AwardsWatch Oscar and Emmy Podcasts

In the early 2010s, no one showed more promise as a filmmaker than writer-director Adam Wingard. The young genre filmmaker from Tennessee had made a name for himself after the success of his break out films You're Next (2011) and The Guest (2014, one of the best films of that year). But much like many modern directors, Wingard took his talents to the cinematic worlds of big budget, existing IP, which saw him make Blair Witch, the third film in the franchise, the live-action Death Note, based on the popular Japanese manga. In this decade, he's explored the thrills and spectacle of two Godzilla vs. Kong films, making his mark within two of the biggest characters in the history of cinema, showcasing ridiculous action mixed with even more outrageous world building. After nearly a decade of being inside the studio machine, Wingard, alongside his screenwriting partner Simon Barrett, have returned to form with his latest film, Onslaught, an action-packed, kinky, bloody, paranoid driven machine within the same universe as The Guest; a full display of the promise he once showed us, just more mature now, speaking on themes of how our government and institutions want to harm us more than hurt us, and see humans as collateral damage more than as assists. Starring Adria Arjona, Drew Starkey, Reginald VelJohnson, Rebecca Hall, and Dan Stevens, Onslaught is one of the best action movies of the year, proving that Wingard is still a highly original voice that is needed in creating perfect, throwback action-horror flicks we just don't get anymore, and also showcasing why Arjona is a badass movie star. In my conversation with Wingard, we spoke about his journey to make Onslaught, what he learned about himself when making studio films, and why this was the right time to head back into the previous cinematic universe he and Barrett worked in before. We also discussed his research into cults, super soldiers, lack of institutional trust, and how the power-hungry characters in the film explore and exploit their own kinks. In speaking with him about every aspect of the film, working with his cast, and looking at his place in the world of independent filmmaking, a joyous energy shined out of him, much like the night before when he introduced the film before a packed audience at the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar in Austin, Texas. It's nice to tell that the writer-director is back making movies in his comfort zone, and we are lucky to see Adam Wingard back to working in a sandbox he created, all the while waiting to see how he's going to blow it up with some killer needle drops along the way. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast and interviews wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. Let's get into it.

On episode 361 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to review the latest film from director Ridley Scott, The Dog Stars.  You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 1h26m. We will be back next week with a recap of the 2026 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).

It's time for part 2 of Talking Madonna with Erik and Abdi, as one episode covering 'Confessions II' wasn't nearly enough. After part 1 covered the first seven songs: "I Feel So Free," "Good For the Soul," "One Step Away," "Bring Your Love," Danceteria" and "Everything," part 2 is where Madonna, and we, go deeper. While the rescue and release of the dancefloor is still in full effect on the second half of 'Confessions II,' Madonna begins excavating and reclaiming her past, especially her relationships, as she talks about Sean Penn, her stepmother, her brother Christopher and, maybe most emotionally, a duet with her eldest daughter Lola and the price Madonna's fame and public persona has cost her. In this episode, famed author and producer Abdi Nazemian and I pour through "Love Sensation," "Love Without Words," "Bizarre," "School," "Fragile," "My Sins are My Savior," "Betrayal," "The Test" and "L.E.S. Girl," in hopes of understanding the record and where Madonna is at this point in her life, as well and how much her music and experiences have either echoed or informed our own, sometimes on a very personal level. This episode runs 1h21m.  You can listen to this review wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, and more. You can also watch the video review on the AW YouTube page.

On episode 170 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham discuss the next film in their Jane Campion series, Bright Star (2009). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. It was six years between the reception for In the Cut and her next big screen project, and with it, Jane Campion went back to her comfort zone, making a period piece about a famous writer. This time the film focused on the last three years of the life of poet John Keats, and his relationship with Fanny Brawn, and their off and on courtship of each other. While Campion had worked on a documentary in the time between, her return to narrative filmmaking was a breath of fresh air, exploring the heartbreaking nature of these two people's lives mixed with their fascination with the written word; also featuring some of Campion's most gorgeous visuals. Ryan, Jay, and Josh break down their thoughts on the film, Campion's interest in period pieces, how tender this love story is while at the same time devastating, the career choices of Abbie Cornish, and why Ben Whishaw is an "important person" for Josh. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h10m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Jane Campion with a review of her next film, The Power of the Dog (2021). 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).

"One of the most controversial things I've done is stick around." It's been seven years since the Queen of Pop released 'Madame X,' the longest time between studio albums in her 40+ year career, and a lot's happened since then. A worldwide pandemic, of course, but for Madonna herself, a sudden and life-threatening experience in June 2023 when she contracted a severe bacterial infection that developed into sepsis and acute septic shock. She was hospitalized in the ICU, placed on a ventilator, and spent four days in a medically induced coma. And no one even knew until it was over. All just as she was about to embark on a world tour in support of her landmark 50 #1s on Billboard and the release of 'Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones,' the now best-selling album celebrating those 50 dance hits. A handful of shows were postponed but the tour, originally set to begin July 15, kicked off on October 14. But struggle wasn't finished with Madonna. Her eldest brother, Anthony, had died in February 2023 then in 2024 her stepmother Joan, who had raised Madonna since she was eight years old and her younger brother Christopher, art director on The Blonde Ambition tour and more, died within 10 days of each other in the fall. That means it's also been six years since the last episode of Talking Madonna with Erik and Abdi, a series where celebrated author and producer Abdi Nazemian and I broke down all 14 of her studio albums and even curated our own 'greatest hits' album where we each chose one song from each album (with a few cheats) to create the perfect Madonna record. Now it's time to talk 'Confessions II.' Please enjoy this new conversation between Abdi and myself, where we talk about the build up to the album and its first seven songs: "I Feel So Free," "Good For the Soul," "One Step Away," "Bring Your Love," "Danceteria," and "Everything." This episode runs 1h4m. Keep and eye out for part two soon. Confessions II by the numbers Released on July 3, 2026 Peaked at #1 on Billboard 200 album chart Length: 63:52 First week sales: 134,000 (currently at approximately 500K)

We're less than two weeks before the 53nd Telluride Film Festival kicks off on Labor Day weekend and we have a packed show. On episode 360 AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-chief Erik Anderson Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello, contributors Jay Ledbetter, 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 the Silver Medallion festival tributes, 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 1h01m. We will be back next week with a review of the latest film from director Ridley Scott, The Dog 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).

