics have been used since for both good and bad reasons. After doing that, Ryan gave out some Oscar Trivia for Sophia and Dan to answer, and then they got into playing 'Should've, Could've, Would've,' where they replace nominees from the 91st Academy Awards and give out their personal winners for the year. The films included in their discussion ranged from If Beale Street Could Talk, Burning, Leave No Trace, A Simple Plan, First Reformed, Hereditary, Widows, BlacKkKlansman, Private Life, Roma, First Man, The Old Man and the Gun, Disobedience, Suspiria, The Favourite, Paddington 2, Can You Ever Forgive Me, Blindspotting, Wildlife, and so many more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h32m. We will be back next week to talk about our Top 5 Best/Worst franchise reboots, inspired by the latest Exorcist revival. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Oct 5, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 13 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the final film in their Denis Villeneuve series, Dune (2019). As the guys talked about last week, Blade Runner 2049 wasn't the biggest success in the world, though it won a couple of Oscars and was considered a perfect test for Villeneuve to explore existing IP and give his unique vision to it. In successfully making that film, he was then given the massive opportunity to adapt one of the greatest pieces of sci-fi canon with Frank Herbert's classic novel, Dune . Obsessed with the novel as a kid, Villeneuve decided to split the book into two parts, only shooting the first film, and trusting audiences would like his take on the book enough for there to be a demand for more. It was a big gamble and it paid off with Dune being a good commercial hit that also bleed into multiple Oscar nominations and wins, and a part two that we will see soon. In their discussion, Ryan and Jay talked about the marketing of the film, if it works as a solo film or not, where they stand on Timothée Chalamet as a Hollywood leading man, the technical achievement behind the work, if Villeneuve was snubbed for a Best Director nomination, and give out their rankings to wrap of the series. Make sure you listen to the whole episode to hear the next two series the guys are going to cover to wrap up the 2023 calendar year. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h02m. Dune is currently available to stream on Max and Netflix as well as for rent on Prime Video. The guys will be back next week for the beginning of an all-new series covering the films of Lynne Ramsey, and her first feature, Ratcatcher . You can stream Ratcatcher on Max, as well as rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Oct 2, 2023

On episode 203 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Nicole Ackman and Dan Bayer to give out their Top 5 Sci-Fi films of all time. Before the team gets into the Top 5 for this week, they discuss the historic deal that the WGA was able to make with the major film studios. In an important step in the right direction, the 148-day strike came to an end on September 27, with the writers getting a three-year deal that met every important demand that they wanted, including better pay, full transparency when it comes to streaming numbers, and the avoidance of A.I being a part of writer's rooms and letting creatives still run their own projects. While SAG-AFTRA is still looking to make their own deal and their strike is still ongoing, this is a huge win for not just the WGA but workers and unions all around this country. Moving on from this very important news, Ryan, Nicole and Dan move on to talk about their Top 5 Sci-Fi films, a topic inspired by the release of The Creator , which Nicole reviewed on the website this past week . It is another difficult list for the team to put together, having to consider not just their favorite films in the genre, but which films also honor the genre the best in asking questions about the state of our modern world in mostly futuristic settings. It is one of the richest genres in film history, and the titles selected like Blade Runner, Never Let Me Go, Avatar, The Matrix, Star Wars, Total Recall, Children of Men, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Back to the Future only scratch the surface in how many wonderful sci-fi films there are, which led to a really great conversation by the team. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h50m. We will be back next week with a brand new AwardsWatch Oscar retrospective, talking about the 91st Academy Awards, covering the films of 2018. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Sep 29, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 12 of the Director Watch Podcast, Ryan and Jay are joined by fellow AwardsWatch contributor Sophia Ciminello as they discuss the next film in their Denis Villeneuve series, Blade Runner 2049 (2017). After being nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards and having Arrival land a Best Picture nomination as well, Villeneuve took on his biggest project yet, a sequel continuing the story of the legendary sci-fi film, 1982's Blade Runner . In working with his staple of regulars like cinematographer Roger Deakins and editor Joe Walker, and with the blessing of the original film's director, Ridley Scott, Blade Runner 2049 was a technical marvel, that builds on the classic film before it and elevates itself as one of the best blockbusters (if not at the box office) of the last thirty years. In taking a trip to the near future, Ryan, Jay and Sophia talk about Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford's dynamic performances, the mystery at the core of this story, the acting choices of Jared Leto, Hans Zimmer's lackluster score, if this is the best film they have talked about so far, and how in the world did Warner Bros. even greenlight this movie, and if a continuation of this franchise is the right thing to do. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h54m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their Denis Villeneuve series with a look at Dune . You can stream Dune on Max, as well as rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Sep 25, 2023

On episode 202 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello, Josh Parham, and Zach Laws to give out their Top 5 Directorial Debuts of all time. 2023 has been a pretty great year of films so far, based on what has been released and what most of the team as already seen at the fall film festivals from earlier in the month. With that there has been some standout directorial debuts, most notable Chloe Domont's Fair Play , which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. With it set to release in theaters this upcoming weekend (with a streaming date of October 13 on Netflix), the AW team got together for a Top 5 list inspired by the highly acclaimed debut to talk about some of the best first time features to ever be release. In breaking down their lists, Ryan, Sophia, Josh, and Zach talked about a wide range of debuts that were both meaningful to them personally, as well as shaped the course of cinema history when they arrived to audiences around the world. Some of the titles discussed on this episode were Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Night of the Hunter, Badlands, The Parent Trap, Thief, Ordinary People, Bound, The Virgin Suicides, Citizen Kane, and so many more, as the list of honorable mentions were long and full of films everyone should catch up with. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h27m. We will be back next week to talk about our Top 5 sci-fi films in honor of the release of The Creator . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Sep 21, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 11 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by fellow AwardsWatch contributor Zach Laws as they discuss the next film in their Denis Villeneuve series, Arrival (2016). Following the critical and commercial success of Sicario, Villeneuve returned a year later with his first stab into the sci-fi genre, making a film about a linguist who is tasked with the job of finding a way to communicate with extraterrestrials who have landed in twelve different spacecrafts around the Earth. But beyond the film, Villeneuve unexpectedly delivered a healing vessel for audiences who felt a sense of hopelessness with the results of the 2016 election. Lead by a career best performance from Amy Adams and the best work of Jóhann Jóhannsson career, Arrival is considered not just one of the best films of 2016, but one of the most important films of the last decades, and what many consider Villeneuve's finest work of his career. In this episode, Ryan, Jay and Zach talk about where they were when they saw it in 2016, Zach's star-studded screening story, why Amy Adam's was subbed for a Best Actress nomination, the morality of the film's ending, the fantastic supporting work from Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker and Michael Stuhlbarg, as well as one or two Tim Allen impressions. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h17m. The guys will be back next week to continue their Denis Villeneuve series with a look at Blade Runner 2049 . You can rent Blade Runner 2049 via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental (no streaming options) in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Sep 18, 2023

