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 82 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Cody Dericks to discuss the final film in their Mike Nichols series, The Graduate (1967).

Just a year after his impressive, celebrated debut film, Mike Nichols returned with one of the most important American films of all time; an era defining feature film that is still as vital, thorny, and thematically rich as it was in the late 1960s. The Graduate was a signature film that ushered in what would become the "New Hollywood," and showcased a generational anxiety of growing up and growing beyond the ease of one's college life, and the refusal to want to accept your place in the world. It also is a hilarious comedy featuring sexy, memorable performances anchored by the most confident, boundary-pushing directorial work from Nichols in his career. Simply put, it is a masterpiece. Ryan, Jay, and Cody break down their thoughts on the film, Nichol's camera work, their favorite moments of hilarity, the iconic soundtrack, the film's remarkable ending, the films of 1967, the relationship dynamics found in the film and share where they were at in their life post their time in school.

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 continue their series on the films of Mike Nichols with a review of his next film, Carnal Knowledge. 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).

2025 Oscar nominations for the 97th Academy Awards have been revealed and on episode 271 of the AwardsWatch podcast Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson is joined by Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to break down everything that went down.

From the field best 13 nominations for Emilia Pérez (is this finally their Oscar Best Picture win?) to how The Brutalist, Wicked and Anora played out, the gang look at who is the frontrunner as we enter the second phase of awards season, who falls and our favorite nominations of the day. We try and crack some of those '5th spot' nominations like Fernanda Torres over Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Sebastian Stan over Daniel Craig and much more.

For ways to donate or help with the ongoing fires in Los Angeles and their aftermath, go 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 57m. We'll be back next week to talk about our favorite Steven Soderbergh films and our thoughts on his newest, Presence.

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 77 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss the latest film in their Nancy Meyers series, Something's Gotta Give (2003).

With her third feature film, Nancy Meyers reunited with Diane Keaton and recruited Jack Nicholson to star in a romantic comedy about famous, neurotic playwright and elder playboy, philanthropist falling in love with each other, despite being complete opposites. Considered to be the best film in her filmography, Meyers' signature attention to detail and charm is matched by two incredible performances by Keaton and Nicholson, all wrapped within a hilarious, steamy screenplay that makes this film extremely rewatchable and quotable. Ryan, Jay, and Sophia extensively dive into why they love this movie, wearing turtleneck sweaters in the summers, the birth of the Nancy Meyers' kitchen obsession, the food in the film, how time works in this story, Nicholson's star power, how Keaton's character reflects Meyers' personality, the performances of Keanu Reeves and Frances McDormand, if Keaton picks the right man at the end of the film, and a new movie franchise "pitch" for the ages.

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 2h34m. The guys will be back next week to begin continue their series on the films of Nancy Meyers with a review of her film, The Holiday. 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).

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 76 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer to discuss the first film in their Nancy Meyers series, What Women Want (2000).

Following up her success of The Parent Trap, Nancy Meyers' second feature film follows an chauvinistic advertising executive who gains the ability to hear the inner thoughts of women, truly finding out what women want. A simple, amusing premise formed into the biggest box office hit of the director's career, with stars Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt lighting up the screen together. But over two decades later, the film, while successful, has become the most divisive film of her filmography, given her lack of involvement in the film's script, leading to some of the strangest storytelling decisions you'd see in a romantic comedy. What Women Want feels like a movie stuck between eras of time where most of the jokes don't work, characters and plot devices haven't aged well, and yet the premise is still interesting enough to keep things moving; it's a fascinating film to talk about. Ryan, Jay, and Dan break down their thoughts on the film, what still works within the film and what doesn't, the message Meyer's might be saying about her own personal life, the careers of Gibson, Hunt, and Marisa Tomei, if Nick Marshall is a redeemable character, and if hearing the thoughts of a female dog makes sense.

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 2h06m. The guys will be back next week to begin continue their series on the films of Nancy Meyers with a review of her film, Something's Gotta Give. 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 266 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Josh Parham to give their thoughts on some of the films releasing this holiday season, Queer, Babygirl, A Complete Unknown, and Nosferatu.