Director Andrew Patterson's big screen journey has been unconventional to say the least. With his debut feature film, The Vast of Night, Patterson patiently watched as his film was shopped around the festival circuit, landed a spot at the 2019 Slamdance Film Festival, going on to win the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. It was then acquired by Amazon Studios, where they were going to give it a proper release in 2020, but then the pandemic happened, and most audiences had to discover this bright new talent from the comfort of his own home. In this time, where we were all locked away in our homes, Patterson went back to an old script he was developing, one about an eccentric, beloved, blue grass-playing beekeeper and his estranged former foster daughter, their reconnection, and the passing of a touch between a business and the bloodlines you make along the way; The Rivals of Amziah King. In writing a draft that was close to 360 pages long, Patterson, a former editor before he turned writer-director, slowly stripped his epic down to the version that he wanted to put on the big screen; a sprawling tale that features people, a town, a culture, an environment he grew up around in a small town in rural Oklahoma. This baked in familiarity and personality resulted in his script impressing many, including the actor who plays the titular Amziah King, Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey, who is a revelation in the film, as well as his co-star Angelina LookingGlass, one of the best discoveries of the year. Together, this acting duo brought to life the unique, brilliant vision of Patterson's expansive second feature and in result, was a rousing success at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival, with buzz building from the moment it screened. After being acquired by Black Bear Pictures, the world finally gets to see an Andrew Patterson film on the big screen, which, per my review from SXSW, is still "one of the best films of the year so far," and announced the director as "a serious name to be reckoned with in the world of cinematic storytelling," as well as high praise for McConaughey, who delivers "one of the best performances of his career and his best work in over a decade." In a recent conversation, Patterson and I spoke about the process of getting the film to the big screen, the patience it took to trust the studio, and his work as an editor shapes new role as a writer-director. We also spoke about recreating the world of Oklahoma in Alabama (where the film was mostly shot), his collaborative process with his crew and two lead actors, as well as his thoughts on the state of independent cinema, and the stories he wants to tell going forward, no matter how big or small they might be. Insightful doesn't begin to describe Patterson, a growing voice in modern cinema that's open to unknown possibilities that lie ahead, willing to still look optimistically at this business after an atypical start to one's cinematic career; humming along to his next project much like bees in his latest film, waiting for his chance to deliver something special yet singular like his first two features. The Rivals of Amziah King is currently in theaters from Black Bear Pictures. You can listen to this interview wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. Music: "Quill" from Matthew McConaughey and Ben Hardesty (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

On episode 169 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Cody Dericks discuss the next film in their Jane Campion series, In the Cut (2003). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. After making a couple of period pieces, Jane Campion took a massive left turn, and went to make the riskiest film of her career, a modern, psychological, sexual thriller about a English teacher that gets involved in a personal entanglement with a shady police detective who is solving the grisly murders of young women. The film was a departure for not only the director, but the film's star, and a signature "America's sweetheart" Meg Ryan, and given its mixed reception and under performance at the box office, was deemed a flop. But time also shines brightest on the bold, as In the Cut has become a cut classic, as well as a vital look at the city of New York post September 11th; it's visually also unlike anything Campions ever done with two maximalist, brilliant performances from Meg Ryan and Mark Ruffalo. Ryan, Jay, and Cody break down their thoughts on the film, Meg Ryan's persona as an actress, the differences in the two cuts of the film, how wild this movie was for the time, how sex is weaponized throughout the plot, and why this works now but didn't in 2003. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 1h43m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Jane Campion with a review of her next film, Bright Star. 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).

On episode 359 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor (and his Director Watch co-host) Jay Ledbetter to give their thoughts on the latest film from director David Robert Mitchell, The End of Oak Street, as well brief thoughts on the D23 announcements from this past weekend. 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 our preview of the 2026 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).

On episode 358 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson is joined by Executive Editor Ryan McQuade, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to look at the final announcements from the New York Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival and our Oscar predictions in the acting categories. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h12m. We will be back next week to talk about the latest film from the director David Robert Mitchell, The End of Oak Street. Till then, let's get into it.

On episode 168 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter discuss the next film in their Jane Campion series, The Portrait of a Lady (1996). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. After making a masterpiece, and what many consider to be the defining work of her career, Jane Campion took on the literary classic by Henry James about an innocent young woman of independent means who is manipulated by all of those around her for her money and her heart. It's the strangest films in Campion's filmography, as it has the hallmarks of her previous three films, and plenty of style and flare that she's become known for after breaking out with The Piano. But unlike adapting Janet Frame's work for An Angel at My Table, the guys felt there isn't much personal connection with this material, and therefore, Campion's film is rather distant and uninspired, with a central performance from its lead actress that leaves a lot to be desired. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, what makes a good period piece adaptation, the films and novels they thought about while watching The Portrait of a Lady, why Kidman is not right for this role, how great Barbara Hershey and John Malkovich in their villainous roles, how Mary-Louise Parker gives maybe one of the worst performances ever put to screen, and just how stupid Tom Brady is. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 1h34m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Jane Campion with a review of her next film, In the Cut. 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).

On episode 357 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Josh Parham and Karen Peterson to go back 55 years and take a look at the 44th Academy Awards, covering the films of 1971. In another Oscar retrospective, the team go back this week to the start of the 1970s, where Hollywood was in a transition period within the films of the past; costume dramas and period pieces, and the films that would dominate the decade; auteur, original filmmaking from new voices in cinema. One of those voices was director William Friedkin, who broke big in 1971 with The French Connection, a neo-noir, action thriller about a narcotics detective trying to take down a big-time, connected drug dealer. The film was a massive success for the director and its star Gene Hackman, with the Academy awarding them Oscar gold. But will the team let Friedkin and company keep their Oscars? The Best Picture winner, alongside A Clockwork Orange, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, The Devils, A New Leaf, Dirty Harry, The Last Picture Show, Nicholas and Alexandra, Fiddler on the Roof, Harold and Maude, and more were mentioned on the show. In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 1971, briefly discuss talk about The French Connection as a Best Picture winner, 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 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. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h26m. We will be back next week to talk about the latest film from the director David Robert Mitchell, The End of Oak Street. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

On episode 167 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by film critic Nadia Dalimonte to discuss the next film in their Jane Campion series, The Piano (1993). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. The Director Watch duo have reached the crown jewel of Campion's career with The Piano, a titanic epic about a mute Scottish woman who travels to a remote part of New Zealand with her young daughter after her arranged marriage to a settler and begins an affair with another man. In doing this, the woman manipulates both men, using her silence as a tool to gain power in a time of struggle, in an environment that's not of her choosing or familiarity. Campion creates a defining, thorny masterpiece of its time, exploring the ideas of identity, control, and lust within her biggest hit to date. Ryan, Jay, and Nadia break down their thoughts on the film, Hunter's magnificent performance, The Piano's connection to a pervious film series the guys covered, the film's gorgeous ending, the embrace of Campion's vision by audiences, and all the reasons why this is such a special film. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 1h59m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Jane Campion with a review of her next film, The Portrait of a Lady. 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).

