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 46 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by film critic Ema Sasic to discuss the final film in their Sofia Coppola series, Priscilla (2023).

2023 brought us Sofia Coppola’s latest examination of the past, as she dives into the life of one of the most famous spouse’s in music history, Priscilla Presley. Adapting the film from Presley’s autobiography titled Elvis and Me, Coppola’s showcases the real life story about how an American teenager girl met, fell in love with, and married the “King of Rock and Roll”, all the while become a caged birded trapped within Graceland while Elvis was on the road. In making the perfect counterweight to Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, Coppola added one of best films of her filmography, continuing her examination of women trapped within a world of powerful, dangerous men. Ryan, Jay and Ema break down the film, their relationship with Elvis’s music, the stunning performances from Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi, the film’s production design, a little Austin Butler talk, what the characters eat in the Dune franchise, as well as giving out their Sofia Coppola rankings and teasing their Tony Scott movie series that starts next week.

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 1h52m. The guys will be back next week to begin their series on the films of Tony Scott with a review of his debut film, The Hunger. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch.. Till then, let’s get into it.

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

On episode 231 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer to review the latest film from A24, I Saw The TV Glow, and give out their Top A24 films.

Since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, audience have been raving about Jane Schoenbrun’s psychological drama, I Saw the TV Glow, which is a fascinating examination of our consumption of media as well as a queer allegory about trying to find yourself within a small town that doesn’t accept you. The movie is considered by many to be the film of the year, with our own Savina Petkova calling it “fiercely beautiful” with her review out of the Berlin Film Festival. Ryan and Dan breakdown all the beautiful, complex aspects of this stellar second feature in a lengthy, spoiler free discussion.

In the back half of the episode, in honor of the latest film released by the famous yet young studio, the duo takes a trip down memory lane and talk about their favorite film released by A24. With films ranging from modern horror classics, heartwarming coming of age comedies, experimental genre films, and even two Best Picture winners, A24 has released a wide range of films that can be considered some of the most vital, celebrated cinema from any studio in the last two decades. Some of the films they talked about included The Green Knight, Hereditary, Eighth Grade, 20th Century Women, A Most Violent Year, Past Lives, Moonlight, The Zone of Interest, Lady Bird, 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 2h18m. On our next episode, we will be discussing the latest release from NEON, Babes, and talking about our favorite films about parenthood.  

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 45 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Oscar Wild co-host and film critic Nick Ruhrkraut to discuss the next film in their Sofia Coppola series, On the Rocks (2020).

We needed places to escape to during the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020, and leave it to Sofia Coppola to deliver an easy, breezy father-daughter hang out movie. On the Rocks not only feature fantastic chemistry between Rashida Jones and Bill Murray, but it has Coppola going back to the ideas she explored within the beginning of her career; the relationship she had with her father and where she is at currently in life as an artist as well as a parent and a spouse. What she delivers is a hilarious, insightful look at someone’s life who is seeking too much instead of appreciating the good things they have in front of them. Ryan, Jay, and Nick break down their reactions to the film, Bill Murray’s charm, Rashida Jones’s career, what it’s like to pal around in New York City, where this ranks in Coppola’s filmography, and if they’d like to see this story continue or not.

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 1h45m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Sofia Coppola with a review of her most recent film, Priscilla. 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 230 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer, Josh Parham, and Karen Peterson to give their thoughts on The Fall Guy and discuss their favorite movies that are about making movies.

The summer movie season is in full swing as stars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt take to the big screen again, this time ditching their Barbie and Oppenheimer crews to come together for The Fall Guy, an action-adventure-romance spectacle about a stunt guy who is hired by a Hollywood producer to find the missing star (whom he used to double for) of a major studio film that is being directed by his ex-girlfriend. Lead by the chemistry between Gosling and Blunt, The Fall Guy is a kind of movie that “can remind you that going to the movies is a magical, highly entertaining experience.”, Ryan, Dan, Josh and Karen break down their reactions to the film, its underperformance at the box office, and why they think people should give it a shot and go see it before it leaves theaters.

In the second half of the show, the gang discuss their favorite movies about movies, which is a big part of the overall plot of The Fall Guy, speaking a ton about the film industry and the personalities that are at the center of it. But movies about movies can be a multitude of things, ranging from being a love letter to the art form to an examination of the dangerous, heartbreaking mirage that fame and filmmaker can be. This allowed the team to talk about a wide selection of films that included Sunset Boulevard, Get Shorty, Singin’ in the Rain, The Player, American Movie, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Sullivan’s Travels, Ed Wood, Dolemite Is My Name, Pain and Glory, Mank, 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 1h47m. On our next episode, we will be discussing the latest release from A24, I Saw the TV Glow, and revealing our top five A24 films.

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 44 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Lead News Editor for Collider Maggie Lovitt to discuss the next film in their Sofia Coppola series, The Beguiled (2017).

Four years after her most modern film to date, Sofia Coppola swerved back into a historical dramatic setting with The Beguiled, a remake of the 1971 Southern Gothic thriller set in Virginia during the American Civil War. When a young girl finds a wounded Union soldier right outside her all-girls school where she lives with several other women of various ages, the ladies nice, quiet way of life is turned upside down by the arrival of this sensual, seductive, ultimately menacing presence. Led by an all-star cast that includes Nicole Kidman, Kristen Dunst, Elle Fanning, and Colin Farrell, Coppola dives beautifully and patiently into the physiological nature of what it is like when a figure like this infuriates these women’s lives and how their nature and unnatural responses to this soldier’s inclusion in their life speaks to their basic human desires, and how temptation can overwhelm and get the best of them when it is all said and done. Ryan, Jay, and Maggie break down their reactions to the film, its connections to the original film, where it ranks in Coppola’s filmography, Farrell and Kidman’s career retrospective, how devilish Farrell’s character is in the film, and if her second attempt at a period piece is just as successful as Marie Antoinette.

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 2h01m. 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, On the Rocks. You can stream the film on Apple TV+ 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 229 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to review Luca Guadagnino’s latest film Challengers, and then discuss their favorite sexiest/horniest films.

Releasing this past weekend was one of the best reviewed films of the year so far, Challengers, which was supposed to come out last year but was delayed because of the SAG/WGA strikes. In his follow-up to 2022’s Bones and All, Luca Guadagnino’s tennis love triangle became the number one film at the box office, and had the AW team talking about it all week long. Ryan, Erik, and Sophia break down their overall reactions to the film, its excellent performances from its all-star cast, the innovated editing, fist-pumping score from Reznor and Ross, and of course, the hot, sexual tension at the core of this incredible film. Listen to their spoilers be damned review as well as read Josh Parham’s written review of the film on the website.

After they are done talking about Challengers, the gang transition into a conversation about their favorite films that they find sexy and/or horny. In trying to go within the vein of Challengers tone, they talked about some great films that not only just had sex scenes, but the feeling of falling in love, longing for the person they want to be it, as well as repressing one’s love and how tragic that can feel. There are also just some obvious picks that are just straight up horny fun. Included into the conversation was Out of Sight, Don’t Look Now, Wet Hot American Summer, Brokeback Mountain, Y tu mamá también, In the Mood for Love, Moonlight, Bull Durham, The Age of Innocence, 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 2h22m. On our next episode, we will be reviewing The Fall Guy and talking about our favorite movies about movies.

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