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 1h7m. We will be back next week for retrospective over the 92nd Academy Awards, covering the films of 2019.

This podcast is sponsored by Focus Features presenting Conclave. Your choice changes everything. In theaters now.

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 75 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Pop Culture Confidential host Christina Jeurling Birro to discuss the first film in their Nancy Meyers series, The Parent Trap (1998).

After nearly two decades of writing acclaimed screenplays that earned top dollar at the box office as well as an Oscar nomination, Nancy Meyers set out in the late 1990s to make her directorial debut with a remake of the 1961 Disney family film, The Parent Trap. Centering around two identical twins who discover each other while they are at summer camp who switch places on their return home in order to get their parents back together, Meyers used this property to not only establish her special cinematic we've all come to love, but as a vessel to handle her divorce from her co-collaborator for many years, director Charles Shyer. In doing this, she made a film that is far superior than the original, while also finding a star in the making with newcomer Lindsay Lohan. Ryan, Jay, and Christina break down their thoughts on the film, the plot of the film, Lohan's incredible performance, if Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson play the worst parents in the history of film, best camp movies, and the Disney live action film era of the late 1990s to early 2000s.

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 1h34m. The guys will be back next week to begin continue their series on the films of Nancy Meyers with a review of her film, What Women Want. 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 265 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello break down the nominations for the 2025 Golden Globes, as well as the winners for the European Film Awards and Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA).

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 1h8m. We will be back next week to discuss some of the latest 2024 film releases before the end of the year.

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

On episode 264 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributors Karen Peterson, Jay Ledbetter and Josh Parham to go back 30 years to take a look at the 67th Academy Awards, celebrating the films of 1994.

Thirty years ago, it was Bob's year as Robert Zemeckis' Forrest Gump took home the Oscar for Best Picture, alongside Tom Hanks winning his second straight gold statue for back to back wins. It was one of the most commercially successful films of 1994 that went on to win the big prize, and is part of one of the most influential years from the 1990s. Films like Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Three Colours: Red, Hoop Dreams, The Lion King, and more highlight a crossover of studio films blending success with indie darlings to make for a fascinating film year to talk about.

In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 1994, briefly discuss talk about Forrest Gump as a Best Picture winner, do an extensive conversation over the below the line categories and nominees for the year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to three films to make up the final set of five nominated films. Like past retrospective episodes, it was a fascinating, fun conversation including spirited debates, alliances, vote swinging, celebrating various movies, performances that aren't normally talked about and more that we all hope you enjoy.

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

This podcast runs 2h28m. We will be back next week to discuss some of the latest 2024 film releases before the end of the year.

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

On episode 263 of the AwardsWatch podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello break down the deluge of early season goodies with Gotham Awards, New York Film Critics Circle, Spirit Awards nominations, National Board of Review winners and the AFI Top 10 announcements.

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 1h24m. We'll return next week with reviews of A Complete Unknown, Nosferatu and Babygirl.

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 74 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Krzysztof Kieślowski series, Three Colours: Red (1994).

In the last entry in his acclaimed trilogy, Kieślowski turns to the color red, which focuses on the idea of fraternity. In this drama, we find two characters, a young, curious girl and a reclusive older man, become interconnected within each other's lives and form a familiar bond that transforms into a surprising friendship. As other characters come in and out of their story, the film forms into a coming of age story for the younger protagonist and a redemption story for her male counterpart, making for a beautiful, profound piece of filmmaking from the director that saw him receive critical acclaimed, leading to several Oscar nominations. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, surveillance being a strong aspect of the story, it's connection to Blue and White, if the film's ending adds anything to the overall experience of the trilogy, Irène Jacob and Jean-Louis Trintignant performances, closing thoughts on Kieślowski, their rankings of his films, and how old some of our favorite directors are.

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 1h29m. The guys will be back next week to begin their new series on the films of Nancy Meyers with a review of her film, the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap. 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).

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 73 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Krzysztof Kieślowski series, Three Colours: White (1994).

