Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 114 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the first film in their Yasujirō Ozu series, Late Spring (1949).

Known as one of the defining directors of Japanese cinema, Yasujirō Ozu is a staple of slow-burn, emotionally impactful cinema that evolved over time as his nation was coming to terms with what their identity was going to be post-World War II. Ozu, a popular director of domestic dramas and comedies before the war, made propaganda pictures for his country during the world struggle to entertain the people of Japan while the horrific violence of war played on throughout multiple countries over many years. The events of the war changed the country forever, and so did the director, as he started to question in his later films the traditions of the past with the western ideas that would become a part of modern culture around the world. In Late Spring, he does this within a father, daughter dynamic about when is the right time to leave one’s family to create their own life, and when is it okay for a parent to let go of their child. In reviewing this first film, Ryan and Jay not only review the film and its themes, but explore their own personal relationships within the decisions Ozu makes within the framework of the narrative, making for one of their most personal podcasts to date as they start this new discovery into the world of Ozu.

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

This podcast runs 1h39m. The guys will be back next week to continue their new series on the films of Yasujirō Ozu with a review of his next film, Early Summer. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

It's time for our weekly Oscar talk and the one before everything changes. Next week begins the fall festival season with Venice and Telluride on top of each other, then bleeding into Toronto in the first week of September. Everything that looked 'good on paper' now has to put up or shut up because this is where real buzz begins. On episode 303 AwardsWatch Editor-In-chief Erik Anderson is joined by Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello look at the trailers for Anemone and Hedda and break down the Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress Oscar races.

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

This podcast runs 57m. We'll be back next with a Telluride wrap up. Til then, let's get into it.

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

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 113 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello discuss the last film in their Paul Verhoeven series, Benedetta (2021).

For Verhoeven’s latest film, the director reteamed with his Elle collaborator David Birke, to make a religious film, as he’s an expert scholar of the Jesus Seminar, even writing a book in 2007 entitled Jesus of Nazareth. Though his adaptation of his book, along with several other projects, didn’t come to head, he was able to make Benedetta, a loose adaptation of Judith C. Brown’s Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy, following the life of a nun (Virginie Efira) who joins the Italian convent while she was a young child and later has a forbidden love affair with another nun, while also seeing religious visions that make her seem like she has direct contact with Jesus. Wickedly hilarious, sensual, and fascinating, Benedetta is a thorny tale of the complexities of faith, as well as Verhoeven’s critique of the church, an institution that he’s examined for all of his life. Ryan, Jay, and Sophia break down their thoughts on the film, just how funny the film is, if it has more to say than what Verhoeven is bringing up on the surface, the dream sequences, Benedetta’s struggles with temptation, Jay’s love of The Great Gatsby, Sophia’s story about seeing the film at the world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, and splinters. And seeing that it is the end of the series, the boys give out their Paul Verhoeven rankings as well as preview their new director series starting new week.

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

This podcast runs 2h44m. The guys will be back next week to begin their new series on the films of Yasujirō Ozu with a review of his film, Late Spring. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

For over thirty years, Adam Scott has been one of the most engaging, hilarious, versatile actors we have working today. Born in Santa Cruz, California, Scott, the son of two teachers and the youngest of three children, sent all of his schooling in The Golden State, as he was a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Post college, Scott started to get acting gigs in several feature films like Star Trek: First Contact, The Lesser Evil, High Crimes, and a notable supporting role in The Aviator, sharing scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio. At the same time, he had made a name for himself on the small screen with appearances on shows like Boy Meets World, Party of Five, and as a love interest on Six Feet Under. Growing up, Scott always dreamed of becoming either the next Al Pacino or David Letterman, becoming obsessed with Pacino as a beacon of acting for a generation as well with Letterman’s obscure sense of humor tickling his funny bone. It’s funny how life works out, because as Scott was making his mark in more dramatic work, the summer of 2008 changed his career forever when he starred in the latest comedy from director Adam McKay, Step Brothers, and without any improve skills to his resume, was able to land giant laughs opposite the biggest comedy star of the time, Will Ferrell.