On episode 356 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Mark Johnson and Karen Peterson to give their thoughts on the latest film MCU, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, as well as discuss their favorite films of 2026 so far. 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 1h48m. We will be back next week with an Oscar retrospective of the 44th Academy Awards, covering the films of 1971. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

On episode 166 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter to discuss the second film in their Jane Campion series, An Angel at My Table (1990). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. With her second feature, director Jane Campion made herself a staple of New Zealand cinema as she explored the world of author Janet Frame, and three of her most vital texts. In diving deeper into her works, Campion looked inward at the life of Frame, her troubled adolescence, her complex diagnoses inside mental institutions, and her awakening as a young woman. By touch on these important moments in her life, Campion gives Frame as empathetic of a examination into the life of an artist that you will ever find on screen. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, which section of the film works best for them, the themes of Frame's work and how it relates to Campion, Campion's confidence in the material shining brighter here than her debut, the reverence to Frame's work the country and how it is sprinkled and hinted at within the narrative of her life. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page.  This podcast runs 1h39m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Jane Campion with a review of her next film, The Piano. 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).  

Over the course of his career, no other director has documented the passage of time better on screen than writer-director Richard Linklater. The Texas filmmaker, synonymous with being one of the vital voices of the independent film movement of the 1990s, has used his filmography to record the most vital parts of our lives, and how those moments from our past and present can shape our future. Whether it's our first love and the long romantic journey with that person (the Before Trilogy), the magic of his childhood (School of Rock, Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood), the glory of high school and college (Dazed and Confused, Everybody Wants Some!!), the evolution of artistic expression (Me and Orson Welles, Blue Moon, Nouvelle Vague), Linklater has looked inward at the human condition expertly for close to forty years, but none more so perfectly than he did with his 2014 masterpiece, Boyhood. Originating as an idea in his mind over two and a half decades ago, Linklater assembled a cast and crew to go on a twelve-year journey of filming that would chronicle the life of a young boy from the age of six all the way to eighteen, from kindergarten to the end of high school. From the early 2000s to the mid-2010s, Linklater tinkered in the editing room with footage from limited days to shooting with his actors, sometimes even without a finish script, and sprung out a one-of-a-kind film that serves as a memory box for generation within its specific look at a boy growing up in South Texas as he's discovering who he wants to be, living with his mother and sister and occasionally spending time with his father when he is in town. In symbolic nod to the years, it took to make Boyhood, it returns to theaters for a run of anniversary screenings nationwide for its twelve-year celebration to re-explore the evolving yet universal themes Linklater concluded about adolescence, parenthood, siblings, and learning that the road to becoming the person we want to be takes exactly one thing Linklater has become known for, time. In a recent conversation, Linklater and I spoke about the origins of the project, collecting the music that made up the character's world, the evolving nature of the project, and retooling the film's narrative to fit the film's star Ellar Coltrane's life and interests. We also spoke about working with Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke, their growth within these characters as parents and how Arquette's role mirrored the life of Linklater's mother. Our discussion continued with what it was like to film eight other films while creating Boyhood, why San Marcos, TX was a great location to shoot the majority of the film (he continued to use this location for Everybody Wants Some!!), his optimism about the future generations on the whole as well as within the confines of artistic expression. In our final moments, Linklater teased his latest expansive project he's doing right now, an adaptation of the musical Merrily We Roll Along, this time with the film commencing over the course of twenty years to complete the time period of this celebrated work from Stephen Sondheim. While it seems like a daunting task, only Linklater would have the trust from audiences to deliver again once we are able to see the film in the years to come. But until then, the director, much like when he was making Boyhood, will continue to create great work that reminds us of his artistic super power; that by looking inward, we discover the value of our place, our time, and the skin we live in. Boyhood will receive a 12th anniversary theatrical re-release from Independent Film Company (IFC) on July 31.

On episode 355 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 go back 20 years and take a look at the 79th Academy Awards, covering the films of 2006. The AW team goes back twenty years to take a look back on a time that was a nail biter of a season that resulted in Martin Scorsese coming out on time, winning his long awaited Oscar for the crime, gangster thriller The Departed. Alongside that, it was a fascinating five films in the Best Picture line-up that made up a pretty deep year of films that rank as some of the best of the decade of the 2010s upon retrospective. Films like Notes on a Scandal, Pan's Labyrinth, The Devil Wears Prada, United 93, Little Children, Half Nelson, and more from the nominations are talked about in-depth on this week's episode alongside Maria Antoinette, The Prestige, Miami Vice, Casino Royale, Children of Men, Inside Man, The Holiday get more attention from the group than their original award season run or get more nominations past their original snubs. It's a stacked conversation, and it makes for a fun episode of deliberation amongst the group.  In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 2006, briefly discuss talk about The Departed as a Best Picture winner, 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 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. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h44m. We will be back in next week to talk about the latest film from the MCU, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and talk about the best films of 2026 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).

On episode 165 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter to discuss the first film in their Jane Campion series, Sweetie (1989). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. In the same week the boys say goodbye to the Christopher Nolan series, their next adventure begins as they make their way back to New Zealand to cover the films of a singular voice in cinema, Jane Campion. Known for make films about female expression, rebellion, awakenings, and how women's roles change over time, Campion is an essential director the guys knew they had to talk about, and all her themes come to form one way or another in Sweetie, which covers two sisters that are polar opposite of one another, with the titular character going through their own emotional breakdown due to the siblings' family dynamics. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, their relationship with Campion's filmography, the point of view as a storyteller, and how this all relates to her promising, haunting first film. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h04m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Jane Campion with a review of her next film, An Angel at My Table. 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).

