The AwardsWatch Podcast (general)
Podcasts from AwardsWatch on the Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes, SAG and more.

On episode 220 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to give their reactions to the 2024 SAG Awards.

Before we get into talking about the SAG Awards, the first significant release of 2024 screened this past week, as many were able to get a first look at Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two before it arrives in theaters later this week. Ryan and Erik were able to be some of the lucky critics to catch it, and gave their quick, spoiler free reactions to the film at the top of the show. The full review from Ryan is live on the website, and there will be a new episode of Director Watch coming soon to discuss the film is its totality.

Onto the main topic for this week, the gang come together to talk about the 2024 SAG Awards, which streamed live on Netflix this past Saturday night. While the show was a bit of a mess, the winners for the acting categories started to take full shape for the Oscars as Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Robert Downey Jr. continue their award season dominance for Supporting Actress and Supporting Actor, while Cillian Murphy and Lily Gladstone took the lead in Best Actor and Best Actress as we head into the final week of Oscar voting. Listen as the AW team breaks it all down and previews next week’s show as we head into the final Oscar predictions for the season.

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

This podcast runs 1h09m. On our next episode, we will be giving our final 2024 Oscar predictions. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep220.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:05am PDT

On episode 219 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer to give their reactions to the 2024 BAFTA Awards, and give out their predictions for the upcoming 2024 PGA, SAG, and Independent Spirit Awards,

As discussed on last week’s show, the 2024 BAFTA awards were this past Sunday, with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer taking home seven awards including Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor for Cillian Murphy. With the film’s other wins in Supporting Actor, Cinematography, Editing and Score, it has solidified itself not only as the frontrunner for Best Picture at the Oscars, but it is the forgone conclusion that it will be our winner this year. But with three weeks to go, can any other film set forward as a challenger and take Best Picture right at the last second? Poor Things looked to be the latest challenger to Oppenheimer as made its case by winning five BAFTA’s including Best Actress for Emma Stone. But it lost Best British Film in a upset to Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, thus making it clear which film the BAFTA voting membership was going to reward its top prize to. Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, and American Fiction also took home prizes, while films like Barbie. Saltburn, All of Us Strangers, Maestro, and Killers of the Flower Moon went home empty handed. The gang discuss the impact of these results and how much they will factor them in going into the final stage of season.

After discussing the BAFTAs, Ryan, Erik, and Dan gave their full predictions for the PGA, SAG, and Independent Spirit Awards, which included plenty of talk about Oppenheimer another big step towards it’s Best Picture win, discuss how the four acting races will conclude, how SAG will vote in their television categories, and what they think the unpredictable Film Independent voters will vote on for its winners. All in all, it was a fun predictions portion segment filled with tons of possibilities for various winners to walk away with the top prizes at each show.

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

This podcast runs 1h46m. On our next episode, we will be giving our reactions to the SAG Awards, as well as doing a review of the latest sci-fi epic, Dune: Part Two. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep219.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:43am PDT

On episode 218 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer to give their 2024 BAFTA predictions and talk about their favorite romantic comedies.

Before getting into the meat of this week’s show, there was major Oscar news this past week, as the Academy announced the addition of a brand new category for the 2025/2026 season, Best Casting. While there is a lot of speculation as to the rules of this new category, but this is a welcome addition to the Oscar lineup. The gang speculate what they want to hear from the Academy when they announce the specifics to their new category in April 2025.

Moving onto the awards talk, the guys talk about the recent wins at the DGA and ADG awards ceremonies from this past weekend, which saw not only Christopher Nolan get closer to an Oscar win for Best Director, but a real race for Best Production Design between Poor Things, Oppenheimer, and Barbie. This led right into the BAFTA predictions conversation, which could open up the race and lead to some surprises from this overseas voting body that has a big cross over with the Academy. Films like Oppenheimer, Poor Things should do well, with The Zone of Interest, Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers and All of Us Strangers looking to play spoiler in a few categories. Winners will be handed out next weekend and we will discuss them on next week’s show.

Then in the back half of the episode, as Valentine’s Day rolls around this coming week, Ryan, Erik and Dan discuss their favorite romantic comedies. They talk about what they love about the genre, what makes them work, some of their favorite films and memorable theater experiences seeing them, as well as what they would like to see going forward when it comes to rom-coms. Some of the films discussed included My Big Fat Greek Wedding, When Harry Met Sally, Moonstruck, Bottoms, Fire Island, Annie Hall, Harold and Maude, The Shop Around the Corner, Sleepless in Seattle, and so many more.

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

This podcast runs 1h53m. On our next episode, we will be giving our reactions to the BAFTA awards, as well as give our predictions to the SAG Awards and talk about the latest film from Ethan Coen, Drive-Away Dolls. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep218.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:28am PDT

On episode 217 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson stands in for AW Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and welcomes AW Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to talk a bit about the Oscars, review Argylle and dive into our favorite films of the spy and espionage genre.

Early February is a quiet time for Oscar predicting; there are very few critics groups to still chime in and all guilds and industry nominations have landed. It’s voting time for several, including SAG, DGA and PGA and idle hands are the devil’s playground. In our opening, Erik, Sophia and Josh root around the lead acting and screenplay categories which seem more open and elusive than usual and we take an early stab at what could shake things up and why.

Then it’s Argylle, Apple Films’ colossal box office, critical and audience flop that opened this weekend and Josh is tasked with stewarding that sinking ship as the only person on the pod who saw it. With its $16M opening, mid-40s Rotten Tomatoes score and C+ Cinemascore, the film is not long for theaters and Josh will tell you why.

Then we get to the meat of the podcast and that’s talking about spy and espionage films that do work for us and those that we count among our favorites. With the Mission: Impossible and Bond franchises looming so large over this genre – we give them space and due – we talk about some formative film in the genre for us like Goldfinger and the spy spoof Condorman and then into the films that we love the best like The Manchurian Candidate (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), Three Days of the Condor (1975), The Conversation (1974), No Way Out (1987) and Spy (2015). Plus, what list would be complete without Hitchcock?

But we return to Bond and give out some of our choices to replace the iconic figure now that Daniel Craig is officially retired from the role. Hit us up in the comments with who you want to see play the dashing, rogue agent.

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

This podcast runs 1h36m. On our next episode, we will be talking about our favorite rom-coms just in time for Valentine’s Day and our predictions for the BAFTA winners. Till then, let’s get into it.

Direct download: awardswatch-podcast-217.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:24am PDT

On episode 216 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to give their reactions to the 96th Academy Award nominations.

Bright and early on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the 96th Oscar nominations, celebrating the films released within the year 2023. If you have been listening to the show, and following the race this season, it is no shock at all that Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer lead all films on nomination morning with 13 nominations, followed by Poor Things with 11 nominations, Killers of the Flower Moon with ten, and Barbie with eight. Speaking of Barbie, the biggest snubs and surprise of the nominations came when director Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie missed in the Best Director and Best Actress category, only for America Ferrera to sneak into the Best Supporting Actress line-up. There were other surprises that included five-nomination tallies for Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest, The Holdovers (but missing Best Director), and a solid showing for American Fiction. Ryan, Erik, and Josh break down every aspect of the above the line nominees, which predictions they got right as well as the ones they missed, and as they get into the below the line categories, question some of the stranger choices the members of the Academy made. An overall good conversation surrounding a (for the most part) good group of nominees.

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

This podcast runs 1h12m. On our next episode, we will be talking about our favorite spy/espionage films due to the release of Matthew Vaughn’s latest film, Argylle. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep216.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:53pm PDT

On episode 215 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributor Kevin L. Lee to give out their final 2024 Oscar nomination predictions.

Tuesday, January 23, 2024 will mark the moment we have all been waiting for; this year’s Oscar nominations. We’ve seen the Golden Globes and Critic Choice Awards hand out their winners, with SAG, PGA, BAFTA and many more industry groups hand out their nominations so far and it is shaping to be a big day for Oppenheimer, Poor Things, Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, and The Holdovers.

But before we find out the nominations, out team came together early to break down who they think will get in, as well as which films they could see being shut out on Oscar nominations morning, and which film could pull out some surprise nominations. Early in their discussion, they give a brief overview of the below the line categories before they dive in the big eight categories (Best Picture, Best Director, the four acting and two screenplay categories), as well as Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary, and Best International Feature. It was a very detailed, fun show where the team laid out all the various scenarios in each category that could take place, leaving plenty of room for doubt as many categories are still wide open for surprises on the morning of the nominations.

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

This podcast runs 2h39m. We will be back next week to talk about the 2023 Oscar nominations, what got in, what didn’t and everything in between. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_215.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:50am PDT

On episode 214 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson break down the winners of the 81st Golden Globes.

As we flip our calendars to 2024, the Oscar race has started to heat up at the winners of the 81st Golden Globe Awards were honored from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, live on CBS and Paramount +. The evening marked the first televised award show of the season, giving actors, writers, directors, producers and more the necessary opportunity to make the first speeches of the season, and see who can emerge as a front runner on the night. With an impressive haul, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer took home the most awards with 5 wins including Best Picture, Drama.

Over on the Comedy-Musical side of things, Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things took home the Best Picture prize, with Barbie, Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, and The Boy and the Heron taking home many of the film awards.

For television it was a dominating night for Succession, The Bear, and Beef, showcasing their strength in the industry right before the long-delayed Primetime Emmy awards next week. Ryan and Erik discuss it all, and talk about how these wins will shape what we see further in the Oscar and Emmy races.

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

This podcast runs 51m. We will be back next week to break down the winners of the SAG and DGA nominations and the winners of Critics Choice. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep214.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:10am PDT

On episode 213 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello, TV Editor Tyler Doster and AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham, Dan Bayer, Cody Dericks, and Jay Ledbetter to discuss their favorite films of 2023.

As we begin the new year, we say goodbye to 2023 with our AW team’s favorite films of the year from a year filled with so many exceptional movies, it looks like we will be talking about 2023 as one of the great movie years for a long time. Instead of having everyone on one call together, the show is split up into four sections, each section covering the four films the team loved the movies. Those films included Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers (Erik and Josh), Celine Song’s Past Lives (Tyler and Dan), Todd Haynes’s May December (Sophia and Cody), and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (Ryan and Jay).

In each segment, each person talks about why they selected the film as their favorite of the year, as well as an in-depth discussion over the film. At the end, the team gave honorable mentions for other films that they loved that included The Zone of Interest, Killers of the Flower Moon, Barbie, The Taste of Things, The Killer, Asteroid City, Priscilla, Passages, Godzilla Minus One, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret., and many more. Please enjoy this wonderful first episode of 2024, thank you all for reading everything on the website as well as listening to the show in 2023. We hope you all have a Happy New Year.

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

This podcast runs 2h55m. We will be back next week to break down the winners of the 2024 Golden Globes. Till then, let’s get into it.

Direct download: AwardsWatch_213.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:23am PDT

On episode 212 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer to discuss their reactions to the Golden Globe and Critics Choice nominations, as well as talk about a slew of films releasing during the holidays.

Right as we head into the holiday break, the 2023 Golden Globe and Critics Choice nominations were announced last week, with similarities and major differences to consider for the race to Oscar nominations next month. With the Globes, major love was found in the form of International films with Past Lives, The Zone of Interest, Fallen Leaves and Anatomy of a Fall landing big nominations in many of the major categories. At Critics Choice, Saltburn and The Color Purple landed in the Best Picture lineups, something they weren’t able to do at the Golden Globes. But what was clear is the four films that collected a ton of nominations at both, with Barbie, Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Poor Things leading all films at both ceremonies. Ryan, Erik and Dan break it all down and even give a give a Golden Globe prediction or two.