The next entry into Kieślowski trilogy might go down as one of the most surprising films the guys have covered so far, as this anti-comedy is a completed shift from the tone and ideas covered in Blue. Following a couple from two different countries playing a manipulative game of chess with one another over time, Kieślowski is able to use this duo as a personification of geo-political warfare and how smaller countries have to react and fight in order to relevant in the world. It makes for a fascinating examination of European ideals wrapped within a twist tale of love and country. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, how the logic of it only makes sense from a non-literal perspective, shifting point of views throughout the film, the film's ending, if these two really do love each other, what they each like to put on a sandwich, and what a "dumpster Whopper" is.

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 1h16m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Krzysztof Kieślowski with with a review of his film, Three Colours: Red. 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 262 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Jay Ledbetter to give their thoughts on Gladiator II and discuss their Top 5 Denzel Washington performances.

Big weekend at the movie as audiences around the world got to see the long awaited Wicked Part 1 and Gladiator II. Before the guys get into their thoughts on Ridley Scott's latest, Ryan shares his reactions to Wicked Part 1, and why for him, the film is mostly frustrating experiences with a couple of good performances in it. After that, Ryan and Jay dive right into Gladiator II, a film over twenty years in the making, as Scott dives back into the world he created in 2000's Best Picture winning epic. Much like the original, the film is a tale of revenge, centered around a main character looking to take on not just the ones of betrayed him, but the most powerful of Rome, leading to bloody battles and political intrigue around every corner. The boys were mixed on it, with Jay not being as positive on the film as Ryan is, with the totality of the conversation focusing on the film's script, Scott and his team's craft of recreating Rome, if Paul Mescal is a "movie star," and Denzel Washington's incredible performance.

Once they are done reviewing the film, the episode shifts solely to Washington, one of the greatest movie stars of all time and his magnificent, celebrated career. The two time Oscar winner has built a career on and off screen that rivals many legendary actors and actresses. And after covering plenty of his films on Director Watch this year, Ryan and Jay give out their Top 5 Denzel Washington performances. The films discussed ranged from Remember the Titans, Malcolm X, Man on Fire, He Got Game, Crimson Tide, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Roman J Israel, Esq., John Q, Training Day, Philadelphia, Glory, Devil in a Blue Dress, and more. A fun, extensive dive into a career of one of the best to ever do it, and 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 2h11m. We will be back next week for a retrospective of the 67th Academy Awards, covering the films of 1994. Till then, let's get into it.

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

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 81 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by 'Keep It' cohost and 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' writer Emmy nominee Louis Virtel (for writing the Oscars, no less), to discuss the first film in their Mike Nichols series, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966).

New year, new series, as the guys take a stroll down the career of one of the most famous, influential directors of the last sixty years, Mike Nichols. Known for his excellent reputation with actors and his work on the stage, Nichols first came on the film scene with one of the best debuts in cinema history with the explosive adaptation of the great American play, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Following the events of one evening spent with two couples, one being much more naive than the other, we watch a thrilling chess match of devilish wit, psychological damage, and imploding relationships bubble to incendiary results, with four incredible performances at the center of it. Ryan, Jay, and Louis break down their thoughts on the film, Nichols' rise to becoming a director, Burton and Taylor's relationship on and off screen, the historical relevance of this film, the importance of going to sleep, and more.

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 series on the films of Mike Nichols with a review of his next film, 1967's The Graduate. 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).

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 72 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the next film in their Krzysztof Kieślowski series, Three Colours: Blue (1993).

Moving right along into the trilogy that made Kieślowski a legend in the cinematic community, the director set out to make a trio of films based around the colors found in the French flag, the country to which he could get funding for the film. With Blue, we enter his first phase, liberty, and in the case of the film, a complex look into a woman recovery as she tries to go on living her life after a tragic car accident kills her husband and daughter. In turning cold on the world and everyone around her, Julie (Juliette Binoche in a masterful performance) slowly opens back up, and it is within the final act of the film we see her recover beyond her understandable, heartbreaking grief. It makes for a wonderful start to this important trilogy. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film, the idea of grief and how everyone handles it differently, the use of the color blue throughout the film, the balance of the loss of Julie's husband and daughter, the guy's thoughts on Binoche's career and what type of reality, trash television shows people are watching today.