On episode 354 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade, and Mark Johnson, aka The Awards Alchemist, to chat about the lineup for the 83rd Venice International Film Festival and to share their first Oscar podcast predictions for Adapted and Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture.  First, they dive into Venice's world premieres, including Wild Horse Nine, Primetime, and Bucking Fastard. Does this lineup look a little bit lackluster compared to previous editions? The group gives an overview of how they think this lineup (plus early announcements for TIFF and NYFF) could shape the Telluride lineup and the rest of the season.   Then, they take a look at four major Oscar categories, the likely nominees, and early possible winners. They discuss the dominance of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, contenders from the Cannes Film Festival, potential lone writing nominees, and other unseen films that could crash the party. Other films mentioned include Dune: Part Three, Project Hail Mary, La Bola Negra, Fjord, Minotaur, The Invite, Club Kid and more.  You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube, and more. This podcast runs 1 hr and 35 min. We will be back next week with an Oscar retrospective of the 79th Academy Awards. Until then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

On episode 164 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by AwardsWatch Editor In Chief Erik Anderson and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss the last and latest film in their Christopher Nolan series, The Odyssey (2026). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. How does Nolan follow up the most commercially, critically successful film of his career that landed him onto of the cinematic world and landed him two Oscars? You get a blank check to create your version of the oldest story ever told, The Odyssey, and you spare no expense in make a grand epic that rivals all other blockbuster released this year. In doing this, Nolan has conjured up another monumental, technical achievement, one that audiences are already obsessing over, seeing in the largest formats they can find. But is the film worth the hype? Ryan, Jay, Erik, and Sophia break down their complicated thoughts on Nolan's latest, why it's the perfect "Nolan film" and a clumsy adaptation, what the film's themes are, how gives the best and worst performances in the film, their favorite scenes, just how smelly is must've been inside that Trojan horse, and the logistics of The Odyssey's popcorn bucket. Ryan and Jay also give out their final Nolan rankings as well as 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. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 3h07m. The guys will be back later this week to begin their series on the films of Jane Campion with a review of her first film, Sweetie. 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).

On episode 163 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss the next film in their Christopher Nolan series, Oppenheimer (2023). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. In 2023, there was no bigger cinematic event that double feature of Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Nolan's Oppenheimer, each dominating the box office and culture for the entire summer. But as the year went on, it was clear, Nolan's historical, biopic epic was something more than his average popcorn film, but the epic of our time following the man who created the atomic bomb, thus it leads Nolan to not only to one of his most celebrated films to date, and a film of the decade candidate, but Oscar dominance as he reigned supreme over Hollywood and cemented his case the major filmmaker of his time. Ryan, Jay, and Sophia break down their thoughts on Oppenheimer, the questions of morality the film asks, the horror Nolan shows in the aftermath of testing the bomb, the structure of the "fission" and "fusion" storylines, Nolan's cynicism over humanity, the incredible work by all of his artisans, the brilliant performances from Cillian Murphy and the entire ensemble, and how this became one of the most rewatchable films of the decade so far but also one of the most vital films in the modern era. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 3h07m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Christopher Nolan with a review of his new film, The Odyssey. 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).

On episode 353 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello, and AwardsWatch contributors Mark Johnson, Josh Parham, and Karen Peterson come together for part two of their Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner tier ranking. In the second part of the Best Actress tier rankings (listen to Part One here), the team return to the scene of the crime from last week to rank the remaining 45 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 12 winners (when looking at percentages vs whole numbers compared to Best Actress, the group added two by the end of the episode) 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 12. Some of the winners ranked on this week's episode are Eva Marie Saint (On the Waterfront), Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls), Viola Davis (Fences), Mo'Nique (Precious), Meryl Streep (Kramer vs Kramer), Jane Darwell (The Grapes of Wrath), Amy Madigan (Weapons), two wins for Dianne Wiest (Hannah and Her Sisters, Bullets Over Broadway), Whoopi Goldberg (Ghost), and 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 and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 4h46m. We will be back in next week for a special episode Director Watch, where co-hosts Ryan and Jay, alongside some guests, review the final film of their Christopher Nolan series and his latest epic, The Odyssey. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

On episode 162 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by the host of The Waffle Press Movie Podcast, Diego Crespo to discuss the next film in their Christopher Nolan series, Tenet (2020). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. We live in a twilight world, or should we say, we live in a Nolan's world, and we are lucky to be living in it where films like Tenet are getting made. In an attempt to make his own spy film, Nolan creates an uncompromising, complex, loose thriller about an unnamed secret agent working to take down a rich, Russian billionaire who has discovered objects from the future and brought them to the past to end the world as we know it. Along the way, our Protagonist enlists the help of our villain's wife and a fellow spy (unknowing it's his best bud) and with just the titular word as his guild, doors open to a puzzle he finds himself at the center of. Complicated, confusing, and downright brilliant, Nolan stops explaining everything in this film, instead, opting for the audience to "just feel it" and make a film off good vibes and technical wonder; and doing so, made one of his best films. Ryan, Jay, and Diego break down their love of this film, when they saw it and how they saw if given the COVID-19 virus, and it's questionable release schedule, Kenneth Branagh's accent, the use of Elizabeth Debicki's height, what Hollywood is going to do with John David Washington, how good looking Aaron Taylor-Johnson is, what makes a modern movie 5 stars on Letterboxd, their excitement over the phrase "temporal pincer movement," if they like hot sauce with their meals, and whether the movie makes sense and if that even matters at all. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h50m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Christopher Nolan with a review of his next film, Oppenheimer. You can stream it on Peacock or 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).

On episode 352 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello, and AwardsWatch contributors Mark Johnson and Josh Parham, for part one of their long-awaited Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner tier ranking. It's that time of year for the AW team to dive deep into a two-part tier ranking episode. After doing Best Actress last year, the team moves on from those fiery episodes to the another popular category; Best Supporting Actress and its 90 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 45 of the winners are discussed on this episode, with the rest covered next week. For these Supporting Actress tier ranking episodes, the performances have been randomized, making the show 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 10 winners being able to be in the "S tier" (since the supporting categories weren't added until the 9th Academy Awards) and if an actress has multiple wins, only one of their wins can make it into the 10. It adds a fun wrinkle for the team to try and figure out when they get to their final rankings. Some of the winning performances discussed on this show were Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago), Renée Zellweger (Cold Mountain), Melissa Leo (The Fighter), Hattie McDaniel (Gone with the Wind), Rita Moreno (West Side Story), Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Judi Dench (Shakespeare in Love), Ruth Gordon (Rosemary's Baby), and more. 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 and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 4h15m. We will be back in next week for part two of our Best Supporting Actress 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).