On episode 201 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer and Kevin L. Lee to give their reactions to the films they saw at the 48th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival. A couple of weeks back, Ryan and Erik gave their reactions to the Telluride Film Festival, one of the first film festivals to start of the fall festival season. After they left the mountains of Colorado, they got their passports ready and headed north to Canada for the annual Toronto International Film Festival. Known for having big Oscar contenders premiere and star-studded red carpets, because of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, TIFF was not as glamorous as years past. But with close to 300 movies from around the world screening across a week and a half, there was still plenty of good films that the gang saw that they were able to share their opinions on. Before getting into the films, Ryan, Erik, Dan, and Kevin talk about their TIFF experience in terms of what it is like to attend the festival, the ticketing system, and how the screenings work for press and general audiences going to the festival. Then they went on to discuss the three films that won the TIFF People's Choice Awards: American Fiction, The Holdovers, and The Boy and the Heron . After giving their thoughts on TIFF winners, they went on to gives thoughts on tons of films that included Next Goal Wins, Monster, Dumb Money, Sing Sing, Rustin, His Three Daughters, Woman of the Hour, Dream Scenario, Evil Does Not Exist, Hitman, Origin, Wicked Little Letters, and more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h38m. We will be back next week to talk about our Top 5 Directorial Debuts, in honor of the stellar year of debuts that have come out in 2023. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Sep 14, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 10 of the Director Watch Podcast, they discuss the next film in their Denis Villeneuve series, Sicario (2015). After releasing Prisoners and Enemy back to back, Villeneuve returned the following year with his most confident film to date. Set around the U.S and Mexico border, Sicario dives deep into the murky waters of the ongoing fight to stop the drug cartels from moving their product into the U.S. Lead by an all-star cast that includes Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benicio Del Toro, and stellar cinematography from Roger Deakins, Sicario ranks highly within Villeneuve's filmography, showcasing a true sense of tension throughout each from of the film. Ryan and Jay break down the politics of the film, the rise of screenwriter Taylor Sheridan, Blunt and Del Toro's magnetic chemistry, and even talk a little about the sequel, Sicario: Day of the Soldado . You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h38m. The guys will be back next week to continue their Denis Villeneuve series with a look at Arrival . You can stream Arrival on Netflix as well as rent via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Sep 8, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 9 of the Director Watch Podcast, they discuss the next film in their Denis Villeneuve series, Enemy (2014). Following up the successful of Prisoners didn't take long, as Villeneuve's next film was actually shot just before it and was released to high acclaim in the spring of 2014. Enemy unites the director with Gyllenhaal again, this time playing a duel role about a two men who look the exact same but are completely different. In what would be the last small indie film for Villeneuve in his filmography to date, it has also led to problem the most discussed ending of any of his films with the reveal of the GIANT SPIDER. Ryan and Jay break down what they think the spider imagery means, Gyllenhaal's double performance, the Canadian Screen Awards, Mélanie Laurent's career, and if they think Villeneuve wants to ever make another film like this. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h31m. The guys will be back next week to continue their Denis Villeneuve series with a look at Sicario . You can stream Sicario on Paramount Plus as well as rent via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Sep 5, 2023

On episode 200 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Sophia Ciminello are joined by journalist and host of the Pop Culture Confidential podcast, Christina Jeurling Birro, to give their reactions to the films they saw at the 50th edition of the Telluride Film Festival. Two weeks ago on the podcast, Ryan, Erik, Sophia and Christina came together to preview the 2023 Telluride Film Festival. Flash forward to now where the gang arrived at the festival and spent five glorious days watching some of the biggest films of the year that we will be talking about throughout award season. Recorded on the last night of the festival, they breakdown some of the major world premieres that the lineup offered like The Bikeriders, Saltburn, All of Us Strangers, The Holdovers, NYAD, Rustin, as well as a couple of titles that premiered at previous film festivals like The Zone of Interest, Poor Things, and Anatomy of a Fall. The gang also discuss their experience at the festival, as this was Sophia and Christina's first time in Telluride. They also briefly mention how the overall vibe of the festival was as the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are still on-going during the festivities. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h40m.We will be off next week as most of the AW podcast team will be at the Toronto International Film Festival. We will be back in two weeks to recap the show. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 28, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 8 of the Director Watch Podcast, they are joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson discuss the next film in their Denis Villeneuve series, Prisoners (2013). After breaking through on the festival circuit in America with Incendies, as well as receiving an Oscar nomination for Best International Feature, Villeneuve took some time off riding the success of his acclaimed film. He returned to cinemas in 2013, directing his first Hollywood studio project, Prisoners , a story involving the search for two missing young girls in Pennsylvania. Focusing on two perspectives, one being the father of one of the missing girls (Hugh Jackman) and the detective trying to solve the case (Jake Gyllenhaal), this bleak mystery thriller was a surprise hit back in 2013, as well as considered by many of his fans to be Villeneuve's best. In this episode, Ryan, Jay and Erik break down the symbolism shown throughout the film (SNAKES, PUZZLES), Jackman and Gyllenhaal's performances, Paul Dano's punchable face, Melissa Leo's wig, Roger Deakin's cinematography, the film's ridiculous logic, and if it is a David Fincher knockoff. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h35m. The guys will be back next week to continue their Denis Villeneuve series with a look at Enemy . You can stream Enemy on Cinemax on Demand as well as rent via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Aug 28, 2023

On episode 199 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Nicole Ackman and Jay Ledbetter to give out their Top 5 Sports Movies. With just days before the fall festivals begin, the AwardsWatch podcast takes a left turn before all the madness begins. As one of the final films of the summer, Gran Turismo , finally made its way into theaters, giving the podcast team a chance to do a Top 5 Sports Movies episode inspired by the newest racing release. While not everyone is a sports fan, sports movies can be films made for all audiences, with some popular themes and messages that are larger than life, making audiences connect with the characters on their athletic journeys, thus becoming inspiring in the process. But not every film about sports is uplifting, as they can also be a looking glass into the soul of a human being, as well as examination of the time we live in and the dangers that the sporting world could bring to those who participate. Ryan, Nicole and Jay examine what makes a great sports film, what they love about them, and even stretch out the idea of what even qualifies as a sports movie in a fun episode featuring conversations over films like A League of Their Own, Bull Durham, Speed Racer, I, Tonya, The Color of Money, He Got Game, Warrior, Bend it Like Beckman, and many more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h34m. We will be back next week to the films that premiered at the Telluride Film Festival. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 24, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 7 of the Director Watch Podcast, the guys discuss the first film in their Denis Villeneuve series, Incendies (2010). As Ryan and Jay said goodbye to Todd Haynes on the last episode, so begins another series talking about one of the biggest directorial names in modern cinema. Over the last fifteen years, Denis Villeneuve has risen the ranks to be compared alongside the names of big budget directors with the likes of Christopher Nolan and Ridley Scott. While he is a fairly recent director, his filmography has led to massive discussions by film fans around the world, and in anticipation for his latest film, Dune Part 2 , it made sense for the guys to tackle his work. But before he was making sci-fi spectacles, he made heart wrenching, celebrated indie dramas, which leads us to Incendies , which is a tale about a mother (a deeply committed performance from Lubna Azabal), whose devastating trauma from her past life must be dealt with by her children before she is firmly laid to rest. In this episode, the boys set up their relationship with Villeneuve and his films, their thoughts on this bleak breakout film, the morality and construction of the film's finale, and whether Radiohead's music should be used in any film. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h2m. The guys will be back next week to continue their Denis Villeneuve series with a look at Prisoners . You can stream Prisoners on Netflix as well as rent via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 21, 2023

On episode 198 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Sophia Ciminello are joined by journalist and host of the Pop Culture Confidential podcast, Christina Jeurling Birro, to predict and preview the upcoming 50th edition of the Telluride Film Festival, whose official lineup will be announced on August 30. We are less than ten days till the beginning of the fall film festivals, and thus the start of a brand new award season. While the Venice Film Festival is happening on the other side of the world, in the mountains of Colorado lies the small town of Telluride that will be the host of its 50th annual film festival that has been the launching pad for dozens of films Oscar chances. The Telluride Film Festival is known for being a director focused festival, taking titles from all around the world in it's lineup, with plenty of world premieres of some of the biggest films of the fall. Erik and Ryan went last year, and talked about their experience at the 49th annual festival in a previous episode , and how that Labor Day weekend was the part of the award season momentum for titles like Women Talking, TÁR, Bardo, Aftersun and many more. With this being Sophia and Christina's first time going to the festival, the crew get together to talk about their festival expectations, how everyone is going to have to step up with festival outfit game compared to Erik, the films that won't be at the festivals, the world premieres we expect to be there and the films from other film festivals that could and should be part of the lineup. The episode is full of laughs and insights into the start of another busy award season. Expect to hear back from the same crew in two weeks to wrap up the festival and see how many of the lineup shacked out. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more.