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 to continue their series on the films of Krzysztof Kieślowski with a review of his film, Three Colours: White. 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).

Editors Claire Simpson and Sam Restivo had already worked  together on several of Ridley Scott's movies, including House of Gucci and Napoleon, before embarking on Scott's massive motion picture Gladiator II.

Restivo has previously worked with directors like Michael Mann and Cameron Crowe and Claire Simpson received an Academy Award for her work on Oliver Stone's Platoon.  And, in a nice bit of symmetry with Gladiator,  started her career as assistant editor on Caligula, with Malcom McDowell and Helen Mirren.

For AwardsWatch we talked about the sheer volume of footage Ridley provides them with every day, the research process, the kiss Denzel Washington says was edited out and much more.

Emperors! Gladiators! Nearly 1000 extras! We talked to Jana Carboni (makeup designer) and hair designer Guiliano Mariano about their immense work on Ridley Scott's Gladiator II. How they were inspired by Fellini's Satyricon and the Sex Pistols. Battling the heat and the elements to get Paul Mescal's gladiator tan and body paint just right. Denzel's manicured hands and much more.

On episode 270 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributors Karen Peterson and Mark Johnson to give out their final Oscar nomination predictions for the 97th Academy Awards.

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 3h23m. We will be back next week with a brand new episode. Till then, let's get into it.

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

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 80 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by film critic Ema Sasic to discuss the final film in their Nancy Meyers series, The Intern (2015).

It's hard to imagine that the Nancy Meyers' series is already coming to an end, as the director feels like she has so many stories to tell, but alas here the boys are with the (for now) final film in the director's filmography. Six years after her last film, Meyers returned with a workplace dramedy about a retired widower that signs up to becoming a 'senior intern' for an up and coming, online clothing company. Over the course of the film, we see generations collide and a true friendship arise, making for one of the most delightful, heartwarming entries in the series so far, and one of Meyers' best films to date. Ryan, Jay, and Ema break down their thoughts on the film, if Meyers is a fan of Workaholics, how genuine these characters are, riding a bike in the office, Robert De Niro's incredible performance, why people need to stop hating on the great Anne Hathaway, and why the world needs more Nancy Meyers movies. They boys also give their personal ranking of Meyers' filmography and announce the next director movie series they will be covering.

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 1h48m. The guys will be back next week to begin their series on the films of Mike Nichols with a review of his first film, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. 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 269 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello discuss the winners of the 2025 Golden Globes and how they will impact the Oscar race.

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

This podcast is brought to you by Orion Pictures' Nickel Boys, from director RaMell Ross. Nominated for five Critics Choice Awards; Best Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor for Supporting Actress, Best Director and Best Picture. Named "The best film of the year" by The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Indiewire, Boston Globe, and The New York Times. For Your Consideration in all categories including Best Picture.

This podcast runs 1h45m. We will be back next week to announce our final Oscar nomination predictions.

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 79 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys 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 Nancy Meyers series, It's Complicated (2009).

Divorce can be really tough, but getting back with your ex while he is married to the woman he left you for…sounds complicated. This is the premise to the latest film from Nancy Meyers, about a successful bakery owner who starts an affair with her ex-husband while also becoming romantically involved with her architect that is building her the kitchen she's always wanted. If you are thinking this is the ultimate Nancy Meyers fever dream of a film, well you would be one hundred percent correct, and it's a lot of fun. Ryan, Jay, Kevin break down their thoughts on the film, just how complicated this movie is, how this narrative could connect to Meyer's own life, smoking in the guest bathroom, Streep's killer comedic performance, how Baldwin and Martin work alongside her in the film, the elegant kitchen at the center of this film and how it doesn't need to be replaced.