On episode 351 of the AwardsWatch podcast, TV Editor Tyler Doster is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson to predict the Emmy nominations that will come out on Wednesday, July 8, announced by Emmy winners Jeff Hiller and Liza Colón-Zayas.  The AW duo provided predictions for 78th Primetime Emmy Award nominations in series and performance categories and dabble with possibilities in writing and directing. The two discuss the likelihood of The Pitt sweeping nominations, how Hacks could get more noms than ever before, and how anthology series' like Monster and Love Story will affect the race. Going through each of these categories, the two provide their picks for who they think will grab nominations and who else is in the running for each category. Listen along to find out who they think will make the cut, and who will be left out. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 1h33m. We will be back after the holiday weekend with part one of our Best Supporting Actress Oscar tier ranking. Till then, let's get into it.

On episode 161 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Trace Sauveur to discuss the next film in their Christopher Nolan series, Dunkirk (2017). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. After Nolan's epic space family drama, the director looked to his other home country of England to take a look at one of the most important moments of humanity within World War II with Dunkirk. Instead of making a sweeping war picture, Nolan strips everything down to the visuals, uses three different sections of time, and splices them together to create the tension, fear of these men stranded on a beach within looking distance of home. In doing this, he created an undeniable masterpiece that took away some of his bad habits and makes a lean film that feels like an action set piece all the way through. Ryan, Jay, and Trace break down their thoughts on the film, Hoyte van Hoytema first collaboration with Nolan, each section of the war, how awesome Tom Hardy is in the plane we see in the film, the acting of Harry Styles, the sound work, and Jay's continued quest to remind us all that WWII is still underrated when we talk about important events in the world. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h04m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Christopher Nolan with a review of his next film, Tenet. 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).

On episode 350 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to go back 45 years and take a look at the 54th Academy Awards, covering the films of 1981. The AW team goes back nearly fifty years to a year dominated by a group of young men running on the beach to the score of Vangelis, as Chariots of Fire took down Reds and Raiders of the Lost Ark to win Hollywood's top prize. In the same year, the four acting Oscars went to some of the eldest group of winners in Oscar history, performers who won late in their careers instead of for their best work. In this year at the theaters, genre reigned supreme and was discussed at length on this episode, with films like Escape from New York, The Road Warrior, Body Heat, An American Werewolf in London, Dragonslayer, Excalibur, Polyester were discussed alongside films like Arthur, The Great Muppet Caper, Thief, Blow Out, Mommie Dearest, Prince of the City as films to highlight from this bountiful year of cinema. In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 1981, briefly discuss talk about Chariots of Fire as a Best Picture winner, 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 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. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h22m. We will be back in next week for part one of our Best Supporting Actress Tier Ranking. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

On episode 160 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by AwardsWatch contributors Cody Dericks and Josh Parham to discuss the next film in their Christopher Nolan series, Interstellar (2014). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. After hanging up his cape and cowl Dark Knight pictures, Nolan set his sight on the stars, for a space epic that defined a generations taste in cinema. With Interstellar, the famed director takes us on a trip through time and space with a rescue mission to save the human population as Earth slowly dying and decaying. In this trip through a wormhole to investigate prospective, future inhabitance, one engineer (and former pilot) will stop at nothing to finding a solution to not only save humanity, but his family he left back on Earth. In making this bold, ambitious film, Nolan created his most emotional, thrilling, technically daring film of his career so far, but much like Inception, had detractors who took issue with the explanation of the science in the film, as well as feeling emotionally manipulated by the film's ending. Ryan, Jay, Cody, and Josh break down both sides of the Interstellar argument, why they love or dislike it, the score from Hans Zimmer, the use of time in the ending, the film's set piece, the importance of the McConaissance, Anne Hathaway's speech about love, a few impressions of Michael Caine, and why this film is the one that resonates the most with younger cinephiles. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h32m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Christopher Nolan with a review of his next film, Dunkirk. 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).

On episode 349 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Trace Sauveur to give their thoughts on the latest film from Pixar, Toy Story 5. 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 1h25m. We will be back next week with an Oscar retrospective over the 54th Academy Awards, covering the films of 1981. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

On episode 159 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by Trey Flynn of The Extra Credits podcast to discuss the next film in their Christopher Nolan series, The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. Riding high off the success of his two biggest films to date, Nolan went back to the world of Gotham City to conclude his Dark Knight trilogy with a full circle, political warfare, myth busting epic, settling one and for all his ties to the genre, while deconstructing what it means to put on the mask, and how does one carry on a legacy when faced with so much pain. After the death of actor Heath Ledger, it took a lot for Nolan to step back into his vision of Batman, but with the help of two memorable villains, and leaning into the political, social aspects found in the first film, he left the franchise on a financial high, with some questionable story choices that have aged well for some (Trey) and no so much for others (Ryan and Jay). Controversial, dated, unique, The Dark Knight Rises ends Nolan's superhero vision on his own terms, for better or for worse. The guys and their guest break down their thoughts on the film, what worked for them and what didn't, the appeal of Anne Hathaway, Nolan's use of the original characters throughout the third film, how radical or dull the film's politics are, the choices Bruce makes throughout the film, the puzzling ending, the opening plane sequence, and plenty of Bane voice impressions. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h47m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Christopher Nolan with a review of his next film, Interstellar. 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).

