The AwardsWatch Podcast AwardsWatch

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 42 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Sofia Coppola series, Somewhere (2010).

With the underwhelming commercial and critical reaction to Marie Antoinette, Sofia Coppola took a step back in terms of approach and returned to making a smaller, vibes based film set in modern day Los Angeles. By doing this, it was almost a reset for the director, and yet she delivered her most underrated film within her filmography, as she dives into making another personal, profound film about the anxiety of growing up as an adult, and the responsibility it takes to be a parent. Led by an incredible performance by Stephen Dorff and a breakout role for Elle Fanning, Ryan and Jay break down their reaction to the film, Coppola’s loose filmmaking for this project, the mundanity found in being a celebrity, how much of Coppola is found in both Dorff or Fanning’s character, the meaning behind the film’s ending and how it might tie into Lost in Translation, the Fanning Sister’s careers, and the appreciation of Chris Pontius as well as a look into the Jackass movies.

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 1h42m. The guys will be back next week with a review of her next film, The Bling Ring. You can stream the film on MAX, as well as rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

On episode 227 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 discuss the latest film from director Alex Garland, Civil War, and discuss their favorite political and journalism thrillers.

Before they jumped into the review of Civil War, the 2024 Cannes Film Festival was announced this past week, with dozens of American and European films dominating the lineup. Films from Francis Ford Coppola, Paul Schrader, Andrea Arnold, Yorgos Lanthimos, Sean Baker, Jacques Audiard, Paolo Sorrentino, David Cronenberg and more will be having their world premiere next month at the prestigious festival. Not only is it one of the biggest film festivals in the world, but it has become an important stomping ground for International Features, especially the ones that make it into the Oscar categories later in the season. The gang break down what they can’t wait to see since Josh is going to the festival next month while Ryan, Erik, and Sophia will catch a lot of these titles at Telluride later in the year.

Moving onto the main event of the podcast, Civil War has become one of the most talked about films of 2024 so far, even before its premiere at SXSW. The trailer alone sparked discussion and anger from many thinking it is not the right time to be releasing a film like this as the United States is ramping up for another Presidential Election. But much to the surprise of all, early reactions indicated a much different movie than the trailer suggested. The gang break down their reaction to it the film, covering everything from the film’s political stance, the screenplay, the performances and so much more. After that, they dive into a fascinating, in-depth conversation over their favorite political and journalism thrillers, a topic that all of them love considering some of their favorite films of all time came out of the genres. Some of the films discussed in the extensive conversation include All the President’s Men, Nightcrawler, JFK, Zodiac, Munich, The Hunt for Red October, Blow Out, The Ghost Writer, Zero Dark Thirty 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 2h17m. On our next episode, we will be doing the 2024 AwardsWatch Summer Movie Draft. You won’t want to miss it.

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

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 41 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss the next film in their Sofia Coppola series, Marie Antoinette (2006).

Three years after Sofia Coppola was riding high off her Oscar winning, smash hit Lost in Translation, she cashed in her black check to create a stylized, personal account of the life of one of history’s most recognizable figures. With Marie Antoinette, she took a forty-million-dollar budget and made it feel like a hundred-million-dollar epic about a young women force into a social, political world she is not ready for, and must find a way to blend in before she is devoured from the inside out. Led by a magnificent ensemble, as well as luscious costumes, production design and a modern soundtrack, Marie Antoinette may have been criticized by audiences at the time of release for not being the movie they wanted after Coppola’s era defining masterpiece, but over time, it has become an essential piece of filmmaking within her celebrated career. Ryan, Jay and Sophia break down Dunst’s brilliant performance, the non-existing French accent work by the casts, Coppola’s confident scope and vision for the film, the idea of a ‘birds in a cage’ that the director loves to explore, the career of Jason Schwartzman, and what their favorite type of pie is (they aren’t that big on cake).

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 2h13m. The guys will be back next week to begin their new series covering the films of Sofia Coppola with a review of her next film, Somewhere. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

Although the Emmy Awards were just earlier this year in January due to the SAG-AFTRA strike in summer and fall of 2023, we're back into the Emmy season once again as April and May find networks and streamers cramming content under the wire to hit the May 31 deadline. On episode 226 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and TV Editor Tyler Doster break down the top categories for a preview of what this new Emmy race could look like.