After this lovely, lively conversation, the guys transition to reviewing three of the major award season and commercial releases of the holidays, The Iron Claw, Wonka, and The Color Purple. While these weren’t all glowing reviews of these new titles, Ryan, Erik and Dan had a balanced discussion of what worked and didn’t work for each of them when it came to these titles.

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

This podcast runs 2h23m. We will be off next week but we will be back the following week for our end of the year, best of 2023 episode. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep_212.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:01am PDT

On episode 2010 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia and AwardsWatch contributors Kevin L. Lee discuss the 2023 Best Picture race and the movies they watched way too young.

It is December so that means we are right at the beginning of awards season, where the various critics groups are going to start handing out prizes to the best films and performances from the year. This past week saw the Gotham Awards give Past Lives Best Feature Film, Lily Gladstone (The Unknown Country) and Charles Melton (May December) taking the Best Lead and Supporting Performance awards. Sophia was able to attend the ceremony and gave her reactions to the night’s events before the group talked about these wins alongside the NYFCC announcing their winners later in the week.

This led right into the first major discussion of the episode about the Best Picture race and where everything stands. As of now, there seems to be three films that stand as the frontrunners for Best Picture, and those are Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Oppenheimer. The group discuss the strengths and weaknesses in these films chances of winning Hollywood’s biggest prize, as well as the various films, The Holdovers, American Fiction, Maestro, Poor Things, The Color Purple, that are right there in the mix to win the Oscar.

After that great conversation, they transitioned into talking about a topic the team has wanted to talk about for a long time, movies that they were way too young to see. In a deep dive into their taste in films, Ryan, Erik, Sophia and Kevin revealed the films that they were shocked they got to watch at such a young age, as well as movies that scared them, and made them cry. Titles included Jaws, Alien, Jurassic Park, Basic Instinct, As Good as It Gets and a ton of Disney animated films.

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

This podcast runs 1h45m. We will be back next week to talk about the Oscar Acting Categories, review Poor Things, and talk about our favorite coming of age films. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep210.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:25am PDT

On episode 208 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributor Jay Ledbetter discuss David Fincher’s latest film The Killer and give out their Top 5 David Fincher films.

One of the most celebrated directors of our time is a man that is fully obsessed with every detail about making a film. Known for being a perfectionist, director David Fincher has made a body of work that stands amongst many as one of the best to ever do it. From police procedurals to adaptations of popular novels to important stories based on a real life events, he prides himself in being a man that loves to showcase the process of how things are done or how we arrive at the most difficult moments humans can make. On this episode, Ryan, Sophia, and Jay breakdown why Fincher is one of their guys, what they love about him, and how his movies have shaped the good and bad tendencies of modern Hollywood. This includes talking about his latest thriller The Killer, which is streaming on Netflix and is one of the best films of the year so far, with stellar performances from Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton, as well as the usual excellent craft work done by Fincher and his collaborators. After that, the group breakdown their Top 5 Fincher films, that include Se7en, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Social Network, Gone Girl, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Zodiac.

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

This podcast runs 2h25m. We will be back next week to talk about our Top 5 Best and Worst Prequels of all time. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep208.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:09am PDT

On episode 207 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia and AwardsWatch contributors Josh Parham and Jay Ledbetter discuss who might they think will be the future stars of Hollywood with the Movie Star Stock Market.

For months, the AW podcast team have talked about the state of modern movie stars, and what the future of cinema looks like. Given how the trend of the film industry is leaning more towards IP driven films as well as a big point of emphasis on director’s names attached to projects, the role, and criteria of what we have considered a traditional movie star has changed. With this in mind, Ryan, Sophia, Josh, and Jay put together a list of forty names of actors mostly under the age of forty who they believe have the potential to be the movie stars of the future and help carry movies like the stars before them. The list of names included a wide range of talent like Timothée Chalamet, Margot Robbie, Emma Stone, Daniel Kaluuya, Austin Butler, Paul Mescal, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and many more the team had to decide if they were going to buy, sell, or hold the stock of these potential movie stars. It was a lot of fun doing this episode, we hope you enjoy it.

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

This podcast runs 2h35m. We will be back next week to talk David Fincher’s The Killer and our Top 5 David Fincher films. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep207.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:05am PDT

On episode 206 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Sophia Ciminello recap the AFI FEST 2023.

Before they get into their final festival experience of the year, the 2023 Gotham Awards were announced last week, giving us the first nominations of the upcoming Oscar season. Voted on by a jury system of selected critics, the films listed comprised of some of the best indie films of the year, including Past Lives, Passages, Showing Up, A Thousand and One, All of Us Strangers and more. This year, the organization removed the budget cap requirements, which limited the film’s that could be considered for consideration to anything made for less than $35 million. Once they were done discussing that, Ryan and Sophia moved on to briefly talk about a big release that debuted in theaters while the podcast was off last week, Killers of the Flower Moon, and why it is one of the best films of the year, in their opinion.

After they were done talking about Scorsese’s latest, they moved on to the AFI FEST, that saw the world premieres of films like Leave the World Behind and Freud’s Last Session and closed with Bradley Cooper’s Maestro. Ryan and Sophia talk about those films, as well as their thoughts on Perfect Days, La Chimera, American Fiction, and two highlights, A Matter of Life and Death and All That Jazz, from Greta Gerwig’s special Guest Director section, showcasing five big screen classics.

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

This podcast runs 1h27m. We will be back next week to talk about a really fun topic, our Top 5 Modern Movie Stars. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep206.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:35am PDT

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 16 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Lynne Ramsay series, We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011).

After coming out with two films back to back early in her career, Ramsay took nine years to return to the big screen with her third feature film that sparked tons of divisive reactions and was regarded as one of the best films of 2011 and of the 2010s decade. A tense psychological thriller about a mother’s bond with her strange, disturbed child showcased Ramsay’s unique ability to build tension throughout a complicated story, as well as the talents of one of the best working actresses in modern cinema, Tilda Swinton. Ryan and Jay breakdown their thoughts on the film, if it’s still relevant subject matter about massive killings in America is handled properly as well as the narrative logistics of the aftermath, Swinton’s stellar career, the titular actor in this film and their body of work, and how much bleak punishment is okay to put on the audience with a movie like this.

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

This podcast runs 1h32m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series covering the films of Lynn Ramsay with a review of her fourth feature film, You Were Never Really Here. You can stream You Were Never Really Here on Amazon Prime Video, as well as rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it. 

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

Direct download: Director_Watch_Ep16_WNTTAK.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:45am PDT

On episode 205 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Zach Laws talk about their Top 5 favorite, and least favorite, franchise remakes/reboots.

Before getting into the Top 5 for this week, Ryan announced the winner of the 2023 Summer Movie Draft, which ended up being a very close finish when the numbers were all added up, showcasing a lot of interesting lessons learned to be going forward into next year’s draft. Once the winner was announced, Zach briefly talked about his review of The Exorcist: Believer, which was the inspiration for the Top 5 this week. As it seems to be another bad horror remake/reboot for director David Gordon Green, it made for an interesting idea to look some of the best franchise remakes/reboots and what makes those work so well, as well as look at the ones that didn’t work out and set back their intellectual properties further than before. Ryan list covered a wide range of films and genres, while Zach primarily stayed in the horror genre for his selections, which included for both of them Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing, The Mummy, Ocean’s Eleven, Casino Royale, The Fly as examples of their favorites, and Man of Steel, Fantastic 4 (2015), Jurassic World, Alice in Wonderland, and the recent Halloween reboot as films that were their least favorite attempts at making a franchise relevant again.

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

This podcast runs 1h47m. We will be back in two weeks to recap the AFI Film Festival and give our thoughts on the latest film from Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep_205.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:49am PDT

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 13 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the final film in their Denis Villeneuve series, Dune (2019).

As the guys talked about last week, Blade Runner 2049 wasn’t the biggest success in the world, though it won a couple of Oscars and was considered a perfect test for Villeneuve to explore existing IP and give his unique vision to it. In successfully making that film, he was then given the massive opportunity to adapt one of the greatest pieces of sci-fi canon with Frank Herbert’s classic novel, Dune. Obsessed with the novel as a kid, Villeneuve decided to split the book into two parts, only shooting the first film, and trusting audiences would like his take on the book enough for there to be a demand for more. It was a big gamble and it paid off with Dune being a good commercial hit that also bleed into multiple Oscar nominations and wins, and a part two that we will see soon. In their discussion, Ryan and Jay talked about the marketing of the film, if it works as a solo film or not, where they stand on Timothée Chalamet as a Hollywood leading man, the technical achievement behind the work, if Villeneuve was snubbed for a Best Director nomination, and give out their rankings to wrap of the series. Make sure you listen to the whole episode to hear the next two series the guys are going to cover to wrap up the 2023 calendar year.

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

This podcast runs 2h02m. Dune is currently available to stream on Max and Netflix as well as for rent on Prime Video. The guys will be back next week for the beginning of an all-new series covering the films of Lynne Ramsey, and her first feature, Ratcatcher. You can stream Ratcatcher on Max, as well as rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: Director_Watch_Ep13_Dune.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:52am PDT

On episode 203 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Nicole Ackman and Dan Bayer to give out their Top 5 Sci-Fi films of all time.

Before the team gets into the Top 5 for this week, they discuss the historic deal that the WGA was able to make with the major film studios. In an important step in the right direction, the 148-day strike came to an end on September 27, with the writers getting a three-year deal that met every important demand that they wanted, including better pay, full transparency when it comes to streaming numbers, and the avoidance of A.I being a part of writer’s rooms and letting creatives still run their own projects. While SAG-AFTRA is still looking to make their own deal and their strike is still ongoing, this is a huge win for not just the WGA but workers and unions all around this country.

Moving on from this very important news, Ryan, Nicole and Dan move on to talk about their Top 5 Sci-Fi films, a topic inspired by the release of The Creator, which Nicole reviewed on the website this past week. It is another difficult list for the team to put together, having to consider not just their favorite films in the genre, but which films also honor the genre the best in asking questions about the state of our modern world in mostly futuristic settings. It is one of the richest genres in film history, and the titles selected like Blade Runner, Never Let Me Go, Avatar, The Matrix, Star Wars, Total Recall, Children of Men, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Back to the Future only scratch the surface in how many wonderful sci-fi films there are, which led to a really great conversation by the team.

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

This podcast runs 1h50m. We will be back next week with a brand new AwardsWatch Oscar retrospective, talking about the 91st Academy Awards, covering the films of 2018. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep203.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:22am PDT

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)

Direct download: Director_Watch_Ep12_BR2049.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:47am PDT

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)

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep202.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:28am PDT

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)

Direct download: Director_Watch_Ep_11_Arrival.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:33am PDT

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

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

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

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

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

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_EP_201.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:55am PDT

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)

Direct download: Director_Watch_Ep10_Sicario.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:16am PDT

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).

 

Direct download: Director_Watch_Ep_9_Enemy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:45am PDT

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

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

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

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

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep_200.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:03am PDT

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 8 of the Director Watch Podcast, they are joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson discuss the next film in their Denis Villeneuve series, Prisoners (2013).

After breaking through on the festival circuit in America with Incendies, as well as receiving an Oscar nomination for Best International Feature, Villeneuve took some time off riding the success of his acclaimed film. He returned to cinemas in 2013, directing his first Hollywood studio project, Prisoners, a story involving the search for two missing young girls in Pennsylvania. Focusing on two perspectives, one being the father of one of the missing girls (Hugh Jackman) and the detective trying to solve the case (Jake Gyllenhaal), this bleak mystery thriller was a surprise hit back in 2013, as well as considered by many of his fans to be Villeneuve’s best. In this episode, Ryan, Jay and Erik break down the symbolism shown throughout the film (SNAKES, PUZZLES), Jackman and Gyllenhaal’s performances, Paul Dano’s punchable face, Melissa Leo’s wig, Roger Deakin’s cinematography, the film’s ridiculous logic, and if it is a David Fincher knockoff.

