On episode 179 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer and Zach Laws to give their thoughts Beau Is Afraid and Evil Dead Rise, as well as answer some listener questions.

Director Ari Aster has become one of the most popular directors of the last ten years, creating his own brand of horror films with hits like Hereditary and Midsommar. With his third feature, he has made an anxiety filled dark comedy that is three hours long and packed with just about anything that can come from the director’s mind. By doing this, Aster has made the most divisive film of the year, one that team dive fully into with not just a discussion of the context of the film, but the discourse that has followed since its release. Once they are done, they give their brief reactions to the latest entry into the Evil Dead franchise.

Towards the end of the episode, the team answer some listener questions, with topics including movies that they ‘hate,’ going into detail as to what point of their viewing experience did they realize that didn’t like the movie. They also talk about their favorite films about ‘nature’ and what are some of their favorite needle drops in films.

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

This podcast runs 2h03m. We will be back next week the 2023 Summer Movie Draft. Till then, enjoy the show.

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

On episode 178 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Nicole Ackman, Dan Bayer, Zach Laws and Josh Parham to dive deep into another AW Oscar retrospective, covering the 2003 season which awarded The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King the Best Picture of the year.

20 years ago, the Academy Awards were viewed by almost double the eyeballs of a modern telecast, and across the world people gathered to see Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy get awarded Hollywood’s top prize. Not only did Return of the King win Best Picture, but it went on that night to win ten more Oscars for a grand total of eleven, a clean sweep, and tying it with 1997’s Titanic and 1959’s Ben-Hur for the most Oscar wins ever by a single film.

Ryan, Nicole, Dan, Zach and Josh break down the year 2003 as a whole, see if Return of the King holds up as a good to great Best Picture winner, and talk about some of the best and worst nominations from the lineup. Throw in Oscar trivia and some “Should’ve, Could’ve, Would’ve” rounds to highlight who they would give the Oscar to and it's an extensive yet fun look back as the gang covers dozens of titles, filled with plenty of hot takes.

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

This podcast runs 2h27m. We will be back next week to review Ari Aster’s latest film, Beau Is Afraid. Till then, enjoy the show.

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

On episode 177 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Nicole Ackman and Dan Bayer give their thoughts Ben Affleck’s latest film, Air, as well as their Top 5 films that are ‘based on a true story.’

Since its premiere at SXSW, the buzz has been building for Ben Affleck’s Air, which is the story about how Nike was able to get the deal done with Michael Jordan to get the Air Jordan shoe deal done. With being a little box office surprise as well as being a critical success, the AW crew give their thoughts on the film overall and what they think works and doesn’t work. After the review, in a Top 5 list inspired by the Affleck’s latest directorial effort, as Ryan, Nicole and Dan breakdown their favorite films that are ‘based on a true story,’ speaking about a variety of films that include Moneyball, Dog Day Afternoon, The Last Duel, Malcolm X, and more.

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

This podcast runs 2h29m. We will be back next week to do an Oscar retrospective episode covering the 76th Academy Awards, the films of 2003.

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

On episode 176 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Sophia Ciminello, Josh Parham and Zach Laws review The Big Lebowski for its 25^th anniversary, and give their Top 5 Coen brothers movies.

At the top of the episode, the AW crew welcome Zach to the team, and he shares a little bit about himself before everyone goes right into their review of the Joel and Ethan Coen's LA-based, noir inspired comedy that is considered to be one of the best film of the 90s and an influential film from its time. Turning 25 years old, the team go into what makes the film so special after all these years and why it might be on their Top 5 list. And speaking of lists, with 18 films to choose from, and being among the most popular directors of all time, Ryan, Erik, Sophia, Josh and Zach count down their choices and examine which films they think are the Coen brothers' best.

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

This podcast runs 2h05m. We will be back next week to review Ben Affleck's Air and talk about our Top 5 ‘Based on a True Story’ films.

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