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 1h36m. The guys will be back next week to finish their series on the films of Nancy Meyers with a review of her film, The Intern. 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 268 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello, and AwardsWatch Contributors Dan Bayer, Cody Dericks, Jay Ledbetter, Josh Parham, Karen Peterson, Trace Sauveur, and Griffin Schiller breakdown their favorite films of 2024.

As we are about to begin an exciting new year of cinema in 2025, we say goodbye to 2024 with our AW team's favorite films of the year. Instead of having everyone on one call together, the show is split up into six sections, each section covering the six films the team loved the most. Those films included Robert Eggers' Nosferatu (Karen and Griffin), Radu Jude's Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (Trace), Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine as Light (Josh) Jane Schoenbrun's I Saw the TV Glow (Dan and Cody), RaMell Ross' Nickel Boys (Erik and Jay), and Brady Corbet's The Brutalist (Ryan and Sophia).

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 Challengers, Queer, Juror #2, Maria, Hit Man, Babygirl, Hundreds of Beavers, Hard Truths, Anora, Trap, Dahomey, The Substance, and many more. Please enjoy this wonderful last episode of 2024, thank you all for reading everything on the website as well as listening to the show this past year. We here at AwardsWatch 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 3h50m. We will be back next week to breakdown the winners of the 2025 Golden Globes.

Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "Once Upon a Time" from Robin Carolan, "Basm epic" from Z.O.B., "Imagined Light" from Topshe, "Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl" from yeule, "Color Memory" from Alex Somers, "Overture (Bus)," "Intermission" from Daniel Blumberg, "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 78 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Karen Peterson to discuss the latest film in their Nancy Meyers series, The Holiday (2006).

Tis the season at Director Watch, as the boys and Karen have come together to talk about one of the most popular modern holiday classics, The Holiday. Billed as a house swap story of two heartbroken women wanting to leave their world's behind after terrible encounters with the men in their lives, Meyers sets a more dramatic, sweet tale of finding love and confidence during the holiday season. In what feels like her version of Love Actually, Meyers is able to deliver a much more compelling, romantic film than that British film from just a few years before, lead by an all-star cast of Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, and Jack Black. Ryan, Jay, and Karen break down their thoughts on the film, what their holiday traditions are with their families, who character gets a better deal within the house swap, Jude Law's summer tan, singing in a Blockbuster video, the charming Eli Wallach, and, of course, the most important person in cinema history, Mr. Napkin Head.

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 2h06m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Nancy Meyers with a review of her film, It's Complicated. 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 267 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributors Jay Ledbetter and Dan Bayer to go back a couple of years to take a look at the 92nd Academy Awards, celebrating the films of 2019.

Five years ago, the Academy handed out one of the coolest Best Picture winners in our lifetime, awarding Bong Joon-ho's Parasite alongside a surprising win for Best Director as well as wins in the Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature. It was a historic win as it was the first non-English language film to win the Oscar's top prize, and might go down as one of the influential wins in the modern era. This film released inside a fantastic year of cinema to end the 2010s, though it was nominated in a selection of films that more or less didn't showcase just how strong of a year 2019 was. But that is what episodes like this is for, for the AW team to come in and make the changes necessary to the nominations (and winners) to showcase just how great a year in film is was.

In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 2019, briefly discuss talk about Parasite as a Best Picture winner, do an extensive conversation over the below the line categories and nominees for the year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to five films to make up the final set of five nominated films. Like past retrospective episodes, it was a fascinating, fun conversation including spirited debates, alliances, vote swinging, celebrating various movies, performances that aren't normally talked about and more that we all hope you enjoy. They also do something for the first time in this episode in one category not yet done before, making for a wonderful new wrinkle to the game.

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 for our episode on the AW team favorite films of 2024. Till then, let's get into it.

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

On episode 272 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Trace Sauveur to talk about the latest film from Steven Soderbergh, Presence, and discuss the Top 5 film from the acclaimed director. Some of the films covered in the Top 5 range from Ocean's Eleven, Contagion, Magic Mike, Kimi, Out of Sight, 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 1h23m. We will be back next week with an Oscar retrospective on the 73rd Academy Awards, covering the films of 2000. Till then, let's get into it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 109 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Trace Sauveur discuss the latest film in their Paul Verhoeven series, Starship Troopers (1997).