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

This podcast runs 1h35m. The guys will be back next week to continue their Denis Villeneuve series with a look at Enemy. You can stream Enemy on Cinemax on Demand as well as rent via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: Director_Watch_Prisoners.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:13pm PDT

On episode 199 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Nicole Ackman and Jay Ledbetter to give out their Top 5 Sports Movies.

With just days before the fall festivals begin, the AwardsWatch podcast takes a left turn before all the madness begins. As one of the final films of the summer, Gran Turismo, finally made its way into theaters, giving the podcast team a chance to do a Top 5 Sports Movies episode inspired by the newest racing release. While not everyone is a sports fan, sports movies can be films made for all audiences, with some popular themes and messages that are larger than life, making audiences connect with the characters on their athletic journeys, thus becoming inspiring in the process. But not every film about sports is uplifting, as they can also be a looking glass into the soul of a human being, as well as examination of the time we live in and the dangers that the sporting world could bring to those who participate. Ryan, Nicole and Jay examine what makes a great sports film, what they love about them, and even stretch out the idea of what even qualifies as a sports movie in a fun episode featuring conversations over films like A League of Their Own, Bull Durham, Speed Racer, I, Tonya, The Color of Money, He Got Game, Warrior, Bend it Like Beckman, and many more.

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

This podcast runs 1h34m. We will be back next week to the films that premiered at the Telluride Film Festival. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep199.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:43am PDT

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 7 of the Director Watch Podcast, the guys discuss the first film in their Denis Villeneuve series, Incendies (2010).

As Ryan and Jay said goodbye to Todd Haynes on the last episode, so begins another series talking about one of the biggest directorial names in modern cinema. Over the last fifteen years, Denis Villeneuve has risen the ranks to be compared alongside the names of big budget directors with the likes of Christopher Nolan and Ridley Scott. While he is a fairly recent director, his filmography has led to massive discussions by film fans around the world, and in anticipation for his latest film, Dune Part 2, it made sense for the guys to tackle his work. But before he was making sci-fi spectacles, he made heart wrenching, celebrated indie dramas, which leads us to Incendies, which is a tale about a mother (a deeply committed performance from Lubna Azabal), whose devastating trauma from her past life must be dealt with by her children before she is firmly laid to rest. In this episode, the boys set up their relationship with Villeneuve and his films, their thoughts on this bleak breakout film, the morality and construction of the film’s finale, and whether Radiohead’s music should be used in any film.

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

This podcast runs 1h2m. The guys will be back next week to continue their Denis Villeneuve series with a look at Prisoners. You can stream Prisoners on Netflix as well as rent via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: Director_Watch_Ep_7-Incendies.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:22am PDT

On episode 198 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Sophia Ciminello are joined by journalist and host of the Pop Culture Confidential podcast, Christina Jeurling Birro, to predict and preview the upcoming 50th edition of the Telluride Film Festival, whose official lineup will be announced on August 30.

We are less than ten days till the beginning of the fall film festivals, and thus the start of a brand new award season. While the Venice Film Festival is happening on the other side of the world, in the mountains of Colorado lies the small town of Telluride that will be the host of its 50th annual film festival that has been the launching pad for dozens of films Oscar chances. The Telluride Film Festival is known for being a director focused festival, taking titles from all around the world in it’s lineup, with plenty of world premieres of some of the biggest films of the fall. Erik and Ryan went last year, and talked about their experience at the 49th annual festival in a previous episode, and how that Labor Day weekend was the part of the award season momentum for titles like Women Talking, TÁR, Bardo, Aftersun and many more.

With this being Sophia and Christina’s first time going to the festival, the crew get together to talk about their festival expectations, how everyone is going to have to step up with festival outfit game compared to Erik, the films that won’t be at the festivals, the world premieres we expect to be there and the films from other film festivals that could and should be part of the lineup. The episode is full of laughs and insights into the start of another busy award season. Expect to hear back from the same crew in two weeks to wrap up the festival and see how many of the lineup shacked out.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep.198.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:29am PDT

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 6 of the Director Watch Podcast, they are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Nicole Ackman to discuss the final film in their Todd Haynes series, Dark Waters (2019).

On the surface, Dark Waters may seem like an odd choice for Todd Haynes to direct, making the project almost seem like a “director for hire” situation. But once you dive into this legal thriller, the more of Haynes you will find. In a story about an environmental lawyer who puts everything on the line to expose DuPont, one of the world’s largest chemical companies, of a lengthy history of pollution, Haynes dives into not just how the danger threatens everyone in the local small towns that are being poisoned by DuPont, but the millions of people around the world using their products. In doing this, Haynes makes a visually striking, cynical drama about one man’s endless such for accountability.

Led by Haynes’s excellent direction, Ryan, Jay, and Nicole discuss Mark Ruffalo’s performance, Ed Lachman’s bold cinematography, which character actors stand out in the cast, if Anne Hathaway’s performance is underwritten, and if Dark Waters is the most underrated gem from 2019 film year. 

Warning, the audio to this episode was damaged but that still shouldn’t stop you from listening to this fantastic, fun conversation.

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

This podcast runs 1h28m. The guys will be back next week to begin their Denis Villeneuve series with a look at Incendies. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: Director_Watch_DW.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:36am PDT

On episode 197 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Zach Laws, and Josh Parham to discuss their 2024 pre-Fall festival Oscar predictions.

In less than three weeks, the Fall film festivals will be in full swing around the globe, as dozens and dozens of films premiere with great optimism that they will have what it takes to carry over in the award season conversation. While we know most of the film festival lineups and where everything will be playing, no one can predict at this exact moment in time what the nominations and winners will be come March 2024. With this in mind, we are at the start of a brand new Oscar season, thus the AW team has come together to give their first podcast Oscar predictions before the world premieres at the Venice, Telluride, and Toronto Film Festivals.

Erik has been covering the monthly Oscar predictions on the site, but these predictions are the first chance for Ryan, Josh, and Zach to talk with Erik as a group and see where everyone is right now, who are the early frontrunners, and which films have what it takes to make it all the way to Hollywood’s biggest night. Their conversation covered the Best Picture category, as well as Best Director, both Original and Adapted Screenplay, and all four of the acting categories. Among the several films that were highlighted the most in the team’s conversation include Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, The Zone of Interest, Barbie, Past Lives, The Holdovers, Dune Part Two, Maestro, May December, Anatomy of a Fall, Air, Saltburn, The Killer, Ferrari, Nyad, Priscilla, The Iron Claw and Poor Things, with a hand full of other titles like Asteroid City, Dumb Money, Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse, The Color Purple, Long Day’s Journey into Night and Rustin also getting some consideration.It was a detailed, exciting podcast that we hope you enjoy.

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

This podcast runs 2h16m.We will be back next week to preview the 2023 Telluride Film Festival. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep197.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:12am PDT

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 5 of the Director Watch Podcast, they are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Zach Laws to discuss the latest film in their Todd Haynes series, Wonderstruck (2017).

Two years after Carol was released with worldwide acclaim, Haynes took a rather unpredictable turn in his filmography by crafting a multi-generational family drama aimed for young audiences. Working off a script from writer Brian Selznick (based on his novel of the same name), Haynes takes two time periods, the 1920s and 1970s, and melds two stories of two young deaf children who are searching for their parents in New York City. Working alongside actresses he’s worked with before in Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams, and discovering the breakout talents of Millicent Simmonds and Oakes Fegley, Haynes is able to takes us on an emotional ride through fifty years of family, as well as human history, to tell an earnest story about togetherness and sincerity. Ryan, Jay, and Zach dive into the right turn for Haynes, the look of each time period shot by Haynes’s regular cinematographer Edward Lachman, the child performances, and if a less cynical approach for a Todd Haynes films makes this stand out in a good or bad way for his filmography.

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

This podcast runs 2h13m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their Todd Haynes series with a look at 2019's Dark Waters. Till then, let’s get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Direct download: Director_Watch_Ep5_Wonderstruck.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:22am PDT

On episode 196 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello, Zach Laws, and Josh Parham to discuss their Top 5 Modern Directors.

With Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan’s films dominating the box office, having audiences racing to see Barbie and Oppenheimer over and over again, we thought that it would be a good idea to do a list inspired by two of the biggest directors working in movies today. For the Awards Watch team, directors and their filmographies are the backbone of why they are the writers and film enthusiasts they are. In do this list, Ryan, Sophia, Zach and Josh dive head first into the directors that speak to them during our modern era of filmmaking. In doing so, the gang set an age requirement of 60 or below and the director had to have at least three films to their filmography to qualify. In doing this, some of the biggest, most influential filmmakers of our time were mentioned, including Barry Jenkins, Steve McQueen, David Fincher, Sofia Coppola, Céline Sciamma, David Lowery and Wes Anderson, alongside some names that were new discoveries for the group, and many more.

NOTE: The audio to this episode was damaged but that still shouldn’t stop you from listening to this fantastic, fun conversation.

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

This podcast runs 2h13m. We will be back next week talking about our pre-fall festival 2024 Oscar predictions. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep196.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:44am PDT

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 4 of the Director Watch Podcast, they are joined by Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly Content Update Editor and host of the And the Runner Up Is podcast, to discuss the latest film in their Todd Haynes series, Carol (2015).

After making I’m Not There, Haynes stepped away from feature films for a lengthy eight years to focus on other projects, most notably the 2011 Mildred Pierce mini-series for HBO. But in 2015, Haynes returned to the big screen with a dazzling, romantic period drama that is considered to be one of the best films of the last decade, Carol. Working off a script written by Phyllis Nagy adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s groundbreaking novel, the film follows two women, a young inspiring photographer (Rooney Mara) and an older housewife (Cate Blanchett) going through a divorce, who begin a forbidden affair that forms into a beautiful, heartbreaking love story over the course of the film. On this episode, Ryan, Jay, and Kevin dive into these two fascinating performances by Mara and Blanchett, Nagy’s perfect screenplay, the expert work by everyone in the crafts departments, why the film was nominated for Best Picture, and most importantly, Haynes’s evolution as a director as a filmmaker who specializes in making memorable period pieces.

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

This podcast runs 1h26m. The guys will be back next week to continue their Todd Haynes series with a review of Wonderstruck. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: Director_Watch_Ep4_Carol.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:30am PDT

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 3 of the Director Watch Podcast, they are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Sophia Ciminello discuss the latest film in their Todd Haynes series, I’m Not There (2007).

Following up his most successful film to date, Todd Haynes pivoted from the Douglas Sirk inspired world of Far From Heaven to tackle a music biopic about one of the greatest American figures in music history, Bob Dylan. Unlike Velvet Goldmine, where he wasn’t granted access to use the songs of the iconic singer David Bowie, Dylan gave his blessing to Haynes for this project, which explore the multiple personas of the legendary singer songwriter performed by six different actors of various age, gender and race. With this, Haynes made a film that is now celebrated amongst the other outstanding films of the vastly rich year that was 2007. On this episode, Ryan, Jay and Sophia breakdown if Haynes was able to stick this landing for this ambitious film, if it does right by Dylan’s legacy, why more modern biopics aren’t made this way, they aren’t looking forward to the new Bob Dylan biopic from director James Mangold, and which other music genius could get a similar I’m Not There style of film made about their life and career.

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

This podcast runs 1h37m. The guys will be back next week to continue their Todd Haynes series with a look at Carol. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: Director_Watch_Ep3_ImNotThere.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:29am PDT

On episode 194 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Zach Laws, Kevin L. Lee and Jay Ledbetter to review the two biggest movies of the year, Barbie and Oppenheimer.