On episode 348 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Mark Johnson and Cody Dericks to give their thoughts on the latest film from director Steven Spielberg, Disclosure Day. 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 1h07m. We will be back next week with a review of the latest film from Pixar, Toy Story 5. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

On episode 158 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Griffin Schiller discuss the next film in their Christopher Nolan series, Inception (2010). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. How does someone follow up one of the most popular, important films of the last 25 years? Make one of the most original films of a generation, as Nolan cashed in his blank check from The Dark Knight to create a heist, action film set within the world of people's dreams. Inception became the next obsession for audiences, fully trusting Nolan to take them on a thrilling ride, making him more than just the guy who can director the Batman films, but a filmmaker that conjures up event films that every needs to see urgently once they are released. Over time, Inception has become, for people like Griffin, an important piece of art that has shaped their movie-going experience, or for Ryan and Jay, a nostalgic experience that's legacy is complicated due to its pacing issues and over-explanations; thus making for an episode where a balanced conversation over this complicated movie takes place. Ryan, Jay, and Griffin break down their thoughts on the film, when and where they saw it, Nolan's action set pieces in the film, DiCaprio's involvement in the making of the film, what ultimately works and doesn't work inside the film, and if Nolan should ever make a Bond film. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h27m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Christopher Nolan with a review of his next film, The Dark Knight Rises. 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).

On episode 347 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to give their thoughts various films playing in theaters right now that include Obsession, Backrooms, Masters of the Universe, Blue Heron, Blue Film, and I Love Boosters. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 1h28m. We will be back next week with a review of the latest film from legendary director Steven Spielberg, Disclosure Day. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

On episode 157 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by founder and podcast host at InSession Film JD Duran and Editor-In-Chief of InSession Film Dave Giannini discuss the next film in their Christopher Nolan series, The Dark Knight (2008). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. In what might be the single most important film of the 21st century for blockbuster filmmaking, The Dark Knight turned Christopher Nolan into the legend, iconic filmmaker he is today, creating a comic book, action packed crime thriller that elevated the entire genre, creating a film that audiences would obsess over for decades to come; the definitive comic book movie. With an all-time performance from the late Heath Ledger, Nolan upped the stakes of this second Batman film to be more about the fight to save soul of Gotham City, and gain hope in the future beyond the capes and clowns, and created a epic masterpiece. Ryan, Jay, JD, and Dave break down their thoughts on the film, the action set pieces, the battles for Gotham with our flawed heroes, Ledger's iconic Joker, the special effects work on Two-Face, the legacy of this film and why it's (more or less) aged so well. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h53m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Christopher Nolan with a review of his next film, Inception. 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).

On episode 346 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer, Mark Johnson, and Josh Parham to go back 15 years and take a look at the 84th Academy Awards, covering the films of 2011. On this week's retrospective, the AW team returns from Cannes to take a look back at the 84th Oscars, one that was known for having a great selection of films to choose from that the Academy decided to mostly ignore for more middle of the road, safer choices. This lead to a winner that is not remembered as much for a film that defined the year, both from a critical and commercial aspect, and also lead to one of the worst wins in the Best Actress category. So given the nature of the show and the game played by the AW team, change is a coming for 2011, as the following films were mentioned over the courses of lengthy discussions over every category; Weekend, Contagion, Shame, Melancholia, Crazy Stupid Love, Take Shelter, Killer Joe, The Skin I Live In, 50/50, as well as films that were already nominees getting more love like Moneyball, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Warrior, The Tree of Life, Drive, Bridesmaids, and more. In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 2011, briefly discuss talk about The Artist as a Best Picture winner, 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 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. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h52m. We will be back in next week for a review round-up episode discussing some of the newest releases in theaters like Obsession, Backrooms, Masters of the Universe, Power Ballad, Blue Film, Blue Heron, and more. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

On episode 156 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by film critic Jake Tropila discuss the next film in their Christopher Nolan series, The Prestige (2006). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys attempt to break down, 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. Just a year after dazzling audiences with Batman Begins, Nolan returned with a film that would become one of the best films of his career, about two magicians dueling each other for the right to produce not only the best magic trick of all time, but to be the last man standing in a feud that costs more than anyone could imagine. In being a film about filmmaking as well as a stellar adaptation of the Christopher Priest novel, Nolan made his darkest, most cynical film to date; a twisted tale about the sacrifices it takes to create art, and the obsession that consumes someone when they are close to reaching an immortality level of fame. Ryan, Jay, and Jake break down their thoughts on the film, how much The Prestige is a cousin to Memento in terms of tone, where Christian Bale is within his career, why Hugh Jackman has never delivered a better performance than this, the power of David Bowie, the horrid accent of Scarlett Johansson, the logic of the film's twist, the wild differences between the film and the original novel, and if seeing/knowing a film's twist helps or hurts a film's rewatchability. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h15m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Christopher Nolan with a review of his next film, The Dark Knight. 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).

On episode 345 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to break down their favorite films of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, the winners of the In Competition prizes, and what they might mean going forward this coming award season. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 1h31m. We will be back next week with an Oscar retrospective over the 84th Academy Awards, covering the films of 2011. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

On episode 155 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by podcaster, film critic Bob Goochman discuss the next film in their Christopher Nolan series, Batman Begins (2005). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. In the summer of 2005, Warner Brothers took the risk of handing over the world of Batman to Christopher Nolan, hoping he could revive a franchise that leaned too much into the cheesy nature of the Schumacher era, and had run the character into a bit of a joke on the big screen. With Nolan at the helm, he created a comic book film set in a world not too different than ours, and allowed for us to go on an emotional, action packed journey not just with the Caped Crusader, but with his real identity, Bruce Wayne. In doing this, Nolan delivered a massively entertaining blockbuster that would elevate his status to another level than what he was before, and showed he could handle such a monumental task; thus he never stopped making films of this size again. Ryan, Jay, and the Gooch break down their thoughts on the film, why the Batman property got stuck, Nolan's vision and version of Gotham City, how scary the film is at times, the use of mostly unknown villains at the time, the acting of Christian Bale and Katie Homes, and that epic reveal of the Joker card at the end of the film, signaling something grand is on its way. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 1h49m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Christopher Nolan with a review of his next film, The Prestige. 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).

On episode 154 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by Pop Culture Confidential host Christina Jeurling Birro discuss the next film in their Christopher Nolan series, Insomnia (2002). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. What does one do after making their big breakthrough? For Christopher Nolan, it was his chance to step up another level and work on a American remake of the 1997 Norwegian film of the same name, Insomnia, which follows a washed up cop investigating a murder case in a small town, stuck in a web of lies connected to his past mistakes and getting tangled in a cat and mouse game with a smart criminal who wants to get away with the crime they've committed. Obsessed with the original when he was making Following, the young director set out to make his version of the modern cautionary crime tale, which for the guys and Christina seems like a misstep for him following his monumental statement of Memento. Ryan, Jay, and Christina break down their thoughts on the film, their connection with the original, the sleepiness of Al Pacino (with an impression by Ryan once or twice on the show), the dramatic work of Robin Williams, the appeal of Hilary Swank, not being able to sleep with the lights on, and how this is the least "Nolan" movie of his filmography, both in good ways and mostly bad ways. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 1h041m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Christopher Nolan with a review of his next film, Batman Begins. 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).