Aug 17, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 6 of the Director Watch Podcast, they are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Nicole Ackman to discuss the final film in their Todd Haynes series, Dark Waters (2019). On the surface, Dark Waters may seem like an odd choice for Todd Haynes to direct, making the project almost seem like a "director for hire" situation. But once you dive into this legal thriller, the more of Haynes you will find. In a story about an environmental lawyer who puts everything on the line to expose DuPont, one of the world's largest chemical companies, of a lengthy history of pollution, Haynes dives into not just how the danger threatens everyone in the local small towns that are being poisoned by DuPont, but the millions of people around the world using their products. In doing this, Haynes makes a visually striking, cynical drama about one man's endless such for accountability. Led by Haynes's excellent direction, Ryan, Jay, and Nicole discuss Mark Ruffalo's performance, Ed Lachman's bold cinematography, which character actors stand out in the cast, if Anne Hathaway's performance is underwritten, and if Dark Waters is the most underrated gem from 2019 film year. Warning, the audio to this episode was damaged but that still shouldn't stop you from listening to this fantastic, fun conversation. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h28m. The guys will be back next week to begin their Denis Villeneuve series with a look at Incendies . Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 14, 2023

On episode 197 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Zach Laws, and Josh Parham to discuss their 2024 pre-Fall festival Oscar predictions. In less than three weeks, the Fall film festivals will be in full swing around the globe, as dozens and dozens of films premiere with great optimism that they will have what it takes to carry over in the award season conversation. While we know most of the film festival lineups and where everything will be playing, no one can predict at this exact moment in time what the nominations and winners will be come March 2024. With this in mind, we are at the start of a brand new Oscar season, thus the AW team has come together to give their first podcast Oscar predictions before the world premieres at the Venice, Telluride, and Toronto Film Festivals. Erik has been covering the monthly Oscar predictions on the site, but these predictions are the first chance for Ryan, Josh, and Zach to talk with Erik as a group and see where everyone is right now, who are the early frontrunners, and which films have what it takes to make it all the way to Hollywood's biggest night. Their conversation covered the Best Picture category, as well as Best Director, both Original and Adapted Screenplay, and all four of the acting categories. Among the several films that were highlighted the most in the team's conversation include Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, The Zone of Interest, Barbie, Past Lives, The Holdovers, Dune Part Two, Maestro, May December, Anatomy of a Fall, Air, Saltburn, The Killer, Ferrari, Nyad, Priscilla, The Iron Claw and Poor Things, with a hand full of other titles like Asteroid City, Dumb Money, Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse, The Color Purple, Long Day's Journey into Night and Rustin also getting some consideration.It was a detailed, exciting podcast that we hope you enjoy. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h16m.We will be back next week to preview the 2023 Telluride Film Festival. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 10, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 5 of the Director Watch Podcast, they are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Zach Laws to discuss the latest film in their Todd Haynes series, Wonderstruck (2017). Two years after Carol was released with worldwide acclaim, Haynes took a rather unpredictable turn in his filmography by crafting a multi-generational family drama aimed for young audiences. Working off a script from writer Brian Selznick (based on his novel of the same name), Haynes takes two time periods, the 1920s and 1970s, and melds two stories of two young deaf children who are searching for their parents in New York City. Working alongside actresses he's worked with before in Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams, and discovering the breakout talents of Millicent Simmonds and Oakes Fegley, Haynes is able to takes us on an emotional ride through fifty years of family, as well as human history, to tell an earnest story about togetherness and sincerity. Ryan, Jay, and Zach dive into the right turn for Haynes, the look of each time period shot by Haynes's regular cinematographer Edward Lachman, the child performances, and if a less cynical approach for a Todd Haynes films makes this stand out in a good or bad way for his filmography. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h13m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their Todd Haynes series with a look at 2019's Dark Waters . Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 7, 2023

On episode 196 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello, Zach Laws, and Josh Parham to discuss their Top 5 Modern Directors. With Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan's films dominating the box office, having audiences racing to see Barbie and Oppenheimer over and over again, we thought that it would be a good idea to do a list inspired by two of the biggest directors working in movies today. For the Awards Watch team, directors and their filmographies are the backbone of why they are the writers and film enthusiasts they are. In do this list, Ryan, Sophia, Zach and Josh dive head first into the directors that speak to them during our modern era of filmmaking. In doing so, the gang set an age requirement of 60 or below and the director had to have at least three films to their filmography to qualify. In doing this, some of the biggest, most influential filmmakers of our time were mentioned, including Barry Jenkins, Steve McQueen, David Fincher, Sofia Coppola, Céline Sciamma, David Lowery and Wes Anderson, alongside some names that were new discoveries for the group, and many more. NOTE: The audio to this episode was damaged but that still shouldn't stop you from listening to this fantastic, fun conversation. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h13m. We will be back next week talking about our pre-fall festival 2024 Oscar predictions. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Aug 3, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 4 of the Director Watch Podcast, they are joined by Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly Content Update Editor and host of the And the Runner Up Is podcast, to discuss the latest film in their Todd Haynes series, Carol (2015). After making I'm Not There , Haynes stepped away from feature films for a lengthy eight years to focus on other projects, most notably the 2011 Mildred Pierce mini-series for HBO. But in 2015, Haynes returned to the big screen with a dazzling, romantic period drama that is considered to be one of the best films of the last decade, Carol . Working off a script written by Phyllis Nagy adapted from Patricia Highsmith's groundbreaking novel, the film follows two women, a young inspiring photographer (Rooney Mara) and an older housewife (Cate Blanchett) going through a divorce, who begin a forbidden affair that forms into a beautiful, heartbreaking love story over the course of the film. On this episode, Ryan, Jay, and Kevin dive into these two fascinating performances by Mara and Blanchett, Nagy's perfect screenplay, the expert work by everyone in the crafts departments, why the film was nominated for Best Picture, and most importantly, Haynes's evolution as a director as a filmmaker who specializes in making memorable period pieces. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h26m. The guys will be back next week to continue their Todd Haynes series with a review of Wonderstruck . Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 31, 2023

On episode 195 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Nicole Ackman, Dan Bayer, Sophia Ciminello, Zach Laws, and Josh Parham conduct a classic Academy Awards retrospective for the 66th Oscars, covering the films of the year 1993. Right now, while the world is still in the middle of the phenomenon that is Barbenheimer, the AW team go back thirty years to when director Steven Spielberg was the king of Hollywood. In 1993, Spielberg made two of what many people believe to be his best films in Jurassic Park and Schindler's List , the latter being the film that would win the director his first Best Director Oscar and win Best Picture of the year. Alongside this success for one of cinema's best artists, the year was a banner year for cinema all around, with a great variety of films celebrated at the Oscars that had massive cultural and critical success like The Fugitive, Philadelphia, The Piano, In the Name of the Father, The Remains of the Day, In the Line of Fire, The Firm, The Age of Innocence, and many more. In this retrospective, the AW team take a look at the year as a whole, talk about the Oscar ceremony, any trends they see in the year, and the legacy of Schindler's List and its Oscar wins. Throw in some Oscar trivia and an extensive version of "Should've, Could've, Would've", where the team highlight what they think the real winners and nominees should be, and you've got a fun look back as the gang cover dozens of titles, filled with plenty of juicy hot takes. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h47m. It is a big episode but worth the time to talk about this milestone year in cinema. We will be back next week talking about our Top 5 Modern Film Directors. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 27, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 3 of the Director Watch Podcast, they are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Sophia Ciminello discuss the latest film in their Todd Haynes series, I'm Not There (2007). Following up his most successful film to date, Todd Haynes pivoted from the Douglas Sirk inspired world of Far From Heaven to tackle a music biopic about one of the greatest American figures in music history, Bob Dylan. Unlike Velvet Goldmine , where he wasn't granted access to use the songs of the iconic singer David Bowie, Dylan gave his blessing to Haynes for this project, which explore the multiple personas of the legendary singer songwriter performed by six different actors of various age, gender and race. With this, Haynes made a film that is now celebrated amongst the other outstanding films of the vastly rich year that was 2007. On this episode, Ryan, Jay and Sophia breakdown if Haynes was able to stick this landing for this ambitious film, if it does right by Dylan's legacy, why more modern biopics aren't made this way, they aren't looking forward to the new Bob Dylan biopic from director James Mangold, and which other music genius could get a similar I'm Not There style of film made about their life and career. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h37m. The guys will be back next week to continue their Todd Haynes series with a look at Carol . Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 24, 2023