Barbenheimer is upon us! As audiences are selling out theaters around the world, it has become one of the most successful weekends in history of cinema. With this, the AW team takes a deep dive into the two most hyped films in a long time, starting with Greta Gerwig’s Barbie followed by Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. A candy color dreamscape comedy and a three-hour historical epic about the making of the atomic box take center stage as Ryan, Erik, Zach, Kevin, and Jay go into what the liked about each film and if they struggled with any aspects of the film.

After the teams very in-depth and length reviews, they take a look at the 2023 Summer Box Office Draft and notice that Team Erik has gain some ground on Team Ryan, as we make our way into the final month of the summer. Moving on from there, the team answer some listener questions that included what they thought the Oscar chances were for both films, who the hottest Barbie and Ken was in the film, which Gerwig film was their favorite, and a fun game involving which director-actor pair they would’ve love to have seen taken on the story of Oppenheimer like Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy.

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

This podcast runs 3h12m. It is a long episode but worth it to talk about the cinematic event of the decade. We will be back next week doing an Oscar retrospective over the 66th Academy Awards that covered the films of 1993. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep194.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:35am PDT

On episode 193 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello, Catherine Gonzales and Zach Laws to review the latest action packed epic Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One and give out their Top 5 Tom Cruise films.

Before the team gets into the review, there was big news out of Hollywood this week, as SAG-AFTRA announced that they would be joining the WGA strike, joining forced in a strike for the first time since 1963. This historic move set a clear and loud message around the world and the AW team not only wanted to comment on the ongoing strike, but wanted to also share their full support in the fight for a fair deal for the writers and actors, whom without, none of this would exist.

Transition into the rest of the show, the number one film in the world finds Tom Cruise back in the saddle again as IMF agent Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. The team talk at length about the latest Mission adventure, what they like and don’t like about it, and try to figure out how much longer Cruise will keep making these movies before he ends up killing himself. After the review, they transitioned to talking about Cruise’s Top 5 films of his career. In a career that spans decades, and close to fifty films, this length conversation spanned multiple films that showed Cruise’s range not just as a movie star, but an incredible actor. Titles included Eyes Wide Shut, Magnolia, Legend, Collateral, A Few Good Men, Mission Impossible: Fallout, and more.

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

This podcast runs 2h49m. We will be back next week to review the two biggest films of the year, Barbie and Oppenheimer. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep193.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:51am PDT

On episode 192 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson are joined by Griffin Schiller of FilmSpeak to discuss the filmography and legacy of director Christopher Nolan.

There have not be many writer-directors over the last twenty plus years who has become one of the bigger names in Hollywood than Christopher Nolan. From starting off with small indie thrillers, he morphed overnight into one of the most well-known names in the business, making countless box office hits, landing critical success, and dozens of accolades along the way. So with the release of his latest film, Oppenheimer, coming out next week, Ryan and Erik invited Griffin on to talk about Nolan, and what the director has meant to the landscape of modern cinema and what their relationship is with his films. They also discuss his greatest strengths and weaknesses as a filmmaker, his influence (good or bad) on cinema, and talk about some of the favorite scenes from his films. They also give out their Nolan film rankings and give out their expectations going into not just his newest project, but what they would like to possibly see him do next.

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

This podcast runs 1h42m. The AwardsWatch Podcast will be back next week to discuss Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and talk about our Top 5 Tom Cruise performances. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep192.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:08am PDT

Welcome to Director Watch! On this brand new AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 1 of the Director Watch Podcast, they discuss the first film in their Todd Haynes series, Safe (1995).

After introducing the show, Ryan and Jay go into a review as to why Safe, Haynes’s second feature, is one of the most remarkable indie films of the 1990s. Released four years after his debut feature film Poison, Haynes makes a startling examination on a housewife slowly losing herself to a mysterious illness caused by the daily environment she lives in. Led by an all-time performance from Julianne Moore, Safe was a film that not only brought together this iconic director-actor duo for the first time, but both were brought to the attention of audiences around the world and would set the stage for their incredible careers going forward. We dive into the film’s themes, its lingering questions, the impeccable blocking by Haynes and his cinematographer Alex Nepomniaschy, if Julianne Moore is the greatest actress of the last thirty years and a whole lot more.

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

This podcast runs 1h39m. We will be back next week to continue their Todd Haynes series with a look at 1998's Velvet Goldmine. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: Director_Watch_Ep1_SAFE_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:18am PDT

On episode 190 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Josh Parham and Zach Laws to review Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and talk about their favorite films of 2023 so far.

With the upcoming 4th of July holiday this week, families are usually trying to beat the heat and heading for the movies, with the big release this year being the latest entry in the beloved Indiana Jones franchise. Though the film received a mixed reception coming out of the Cannes Film Festival, our critic Ben Rolph was overall positive on the film in his review, stating that the film is a “thrilling joyride down memory lane as Ford puts the hat on for one last time.” And while audiences seem to be enjoying the film, it is on course to be yet another box office disaster this summer, and potential the first big bomb in our AW Summer Movie Draft of the films selected. Our podcast team break down the 5th entry, which finds Ford working alongside the always sensational Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the current day of the film's setting (1969) and with director James Mangold (Ford v Ferrari) utilizing some questionable de-aging technology to send Ford back to 1944 to play the character at a younger age, battling Nazis once again. You can also see Zach's breakdown and ranking of all five Indiana Jones films here.

After the Indy talk, since we are at the half point of the year, the AW team discussed some of their favorite films and performances of the year, and why you should catch up on them if you haven’t seen them already. Around twenty titles were mentioned including Past Lives, Air, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Asteroid City, John Wick: Chapter 4, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and many more. Then the team briefly moves on to mentioning a couple of titles they are still looking forward to in 2023. Summer is going by fast and before you know we’ll enter in the Fall movie season; it’ll be here before we all know it.

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

This podcast runs 1h50m. We will be back next week to give out our final 2023 Emmy nomination predictions. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep190.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:47am PDT

On episode 189 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer and Zach Laws to discuss Wes Anderson’s latest film, Asteroid City, and then talk about the director’s top 5 films of his career so far.

Before the group go down the Wes Anderson rabbit hole, with June coming to a close, it was time to give another update in the AW Summer Movie Draft. While Team Ryan still holds the lead over Team Erik, it is all going to come down to a busy July and August at the movies to decide the winner. What can be seen though are some interesting domestic and international trends that could benefit or fail both teams going down the wire. Should lead to an exciting finish.

Moving on to the main portion of the show, Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City hit theaters wide this past weekend and has garnered critical and commercial acclaim yet again for the highly celebrated career of the talented writer-director. In our review out of Cannes from earlier this year, our writer Ben Rolph called the film “a wonderfully rousing and whimsical ride of idiosyncrasies,” and our podcast team couldn’t agree more, proclaiming one of the best films of the year so far. After talking about Asteroid City, they then broke down Anderson’s filmography by giving out their picks for their top five Wes Anderson films, which included Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Rushmore, and more. You can also read Zach's piece ranking all 11 Wes Anderson films, Everything in its right place: Ranking the films of Wes Anderson from ‘Bottle Rocket’ to ‘Asteroid City’.

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

This podcast runs 2h14m. We will be back next week to review Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and talk about our favorite films of 2023 so far. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep189.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:30am PDT

On episode 188 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Nicole Ackman to review Pixar’s Elemental and take their first look at the 2024 Oscar Season.

Before getting into the meat of this episode, big news out of Hollywood this past week as the Golden Globes were bought out by Dick Clark productions and the HFPA has been dispensed. It is a big revelation as the Globes are still in an ongoing struggle to move on from their checkered past. The team discuss what this could all mean going forward for this year’s telecast as well as the future of their voting body.

After that, they moved on to talk about this weekend’s releases, with Nicole giving brief thoughts on WB’s The Flash, and the group at large talking about Elemental, both which underperformed at the box office. While the DCEU seems to be crumbling before our very eyes with each new entry in the franchise, Pixar seems to be at a crossroads as Elemental received good reviews but had the lowest opening weekend box office returns in the studio’s history. Part of it could be the film, or Pixar’s recent decisions to put their films on Disney+. Either way, the team talk about what they liked and didn’t like from the film and the studio’s future.

Usually when a Pixar film releases, this means we could talk about its Oscar chances or even potential win in the Best Animated Category. But since Elemental underwhelmed and Across the Spider-verse has exceeded expectations, it seems like we have our animated frontrunner that also has a small chance to get into Best Picture. Speak of that, since we are closing in at the halfway point of the year, and we are living in a post Cannes Film Festival world, the team take a look at the films that have been released so far that could make it into the Best Picture lineup, followed by the films this fall that they think will be the ones to look out for to win the Oscar’s top prize.

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

This podcast runs 1h47m. We will be back next week to review Asteroid City and give out our Top 5 Wes Anderson films. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep188.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:02am PDT

On episode 185 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Nicole Ackman and Josh Parham to review Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and give out their Top 5 Non-Disney/Pixar animated films.

Before diving into the Spider-verse, the gang went over the first month’s results of the 2023 Summer Movie Draft. After four titles released, Team Ryan has taken the lead, scoring more the 300 million dollars at the box office so far than the films selected by Team Erik. But there is still plenty of time for Erik’s team to come mount a comeback, as this summer’s box office seems to be rather unpredictable.

Moving over to the main review, it’s been five years since Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse debuted and not only became known as one of the best films of 2018, but is considered by many to be the best Spider-Man film ever released and an absolute masterpiece. So Across the Spider-Verse had a lot to live up to but based on the groups conversation, and our review on the website by Sophia Ciminello, this is a sequel you aren’t going to want to miss and sets up the potential of what could be one of the greatest trilogies of the 21st century.

After the review, the team gave out a list of their Top Non-Disney/Pixar animated films, inspired by the release of Across the Spider-Verse. It was a difficult list to make given that there are so many titles to choose from, thus the selection varied amongst the group, with selected titles including Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Iron Giant, Wolfwalkers, The Lego Movie, Your Name. Listen to the show to find out the full lists given by the AW team.

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

This podcast runs 2h03m. We will be back next week to do something new, a tier ranking episode where the podcast crew will rank each Best Picture winner. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_EP185.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:10am PDT

On episode 184 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, TV Editor Tyler Doster and AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello to discuss the series finales for HBO’s Barry and Succession.

Before getting into the main part of the episode, the 2023 Cannes Film Festival wrapped up with the winners announced this past Saturday. For the fourth Cannes in a row, NEON took home the Palme d’Or, the top prize of the festival for Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall, with the runner up Grand Prize award going to Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest from A24Other films of notable interest included Fallen Leaves, The Pot-au-Feu, and Monster. Expect a lot of these titles and more from the festivals make the rounds at Venice, Telluride and TIFF later this fall with upcoming podcasts to anticipate and follow.

Moving on, the last two months of television have brought audiences together for two of HBO’s recent flagship programs with Barry and Succession. After weeks of speculation, and years of episodes and awards, the two shows come to an end in epic fashion with what the panel believes might be two of the best finales in years. Ryan, Erik, Tyler, and Sophia break down what they love about these episodes, the shows at large, and give a look at how the 2023 Emmy season will look like with these two final seasons included.

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

This podcast runs 1h51m. We will be back next week to discuss the latest animated superhero film, Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep184.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:48am PDT

On episode 183 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AW Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AW contributors Zach Laws and Catherine Gonzales to review Fast X and discuss the Fast and the Furious franchise as a whole.

Before the gang gets behind the wheel of their Fast conversation, a big trailer dropped this past week for Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which will be released in theaters later in October. To put it mildly, it’s one of the best trailers of the year, and in light of the film’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, there was a lot to discuss.