After making a cult classic with Showgirls, Verhoeven took to space to go back to his political, social satire with an adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's novel, Starship Troopers. The director readapted the book heavily, not liking the politics of the book, making his film more aware that these characters were fascists in a fascist country that didn't know that they are fascists. By using this tool, he made a masterpiece grilling the military industrial complex, and our countries obsession with concurring other nations. Ryan, Jay, and Trace break down their thoughts on the film, their thoughts on the films politics, the casting in the film, the visual effects that have aged well and are horrific, the spin-off sequels, how relevant the film is in the modern era, and how clever Verhoeven is able to mix the horror of war with his usual, twisted humor found in his films.

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

This podcast runs 2h08m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Paul Verhoeven with a review of his film, Hollow Man. 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 298 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Griffin Schiller to review the latest film in the MCU, The Fantastic Four: The First Steps.

You can also read the published review from Trace Sauveur on the website here.

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

This podcast runs 1h27m. We will be back soon to talk about the fall festivals and give a preview to the upcoming 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).

On episode 297 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello and AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer, Josh Parham, and Jay Ledbetter to go back 50 years and take a look at the 48th Academy Awards, covering the films of 1975.

On this retrospective, the AW team take a look back at what might've been the greatest Best Picture lineup of all time, featuring the films One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Barry Lyndon, Nashville, Dog Day Afternoon, and Jaws. This group of five films collectively encapsulate the type of films audiences clamored for fifty years ago and are all considered all-time classic in their own right, some being the best film within their respected director's filmography. But the interesting exercise with this line-up is looking at the lackluster films surrounding these masterful films. But this is the fun part of the process of looking back and talking about a year like this, if it is a landmark year like others in the 1970s or if it just top heavy.

In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 1975, briefly discuss talk about One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest as a Best Picture winner, do an extensive conversation over the below the line categories and nominees for the year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to three films to make up the final set of five nominated films. Like past retrospective episodes, it was a fascinating, fun conversation including spirited debates, alliances, vote swinging, celebrating various movies, performances that aren't normally talked about and more that we all hope you enjoy.

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

This podcast runs 2h40m. We will be back in next week for a review of the latest film from Marvel, The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Till then, let's get into it.

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

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 108 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson discuss the latest film in their Paul Verhoeven series, Showgirls (1995).

Following the massive cultural, commercial success of Basic Instinct, Verhoeven and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas turned their eye to the world of professional dancing as a young, ambitious girl, with a mysterious past, sets her sights on becoming a star as the main showgirl in over-the-top production set on the Las Vegas strip. The film was set up with massive expectations and the largest budget ever for an NC-17 film ($45m), Showgirls was hailed as one of the worst films of the 1990s, a box office bomb, and ruined star Elizabeth Berkley chances at becoming a star on the big screen like she was on television. But the film became a cult classic, and has now been fully reevaluated as a "masterpiece" of excess and the dangers women face within the entertainment industry; Verhoeven's The Red Shoes. Ryan, Jay, and Erik breakdown their relationship with the film, their favorite lines within the movie, the definition of "camp," Berkley's rocky relationship with the film, how horrifying the sex is within the film, the legendary performance given by Gina Gershon, which characters they relate to, and which modern day pop-star Jay says has had a better 21st century success on the Billboard Charts than Madonna; a move that might see the end of the co-host as we know. Listen now to find out who mentions.

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 2h45m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Paul Verhoeven with a review of his film, Starship Troopers. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it.

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

It's still warm from the heat of the nominations this morning for the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, where Apple dominated the competition, leading both the drama and comedy fields with the long-awaited second season of Severance (27) and the first season of The Studio (a record-setting 23). On episode 296 I am joined by The Ankler's Katey Rich to break down this year's nominees.

From the ongoing strength of The White Lotus, continuing to dominate the acting categories, to buzzy new shows like The Pitt, Rich and we look at how and why certain shows remain strong in the minds of Emmy voters, why The Bear fell dramatically, and talk about some of the biggest snubs and surprises of the day.