On episode 194 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Zach Laws, Kevin L. Lee and Jay Ledbetter to review the two biggest movies of the year, Barbie and Oppenheimer. Barbenheimer is upon us! As audiences are selling out theaters around the world, it has become one of the most successful weekends in history of cinema. With this, the AW team takes a deep dive into the two most hyped films in a long time, starting with Greta Gerwig's Barbie followed by Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer . A candy color dreamscape comedy and a three-hour historical epic about the making of the atomic box take center stage as Ryan, Erik, Zach, Kevin, and Jay go into what the liked about each film and if they struggled with any aspects of the film. After the teams very in-depth and length reviews, they take a look at the 2023 Summer Box Office Draft and notice that Team Erik has gain some ground on Team Ryan, as we make our way into the final month of the summer. Moving on from there, the team answer some listener questions that included what they thought the Oscar chances were for both films, who the hottest Barbie and Ken was in the film, which Gerwig film was their favorite, and a fun game involving which director-actor pair they would've love to have seen taken on the story of Oppenheimer like Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 3h12m. It is a long episode but worth it to talk about the cinematic event of the decade. We will be back next week doing an Oscar retrospective over the 66th Academy Awards that covered the films of 1993. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 21, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this brand new AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 2 of the Director Watch Podcast, they are joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson discuss the latest film in their Todd Haynes series, Far from Heaven (2002). Right off at the top of the show, we address that there won't be an episode on Velvet Goldmine, as an error was made, and the episode has been lost forever. But Ryan, Jay and Erik give some brief thoughts on the 1998 film before diving into Haynes's 2002 follow up. In a pivot away from the glam rock drama, he found his way back into the cinematic world with another look at the domestic life of a wife played by Julianne Moore. Unlike Safe, Far From Heaven takes place in the 1950s, and explores a traditional 50's family crumbling due to sexual and racial relationships the married couple form in the film that were taboo for the time. Known for being one of the best films of the year 2002, Ryan, Jay, and Erik breakdown the film from every angle, from the brilliant score, Moore's performance, Haynes's screenplay, the homages to the genius director Douglas Sirk, and so much more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h31m. The guys will be back next week to continue their Todd Haynes series with a look at I'm Not There . Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 17, 2023

On episode 193 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello, Catherine Gonzales and Zach Laws to review the latest action packed epic Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One and give out their Top 5 Tom Cruise films. Before the team gets into the review, there was big news out of Hollywood this week, as SAG-AFTRA announced that they would be joining the WGA strike, joining forced in a strike for the first time since 1963. This historic move set a clear and loud message around the world and the AW team not only wanted to comment on the ongoing strike, but wanted to also share their full support in the fight for a fair deal for the writers and actors, whom without, none of this would exist. Transition into the rest of the show, the number one film in the world finds Tom Cruise back in the saddle again as IMF agent Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. The team talk at length about the latest Mission adventure, what they like and don't like about it, and try to figure out how much longer Cruise will keep making these movies before he ends up killing himself. After the review, they transitioned to talking about Cruise's Top 5 films of his career. In a career that spans decades, and close to fifty films, this length conversation spanned multiple films that showed Cruise's range not just as a movie star, but an incredible actor. Titles included Eyes Wide Shut, Magnolia, Legend, Collateral, A Few Good Men, Mission Impossible: Fallout , and more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h49m. We will be back next week to review the two biggest films of the year, Barbie and Oppenheimer . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 14, 2023

On episode 192 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson are joined by Griffin Schiller of FilmSpeak to discuss the filmography and legacy of director Christopher Nolan. There have not be many writer-directors over the last twenty plus years who has become one of the bigger names in Hollywood than Christopher Nolan. From starting off with small indie thrillers, he morphed overnight into one of the most well-known names in the business, making countless box office hits, landing critical success, and dozens of accolades along the way. So with the release of his latest film, Oppenheimer, coming out next week, Ryan and Erik invited Griffin on to talk about Nolan, and what the director has meant to the landscape of modern cinema and what their relationship is with his films. They also discuss his greatest strengths and weaknesses as a filmmaker, his influence (good or bad) on cinema, and talk about some of the favorite scenes from his films. They also give out their Nolan film rankings and give out their expectations going into not just his newest project, but what they would like to possibly see him do next. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h42m. The AwardsWatch Podcast will be back next week to discuss Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and talk about our Top 5 Tom Cruise performances. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 13, 2023

Welcome to Director Watch! On this brand new AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 1 of the Director Watch Podcast, they discuss the first film in their Todd Haynes series, Safe (1995). After introducing the show, Ryan and Jay go into a review as to why Safe , Haynes's second feature, is one of the most remarkable indie films of the 1990s. Released four years after his debut feature film Poison , Haynes makes a startling examination on a housewife slowly losing herself to a mysterious illness caused by the daily environment she lives in. Led by an all-time performance from Julianne Moore, Safe was a film that not only brought together this iconic director-actor duo for the first time, but both were brought to the attention of audiences around the world and would set the stage for their incredible careers going forward. We dive into the film's themes, its lingering questions, the impeccable blocking by Haynes and his cinematographer Alex Nepomniaschy, if Julianne Moore is the greatest actress of the last thirty years and a whole lot more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h39m. We will be back next week to continue their Todd Haynes series with a look at 1998's Velvet Goldmine . Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 10, 2023

On episode 191 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, TV Editor Tyler Doster to discuss our predictions for the 2023 Emmy nominations. Taking a break from movies for this week, the Television Academy will announce the nominations for the 75th Emmy Awards on July 12th. The AW team, led by Erik and Tyler, have put together an amazing season so far of coverage on the site, with reviews , interviews and prediction pieces that cover the wide range of television that is up for this year's Emmys. A lot of shows said goodbye this year – like Succession , Better Call Saul, and Ted Lasso - but there are a ton new shows that have become popular, some just within the time of voting. It will be very interesting to see which shows and artists get nominated and which will be snub in this massive fields of talent. In a lengthy but spirited and informative episode, Ryan, Erik, and Tyler break down who they think will get nominated in the major, televised categories for Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Comedy Series, and Drama Series. While they agreed on a lot, there were some deviations in their predictions that led to an entertaining conversation as to what each editor thinks will be considered by the voters this year. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h30m. We will be back next week to discuss Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and talk about our Top 5 Tom Cruise performances. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jul 3, 2023

On episode 190 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Josh Parham and Zach Laws to review Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and talk about their favorite films of 2023 so far. With the upcoming 4th of July holiday this week, families are usually trying to beat the heat and heading for the movies, with the big release this year being the latest entry in the beloved Indiana Jones franchise. Though the film received a mixed reception coming out of the Cannes Film Festival, our critic Ben Rolph was overall positive on the film in his review , stating that the film is a "thrilling joyride down memory lane as Ford puts the hat on for one last time." And while audiences seem to be enjoying the film, it is on course to be yet another box office disaster this summer, and potential the first big bomb in our AW Summer Movie Draft of the films selected. Our podcast team break down the 5th entry, which finds Ford working alongside the always sensational Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the current day of the film's setting (1969) and with director James Mangold ( Ford v Ferrari ) utilizing some questionable de-aging technology to send Ford back to 1944 to play the character at a younger age, battling Nazis once again. You can also see Zach's breakdown and ranking of all five Indiana Jones films here . After the Indy talk, since we are at the half point of the year, the AW team discussed some of their favorite films and performances of the year, and why you should catch up on them if you haven't seen them already. Around twenty titles were mentioned including Past Lives, Air, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, Asteroid City , John Wick: Chapter 4 , Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse , and many more. Then the team briefly moves on to mentioning a couple of titles they are still looking forward to in 2023. Summer is going by fast and before you know we'll enter in the Fall movie season; it'll be here before we all know it. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h50m. We will be back next week to give out our final 2023 Emmy nomination predictions. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 26, 2023