Moving on, the team got to dive deep into the latest entry in the Vin Diesel led action packed extravaganzas, Fast X. The franchise hits the home stretch, as this film alongside the eleventh and twelfth installment look to close out the long running story for Dom and his family, and there is plenty to talk about including, a fantastic new bad guy, tons of cameos, moments of absolute nonsense, and insane, over the top set pieces. Ryan, Erik, Zach and Catherine break it all down as well as give out their rankings for the franchise as a whole, say who their favorite and least favorite characters are, what is the dumbest moment in this franchise, and more.

Shut up and drive: ‘The Fast and the Furious’ franchise ranked

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

This podcast runs 1h46m. We will be back next week to discuss the series finales of Barry and Succession, and take a look a little at the 2023 Emmys. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep183.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:16am PDT

On episode 182 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by TV Editor Tyler Doster and AwardsWatch contributor Sophia Ciminello to give out their Top 5 Romantic Comedies.

Coming off last week’s episode about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and the groups Top 5 Comic Book Movies, the AW podcast switches over to talk about the latest entry in the romantic comedy genre, Book Club: The Next Chapter. Sophia was able to catch up with it and gave her brief thoughts on the film, which quickly turned into a side conversation on which streaming platform it would go onto and the news that Disney + and Hulu might be merging. Once off the side tangent, Ryan, Sophia, and Tyler delivered their Top 5 romantic comedies, with films ranging from About Time, Bull Durham, Roman Holiday, Something’s Gotta Give, Up in the Air, and so many more. If you love these movies just as much as they do, you aren’t going to want to miss this wonderful conversation.

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

This podcast runs 1h39m. We will be back next week to discuss the latest entry in the Fast and Furious franchise, Fast X. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep182.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:33am PDT

On episode 181 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello and Dan Bayer to talk about the latest film in the MCU, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, give out their Top 5 Comic Book Movies.

Coming off the heels of last week’s Summer Box Office Draft, a major trailer release that shifted the focus for film fans this week as the first trailer for Dune Part Two. The gang talked about it, what they liked and didn’t like about it, then shifted their focus to the Tony nominations, which were announced earlier in the week. Dan, with a little help from Sophia, broke down the nominations, their favorites of the nominees and who were the biggest snubs.

After that, Ryan and Sophia reviewed Guardians, talking about why they think it was a good time a theater, while also discussing a little why it underperformed at the box office domestically this past weekend. Once they are done talking about the film, the team gives out their Top 5 Comic Book Movies, which included not just comic book superhero films, but films that originated from graphic novels and mangas. Some of these titles included The Dark Knight, The Rocketeer, Josie and the Pussycats, Road to Perdition, X2, Edge of Tomorrow, and so many more, making for a fantastic conversation.  

Tell us in the comments and on our social media pages what you think of each team’s picks and who you think is going to win.

Don't forget to subscribe for the new AwardsWatch Newsletter, a twice a week roundup of AW reviews, interviews, news, predictions, podcasts and more. Sign up here!

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

This podcast runs 2h10m. We will be back next week to discuss our Top 5 romantic comedies, in honor of the release of Book Club: The Next Chapter (review by Sophia Ciminello here). Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep181.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:52am PDT

On episode 180 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, TV Editor Tyler Doster and AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello, Dan Bayer, Zach Laws, Josh Parham, Nicole Ackman, and Catherine Gonzales to take part in the 2023 Summer Box Office Draft.

Returning for the second year in a row, the AW podcast team comes together to draft what they think will be the highest grossing films at the worldwide box office. Last year, Team Ryan came out on top, mostly due to the surprise box office hit that was Top Gun: Maverick. In the fall, Team Erik came back with a blowout victory in large part because of the other biggest film of 2022, Avatar: The Way of Water. With a new year comes new teams and an extra pick, along with a couple of surprises announced during the show, this summer season looks to be stacked with plenty of films for everyone to pick, as well as a lot of uncertainty in the selections.

For any first-time listeners, here is how the game goes. The two teams are comprised of our AW podcast crew – Team One: Ryan, Sophia, Zach, Josh, and Kevin (who couldn’t make it on the show) vs. Team Two: Erik, Tyler, Nicole, Dan, and Catherine. Each team built a strategy of what films we think will be the biggest summer hits of the year worldwide as well and factoring in what films will be the most critically lauded. For a fun bonus, each team presented the other with a ‘bomb’ pick; a film they think will tank and negatively impact the other team’s score.

Tell us in the comments and on our social media pages what you think of each team’s picks and who you think is going to win.

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

This podcast runs 1h28m. We will be back next week to discuss the latest film in the MCU, Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep180.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:03am PDT

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).

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep179.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:42am PDT

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).

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep177.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:05am PDT

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

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

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

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

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_EP_176.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:27am PDT

On episode 175 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello and Kevin L. Lee give their thoughts on the latest film in the John Wick franchise, John Wick: Chapter 4, and discuss their Top 5 Action Movie Sequels.

After a week off due to the end of the Oscar season and SXSW, the AW podcast is back and ready to talk about the number one film in the world, John Wick: Chapter 4. In a spoiler free review, Ryan, Sophia and Kevin talk about their thoughts on the film overall, the action sequences, and where they want to see the franchise going forward.

‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ review: The operatic fourth edition of the action series proves that too much is never enough

In the second half of the show, in a Top 5 list inspired by the latest action vehicle from star Keanu Reeves, the team talk about their favorite action movie sequels. Some big titles were put in the penalty for each member of the team but overall, even with some crossover picks, there were plenty of titles mentioned and a great discussion over tons of great action movie sequels.

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

This podcast runs 1h59m. Next week we'll be doing a retro review of The Big Lebowski and talk about our Top 5 Coen Brothers movies. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep_175.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:33pm PDT

On episode 171 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer break down the winners of the 2023 BAFTA Film Awards and DGA Awards and give their predictions for the upcoming SAG Awards.

With less than a month before the Oscars, the awards race has shifted its focused to the industry, where on Saturday night, The Daniels took home the top prize at the DGA and continued the storybook run for Everything Everywhere All at Once. But the Sunday came and the BAFTA chose to go a very different route, with Netflix’s All Quiet on the Western Front taking home seven awards including Best Feature. Alongside this came some pretty big upsets by the hands of The Banshees of Inisherin, leaving a lot of questions to be answered about what this means going forward in the race.

After a lengthy discussion on BAFTA, Ryan, Erik and Dan broke down who they think are going to win the SAG Awards next Sunday and if any of the BAFTA winners will carry over, thus placing some contenders in perfect position to win. Mix in some listener questions and you got the receipt of another jammed backed, fun show from the AW crew.

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

This podcast runs 1h47m. We will be back next week talk about some new releases and potentially another game. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep171.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:50am PDT

On episode 169 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham review the latest film from director M. Night Shyamalan, Knock at the Cabin, and talk about their favorite twist endings.

Jumping right into things, the crew jump into Knock at the Cabin, the first film to take down Avatar: The Way of Water at the box office. The film stars Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Kristen Cui, and follows a gay couple and their daughter vacationing at a remote cabin, but things take a turn for the worse when they are held hostage by four strangers, who demand they sacrifice one of their own to prevent the apocalypse. In the follow up to Old, Shyamalan adapts the best-selling novel by Paul G. Tremblay, and based on the reception on the podcast and audiences around the world, the film has garnered a mixed reception, thus leading to a very detailed, SPOILER-FILLED discussion. Josh also wrote the review for the film, which you can read on the site right now.

After the review of the film, Ryan, Erik and Josh talked about some of their favorite films that featured a twist ending. They also discussed the various degrees a twist is used in a film, the various genres that use them well, directors who are known for them, and which films also had some pretty bad twists the ruined the whole experience. As they signed off the week, they gave a little prediction for next week’s Super Bowl and picked which films from the 2023 slate they would like to see a trailer drop for during the big game.

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

This podcast runs 1h16m. We will be back next week talk about the re-release of Titanic and to do a retrospective on the 1998 Oscar season. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep_169.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:44am PDT

On episode 165 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Nicole Ackman and Dan Bayer discuss the biggest week of the Oscar season so far with SAG, PGA, and DGA nominations released.

Before they get into the guilds, the team circle back to the beginning of the week with their reactions to the Golden Globes. Between the speeches, winners, and overall vibes of the show, the Globes were everything they said it would be, even if the winners were a little more predictable than they thought they would be.

Going to the news of the week, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) announced not only their 2023 nominations, but they announced that they will be streaming exclusively on Netflix for the foreseeable future, starting on their YouTube page this year before making it to the full platform next year. Ryan, Erik, Nicole and Dan break down this news, as well as the shocking misses and inclusions in their crop of nominations, as well as some interesting scenarios that could possible happen on Oscar nomination morning. They moved on to talk about the Producer Guild (PGA) and Directors Guild (DGA) nominations, and who they think might be in right now and which films or filmmakers are on the outside looking in.

This conversation serves at the appetizer to this week, as the Critics Choice winners and BAFTA nominations will be announced by the time they record next for the final episode before Oscar nominations.

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

This podcast runs 1h52m. We will be back next week to give our Oscar Nomination predictions. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Podcast_Ep165.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:26am PDT

On episode 164 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello, Dan Bayer and special guest, Kevin Jacobsen (host of And the Runner Up Is) give their predictions for the 2023 Golden Globes

Before the gang get into their predictions, Ryan, Erik, Sophia and Dan give their thoughts on the first major release of 2023, the horror-comedy M3GAN. Talked about already as a new camp classic, they go through their brief reactions to this wild little film, which they all can’t wait to see the next film featuring the new horror icon.

Moving on from there, the full group talks about their Golden Globe predictions. While they are a wild, controversial bunch, this will be marked as the first big televised event of award season, and could be big for many films that need to keep up or get some momentum in the race. First up were the television categories, followed by the film categories. The group picks were a mixture of safe plays and big swings, leading to a fun conversation. Stay tuned for the end of the episode, as everyone gives their wild prediction for what might come on SAG nomination morning.

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

This podcast runs 2h31m. We will be back next week to give our reactions to the Golden Globe winners, as well as PGA and DGA nominations. Till then, let’s get into it.

Music: “Modern Fashion” from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro) and the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of The Banshees of Inisherin by Carter Burwell used with permission.

This podcast is sponsored by Searchlight Pictures presenting The Banshees of Inisherin – one of the best reviewed films of the year with a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, a Metacritic “Must See” film, and named one of the top 10 films of the year by the National Board of Review. Now nominated for nine Critic’s Choice Awards including Best Director Martin McDonagh, Best Actor Colin Farrell, Best Screenplay, and Best Feckin’ Picture of the Year. For your consideration in all categories.

Direct download: AwardsWatch_podcast_164.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:47am PDT

On episode 163 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Nicole Ackman, Dan Bayer and Kevin Lee to talk about their favorites of 2022.

In the first episode of 2023, the AW crew takes a look back at their favorite movies, performances and theater going experiences of the past year. Lots of love for Aftersun, RRR, TÁR, The Fabelmans. Nope, and more as they also talked about their favorite scenes of the year, favorite opening/endings, and what it means when a movie moves you emotionally over others you see throughout the year. At the end of the conversation, they also mentioned the movies they are looking forward to seeing the most in 2023 too.

You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more.This podcast runs 2h. We will be back next week to give our Golden Globe predictions and talk about M3GAN! Till then, let’s get into it.

Music: “Modern Fashion” from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro) and "Speak Up" by Hildur Guðnadóttir from Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of Women Talking used by permission.

This podcast is sponsored by the United Artists Releasing film Women Talking. Critics hail Sarah Polley’s Women Talking as “Unlike Any Film You’ve Seen Before” and “One of the Cinematic Events of the Year,” and it is now nominated for 6 Critics’ Choice Awards including Best Picture. 

