Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 12 of the Director Watch Podcast, Ryan and Jay are joined by fellow AwardsWatch contributor Sophia Ciminello as they discuss the next film in their Denis Villeneuve series, Blade Runner 2049 (2017).

After being nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards and having Arrival land a Best Picture nomination as well, Villeneuve took on his biggest project yet, a sequel continuing the story of the legendary sci-fi film, 1982’s Blade Runner. In working with his staple of regulars like cinematographer Roger Deakins and editor Joe Walker, and with the blessing of the original film’s director, Ridley Scott, Blade Runner 2049 was a technical marvel, that builds on the classic film before it and elevates itself as one of the best blockbusters (if not at the box office) of the last thirty years. In taking a trip to the near future, Ryan, Jay and Sophia talk about Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford’s dynamic performances, the mystery at the core of this story, the acting choices of Jared Leto, Hans Zimmer’s lackluster score, if this is the best film they have talked about so far, and how in the world did Warner Bros. even greenlight this movie, and if a continuation of this franchise is the right thing to do.

You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more.

This podcast runs 1h54m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their Denis Villeneuve series with a look at Dune. You can stream Dune on Max, as well as rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it.

Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

On episode 202 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello, Josh Parham, and Zach Laws to give out their Top 5 Directorial Debuts of all time.

2023 has been a pretty great year of films so far, based on what has been released and what most of the team as already seen at the fall film festivals from earlier in the month. With that there has been some standout directorial debuts, most notable Chloe Domont's Fair Play, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. With it set to release in theaters this upcoming weekend (with a streaming date of October 13 on Netflix), the AW team got together for a Top 5 list inspired by the highly acclaimed debut to talk about some of the best first time features to ever be release. In breaking down their lists, Ryan, Sophia, Josh, and Zach talked about a wide range of debuts that were both meaningful to them personally, as well as shaped the course of cinema history when they arrived to audiences around the world. Some of the titles discussed on this episode were Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Night of the Hunter, Badlands, The Parent Trap, Thief, Ordinary People, Bound, The Virgin Suicides, Citizen Kane, and so many more, as the list of honorable mentions were long and full of films everyone should catch up with.

You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more.

This podcast runs 2h27m. We will be back next week to talk about our Top 5 sci-fi films in honor of the release of The Creator. Till then, let’s get into it.

Music: “Modern Fashion” from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 11 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by fellow AwardsWatch contributor Zach Laws as they discuss the next film in their Denis Villeneuve series, Arrival (2016).

Following the critical and commercial success of Sicario, Villeneuve returned a year later with his first stab into the sci-fi genre, making a film about a linguist who is tasked with the job of finding a way to communicate with extraterrestrials who have landed in twelve different spacecrafts around the Earth. But beyond the film, Villeneuve unexpectedly delivered a healing vessel for audiences who felt a sense of hopelessness with the results of the 2016 election. Lead by a career best performance from Amy Adams and the best work of Jóhann Jóhannsson career, Arrival is considered not just one of the best films of 2016, but one of the most important films of the last decades, and what many consider Villeneuve’s finest work of his career. In this episode, Ryan, Jay and Zach talk about where they were when they saw it in 2016, Zach’s star-studded screening story, why Amy Adam’s was subbed for a Best Actress nomination, the morality of the film’s ending, the fantastic supporting work from Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker and Michael Stuhlbarg, as well as one or two Tim Allen impressions.

You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more.

This podcast runs 2h17m. The guys will be back next week to continue their Denis Villeneuve series with a look at Blade Runner 2049. You can rent Blade Runner 2049 via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental (no streaming options) in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it.

Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

On episode 201 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer and Kevin L. Lee to give their reactions to the films they saw at the 48^th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival.

A couple of weeks back, Ryan and Erik gave their reactions to the Telluride Film Festival, one of the first film festivals to start of the fall festival season. After they left the mountains of Colorado, they got their passports ready and headed north to Canada for the annual Toronto International Film Festival. Known for having big Oscar contenders premiere and star-studded red carpets, because of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, TIFF was not as glamorous as years past. But with close to 300 movies from around the world screening across a week and a half, there was still plenty of good films that the gang saw that they were able to share their opinions on.