On episode 189 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer and Zach Laws to discuss Wes Anderson's latest film, Asteroid City , and then talk about the director's top 5 films of his career so far. Before the group go down the Wes Anderson rabbit hole, with June coming to a close, it was time to give another update in the AW Summer Movie Draft. While Team Ryan still holds the lead over Team Erik, it is all going to come down to a busy July and August at the movies to decide the winner. What can be seen though are some interesting domestic and international trends that could benefit or fail both teams going down the wire. Should lead to an exciting finish. Moving on to the main portion of the show, Wes Anderson's Asteroid City hit theaters wide this past weekend and has garnered critical and commercial acclaim yet again for the highly celebrated career of the talented writer-director. In our review out of Cannes from earlier this year, our writer Ben Rolph called the film "a wonderfully rousing and whimsical ride of idiosyncrasies," and our podcast team couldn't agree more, proclaiming one of the best films of the year so far. After talking about Asteroid City , they then broke down Anderson's filmography by giving out their picks for their top five Wes Anderson films, which included Fantastic Mr. Fox , Moonrise Kingdom , The Grand Budapest Hotel , Rushmore , and more. You can also read Zach's piece ranking all 11 Wes Anderson films, Everything in its right place: Ranking the films of Wes Anderson from 'Bottle Rocket' to 'Asteroid City' . You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h14m. We will be back next week to review Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and talk about our favorite films of 2023 so far. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 19, 2023

On episode 188 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Nicole Ackman to review Pixar's Elemental and take their first look at the 2024 Oscar Season. Before getting into the meat of this episode, big news out of Hollywood this past week as the Golden Globes were bought out by Dick Clark productions and the HFPA has been dispensed. It is a big revelation as the Globes are still in an ongoing struggle to move on from their checkered past. The team discuss what this could all mean going forward for this year's telecast as well as the future of their voting body. After that, they moved on to talk about this weekend's releases, with Nicole giving brief thoughts on WB's The Flash , and the group at large talking about Elemental , both which underperformed at the box office. While the DCEU seems to be crumbling before our very eyes with each new entry in the franchise, Pixar seems to be at a crossroads as Elemental received good reviews but had the lowest opening weekend box office returns in the studio's history. Part of it could be the film, or Pixar's recent decisions to put their films on Disney+. Either way, the team talk about what they liked and didn't like from the film and the studio's future. Usually when a Pixar film releases, this means we could talk about its Oscar chances or even potential win in the Best Animated Category. But since Elemental underwhelmed and Across the Spider-verse has exceeded expectations, it seems like we have our animated frontrunner that also has a small chance to get into Best Picture. Speak of that, since we are closing in at the halfway point of the year, and we are living in a post Cannes Film Festival world, the team take a look at the films that have been released so far that could make it into the Best Picture lineup, followed by the films this fall that they think will be the ones to look out for to win the Oscar's top prize. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h47m. We will be back next week to review Asteroid City and give out our Top 5 Wes Anderson films. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 13, 2023

On episode 187 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello, Dan Bayer, Zach Laws and Josh Parham conclude their tier ranking of the 95 Best Picture winners from the Academy Awards. AwardsWatch Podcast #186: Tier Rankings of all Best Picture Oscar Winners – Part 1 In the second part of the Best Picture tier rankings, the AW team start in the 1960s and go all the way to the most recent winners of Best Picture. This is where our hosts and audience are able to talk about the films they have most likely seen the most, and see the expansion of the limited "S tier," where compromise and sacrifices of some member's favorites are placed lower than you would be expected. But there are plenty of surprises amongst the team, leading to a fascinating final ranking of these 95 films. A truly fun exercise getting to talk about some of the best (and not so great) winners of all time. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h21m. We will be back later next week to talk about Pixar's Elemental and take an early look at the 2024 Oscars. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 12, 2023

On episode 186 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello, Dan Bayer, Zach Laws and Josh Parham to tier rank the 95 winners for Best Picture from the Academy Awards. While this summer has provided some good films and the team has given out some fun top 5 lists inspired by them, the heart of AW is always the awards season, specifically what will win the Best Picture prize at the Oscars. So in a fun change of pace, the AW podcast team set out to tier rank the 95 films the Academy has handed out the prize of Best Picture to over their celebrated history. In trying to place these winners in the correct spot, the team had to come together and decide on whether to place the films in the S (all time winner), A, B, C, D, or F tier and explain the ranking. The episode was so much fun that it had to be split into two parts, with this episode covering all the films up to 1960, placing a couple of classic in the S tier early on. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h13m. We will be back later this week with Part 2 of the Best Picture Tier rankings. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jun 5, 2023

On episode 185 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Nicole Ackman and Josh Parham to review Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and give out their Top 5 Non-Disney/Pixar animated films. Before diving into the Spider-verse, the gang went over the first month's results of the 2023 Summer Movie Draft. After four titles released, Team Ryan has taken the lead, scoring more the 300 million dollars at the box office so far than the films selected by Team Erik. But there is still plenty of time for Erik's team to come mount a comeback, as this summer's box office seems to be rather unpredictable. Moving over to the main review, it's been five years since Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse debuted and not only became known as one of the best films of 2018, but is considered by many to be the best Spider-Man film ever released and an absolute masterpiece. So Across the Spider-Verse had a lot to live up to but based on the groups conversation, and our review on the website by Sophia Ciminello , this is a sequel you aren't going to want to miss and sets up the potential of what could be one of the greatest trilogies of the 21st century. After the review, the team gave out a list of their Top Non-Disney/Pixar animated films, inspired by the release of Across the Spider-Verse. It was a difficult list to make given that there are so many titles to choose from, thus the selection varied amongst the group, with selected titles including Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Iron Giant, Wolfwalkers, The Lego Movie, Your Name. Listen to the show to find out the full lists given by the AW team. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h03m. We will be back next week to do something new, a tier ranking episode where the podcast crew will rank each Best Picture winner. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 30, 2023

On episode 184 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, TV Editor Tyler Doster and AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello to discuss the series finales for HBO's Barry and Succession . Before getting into the main part of the episode, the 2023 Cannes Film Festival wrapped up with the winners announced this past Saturday. For the fourth Cannes in a row, NEON took home the Palme d'Or, the top prize of the festival for Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall , with the runner up Grand Prize award going to Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest from A24 . Other films of notable interest included Fallen Leaves, The Pot-au-Feu, and Monster . Expect a lot of these titles and more from the festivals make the rounds at Venice, Telluride and TIFF later this fall with upcoming podcasts to anticipate and follow. Moving on, the last two months of television have brought audiences together for two of HBO's recent flagship programs with Barry and Succession. After weeks of speculation, and years of episodes and awards, the two shows come to an end in epic fashion with what the panel believes might be two of the best finales in years. Ryan, Erik, Tyler, and Sophia break down what they love about these episodes, the shows at large, and give a look at how the 2023 Emmy season will look like with these two final seasons included. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h51m. We will be back next week to discuss the latest animated superhero film, Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 22, 2023