Starring Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Ben Whishaw, and Frances McDormand, Women Talking has also been named one of the 2022 AFI AWARDS Movies of the Year, one of the Top Films of the Year and winner of Best Ensemble by the National Board of Review, and is nominated for Three Independent Spirit Awards, Including Best Feature.  For Your Consideration in all categories including Best Picture.

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep163.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:45am PDT

On episode 162 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer to give their Oscar Shortlist predictions.

Before they get into the main show, the guys break down the 2023 Golden Globe, Critics Choice, and Hollywood Critics Association nominations that were announced this week, including the films and performances that got snubbed, and which films had the strongest showings. After that brief discussion, Ryan, Erik and Dan dive into their Oscar shortlist predictions, which will be announced on Wednesday, December 21, 2022. The shortlists are always a good glimpse into what the voters are considering for the overall nominations that will be revealed on January 24, 2023. The categories include Documentary Feature, International Feature, Makeup and Hairstyling, Visual Effects, Sound, Original Score, and Original Song.

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

This podcast runs a zippy 1h15m. We will be off next week for the holiday but will be back at the start of the new year! Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep_162.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:09am PDT

On episode 161 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer and Josh Parham to talk about the latest critic’s awards winners including NBR and AFI and answers some listener questions.

Another busy week within the latest phase of award season, as the National Board of Review (NBR), American Film Institute (AFI), and various critic’s voting bodies including Los Angeles Film Critics (LAFCA) announced their winners this week, with Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Banshees of Inisherin, TÁR, and RRR have very strong showings across the week. The team breakdown these wins and what they mean for the Oscar race.

After this discussion, which was recorded Sunday before Golden Globe nominations (see full noms here), the gang move on to listener questions that cover Brendan Fraser’s nomination status with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, what they would love to see nominated for Best Comedy/Musical at the Globes, and their favorite moments in Globes history. They also talk about TÁR’s Oscar chances, if Michelle Williams would’ve swept the season if she was in the Best Supporting Actress race, and the state of the race for Netflix’s Best Picture chances.

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

This podcast runs 1h17m. We will be back later this week with our reactions to the Golden Globe nominations. Till then, enjoy the show.

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

This podcast is sponsored by Amazon Studios presenting Thirteen Lives from director/producer Ron Howard, and starring Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, and Joel Edgerton. Thirteen Lives recounts the effort to rescue a Thai soccer team trapped in a cave during an unexpected storm. Vanity Fair calls it "a pulse-pounding, incredibly detailed recreation of a remarkable global event" Thirteen Lives is streaming now on Prime Video.

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep_161.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:26am PDT

On episode 160 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello and Dan Bayer to talk about the first wave of awards and nominations handed out this award season and answer listener questions.

Right at the start of the show, the AW crew discuss the trailer to the horror-comedy Cocaine Bear, which looks like a new camp classic in the making. Once that discussion was over, they moved on to talking about the Gotham Award and New York Film Critic Circle winners that were announced this week, and the Independent Spirit Award nominations that were released last week. A lot of love for titles from A24, especially Everything Everywhere All at Once, which managed wins and nominations across all of these three events. The same goes for Todd Field’s TÁR, which is looking like it could become the critical darling of the year. It was a lively conversation, covering all the aspects of how the beginning of the race is playing out so far.

As that discussion wrapped up, the gang tackled some listener questions which talked about the evolving Best Actor race, film they can’t wait to show their families over the holidays, and who got a major bump from the nominations and wins over the last two weeks. They also gave some early predictions for who they think will be nominated for Best Stunt Ensemble for the SAG Awards.

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

This podcast runs 1h44m. Good to be back and we will be back next week. Till then, enjoy the show.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep160.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:40am PDT

On episode 159 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer and Josh Parham to discuss the Grammy nominations and Thanksgiving related topics.

The 2023 Grammy nominations were announced this past week, with some of the biggest artists in music making history with their nominations. The top nominees included Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Adele, ABBA, Brandi Carlile. The guys talk (to the best their ability) about the nominations and who some of the Best New Artists are.

Next up, the crew speak about their favorite Thanksgiving traditions they do with their families as well as their favorite food item to eat during their Thanksgiving meal. They also discuss what movie related plans they have for the holiday and what they are most thankful for as a film critic.

Lastly, the AW gang answer some listener questions, ranging from which artist from this current Oscar season would they bring to Thanksgiving to who they think will be the next person to complete the EGOT. They also discuss the Best Picture chances for Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio and what are their current top 3 in their current Best Picture rankings.

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

This podcast runs 1h27m. We will be off next week due to the Thanksgiving weekend. Without further ado, enjoy the show.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep159.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:07am PDT

On episode 158 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer, Kevin L. Lee, and Nicole Ackman to discuss the latest film in the MCU, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and talk about their favorite sequels of all time.

The second to last big budget spectacle on the 2022 calendar has released with Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the sequel to the 2018 Oscar winning, global sensation. Following the death of actor Chadwick Boseman, director Ryan Coogler and company had an enormous task on their hand in crafting this film, with many other obstacles other than just Boseman in their way in the process of bringing this film to screen. With all of this said, Coogler has delivered a film many critics and audiences believe to be the strongest film in Phase 4 of the MCU, and another great installment in the overall franchise. But do our hosts feel the same way? Listen and find out, it is a fascinating, well rounded discussion. After this review, do a fun segment talking about some of their favorite sequels of all time. Lots of fun variety in their choices.

Lastly, the AW gang had some time for listener questions covering their biggest annoyance so far in this award season, as well as what films they would be happy to see a sequel to. They also talked about the best costumes they’ve ever seen in a movie, if John Williams will miss a Best Original Score nomination for The Fabelmans, and what their current outlook on the Best Supporting Actor race looks like right now.

You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 2h21m. Bit on the long side but it was a lot of fun recording this one. Without further ado, enjoy the show.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep158.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:21am PDT

On episode 155 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by TV Editor Tyler Doster and AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer, Sophia Ciminello and Kevin Lee to talk about their Top 5 Horror films of all time and answer some Halloween themed listener questions.

Since we have entered the month of October, the AW crew thought it would be a fun time to talk about some of the best films that have scared them over the years. The range of films mentioned within this extensive conversation span over multiple decades, directed by some of the best directors over all time, and are considered some of the best films ever made. Personal, passionate stories fill each pick by the five podcasters, making this top five conversation one of the best ones covered on the podcast so far.

Transitioning over to the listener questions, the team talk about their favorite Halloween candy and what movie themed costumes they have worn over the years, or could be wearing this year. They also talked about which films would be best to recommend for someone who isn’t into horror movies, the scariest films they have seen that aren’t in the horror genre, favorite horror creature, and the first horror movie that made each of them scared to go to sleep.

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

This podcast runs 2h23m. Lots of spooky talk on this week’s show, so without further ado, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep155.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:48am PDT

On episode 153 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Nicole Ackman, Dan Bayer, and Kevin Lee to talk about the best films from the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, as well as give out their predictions for the TIFF Audience Award.

Over the past week, the Toronto International Film Festival has been shaping out the Oscar season with plenty of World premieres and North American premieres. Some of the big titles included Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion, the Viola Davis led The Woman King, and the Billy Eichner-led Bros. Other notable films included My Policeman, The Menu, The Inspection, Pearl, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Whale, The Son, Broker. These films and more were discussed by our panel, who were more than eager to discuss why many of these titles were some of the best and worst films of 2022 so far. They also gave out their predictions from the TIFF audience awards, which hadn’t been announced yet at the time of recording. Listen to see if any of them got the top three correct.

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

This podcast runs 1h59m. A little on the longer side this week about there was a lot of great cinema to cover. So without further ado, let’s get into it.

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep153.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:40am PDT

On episode 151 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor in Chief Erik Anderson for a special in-person episode over their reactions to the films they saw at the Telluride Film Festival.

The 2022 awards season has begun. Last week marked the start of the Venice International Film Festival, and this past Labor Day weekend was the annual Telluride Film Festival. Celebrating its 49th year, Telluride has been the launching pad for many Oscar campaigns, and this year was no exception with movies like Women Talking, Empire of Light having their World Premieres at the festival, as well as the North American debuts of films like Bardo, TÁR, Bones and All, Broker, and more. Ryan and Erik covered the festival and had plenty of positive things to say about the titles they saw, as well as where they can see some of them playing out during the awards season.

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

This podcast runs 1h07m. We will be back next week with our Emmys reaction episode. Till then, let’s get into it.

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep_151-_Telluride.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:44pm PDT

On episode 148 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, and AwardsWatch contributors Nicole Ackman and Josh Parham, who gather to talk about film festival news, answer listener questions, and discuss their thoughts on the HBO Max/Discovery + and the ongoing struggles within the streaming service landscape.

Before the main topic this week, the group talk about some positive news stories that were announced this week, like the Academy naming producer Janet Yang at the new President of the Academy, our first look of Colman Domingo as Bayard Rustin in Rustin, TIFF announcing more films to their slate including WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story, and NYFF will screen James Gray’s Armageddon Time and Noah Baumbach’s White Noise.

But all of that news was overshadowed by the drama with the merger of HBO and Discovery and the cancellation of the Batgirl movie that was about to wrap and head to post production with a premiere on HBO Max. This promoted the gang to talk about the good, the bad, extreme discomforts, and even confusion of this topic of the moment and what it means for the streaming services and their competitors in the business going forward.  

Next up our weekly listener questions, where they are asked if they think Babylon will play at the fall festivals or just release in theaters, as well as The Fabelmans Oscar chances going in based on how West Side Story did for Steve Spielberg last year. They also talked about if Amsterdam will be a contender this award season, if this year’s acting nominations will be more diverse given the film landscape and choices become more diverse for consideration, and what their dream cast would be for a film.

Lastly, the AW podcast team played a new game simple titled ‘The Percentages Game,’ in which Ryan throws out a prompt and the group give him their percent chance that the prompt will happen. Topics include if Top Gun: Maverick will still be the highest grossing film of the year, if the Golden Globes will happen, if a female director will win Best Director for the third year in a row, and many more. It was a fun game and we would love if you sent in your own prompts for the next round by tweeting at either Ryan (@ryanmcquade77) or Erik (@awards_watch), and they will be answered on the next show.

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

This podcast runs 1h52m. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_Ep148.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:56am PDT

On episode 147 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor and Chief Erik Anderson, TV Editor Tyler Doster and AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer talk about their Top 5 favorite films in the Criterion Collection, Beyoncé’s new album, and the latest fall film festival announcements.

Ryan is back in the host chair, and right off the bat, the group discuss their thoughts on Beyoncé’s Renaissance, the long awaited follow up to her 2016 album Lemonade. They talk about their favorite songs on the album, and brief mention if it will have the momentum to get nominated for Album of the Year at next year’s Grammys.

Moving right along, the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival announcing a big chunk of their festival lineups, the table is set for a fun, chaotic fall festival slate. The group mention their observations between the two festivals and what they are looking forward to seeing the most, since Erik and Dan will be at TIFF in a little over a month from now.

On to the main topic of the show, which was supposed to be the main topic two weeks ago before Ryan got sick, which is a deep dive into their Top 5 films with the Criterion Collection. With thousands of films to choose from all around the world, the Criterion Collection has cemented itself as the go to place for film preservation and appreciation of physical media. And with the annual July Barnes and Noble sale ending, the group give out their 5 favorites within the collection, as well as a variety of stories to match each selection. Tons of great cinema was discussed, with even a running theme from Tyler that was absolutely delightful. 