On episode 153 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter discuss the next film in their Christopher Nolan series, Memento (2001). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. After making his debut film and showcasing it at film festivals around the world, Christopher Nolan caught the attention of audiences and studios, given small prizes and a chance to level up with his next film with resources needed to make his latest mind trip work. In getting those resources, he was able to make Memento, a crime thriller spliced together within the present and the past that showcases a broken man recreating a mystery over and over again to run away from the trauma he inflicted years ago. With this second feature, Nolan announced himself as a force to be reckoned with, as Memento is a deeply personal, heartbreaking looking in the mind of someone who simple wants to forget. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, Leonard's secrets past and his plan to keep his secrets at bay, Nolan's use of black and white photography mixed with the scenes of color and how they play with time, the incredible performance of Guy Pearce, and the morality found within the shocking ending. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h05m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Christopher Nolan with a review of his next film, Insomnia. 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).

On episode 344 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello, and Pop Culture Confidential's Christina Birro to preview the 79th Cannes Film Festival and discuss the dramatic new rules set forth by the Academy last week for the upcoming Oscars and beyond. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 1h05m. We will be back next week with a live episode from the 79th Cannes Film Festival talking about the highlights of the first weeks of 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).

On episode 343 of the AwardsWatch podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson is joined by Associate TV Editor Karen Peterson to review the spring blockbuster sequel The Devil Wears Prada 2, starring Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci. It's been 20 years since we spent time with Miranda Priestly, Andy Sachs, Emily Charlton and Nigel Kipling and it's been well worth the wait. In this spoiler-filled review of the sequel to the 2006 hit, Erik and Karen talk about what the first film means to them, how successful the sequel is to follow up their story, the choice to focus on the state of journalism not just in the digital age but in the age of disappearing jobs in the industry, the new fashion and much more. Written review here: https://awardswatch.com/the-devil-wears-prada-2-review-the-long-awaited-sequel-proves-that-fashion-is-always-in-vogue-b/ You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 1h8m. We will be back later this week with an episode of Director Watch, where Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter will be continuing their Christopher Nolan series with a review of his film, Memento (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).

On episode 152 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter discuss the first film in their Christopher Nolan series, Following (1998). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys attempt to break down, 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. At our current moment in cinema history, there is no other living director that compares to Christopher Nolan; he reigns supreme. In making some of the most memorable, eventful, successful films of the last 30 years, it was only a matter of time before Ryan and Jay tackled his filmography, and in doing so, they must start all the way back at the beginning, where Nolan lacked the resources he has today, making a noir thriller (on the weekends while working his day job) about a man who follows people and ends up following the wrong person down a rabbit hole of con artistry at its finest. A very small debut for Nolan that laid out the good and the bad tendencies that would be discovered about the famed director over the course of his bigger projects. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, the smaller scale and scope compared to his bigger projects, their relationships with Nolan as a director, the lack of momentum in the film's story and pace, and how, in this early era of his filmography, Nolan will never get back to this small size of filmmaking ever again. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 1h44m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Christopher Nolan with a review of his next film, Memento. 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).

On episode 151 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter discuss the last film in their Charles Burnett series, The Annihilation of Fish (1999). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys attempt to break down, 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. After making a wild turn with The Glass Shield in 1994, Burnett went back to his roots, making a smaller indie drama about two people who are polar opposites that fall in love. The Annihilation of Fish is another gem from the director, exploring love at an older age, the effects of mental health on the lonely, and how hard it must feel to grow old alone; a thought too painful to even think about. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, the performances of Lynn Redgrave and James Earl Jones, how The Annihilation of Fish fits within the themes of the series so far, give their rankings for the series, as well as tease what their next film series is going to be. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 1h28m. The guys will be back next week to begin their series on the films of Christopher Nolan with a review of his film, Following. 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).

On episode 150 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter discuss the next film in their Charles Burnett series, To Sleep with Anger (1990). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. After breaking through with Killer of Sheep and My Brother's Wedding, Burnett made a massive statement, and the best film of his career, with To Sleep with Anger. In following a family whose world is rocked by an old friend coming in and turning their world dangerously upside down, the director chose to explore the internal emotions of those closest in our lives, and how we've spent years building up anger, resentment, jealousy, rage within ourselves, only for our worst impulses to come out when pushed to expose them. Darkly funny and harrowing, Burnett made an independent film statement that defined the time, and his career. Ryan and Jay break down the film, their thoughts on Danny Glover's performance, how this film mirrors Burnett's past work, the families battle with the good and the evil, seeing their world through the eyes of a child, and how the indie film world looked like in the 1990s. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AwardsWatch YouTube page. This podcast runs 1h19m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Charles Burnett with a review of his film, The Annihilation of Fish. 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).

On episode 342 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to give their thoughts on the news out of CinemaCon, and then give a review of David Lowery's latest film, Mother Mary, starring Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 1h52m. We will be back later this week with an episode of Director Watch, where Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter will be wrapping up their Charles Burnett film series with a review of his film, The Annihilation of Fish (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).