On episode 183 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AW Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AW contributors Zach Laws and Catherine Gonzales to review Fast X and discuss the Fast and the Furious franchise as a whole. Before the gang gets behind the wheel of their Fast conversation, a big trailer dropped this past week for Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon , which will be released in theaters later in October. To put it mildly, it's one of the best trailers of the year, and in light of the film's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, there was a lot to discuss. 'Killers of the Flower Moon' review: Martin Scorsese's true American crime story of greed, murder and love may be his most empathetic | Cannes Moving on, the team got to dive deep into the latest entry in the Vin Diesel led action packed extravaganzas, Fast X . The franchise hits the home stretch, as this film alongside the eleventh and twelfth installment look to close out the long running story for Dom and his family, and there is plenty to talk about including, a fantastic new bad guy, tons of cameos, moments of absolute nonsense, and insane, over the top set pieces. Ryan, Erik, Zach and Catherine break it all down as well as give out their rankings for the franchise as a whole, say who their favorite and least favorite characters are, what is the dumbest moment in this franchise, and more. 'Fast X' review: The 'Fast & Furious' franchise may be running on fumes, but Jason Momoa makes it a fun ride Shut up and drive: 'The Fast and the Furious' franchise ranked You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h46m. We will be back next week to discuss the series finales of Barry and Succession , and take a look a little at the 2023 Emmys. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 15, 2023

On episode 182 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by TV Editor Tyler Doster and AwardsWatch contributor Sophia Ciminello to give out their Top 5 Romantic Comedies. Coming off last week's episode about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and the groups Top 5 Comic Book Movies, the AW podcast switches over to talk about the latest entry in the romantic comedy genre, Book Club: The Next Chapter . Sophia was able to catch up with it and gave her brief thoughts on the film, which quickly turned into a side conversation on which streaming platform it would go onto and the news that Disney + and Hulu might be merging. Once off the side tangent, Ryan, Sophia, and Tyler delivered their Top 5 romantic comedies, with films ranging from About Time , Bull Durham , Roman Holiday , Something's Gotta Give , Up in the Air , and so many more. If you love these movies just as much as they do, you aren't going to want to miss this wonderful conversation. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h39m. We will be back next week to discuss the latest entry in the Fast and Furious franchise, Fast X . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 8, 2023

On episode 181 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello and Dan Bayer to talk about the latest film in the MCU, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, give out their Top 5 Comic Book Movies. Coming off the heels of last week's Summer Box Office Draft, a major trailer release that shifted the focus for film fans this week as the first trailer for Dune Part Two . The gang talked about it, what they liked and didn't like about it, then shifted their focus to the Tony nominations, which were announced earlier in the week. Dan, with a little help from Sophia, broke down the nominations, their favorites of the nominees and who were the biggest snubs. After that, Ryan and Sophia reviewed Guardians , talking about why they think it was a good time a theater, while also discussing a little why it underperformed at the box office domestically this past weekend. Once they are done talking about the film, the team gives out their Top 5 Comic Book Movies, which included not just comic book superhero films, but films that originated from graphic novels and mangas. Some of these titles included The Dark Knight, The Rocketeer, Josie and the Pussycats, Road to Perdition, X2, Edge of Tomorrow, and so many more, making for a fantastic conversation. Tell us in the comments and on our social media pages what you think of each team's picks and who you think is going to win. Don't forget to subscribe for the new AwardsWatch Newsletter, a twice a week roundup of AW reviews, interviews, news, predictions, podcasts and more. Sign up here ! You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h10m. We will be back next week to discuss our Top 5 romantic comedies, in honor of the release of Book Club: The Next Chapter (review by Sophia Ciminello here ). Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

May 1, 2023

On episode 180 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, TV Editor Tyler Doster and AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello, Dan Bayer, Zach Laws, Josh Parham, Nicole Ackman, and Catherine Gonzales to take part in the 2023 Summer Box Office Draft. Returning for the second year in a row, the AW podcast team comes together to draft what they think will be the highest grossing films at the worldwide box office. Last year, Team Ryan came out on top, mostly due to the surprise box office hit that was Top Gun: Maverick . In the fall, Team Erik came back with a blowout victory in large part because of the other biggest film of 2022, Avatar: The Way of Water. With a new year comes new teams and an extra pick, along with a couple of surprises announced during the show, this summer season looks to be stacked with plenty of films for everyone to pick, as well as a lot of uncertainty in the selections. For any first-time listeners, here is how the game goes. The two teams are comprised of our AW podcast crew – Team One: Ryan, Sophia, Zach, Josh, and Kevin (who couldn't make it on the show) vs. Team Two: Erik, Tyler, Nicole, Dan, and Catherine. Each team built a strategy of what films we think will be the biggest summer hits of the year worldwide as well and factoring in what films will be the most critically lauded. For a fun bonus, each team presented the other with a 'bomb' pick; a film they think will tank and negatively impact the other team's score. Tell us in the comments and on our social media pages what you think of each team's picks and who you think is going to win. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h28m. We will be back next week to discuss the latest film in the MCU, Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 . Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 24, 2023

On episode 179 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer and Zach Laws to give their thoughts Beau Is Afraid and Evil Dead Rise, as well as answer some listener questions. Director Ari Aster has become one of the most popular directors of the last ten years, creating his own brand of horror films with hits like Hereditary and Midsommar. With his third feature, he has made an anxiety filled dark comedy that is three hours long and packed with just about anything that can come from the director's mind. By doing this, Aster has made the most divisive film of the year, one that team dive fully into with not just a discussion of the context of the film, but the discourse that has followed since its release. Once they are done, they give their brief reactions to the latest entry into the Evil Dead franchise. Towards the end of the episode, the team answer some listener questions, with topics including movies that they 'hate,' going into detail as to what point of their viewing experience did they realize that didn't like the movie. They also talk about their favorite films about 'nature' and what are some of their favorite needle drops in films. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h03m. We will be back next week the 2023 Summer Movie Draft. Till then, enjoy the show. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 17, 2023

On episode 178 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Nicole Ackman, Dan Bayer, Zach Laws and Josh Parham to dive deep into another AW Oscar retrospective, covering the 2003 season which awarded The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King the Best Picture of the year. 20 years ago, the Academy Awards were viewed by almost double the eyeballs of a modern telecast, and across the world people gathered to see Peter Jackson's epic trilogy get awarded Hollywood's top prize. Not only did Return of the King win Best Picture, but it went on that night to win ten more Oscars for a grand total of eleven, a clean sweep, and tying it with 1997's Titanic and 1959's Ben-Hur for the most Oscar wins ever by a single film. Ryan, Nicole, Dan, Zach and Josh break down the year 2003 as a whole, see if Return of the King holds up as a good to great Best Picture winner, and talk about some of the best and worst nominations from the lineup. Throw in Oscar trivia and some "Should've, Could've, Would've" rounds to highlight who they would give the Oscar to and it's an extensive yet fun look back as the gang covers dozens of titles, filled with plenty of hot takes. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio and more. This podcast runs 2h27m. We will be back next week to review Ari Aster's latest film, Beau Is Afraid . Till then, enjoy the show. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 10, 2023

On episode 177 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Nicole Ackman and Dan Bayer give their thoughts Ben Affleck's latest film, Air , as well as their Top 5 films that are 'based on a true story.' Since its premiere at SXSW, the buzz has been building for Ben Affleck's Air , which is the story about how Nike was able to get the deal done with Michael Jordan to get the Air Jordan shoe deal done. With being a little box office surprise as well as being a critical success, the AW crew give their thoughts on the film overall and what they think works and doesn't work. After the review, in a Top 5 list inspired by the Affleck's latest directorial effort, as Ryan, Nicole and Dan breakdown their favorite films that are 'based on a true story,' speaking about a variety of films that include Moneyball, Dog Day Afternoon, The Last Duel, Malcolm X, and more. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio and more. This podcast runs 2h29m. We will be back next week to do an Oscar retrospective episode covering the 76th Academy Awards, the films of 2003. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Apr 3, 2023