Last up this week are our weekly listener questions, and continuing with the theme of the show, the panel was asked what was their favorite non-Criterion Collection piece of physical media, as well as what films they would like to see added to the collection. They also gave out recommendations for first timers seeking out their entry point into the Criterion Collection, as well as what Best Picture winners they would like to see join the other eleven that are already a part of the famous collection. Finally, they talk about actors they would like to see get a second Oscar nomination.

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

This podcast runs 1h43m. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

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

Direct download: AwardsWatch_147.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:02am PDT

The AwardsWatch Podcast returns this week, with episode 146, as executive editor and host Ryan McQuade fell ill but, the trooper that he is, and who called in from the hospital (!), is here on this week's show with me back in the host seat (just this once). We are joined by Nicole Ackman, Dan Bayer and Josh Parham.

After a brief check in with Ryan we dive into this year's Comic-Con, which unveiled Marvel's closure of Phase 4 of their worldwide domination and the entering of Phases 5 and 6. While the con itself was a little light on actual content, the one that stood out was the very first trailer (and look of any kind) of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Stunning visuals, a performance from Angela Bassett that looks immediately memorable and quotable (hello, Keke Palmer!), this epic teaser took San Diego and the world by storm, racking up 15M views on the Marvel YouTube and 32.6M on its Twitter in less than 24 hours.

Up next is fall festivals news about what's going to be playing where, highlighted by the big surprise news last week that Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, his first-ever appearance there. Could it be the stage for a return to Oscar glory? It certainly won't hurt.

We move into Emmy talk is with the group looking at how the notorious 'vote-splitting' believers could rear their ugly heads in categories were few shows dominated. The White Lotus, Succession, Ted Lasso and Hacks all find themselves with the lion's share of acting nominations in several categories but does that mean they'll cancel each other out? Not so fast, as history has shown that not to be the case, especially when there are built-in frontrunners in more than one.

Opening this weekend with high anticipation and expectation was the latest from Oscar winner Jordan Peele (Get Out) with his sci-fi/horror and homage to directing greats, Nope, starring Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer. Thoughts are wildly mixed among the panel (Nicole sits this one out as she hasn't seen it yet) with Josh (who reviewed the film for the site) liking it better on his second viewing, Ryan being a full-fledged superfan of the film, and Dan and I, who both liked it but with reservations about its screenplay hobbling it from being great. This conversation, which runs from the 52:00 mark to 1:22:50, is spoiler-heavy so if you haven't seen the film, skip on over.

Listener questions are next from Bryan Sudfield, S2S Movie Reviews, JacobK2022 and TV Fontaine who want to know our thoughts our favorite Emmy nominations and biggest snub, what's to be done about shows dominating Emmy categories, career comebacks like Cameron Diaz and why certain Oscar narratives fail and others succeed.

Next week's show will revisit the listener questions that went unanswered from two weeks prior, plus the group reveals their favorite Criterion releases ever.

This podcast runs 1h47m. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

Music: “Modern Fashion” from AShamaleuvmusic (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro) used by permission

Direct download: podcast_146.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:50pm PDT

On episode 145 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor and Chief Erik Anderson, as well as AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer, Josh Parham and Kevin Lee to give their takes on Thor: Love and Thunder, answer some listener questions, and play a brand new game.

Before they get into their thoughts on the latest film in the MCU, there have been a lot of recent classic film anniversaries this year, and with Ryan seeing The Godfather on the big screen this past weekend, the group got to talk about some of their favorite moments of seeing classic films at their local art house theaters. This was a fun, informative discussion on how important these films and theaters can be in the landscape of modern cinema.

Getting into their review of Thor: Love and Thunder, the crew talk about the film overall, the performances, and the general look of the film from director Taika Waititi. Within this conversation, they talk about the vision of the MCU going forward, as well as the grand plan for this franchise, since many of the complaints by members on the podcast, and fans of the MCU, have been that these movies aren’t being executed to the level of care and consistency as a couple of years ago. It is a fascinating conversation that goes many places, even leading into a little more praise for Top Gun: Maverick by the end.

Next up were the weekly listener questions, and continuing with the theme of talking about the MCU, they discuss if the franchise is becoming over-saturated and is becoming too much. They then talk about their feelings on the Penny Marshall film A League of their Own, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year (check out our retrospective here). Then they reveal which fictional movie restaurant they would want to eat at, what movie they would like to see a documentary made about, and which superhero they would want Taron Egerton to play in the MCU.

Lastly, the group play a new game title, How to Name a Franchise and Get Away with It. The basic rules of the game are Ryan reads a name of a subtitle of a film and the other hosts name the franchise it is a part of. They play of round competitively till a winner is name, then a free for all with the final titles leads to some pretty hilarious, crazy film title reveals from the history of cinema.

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

This podcast runs 1h37m. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

Music: “Modern Fashion” used by permission from AShamaleuvmusic

Direct download: AWPod145.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am PDT

On episode 143 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Nicole Ackman and Kevin Lee to give out their Top 5 most anticipated films remaining for 2022, answer some listener questions, and play a quick game.

A few weeks ago, the podcast crew talked about their favorite films of the year so far. As we cross over into July, we are starting the second half of 2022, where bigger budget spectacles release alongside all the films that will play apart within the awards season conversation. With this, Ryan, Nicole, and Kevin give out their top 5 most anticipated films remaining within the calendar year. From films like Blonde, Women Talking, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Decision to Leave, Nope, Avatar: The Way of Water and many more are mentioned in this discussion, which shows a bountiful slate of films for all audiences to enjoy as well as provoke fascinating discussions.

Moving on from their top 5 lists, the group answers some wonderful listener questions, starting with if they would give Natalie Portman or Christian Bale a second Oscar from the work in their career (a question brought up because of the release of the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder). Next, they talk about which non-English language performance from the last ten years they would give an Oscar nomination to. They also give out their top 3 Madonna songs, give an update on if The Whale will be released this year, and the Oscar chances for Nope. As things wrapped this segment up, they also talked about which actors they think will win a second acting Oscar, and what they think of the fourth season of Stranger Things.

Lastly, the three host play a quick round of Cinephile Filmography, competing over the films of the legendary Meryl Streep. It was a great reminder of just how many movies the three-time Oscar-winning actress has been in, including a lot of dramas and, more recently, musicals that provide a long, fascinating round. After they finish the game for the week, they each give a recommendation for readers and listeners to go watch right now

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

This podcast runs 2h06m. So, without further ado, let’s get into it.

Music: "Modern Fashion" used by permission from AShamaleuvmusic

Direct download: AwardsWatchPodcast143.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:57am PDT

On episode 142 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor in Chief Erik Anderson, as well as AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer and Josh Parham to give deep with their thoughts about Elvis, give out their Top 3 music biopics, answer some listener questions and play a game.

Before they dive into Baz Luhrmann’s latest film, Ryan and Erik give a shout out to the AwardsWatch team, who have been working hard this entire Emmy season with reviews and interviews you can find on the website daily. Please continue to read everyone’s fantastic work weekly, as we will have more coming within the next couple of weeks.

Transitioning over to the conversation about Elvis, Erik and Dan speak to what work for them about in this film about the king of rock ‘n’ roll, while Ryan and Josh have some reservations about this film. Each host gave detailed, respectable opinions on a film that has divided some film critics and audiences, but has become a box office success this past weekend. After they speak on their thoughts about Elvis, the group breakdown their Top 3 music biopics and what makes them their favorites. Some of the films included were I’m Not There, Sid & Nancy, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Get On Up, Amadeus, and many more. Considering this is a bountiful sub-genre with plenty of films to select from, this was a conversation that covered a lot of ground.

In this week’s listener question segment, the hosts discuss Austin Butler’s Oscar chances for Elvis, as well as give out there ranking of Baz Luhrmann’s filmography. They then give their selections of which comedians they would like to see take their talents to the director’s chair, as well as which established they think will win an Oscar within the next ten years. Next, they answer which actors or actresses they think has way too many Oscar nominations, as well as which actor or actress they think is in need of getting there first Oscar. Lastly, in honor of TV Editor Tyler Doster, they choose which of Amy Adams nominated performances they would give her the Oscar for.

Then to wrap up the episode, they gang play another round of Part of the Ensemble, aka the SAG Ensemble game. While it is Dan and Josh’s first time playing the game, they picked up quickly, leaving to some good competition amongst the host, with even a couple of ensembles stumping them.

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

This podcast runs 2h01m. A little on the long side but another fun episode. So, without further ado, let’s get into it.

Direct download: AwardsWatchPod142.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:05am PDT

On episode 139 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor in Chief Erik Anderson, TV Editor Tyler Doster, and AwardsWatch contributors Sophia Ciminello to discuss what they have been recently watching their Top 5 Pixar Movies, as well as some listener questions and a brand new game.

First up is an update within the 2022 AwardsWatch Summer Movie Draft. While it is early in the game, Ryan’s team has a wide margin ahead of Erik’s team, who still have plenty of time to catch up. Winner of this competition will be announced at the end of August. Since it has been a couple of episodes since everyone talked about movies, Ryan, Erik, Tyler and Sophia each give out some thoughts on some recent releases, including Jurassic World Dominion, Cha Cha Real Smooth, Lightyear, and so much more.

Speaking of Lightyear, it was a good transition for everyone to talk about their Top 5 Pixar Movies. Pixar is a staple not just within the world of animation but for each of our hosts, thus as they talk about their favorite films from the studio, they not only talk about their moments of joy in seeing these films, but they also talk about the moments that moved them to their core. It is a beautiful conversation you aren’t going to want to miss.

For this week’s listener questions, the crew talked about the Oscar chances for Dakota Johnson and her latest film, Cha Cha Real Smooth, as well as the Oscar prospects for international smash hit, RRR. They also answer a question about what films, actors, or directors that they think of when they think of each other. This lead to some pretty interesting choices for each host.

Finally, the gang play a brand new game called Part of the Ensemble. The game goes as so; Ryan reads a list of actor’s names from nominated casts for Best Ensemble in a Film at the SAG Awards. He starts with someone lesser known in the cast, one at a time, till one of the other hosts buzzes in with their guess. It is a lot of fun and something they plan on doing again, next time on the television side.

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

This podcast runs 2h09m. This is a little bit on the long side but we are really proud of this one. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

Direct download: AWPodcast139.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:37am PDT

On episode 138 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, as well as AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer and Nicole Ackman to break down all the winners and major moments within the 2022 Tony Awards.

Before the group gets to the Tony Awards, there was a major casting announcement this past week that made Erik lose his mind and that they had to talk about. Per reports from all major outlets, it was confirmed that two-time Emmy Award winner Julie Garner has accepted the role within the upcoming Madonna bio-pic, which will be directed by the pop icon. While the film is still in pre-production, this didn’t stop the gang (mostly Erik) from bragging about getting this casting correct, and what they would like to see covered within the film once it is release. Doesn’t have to be good, you all know we will be covering it when it comes out.

Beyond this piece of film news, the rest of the show is dedicated to the 75th Annual Tony Awards, which took place at Radio City Music Hall just last night. The show was hosted by recent Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose, who the panel agreed was a fantastic choice as host and should return to host this show and any other award show. They went over who won the top prizes of the night, as well as the performances for the nominated revival and new musicals, which showcased the best that Broadway had to offer. On the musical side, A Strange Loop, MJ, and Company walked award with the most Tonys on the night, while on the stage play side of things, it was a big night for the Sam Mendes drama, The Lehman Trilogy.

Not only was every big moment of this show covered by the group, but they also talked about what this Tonys telecast could mean for the upcoming Oscars telecast, in terms of being a confident show that is willing to embrace what they are and who they are putting on a show for. It was a very knowledgeable, well rounded discussion on Broadways biggest night. For a full list of the winners, please read Erik’s piece on the show which includes all the winners on the night.