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

This podcast runs 34m. We will be back in next week for an Oscar retrospective on the 48th Academy Awards and the films of 1975. Till then, let's get into it.

On episode 295 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson and AwardsWatch contributor Griffin Schiller to review the latest film from director James Gunn, Superman, starring David Corenswet as the Last Son of Krypton (and Clark Kent, of course), Rachel Brosnahan as intrepid reporter Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as evil real estate tycoon turned government-overthrowing villain Lex Luthor.

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

This podcast runs 1h38m. We will be back in next week for an Oscar retrospective on the 48th Academy Awards and the films of 1975. Till then, let's get into it.

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

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 107 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by film critic Brandon Streussnig discuss the latest film in their Paul Verhoeven series, Basic Instinct (1992).

We enter a new chapter in the Verhoeven series, as the guys talk about one of the most iconic erotic-thrillers of all time with the most iconic image of the genre. But beyond that one scene lies an ode to Hitchcock, as we follow a sleazy detective down a rabbit hole of deception, sex, and murder as he investigates the death of a wealthy rock star, and the prime suspect is his old girlfriend, a writer whom wrote about his death in her latest book. Purposive, wild, and slightly progressive and regressive at the same time, Basic Instinct is the crown jewel of a type of film that audiences used to obsess over, perfectly made by a director at the height of his powers, featuring an all-time performance from Sharon Stone. Ryan, Jay, and Brandon breakdown their thoughts on the film, the history of the erotic thriller, the controversy over the iconic scene, how sex is weaponized throughout, the introduction to Joe Eszterhas as a writer to the world, the laughable sequel made several years later, ice picks, and just how good of a cop is Michael Douglas' Nick Curran.

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 1h56m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Paul Verhoeven with a review of his film, Showgirls. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental or stream on HBO Max 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 294 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Josh Parham and Jay Ledbetter to play the Director Stock Market Game.

Two years ago, the AW podcast team talked about the state of modern movie stars and discussed who might be the future movie stars of films. Given how the trend of the film industry is leaning more towards IP driven films and becoming a director's medium, it's only right the team did a follow-up episode to talk about some of the bright talent from behind the camera, and who could become the premiere visionary directors that we will follow for years of releases to come.

With this in mind, Ryan, Josh, and Jay put together a list of directors under the age of fifty who they believe have the potential to join the rank of some of the greatest filmmakers of the modern era of cinema. The list of names included a wide range of talent like Emerald Fennell, Damien Chazelle, Ryan Coogler, Ari Aster, Celine Song, Jordan Peele, The Daniels, The Safdie Brothers, and many more the team had to decide if they were going to buy, sell, or hold the stock of these directors. 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, YouTube and more.

This podcast runs 2h19m. We will be back in next week to review the latest release, Superman. Till then, let's get into it.

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

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 106 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by the host of The Waffle Press Movie Podcast, Diego Crespo discuss the latest film in their Paul Verhoeven series, Total Recall (1990).

Following up the massive success of RoboCop, Verhoeven turned his attention to another world, the planet Mars and the work of Philip K. Dick to make another commentary on our military obsessed culture with Total Recall. Following the story of a construction worker who finds out he is actually a super spy who has been planted with false memories of his past and who he is, setting off a chain of events that leads he into a war between the powerful elites of our world and the newly formed colony on Mars. Thought provoking then as it is now, Verhoeven taps into our ongoing paranoia of who is in-charge of our world, and questions whether their leadership is more relevant than a body of citizens willing to fight for their place in the world. Ryan, Jay, and Diego breakdown their thoughts on the film, if its commentary is as strong as RoboCop, the visual effects, Arnold Schwarzenegger's performance, the meaning of the film's ending, and so much more.

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

This podcast runs 2h3m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Paul Verhoeven with a review of his film, Basic Instinct. 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 293 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Dan Bayer to review F1: The Movie, and talk about their favorite films of 2025 so far, which include conversations on Black Bag, Sinners, The Life of Chuck, and more.