From this moment, things took off for Scott, as the following summer saw the release of the cult comedy television classic, Party Down, which followed a group of caterers in Los Angeles as they hope to make it in Hollywood. The show was cancelled after two seasons in 2010 (though it was brought back in 2023 for a third season), but as that door closed for Scott, another one opened with his role as Ben Wyatt on Parks and Recreation, a state auditor who slowly becomes the love interest for Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler). As a fan of the acclaimed NBC show, I can say that the best thing to happen to Parks and Recreation was the addition of Scott as Ben Wyatt, delivering one of the funniest characters on the show as well as one of the best television couples of the last twenty years. Since his time with the gang from Pawnee, Indiana, he’s continued to showcase his range as an actor, with guest comedic spots on shows like The Good Place and Veep, was part of the ensemble for Big Little Lies, appeared in the sequel to Wet Hot American Summer, and even hosted comedic physical game show called Don’t in 2020. But all of this work has lead him to the biggest role of his career so far as Mark on hit Apple TV+ drama, Severance.

From the mind of creator Dan Erickson, Severance follows employeesat a mysterious company called Lumon Industries that have undergone a procedure known as “severance” to ensure that they have no memories to the outside world while they are at work, with no memory of their work life once they leave the building. This creates then the idea of an “innie” and “outie” personality within one’s self, which would be dangerous if the worlds crosses, but that’s exactly what happens to Mark at the end of season one, as he and his other colleges at Lumon briefly are able to bring their innie selves into the real world in their outie’s body. The second season grapples with the repercussions of the rebellious Lumon employee’s actions, as well as goes down various rabbit holes to show that the company that Mark works for is various dangerous as well as a deeper, personal connection to him that he could’ve ever known. It’s riveting, thought-provoking, thrilling television that has slowly become the best show on television in large part to the excellent writing by Erickson, the inventive direction by Ben Stiller, and the incredible work by the show’s massive ensemble, led by Scott, who in season two, not only gives the best performance of his career so far, but the best performance by any actor on television this year. In his glowing review of the season, our television editor Tyler Doster stated that Scott was “at his best this season,” finding “a new hunger” within his performance that grows this season as the mystery around Mark and the other characters begins to take shape.

In my in-depth conversation with the Emmy nominated actor and producer, we discussed the anticipation of filming season two, the differences in playing Mark S. and Mark Scout, how trust is a key theme throughout the second season, and what it is like to be part of a global television phenomenon similar to The Twilight Zone and Lost; two shows that mean a lot to him and speak to the power of character forward storytelling. We also spoke about the dueling romantic relationships Mark finds himself in, what it is like working with co-stars Britt Lower and Dichen Lachman, the technical challenges of filming the camcorder and running sequences found in first and last episode of the season, as well as his versatility as a character actor; moving from drama to comedy, and how that helped him form who Mark is. In between all of this, Scott shared his favorite flavor of Gatorade, the need for bananas when performing stunts on set, his fondness for his time on his other beloved television series Party Down and Parks and Recreation, and why he loves the Fast and The Furious franchise. From comedy to drama to everything in between, Scott can do it all, and with Severance, he’s showcasing a confidence of an actor who is destiny to continue to empty the tank until it’s time to punch out his time card a long time from now.

Adam Scott is Emmy-nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the episode "Cold Harbor" of Severance.

Music: Severance, Opening Title Sequence: Season 2 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

We're a mere 11 days before the 52nd Telluride Film Festival kicks off on Labor Day weekend and we have a packed show. On episode 303 AwardsWatch Editor-In-chief Erik Anderson is joined by Executive Editor Ryan McQuade, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello, contributors Mark Johnson and Jorge Tenreiro and Christina Birro of Pop Culture Confidential to break down what we think will be at Telluride this season, who might be getting Silver Medallions and much more.

On this episode the crew looks at how Toronto and New York film festival designations give us the clues we need to see what will, or might, be showing up at Telluride including coveted world premieres, Chloé Zhao's Hamnet starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, and Edward Berger's Ballad of a Small Player with Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton among them. Telluride is also full of Cannes winner carryovers and we expect to see Jafar Panahi's Palme d'Or winner It Was Just an Accident, Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value (Grand Prize winner) and Kleber Mendonça Filho's double winner The Secret Agent (Best Director, Best Actor Wagner Moura) -- all NEON films -- in the lineup. There's also a certain amount of sleuthing involved in the guessing game and is there a chance that A24 debuts Mother Mary here? We'll have to wait and see...

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

This podcast runs 1h4m. We will be back in next week to talk about Spike Lee's newest film Highest 2 Lowest and talk about our Top 5 Spike Lee joints. Till then, let’s get into it.

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 112 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer discuss the latest film in their Paul Verhoeven series, Elle (2016).