On episode 341 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive TV Editor Tyler Doster is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-in-Chief Erik Anderson and Associate TV Editor Karen Peterson for a quick dive into the shows that could possibly make waves at the Emmys. We look into Lead and Series categories for Drama, Comedy, and Limited Series with a round-up of potential nominees in each, with a bit into the supporting categories for drama to wrap up.  Some of the series' in contention this year and discussed on this podcast are Half Man (HBO), Beef (Netflix), Hacks (HBO Max), The Comeback (HBO), Rooster (HBO), Nobody Wants This (Netflix), A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO), Margo's Got Money Troubles (AppleTV), The Pitt (HBO Max), Pluribus (AppleTV), The Testaments (Hulu), and The Diplomat (Netflix). Also mentioned is the upcoming Netflix film Remarkably Bright Creatures, starring Sally Field.  You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 1h5m. We will be back for deeper Emmy dives next month and with a review of the new David Lowery film Mother Mary, starring Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel, this week. Until then, let's dive in. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

On episode 149 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter discuss the first film in their Charles Burnett series, Killer of Sheep (1978). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. Over the course of time, cinema of various time periods that was once considered lost is remastered, reborn, and reexamined as they reenter the public conscience. For the case of director Charles Burnett, this has been true as his films have been restored to their former glory on physical media over the last couple of years, thus giving the DW boys the opportunity to tackle a vital African-American voice who made films about the structure of family, the innocence of the youth within the black community, and finding the emotions with characters that deal with real life problems. With the case of his debut film, Killer of Sheep, Burnett examined the life of a weary slaughterhouse worker whose family life is slowly being tested every single day; it's impressive debut, one that still resonates to this day. Ryan and Jay break down the film, its themes on family dynamics, the innocence of a child, the incorporation of Italian neorealism with the narrative, their favorite shots within the film, as well as a discussion as to who the best professional athlete is in the world right now. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 1h19m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Charles Burnett with a review of the film, To Sleep With Anger. 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).

Back in 2021 I proclaimed in my review of The Green Knight that writer-director David Lowery was "the great American director of his generation;" a statement that holds even stronger weight given the rising talent behind the camera in modern filmmaking. With his latest film, Mother Mary, Lowery gives this writer enough ammunition to back up that proclamation as he's created yet another bold, poppy, hypnotic drama that could only come from the mind of a special, singular talent; a master of the artform. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as the eldest of nine children, Lowery and his family moved to Texas in his youth, and where he and his family still reside today. His curiosity for film sprung at a young age, with the director making his first short when he was nineteen years old, and from there on, a slew of independent narrative feature films that included Deadroom, It Was Great, But I Was Ready to Come Home, and St. Nick. His breakthrough came within a two-year span, with his short film Pioneer winning the Competition and Grand Jury Award at the South by Southwest Film Festival, which lead to the release of his 2013 romantic crime drama, Ain't Them Bodies Saints, which was nominated for the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize and garnered a Best Feature nominated at the Gotham Awards that same year. Those two projects were a springboard for Lowery into the public consciousness, as he was given bigger opportunities to explore his complex themes of humanity that lies at the core of his filmography. In 2016, he delivered the best Disney live-action adaptation yet with version of Pete's Dragon, followed up the next year the smaller, intimate yet profound meditation of the loss of someone and letting go as we enter the afterlife with A Ghost Story, and finishing this incredible three year run in 2018 with The Old Man and the Gun, a warm crime drama based on a true story that not only serves as an entertaining piece of throwback cinema, but an owe to one of the greatest actors of all time and the star of the film, Robert Redford. As we swung into the 2020s, Lowery gave us the aforementioned The Green Knight, a film I hailed as "a medieval masterpiece," and is, in my mind, one of the best films of the decade so far. He returned to Disney with a reimagining of the classic Peter Pan story with Peter Pan and Wendy, a film that may not be as successful as Pete's Dragon but it was a project Lowery found a sense of change within himself, and as he states in this interview for The Film Stage, he discovered the right amount of "courage and conviction" needed to make his latest, Mother Mary. In her review, our own Sophia Ciminello praised Lowery's film as "a beguiling, religious experience that will only get richer with the passage of time," as well as stated that just like Lowery's other standout work, "Mother Mary is about the ephemeral and the eternal, yet in an entirely new package for the filmmaker," it's another standout achievement from this visionary artist.  In a recent in-person conversation, the Mother Mary writer-director and I discussed about his origins to the project, being a massive fan of pop music, crafting this world with the film's production designer Francesca Di Mottola, as well as his work in helping the edit of the film. We also spoke about his collaborations with FKA twigs, Charli XCX, and Jack Antonoff on producing the original music in Mother Mary, molding his lead characters with his lead actresses Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel, and his thoughts on the state of independent cinema and the role he sees himself in it as the industry is in a constant state of change. This wasn't the first time the director and I met, as we first spoke at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival, where we not only share a geek out moment of being in a three-person conversation with director Alfonso Cuarón, but it was the first weekend where Lowery has seen all of the footage of Mother Mary together as one cut. At the top of the conversation lies our reunion, as well as a look into his influences on the program, ranging from The Red Shoes to Taylor Swift concerts. Only someone as special as Lowery could take the wide ranging scope of this world and make it come to life, thus continuing to be a singular talent in a time where artistic expression and creativity is vastly need.

On episode 340 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and contributors Mark Johnson, Karen Peterson, and Josh Parham to go back 35 years and take a look at the 64th Academy Awards, covering the films of 1991. On this retrospective, the AW team takes a look back in time to when the Oscars last rewarded a film for winning the "Big Five" awards, with The Silence of the Lambs taking home Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. In being only the third film in Oscar history to ever do that, and it being 35 years since it's big night, the wins for the film are historic, so the question would be for this episode, will The Silence of the Lambs stay a "Big Five" winner? In a wide ranging conversation, the Best Picture winner is mentioned alongside films The Prince of Tides, JFK, Beauty and the Beast, My Own Private Idaho, The Addams Family, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Cape Fear, Thelma & Louise, Boyz n the Hood, and more, as well as spicy, first time moment for the game that you'll want to listen to asap! In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 1991, briefly discuss talk about The Silence of the Lambs as a Best Picture winner, 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 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. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h32m. We will be back in next week for a review of Mother Mary, the latest film from director David Lowery. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

On episode 148 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter discuss the final film in their Powell and Pressburger series, Peeping Tom (1960). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys 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. After decades of working together, the Archers split up towards the end of the 1950s, ending one of the greatest cinematic partnerships of all time. For both, they went on to make more films, but none of them reached the heights of their collaborations, with Pressburger being the less successful of the duo. For Michael Powell however, he made one key piece of art from the two of them that lasted in Peeping Tom, a provocative thriller about a killer who stalks his pray and films the murders of his victims. Shocking for the time, it basically forced Powell into retirement, but is now revered as a champing of pushing the medium forward, and being a masterclass in directorial creation of tension. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film and the controversy surrounding it, the break-up of Powell and Pressburger, if the shocking nature of the film has aged well, and their complete rankings of the films of the Archers, while also previewing their next films series. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h03m. The guys will be back next week to begin their series on the films of Charles Burnett with a review of the film, Killer of Sheep. 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).