We start with the most competitive section of this year's race, Limited or Anthology Series or Movie categories. While other top series categories have been expanded to eight nomination slots by the Television Academy, Limited or Anthology Series have just the classic five and as each year sees a meteoric rise in limited series content, it's going to be one of the toughest races in decades with Shōgun (FX), Fargo (FX), Lessons in Chemistry (AppleTV+), True Detective: Night Country (HBO/Max), Feud: Capote vs The Swans (FX), Masters of the Air (AppleTV+), The Regime (HBO/Max), Ripley (Netflix), Fellow Travelers (Showtime), The Sympathizer (HBO/Max) and more all vying for one of those previous five spots. That's before you even get into the acting categories, which could prove to be even more cutthroat with A-list Oscar winners like Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Brie Larson, Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman and Michael Douglas in the mix.

In Comedy, we have several returning winners and previous nominees in the race (like Abbott Elementary (ABC), Hacks (HBO/Max) and reigning champ The Bear), shows waving farewell like Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO/Max) and Reservation Dogs (FX), and new hopefuls like Palm Royale (AppleTV+) and The Gentlemen (Netflix).

But it's Drama that has proven to be the bleakest of the bunch, with so many non-returning shows that it's practically an easy coronation for The Crown (Netflix) in its final season. We'll see The Morning Show (AppleTV+) for its third season but after that it's a Wild West of programs never nominated like The Gilded Age (HBO/Max), Loki (Disney+) and Slow Horses (AppleTV+) going up against a flood of new programming, some of which has or could be strategically submitted here instead of Limited Series where they more likely belong (like Showtime's The Curse or Prime Video's Mr. and Mrs. Smith, neither of which have been renewed for a second season). Flooding the market with their first seasons include: 3 Body Problem (Netflix), Fallout (Prime Video), Sugar (AppleTV+), Hijack (AppleTV+) 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 1h15m. On our next episode, we will be latest film from director Alex Garland, Civil War, along with discussing our favorite political thrillers, and breaking down the 2024 Cannes Film Festival line-up.

On episode 225 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss Dev Patel’s directorial debut, Monkey Man, and talk about some of their favorite directorial debuts from actor turn directors.

Some of the best debuts feature films within a yearly film slate come from actors taking their turn behind the director’s chair. This is year is no different as Oscar nominee Dev Patel has released, alongside the help of Universal Studios and producer Jordan Peele, Monkey Man, an action revenge thriller that is a reimagining of childhood stories and myths Patel heard when he was growing up. Premiering earlier this year at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, the film was received extremely well, with Ryan’s review from the fest stating that “Patel has announced himself as a directorial voice to be reckoned with a knockout, confident debut.” Erik and Sophia were able to catch up with it this past week and gave their thoughts on this personal, action pack thrill ride from Patel.

After talking about Monkey Man, the conversation shifted to a large discussion on the groups favorite directorial debuts by actor turn directors, which covered a large range of personalities and genres. Already being the public eye, and having some form of cache in the business, along with something to say, there can be a lot of pressure on actors who step into the role of directors and make their first films and beyond. Some go on to use their first film as a launch pad for a big career behind the camera, while others peck within their first project, never able to capture the magic again. In a wide-ranging conversation, some of the films discussed by Ryan, Erik and Sophia were Ordinary People, This is Spinal Tap, Get Out, Reds, Eve’s Bayou, Yentl, A Star is Born (2018), The Virgin Suicides, Confessions of Dangerous Mind, Lady Bird, Whip It, The Night of the Hunter, 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 2h2m. On our next episode, we will be latest film from director Alex Garland, Civil War, along with discussing our favorite political thrillers, and breaking down the 2024 Cannes Film Festival line-up.

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

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 40 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Pop Culture Confidential host Christina Jeurling Birro to discuss the next film in their Sofia Coppola series, Lost in Translation (2003).

Four years after her confident, striking debut, Sofia Coppola returned with her most celebrated, revered film to date with Lost in Translation. Set in modern day Tokyo, we follow a veteran movie star going through a mid-life crisis and a young woman neglected by her husband who form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in the hotel they are staying at. This innocent, sweet friendship blossoms into an awakening for the both of them, realizing what they must do going forward to live out their lives as well as continue to move on in their marriages. Shot on location in Japan a relatively cheap budget, Coppola was able to tap into her personal life, looking both at her family’s material history as well as her own as she had just recently married at the time. In doing so, she created one of the most talked about, acclaimed films of the 21st century. Ryan, Jay, and Christina break down their relationship with the film, the aspects that have agreed well as well as the ones that haven’t over time, fish out of water stories, personal stories of random connections they have had over time, Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson’s performances, and how no one likes to cook their own meal at a restaurant.

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 2h. The guys will be back next week to begin their new series covering the films of Sofia Coppola with a review of her next film, Marie Antoinette. You can stream the film on Pluto TV. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it.

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