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

This podcast runs 1h12m. Movie and TV talk, as well as listener questions and games will be back next week. Till then, let’s get into it.

Direct download: AwardsWatchPod138.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:54am PDT

On episode 136 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer, Nicole Ackman and Josh Parham, as they review talk about their favorite films of 2022 so far, answer listener questions, and play some games.

While everyone is catching up with Top Gun: Maverick in theaters right now, the AwardsWatch podcast crew decided to talk about some of the favorite films, performances, scenes and more of 2022, considering we are very close to the half way point of the film year. Between Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Batman, After Yang, Benediction, RRR, The Northman, Kimi and more, the year has given our team a lot to talk about that they agree on. But they also mentioned some out of the box picks, as well as talked about some films that will be coming out soon that they saw earlier this year at film festivals. It will be interesting to see if any of these selections remain in tack once everything is the fall is seen and they do their end of the year lists.

Moving over to this week’s listener questions, the group talk about their favorite LGBTQ+ films, in honor of Pride Month. They also decided who would win in a fight between AwardsWatch editors Erik Anderson and Ryan McQuade, as well as answer what their favorite interviews or reviews of their careers are, as well as their most memorable moments in their podcasting careers. Next, they talk about what their favorite, and least favorite, Best Picture and Director winners are, as well as look back at the last 25 years, and see if they would change any of the Best Picture winners with another film that was nominated within the same year. Lastly, they select which director has had the best three film run of all time.

And in the final segment of the show, the gang play two rounds of the renowned Cinephile game, in which they compete against each other in the Filmography game. This week’s actors were two time Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Cate Blanchett, whose extensive body of work lead to a lot of selections and fun amongst the group.

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

This podcast runs 2h02m. It’s a little on the longer side this week but it’s a good one. Let’s get into it.

Direct download: AwardsWatchEP136.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:47am PDT

On episode 135 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, as well as AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer, as they review Top Gun Maverick, and talk about the prize winners for the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.

As discussed on the last couple of episodes, the Cannes Film Festival is going on, and as of this past week, it wrapped up with the jury prize winners announced, with NEON landing their third straight Palme d’Or winner with Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness. Ryan, Erik, and Dan break down the full list of winners, as well as if they think any of these wins will translate over into an Oscar campaign for the respective films or performances that won.

Transitioning over to listener questions, the guys talk about their favorite moments they have experienced at a film festival, and what they watch to decompress after a rough last couple of weeks. They also choose who which musician they would like to see making the jump to the big screen. Diving into some more Oscar related questions, they breakdown some of their favorite VFX Oscar winners of all time, which network they thing the SAG Awards will end up on, and how they would fix the Best International Feature Film category qualifications. Lastly, they look at this year’s Best Animated Feature category and examine why there is so much genre bias within the Academy.

After that, Ryan and Dan review Top Gun: Maverick, which landed in theaters this past weekend. They talk about the film’s spectacle, smocking hot cast, and how it is exceeding all expectations, with both of them clearing expressing that it is better than the original in almost every way. They also give some thoughts on the first trailer for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which premiered online this past week. Basically, we live in Tom Cruises world right now, and they are okay with it as he seems to be the only one making these types of practical big-budget films that dare to go above and beyond with each outing.

And in the final segment of the show, the gang play the beloved AwardsWatch or Not Game, this time breaking down the filmography of Tom Cruise and pitting his films up against each other. They also give out recommendations for which shows or movies you should be watching right now.

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

This podcast runs 1h27m. Let’s get into it.

Direct download: AWP135.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:14pm PDT

On episode 134 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-in-Chief Erik Anderson, as well as AwardsWatch contributors Nicole Ackman, Sophia Ciminello, and Dan Bayer, as they discuss their first predictions of the Best Actor and Actress races of the 2023 Oscar season.

Starting off this week’s show, the group give their brief thoughts on the new Harry Styles album, and talk about their favorite concerts that they have ever gone to. Once done, they continued their conversation from last week about previewing this year’s Oscar season with a look at Best Actor. With his Erik’s first predictions just published, it looks like Leonardo DiCaprio is in the number one spot, with the hopes of landing his second Academy Award. But as they get to talking, everyone brings up their own actor who could challenge DiCaprio in these very early projections. As they wrapped up Best Actor, the conversation shifted to a bit on the Best Actress, which is just as chaotic as it usually is. Erik’s Best Actress predictions article should be releasing later this week.

Moving on to listener questions, the gang talk about their biggest pet peeves about the discourse surrounding award season and what they would change or get rid of if they could. They also share some brief thoughts on the first reactions out of the Cannes Film Festival, as well as what might win the screenplay prize given out by the Cannes jury. Lastly, they talk about the Emmy’s and the nomination chances for the shows Yellowjackets and Severance, as well as Better Call Saul actress Rhea Seehorn's chances in Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

In the final segment of the show, the gang played two games. The first game is another round of Call Me by Your Tagline, this time with a Cannes related theme. The second game they play is a round of the beloved Cinephile game, in which they played the Filmography, in which each host takes a term in naming a film from an actor selected on the chosen card. The actor chosen was the beloved Julianne Moore, and it led to a lengthy battle between everyone that you won't want to miss.

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

This podcast runs 1h55m, and it was a lot of fun. Let’s get into it.

Direct download: AwardsWatchPod134.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:46am PDT

On episode 132 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Nicole Ackman, Dan Bayer and Kevin L. Lee to talk about the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Daytime Emmy Nominations, previewing Tony Nominations and playing a new game.

Starting off this week’s show are our listener questions, which consist of asking everyone if there is a 2023 Oscar nomination the panel is willing to lock in right now based on the films released in theaters. They then break down if there are any other films like Avatar: The Way of Water and Top Gun: Maverick that they would love to see get a long awaited sequel for. And speaking of Top Gun: Maverick, they also discuss which directors they would love to see the film’s star Tom Cruise work with in order to get out of his action movie phase of his career and go back to his most dramatic focused work that made him a star.

Moving right along, the group then break down the recently announced Daytime Emmy Nominations, and then dive into a Tony Nomination preview, with those nominations set to announce on Monday, May 9, 2022. This discussion was very insightful, and for more coverage of both these topics, we encourage you to take a look at Erik’s Daytime Emmy Nomination article as well as Dan’s two articles covering the Tony Awards (Musical & Plays) from last week.

Finishing out the episode is a brief conversation on the Avatar: The Way of Water trailer, which is being shown exclusively in theaters right now in front of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. And speaking of Doctor Strange, the gang then give their full thoughts on the first blockbuster of the summer, going into extensive details as to why it works on some levels and doesn’t on others. It is a SPOILER FILLED review so if you haven’t seen the film, skip over to the last segment of the show, where Ryan, Nicole, Dan and Kevin play a new game called AwardsWatch…or Not, where two films are pitted against one another and they must decide what they want to keep while the other film is lost forever. They played two rounds, covering films in the MCU and Non-MCU movies featuring members of the extensive cast of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

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

This podcast runs 2h16m, and it’s an absolute blast. Let’s get into it.

Direct download: AwardsWatch_podcast_132.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:43pm PDT

The AwardsWatch Podcast is back and better than ever. Kicking off this reboot, AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade hosts show #131 with Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, TV Editor Tyler Doster, with Sophia Ciminello, Dan Bayer, Kevin L. Lee, Nicole Ackman and Josh Parham joining the podcast family.

At the top we answer listener questions about the Oscars like should studios position more awards players in the summer and was last season's record numbers of stat breakers a fluke or a sign of a fundamentally changed landscape? We also talk about what limited series' we think would have been better off as singular films and a question about this year's Cannes Film Festival sparks a conversation about what our gut instinct tells us is winning the coveted Palme d'Or.

CinemaCon wrapped last week, giving us several first looks at some of this year's most highly anticipated films and even peeks at 2023. Top Gun: Maverick, Greta Gerwig's Barbie and the long, long-awaited sequels to Avatar from James Cameron whetted the appetites of attendees and onlookers alike.

We also introduce a new game feature to the AwardsWatch Podcast with a Summer Movie Draft where our group of eight were split into two teams - Team One: Ryan, Tyler, Nicole and Josh vs. Team Two: Erik, Sophia, Dan and Kevin. Each team built a strategy of what films we think will be the biggest summer hits of the year worldwide as well and factoring in what films will be the most critically lauded. As a knife-twisting bonus, each team presented the other with a 'bomb' pick; a film they think will tank and negatively impact the other team's score. Tell us in the comments and on Twitter what you think of each team's picks and who you think is going to win.

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

This podcast runs a sleek 1h36m. Let's get into it.

Direct download: AwardsWatch-Podcast-Episode_131-2022-Summer-Movie-Draft.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:27am PDT

In this special edition episode of Talking Madonna with Erik and Abdi, we look back at the Queen of Pop's 14 studio albums and curate a perfect record from them. Not a traditional 'greatest hits' by any means, but featuring one song from each album, single or album track, plus three 'bonus tracks' from individual singles, soundtracks or other greatest hits albums.

Direct download: Talking_Madonna_with_Erik_and_Abdi_-_Curating_the_Perfect_Madonna_Album.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:02am PDT

Welcome to the AwardsWatch Final Oscar Winner Predictions Podcast!

I am honored to be joined by Amanda Spears, the creator of the #PresentAll24 hashtag and movement that brought film and Oscar fans together when the Academy and show producers announced it would be pushing four categories to commercial breaks. The wave of social media support to keep all 24 categories on the live broadcast moved actors, directors and filmmakers to join the push and late last Thursday night, they reversed their decision. 

On this 73rd podcast, first time guest Amanda and I break down this year's race not just its controversies but how we talk about the Oscar race, including how the controversies of Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody have impacted how we do that.

We work our way into categories that are up in the air such as Supporting Actress where Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk) and Rachel Weisz (The Favourite) are neck and neck. 

The technical categories give us a lot to talk about, especially in Production and Costume Design that see a close race between The Favourite and Black Panther and how closely other categories, like Makeup & Hairstyling, Sound Mixing and Editing are closely tied to Best Picture nominees. 

As we move into the more locked categories (like Supporting Actor, Best Director) we find ourselves at Best Picture, where we reveal our rankings from #8 to #1 and the ins and outs of why and how. 

Amanda Spears can be found on Twitter at @msamandaspears and her writing can be found at GoldDerby. 

Keep an eye out for my FINAL Oscar winner predictions at awardswatch.com this week. 

This podcast runs 1h 53m with music. Enjoy!

Opening: "And the Oscar goes to..." montage

Closing music: "New York City By Day" by Thomas Newman from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of Desperately Seeking Susan

Direct download: Oscar_Podcast_73_-_Final_Oscar_Predictions.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:33pm PDT

INTERVIEW: Barry Jenkins on being an active ally, who he's influenced by and the ensemble of MOONLIGHT

I recently sat down for a conversation with writer/director Barry Jenkins to talk about his extraordinary new film Moonlight. The film tells the story of a largely under-represented section of society - queer African-American males. In this interview, we discuss the film, what it means to be an active ally, his cinematic influences, and his incredible ensemble cast.

READ: Review: 'Moonlight' (★★★★)

Moonlight played the Telluride, Toronto, New York, BFI London and Mill Valley Film Festivals this fall, earning an Audience Award from MVFF this week. It currently sits at 97 on Metacritic and 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film stars Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Andre Holland, Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders and Alex Hibbert and was based on a story by Tarell McCraney. 

A24 will open Moonlight in New York and Los Angeles this Friday, October 21st, and then expands in the coming weeks. Check out where the Gold Rush Gang thinks Moonlight is in the Oscar race right here

Direct download: Interview-Barry-Jenkins-Moonlight.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:17am PDT

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