On episode 176 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Sophia Ciminello, Josh Parham and Zach Laws review The Big Lebowski for its 25th anniversary, and give their Top 5 Coen brothers movies. At the top of the episode, the AW crew welcome Zach to the team, and he shares a little bit about himself before everyone goes right into their review of the Joel and Ethan Coen's LA-based, noir inspired comedy that is considered to be one of the best film of the 90s and an influential film from its time. Turning 25 years old, the team go into what makes the film so special after all these years and why it might be on their Top 5 list. And speaking of lists, with 18 films to choose from, and being among the most popular directors of all time, Ryan, Erik, Sophia, Josh and Zach count down their choices and examine which films they think are the Coen brothers' best. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio and more. This podcast runs 2h05m. We will be back next week to review Ben Affleck's Air and talk about our Top 5 'Based on a True Story' films. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 27, 2023

On episode 175 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello and Kevin L. Lee give their thoughts on the latest film in the John Wick franchise, John Wick: Chapter 4 , and discuss their Top 5 Action Movie Sequels. After a week off due to the end of the Oscar season and SXSW, the AW podcast is back and ready to talk about the number one film in the world, John Wick: Chapter 4 . In a spoiler free review, Ryan, Sophia and Kevin talk about their thoughts on the film overall, the action sequences, and where they want to see the franchise going forward. 'John Wick: Chapter 4' review: The operatic fourth edition of the action series proves that too much is never enough In the second half of the show, in a Top 5 list inspired by the latest action vehicle from star Keanu Reeves, the team talk about their favorite action movie sequels. Some big titles were put in the penalty for each member of the team but overall, even with some crossover picks, there were plenty of titles mentioned and a great discussion over tons of great action movie sequels. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h59m. Next week we'll be doing a retro review of The Big Lebowski and talk about our Top 5 Coen Brothers movies. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 13, 2023

On episode 174 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer, Kevin L. Lee and Josh Parham to breakdown their thoughts on the 95th Academy Awards. Well, the 2023 Oscar season has ended and it resulted with a historic night for A24's Everything Everywhere All at Once winning seven Oscars including Best Picture. A day after its one-year anniversary at SXSW, the film carried its momentum a full year and landed the most above the line wins in Oscar history, as well as historic wins for the Daniels, Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan. But they weren't the only ones who has a big night, as Netflix walked away with another impressive haul, including four wins for All Quiet on the Western Front. Recorded shortly after the telecast, Ryan, Dan, Kevin, and Josh cover every moment and stat the night have to offer and put a bow on another long but rewarding award season. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h43m. We will be back next week to talk about the films that premiered at SXSW. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Mar 6, 2023

On episode 173 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AW Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AW contributor Sophia Ciminello give out their final predictions for the 2023 Academy Awards. Well, there is no backing away now. We are in the final week of the Oscar season, leading up to the Oscars being handed out in just six days. As we stand, we are looking at what could be a history making night for A24's Everything Everywhere All at Once , and the biggest question remains, how many Oscars do we think the film is going to go home with? There also are plenty of categories still wide open, making this one of the most exciting finishes to an Oscar season in years. Ryan, Erik, and Sophia break it all down and give out their final predictions, though they still have the right to change one or two things at the last second. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h42m. We will be back next week to wrap up the 95th Academy Awards. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 28, 2023

On episode 172 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer and Sophia Ciminello break down the winners of the 2023 SAG awards and where the Oscar race is at before the start of voting. We are down to the final two weeks of the Oscar season, and it has become clear that we are heading towards a historic night at the 95th Academy Awards for A24's Everything Everywhere All at Once . After it's win last Saturday night at the Producers Guild of America (PGA), the little movie that could took home the most SAG awards in the Screen Actors Guild history on Sunday, with three acting prizes and Best Cast. This is a big change from the BAFTA awards the week before, and the perfect scenario for the film going into Oscar voting. Ryan, Dan, and Sophia break down the winners, what they mean for the overall race, the chaos of Best Supporting Actor, and tease a very long show next week with our final predictions. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h10m. We will be back next week to give our final Oscar predictions. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 21, 2023

There is more than one queen that reigns over Wakanda. That queen is costume designer Ruth Carter, a 4-time Academy Award nominee ( Black Panther: Wakanda Forever , Black Panther , Amistad and Malcolm X ), and winner for 2018's Black Panther . She is also an Emmy nominee for Roots , a 3-time Costume Designers Guild Award winner ( Coming 2 America , Black Panther , Career Achievement Award), a 3-time Critics' Choice Award winner ( Black Panther , Dolemite Is My Name , Black Panther: Wakenda Forever ), and so much more. Carter is responsible for the iconic outfits that Marvel favorites like Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) wear. She was also tasked with creating the outfits for the newly-introduced world of Talokan, like Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and Namora (Mabel Cadena). Carter continues to raise the bar higher and higher, not only for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but for any individual in the profession. In result, Carter was honored with her fourth individual Academy Award nomination for the film, where the film itself garnered five nominations (Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Song, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Costume Design, Best Visual Effects). When asked about The Hollywood Reporter article that was penned by The Woman King director Gina Prince-Bythewood around omissions of Black women for Academy Award nominations, Carter responded, "It's not myopic representation. It's global and I find representation in Bardo . I find representation in Everything Everywhere All At Once . I find representation in Pinocchio . I find representation in Camille Friend, in Angela Bassett, in myself, in Ludwig Göransson. There is a lack of representation of black voices and black images, and for that, I feel sad. Women directors, for that, I feel very sad. I do hail the efforts of those who have films that do speak to the Black community and such. I cannot turn my back on that type of representation as well this year." We will find out the winners of the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 12. What's next for Ms. Carter? She will continue to stay in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by designing for the reboot of Blade . While tight lipped, she did reveal that, "Mahershala [Ali] has been training for weeks… months. I think we are going to see another Mahershala that I haven't seen yet because he is dedicated." Blade will be directed by Yann Demange and will be released on September 6, 2024. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever stars Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Critics' Choice and Golden Globe winner Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira, Michaela Coel, Martin Freeman, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The film is currently streaming in the Academy screening room and on Disney+.

Feb 20, 2023

On episode 171 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer break down the winners of the 2023 BAFTA Film Awards and DGA Awards and give their predictions for the upcoming SAG Awards . With less than a month before the Oscars, the awards race has shifted its focused to the industry, where on Saturday night, The Daniels took home the top prize at the DGA and continued the storybook run for Everything Everywhere All at Once . But the Sunday came and the BAFTA chose to go a very different route, with Netflix's All Quiet on the Western Front taking home seven awards including Best Feature. Alongside this came some pretty big upsets by the hands of The Banshees of Inisherin, leaving a lot of questions to be answered about what this means going forward in the race. After a lengthy discussion on BAFTA, Ryan, Erik and Dan broke down who they think are going to win the SAG Awards next Sunday and if any of the BAFTA winners will carry over, thus placing some contenders in perfect position to win. Mix in some listener questions and you got the receipt of another jammed backed, fun show from the AW crew. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h47m. We will be back next week talk about some new releases and potentially another game. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Feb 14, 2023

On episode 170 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Nicole Ackman, Sophia Ciminello and Dan Bayer review James Cameron's Titanic and take a look back at the 1998 Oscars. Over the past weekend, the epic, billion-dollar love story from director James Cameron returned to theaters for its 25th anniversary, and finish in the top five of the box office. Now as modern audiences are going back to Titanic again, the AW crew review the film, their history with it, and what it was like to see it on the big screen again. Once the review is over, the team moved on to talking about the 1998 Oscars, where Titanic dominated the night with 11 Oscar wins, with Big Jim Cameron claiming he was "the king of the world." But as the team look back, they talk about the other films that were nominated from the 1997 film year, answer trivia questions about the ceremony and then play a game called "Should've, Would've, Could've," in which each host say which of the nominees they would pick as the winner, and then who they would replace in the category alongside which film/performance they would replace it with. It was a lot of fun hearing all the fascinating answers selected by all the AW team on the show. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h22m. We will be back next week to talk about the BAFTA and DGA winners plus SAG predictions. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "My Heart Will Go On" (Love Theme from Titanic sung by Celine Dion) via Columbia/Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc. (intro) and "Hymn To The Sea" (Music From The Motion Picture music by James Horner) via Sony Soundtracks (outro).