After a full decade without making a film, Verhoeven returned to the big screen doing what he does best; pushing buttons. With Elle, he made one of his most talked about, controversial films of his entire career about a successful businesswoman who get caught up in a dangerous, sexual game of cat and mouse with the man whom she believes raped her. Blurring the lines between a female’s liberation, sexual desire, and abuse, Elle explores the complex emotions attached to those who have been abused. Ryan, Jay, and Dan break down their thoughts on this complex masterpiece, the performance from Isabelle Huppert, the sexual politics presented in the film, how controversial the film was at the time, if this would’ve been embraced more by the Academy if it was released today, how the film foreshadows the film will cover next week on the show, and the differences between video games now and the ones made from our childhood in terms of the graphics.

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

This podcast runs 2h32m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Paul Verhoeven with a review of his film, Benedetta. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

On episode 302 of the AwardsWatch podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson is joined by Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello as we look at the state of the Oscar race post-TIFF and NYFF lineup announcements and ahead of the Venice and Telluride film festivals.

In our conversation, which begins looking at how a film's surplus of festival appearances can help or hurt its chances and, on the other side, how a minimal footprint can be a hindrance or a benefit, especially for voters who feel they can discover a film rather than be told what to vote for.

We turn our eyes to two specific categories on this episode: Best Casting and Best Supporting Actress. With the new Casting category making its Oscar debut this season, we wanted to look at not just the types of films we expect to see - like Sinners, Jay Kelly, Sentimental Value, Wicked: For Good and more - but also why, and how much the branch might raise up titans in their industry who will be earning the highest accolade for the first time. Our focus then moves to Best Supporting Actress as the fervor over Amy Madigan's performance as Aunt Gladys in Zach Cregger's horror hit Weapons this last weekend has people pounding the alarm to take her seriously as a potential nominee. We look at the reality of it happening in a race full of potential contenders.

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

This podcast runs 47m. We will be back in next week for a preview of the 2025 Telluride Film Festival. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

On episode 301 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson alongside AwardsWatch contributor Karen Peterson to give their thoughts on the latest horror film from director Zach Cregger, Weapons. This podcast contains full SPOILERS!

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

This podcast runs 1h27m. We will be back in next week for a preview of the 2025 Telluride Film Festival. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 111 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by film critic Ben Miller discuss the latest film in their Paul Verhoeven series, Black Book (2006).

After a six-year absence from the film world following Hollow Man, Verhoeven resurfaced with a World War II drama about a young Jewish woman in the Netherlands who becomes a spy for the resistance. In doing so, as she gets deeper behind enemy lines, she starts to fall in love with one of the high ranking members of the Nazi military. As scandalous and provocative as Verhoeven usually is, this is a whole other level and reminds his audience of the director that he once was before he went to Hollywood; asking questions and pushing buttons with sophisticated intrigue. In the years since its release, it’s not only become one of his more underrated film of his filmography that people have discovered as genius work, but the Dutch public voted it the best Dutch film ever made, which is very high praise. Ryan, Jay, and Ben breakdown their thoughts on the film, the performance of Carice van Houten, the murkiness of the love interests in the film, the depictions of violence and sex, how both sides of the fight mirror each other, the interesting final shots of the film, and what kind of cake do the host think the Germans made for their leader’s birthday depicted in the film.

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

This podcast runs 2h05m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Paul Verhoeven with a review of his film, Elle. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

On episode 300 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson alongside AwardsWatch contributors Karen Peterson and Josh Parham to go back 35 years and take a look at the 63rd Academy Awards, covering the films of 1990.

On this retrospective, the AW team take a trip to 1990, where actor Kevin Costner rode off the with multiple Oscars, winning Best Picture for his western Dances With Wolves. While a massive hit at the time, history has not been kind to the winner here as it has become one of the biggest mistakes in Best Picture history, with many believing this was the right time to give Martin Scorsese his due with his masterpiece, Goodfellas. Alongside talking about that, the team explores a turning point of cinema, where the big Hollywood hits made or released from the 1980s were starting to blend with the independent cinema that would dominate the 1990s. It’s a fascinating year at the intersection of Hollywood’s biggest night.

In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 1990, briefly discuss talk about Dances With Wolves as a Best Picture winner, do an extensive conversation over the below the line categories and nominees for the year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to three films to make up the final set of five nominated films. Like past retrospective episodes, it was a fascinating, fun conversation including spirited debates, alliances, vote swinging, celebrating various movies, performances that aren’t normally talked about and more that we all hope you enjoy.

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

This podcast runs 2h07m. We will be back in next week for a review of the latest horror, Weapons. Till then, let’s get into it.

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