 Before getting into the films, Ryan, Erik, Dan, and Kevin talk about their TIFF experience in terms of what it is like to attend the festival, the ticketing system, and how the screenings work for press and general audiences going to the festival. Then they went on to discuss the three films that won the TIFF People’s Choice Awards: American Fiction, The Holdovers, and The Boy and the Heron. After giving their thoughts on TIFF winners, they went on to gives thoughts on tons of films that included Next Goal Wins, Monster, Dumb Money, Sing Sing, Rustin, His Three Daughters, Woman of the Hour, Dream Scenario, Evil Does Not Exist, Hitman, Origin, Wicked Little Letters, and more.

 You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more.

This podcast runs 2h38m. We will be back next week to talk about our Top 5 Directorial Debuts, in honor of the stellar year of debuts that have come out in 2023. Till then, let’s get into it.

Music: “Modern Fashion” from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 10 of the Director Watch Podcast, they discuss the next film in their Denis Villeneuve series, Sicario (2015).

After releasing Prisoners and Enemy back to back, Villeneuve returned the following year with his most confident film to date. Set around the U.S and Mexico border, Sicario dives deep into the murky waters of the ongoing fight to stop the drug cartels from moving their product into the U.S. Lead by an all-star cast that includes Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benicio Del Toro, and stellar cinematography from Roger Deakins, Sicario ranks highly within Villeneuve’s filmography, showcasing a true sense of tension throughout each from of the film. Ryan and Jay break down the politics of the film, the rise of screenwriter Taylor Sheridan, Blunt and Del Toro’s magnetic chemistry, and even talk a little about the sequel, Sicario: Day of the Soldado. 

You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more.

This podcast runs 1h38m. The guys will be back next week to continue their Denis Villeneuve series with a look at Arrival. You can stream Arrival on Netflix as well as rent via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it. 

Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro)

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 9 of the Director Watch Podcast, they discuss the next film in their Denis Villeneuve series, Enemy (2014).

Following up the successful of Prisoners didn’t take long, as Villeneuve’s next film was actually shot just before it and was released to high acclaim in the spring of 2014. Enemy unites the director with Gyllenhaal again, this time playing a duel role about a two men who look the exact same but are completely different. In what would be the last small indie film for Villeneuve in his filmography to date, it has also led to problem the most discussed ending of any of his films with the reveal of the GIANT SPIDER. Ryan and Jay break down what they think the spider imagery means, Gyllenhaal’s double performance, the Canadian Screen Awards, Mélanie Laurent’s career, and if they think Villeneuve wants to ever make another film like this. 

You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more.

This podcast runs 1h31m. The guys will be back next week to continue their Denis Villeneuve series with a look at Sicario. You can stream Sicario on Paramount Plus as well as rent via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it. 

Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

On episode 200 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Sophia Ciminello are joined by journalist and host of the Pop Culture Confidential podcast, Christina Jeurling Birro, to give their reactions to the films they saw at the 50^th edition of the Telluride Film Festival.

Two weeks ago on the podcast, Ryan, Erik, Sophia and Christina came together to preview the 2023 Telluride Film Festival. Flash forward to now where the gang arrived at the festival and spent five glorious days watching some of the biggest films of the year that we will be talking about throughout award season. Recorded on the last night of the festival, they breakdown some of the major world premieres that the lineup offered like The Bikeriders, Saltburn, All of Us Strangers, The Holdovers, NYAD, Rustin, as well as a couple of titles that premiered at previous film festivals like The Zone of Interest, Poor Things, and Anatomy of a Fall. The gang also discuss their experience at the festival, as this was Sophia and Christina’s first time in Telluride. They also briefly mention how the overall vibe of the festival was as the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are still on-going during the festivities. 

You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more.

This podcast runs 1h40m.We will be off next week as most of the AW podcast team will be at the Toronto International Film Festival. We will be back in two weeks to recap the show. Till then, let’s get into it. 

Music: “Modern Fashion” from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).