Feb 6, 2023

On episode 169 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham review the latest film from director M. Night Shyamalan, Knock at the Cabin , and talk about their favorite twist endings. Jumping right into things, the crew jump into Knock at the Cabin , the first film to take down Avatar: The Way of Water at the box office. The film stars Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Kristen Cui, and follows a gay couple and their daughter vacationing at a remote cabin, but things take a turn for the worse when they are held hostage by four strangers, who demand they sacrifice one of their own to prevent the apocalypse. In the follow up to Old , Shyamalan adapts the best-selling novel by Paul G. Tremblay, and based on the reception on the podcast and audiences around the world, the film has garnered a mixed reception, thus leading to a very detailed, SPOILER-FILLED discussion. Josh also wrote the review for the film, which you can read on the site right now. After the review of the film, Ryan, Erik and Josh talked about some of their favorite films that featured a twist ending. They also discussed the various degrees a twist is used in a film, the various genres that use them well, directors who are known for them, and which films also had some pretty bad twists the ruined the whole experience. As they signed off the week, they gave a little prediction for next week's Super Bowl and picked which films from the 2023 slate they would like to see a trailer drop for during the big game. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h16m. We will be back next week talk about the re-release of Titanic and to do a retrospective on the 1998 Oscar season. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 30, 2023

On episode 168 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Kevin L. Lee give their reactions to the best and worst films they saw for the 2023 Sundance Film Festival . Before the guys get into their Sundance discussion, they briefly give their thoughts on the ongoing conversations surround last week's Oscar nominations. It was announced that the Academy would be doing an investigation into the campaign practices surrounding Andrea Riseborough's nomination. We will know more in the coming days, but until then, Ryan, Erik and Kevin take a little time to talk about all the angles of this story and what could potentially happen. Moving on from there, the crew talk about the Sundance Film Festival , were there over 110 films featured across the in person and virtual programs. In our first look at the independent films releasing in 2023, there were a ton of fine films they may have not hit the mark entirely, but enough gems for a great discussion. First up is a discussion of a Sundance selection that just released in Brandon Cronenberg's Infinity Pool, which led to a balanced conversation of the positives and negatives of the film (you can read Kevin's review here ). From there over a dozen of films are mentioned, there is plenty to look forward to within the next couple of months. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h44m. We will be back next week talk about some new releases and potential a game. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 25, 2023

On episode 167 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and special guest Mark Johnson (Editor, film critic, and Oscar prognosticator at Awards Daily) give their reactions 2023 Oscar nominations . Well they are finally here, the nominations for the 95th Academy Awards. All the buildup and anticipation led to the nominations announced on the morning of January 24, and there were plenty of great, history making moments from these batch on nominees as well as a lot of misses, snubs, and one wild nomination that has sparked a massive conversation. Ryan, Erik, and Mark leave no stone unturned and break down all the aspects of these nominations, who came out looking the best, and who is the strongest going into the next phase of the Oscar season. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h24m. We will be back next week to give our reactions to the 2023 Oscar nominations. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 20, 2023

On episode 166 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello, Josh Parham and Dan Bayer give their final 2023 Oscar nomination predictions. With the final pieces of the puzzle announced this week with the BAFTA nominations, the AW crew have come together to the longest episode to date to discuss all of the predictions for the feature length categories for the Oscar. Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Banshees of Inisherin, and The Fabelmans look to be the three leading contenders to lead the nominations tally come next Tuesday, January 24, 2023. But will another film emerge to take the top spot with the most nominations? Who are going to get into all the acting categories? Who is the fifth spot in Director and Original Screenplay going to be? What are the team's 'no guts, no glory' picks? All of the answers to these questions and more are broken down category by category with plenty of reason and details to support each team member's answers. It's the must listen episode of the season so far. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 4h 9m. We will be back next week to give our reactions to the 2023 Oscar nominations. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 16, 2023

On episode 165 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Nicole Ackman and Dan Bayer discuss the biggest week of the Oscar season so far with SAG, PGA, and DGA nominations released. Before they get into the guilds, the team circle back to the beginning of the week with their reactions to the Golden Globes. Between the speeches, winners, and overall vibes of the show, the Globes were everything they said it would be, even if the winners were a little more predictable than they thought they would be. Going to the news of the week, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) announced not only their 2023 nominations, but they announced that they will be streaming exclusively on Netflix for the foreseeable future, starting on their YouTube page this year before making it to the full platform next year. Ryan, Erik, Nicole and Dan break down this news, as well as the shocking misses and inclusions in their crop of nominations, as well as some interesting scenarios that could possible happen on Oscar nomination morning. They moved on to talk about the Producer Guild (PGA) and Directors Guild (DGA) nominations, and who they think might be in right now and which films or filmmakers are on the outside looking in. This conversation serves at the appetizer to this week, as the Critics Choice winners and BAFTA nominations will be announced by the time they record next for the final episode before Oscar nominations. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 1h52m. We will be back next week to give our Oscar Nomination predictions. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Jan 9, 2023

On episode 164 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello, Dan Bayer and special guest, Kevin Jacobsen (host of And the Runner Up Is) give their predictions for the 2023 Golden Globes Before the gang get into their predictions, Ryan, Erik, Sophia and Dan give their thoughts on the first major release of 2023, the horror-comedy M3GAN . Talked about already as a new camp classic, they go through their brief reactions to this wild little film, which they all can't wait to see the next film featuring the new horror icon. Moving on from there, the full group talks about their Golden Globe predictions. While they are a wild, controversial bunch, this will be marked as the first big televised event of award season, and could be big for many films that need to keep up or get some momentum in the race. First up were the television categories, followed by the film categories. The group picks were a mixture of safe plays and big swings, leading to a fun conversation. Stay tuned for the end of the episode, as everyone gives their wild prediction for what might come on SAG nomination morning. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. This podcast runs 2h31m. We will be back next week to give our reactions to the Golden Globe winners, as well as PGA and DGA nominations. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro) and the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of The Banshees of Inisherin by Carter Burwell used with permission. This podcast is sponsored by Searchlight Pictures presenting The Banshees of Inisherin – one of the best reviewed films of the year with a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, a Metacritic "Must See" film, and named one of the top 10 films of the year by the National Board of Review. Now nominated for nine Critic's Choice Awards including Best Director Martin McDonagh, Best Actor Colin Farrell, Best Screenplay, and Best Feckin' Picture of the Year. For your consideration in all categories.

Jan 2, 2023

On episode 163 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Nicole Ackman, Dan Bayer and Kevin Lee to talk about their favorites of 2022. In the first episode of 2023, the AW crew takes a look back at their favorite movies, performances and theater going experiences of the past year. Lots of love for Aftersun, RRR, TÁR, The Fabelmans. Nope, and more as they also talked about their favorite scenes of the year, favorite opening/endings, and what it means when a movie moves you emotionally over others you see throughout the year. At the end of the conversation, they also mentioned the movies they are looking forward to seeing the most in 2023 too. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more.This podcast runs 2h. We will be back next week to give our Golden Globe predictions and talk about M3GAN ! Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro) and "Speak Up" by Hildur Guðnadóttir from Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of Women Talking used by permission. This podcast is sponsored by the United Artists Releasing film Women Talking . Critics hail Sarah Polley's Women Talking as "Unlike Any Film You've Seen Before" and "One of the Cinematic Events of the Year," and it is now nominated for 6 Critics' Choice Awards including Best Picture. Starring Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Ben Whishaw, and Frances McDormand, Women Talking has also been named one of the 2022 AFI AWARDS Movies of the Year, one of the Top Films of the Year and winner of Best Ensemble by the National Board of Review, and is nominated for Three Independent Spirit Awards, Including Best Feature. For Your Consideration in all categories including Best Picture.