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

This podcast runs 1h21m. We will be back in next week for an exciting new episode where we play The Director Stock Market 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).

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

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

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

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

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 105 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the first film in their Paul Verhoeven series, RoboCop (1987).

Known for being one of the most provocative directors of our lifetime, Paul Verhoeven has expertly used genre to tackle strong satirical elements of our society in ways his counterparts have never been able to. From the late 1960's to the early 1980s, the Dutch director mostly worked on films from his side of the world, slowly making his way to American productions by the end of the 80s. His first big introduction to commercial audiences was RoboCop, a futuristic examination on the power of corporations, corruption, crime, and lawlessness left unchecked by justice. Centering on a former police officer turning into the ultimate killing machine, Verhoeven delivers one of the most damning criticisms of American capitalism, as well as a signature film of the era. Ryan and Jay breakdown their thoughts on the film, their favorite lines in the movie, the over-the-top action set pieces, Murphy's (Peter Weller) journey and his reckoning with who he has become at the hands of those who harmed him, the episodic logistics of crime shows, and why no one can make a good satire, political commentary anymore.

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 continue their series on the films of Paul Verhoeven with a review of his film, Total Recall. 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 292 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham to review the latest film from Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle, 28 Years Later.

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

This podcast runs 1h08m. We will be back in next week for a review of F1: The Movie, and talk about our favorite films of the year 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).

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 104 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Editor-In-Chief of InSession Film Dave Giannini to discuss the last films in their Peter Jackson series, The Hobbit Trilogy (2012/2013/2014).

After the failure of The Lovely Bones, Jackson and company turned their attention back to a familiar place, Middle Earth. First starting as a producer, The Hobbit would find Jackson getting back in the director's chair for the prequel to his acclaimed The Lord of the Rings series, taking over the project from Guillermo del Toro, who seemed to struggle to get his vision of the film to mash with what the studio wanted. Instead of the initial two films suggested to tell the story, Jackson set out to make another trilogy, drawing from other texts of J. R. R. Tolkien in order to expand on this smaller story, giving it a grander history to the original trilogy, as well as adding new characters and elements to the classic tale. But Jackson can't capture the magic of The Lord of the Rings, making a messy, CGI heavy collection of films that become more and more tedious as the trilogy goes on; wasting solid performances because the story is now in the hands of a director more focused on his creative toys than making something as spectacular as the trilogy that made him a household name. Ryan, Jay, and Dave breakdown their thoughts on the films, why they look so ugly, the unnecessary love story found in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, how cool dragons are, how there aren't five armies in The Battle of the Five Armies, why these films turn into being a chore by the time they were released, and wonder if Jackson will ever go back to making feature films. The guys also give out their rankings on the Jackson series and reveal who they will be covering for their next movie series.

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

This podcast runs 2h42m. The guys will be back next week to begin their series on the films of Paul Verhoeven with a review of his film, RoboCop. 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 291 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Karen Peterson to review the second feature film from Oscar-nominated writer-director Celine Song, Materialists.

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

This podcast runs 1h05m. We will be back in next week for a review of the latest film from Pixar, Elio, as well as the latest from director Danny Boyle, 28 Years Later. Till then, let's get into it.

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

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 103 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Karen Peterson to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, The Lovely Bones (2009).

Oh how the mighty fall. By the end of the 2000s, director Peter Jackson was still riding off the high of The Lord of the Rings and King Kong, as he looked to make his next project. In finding the novel The Lovely Bones, Jackson connected with the idea of a young girl using the afterlife to process her death as well as help her family heal after said tragedy, and attempt to catch the person who killed her. Using CGI and green-screen for the in-between world and the afterlife, Jackson tried to bring together one of the most popular young-adult novels of the time, but in doing so, got distracted by his special effects and new techniques for these sequences, and instead, he created an emotionless slog of a film that was (and still is) considered by all to be a massive misstep within his career. Ryan, Jay, and Karen breakdown the film, how Jackson and his team did in adapting the novel to the big screen, the major casting shift at the center of the film, the current status of Saoirse Ronan's career, how Stanley Tucci should never have hair in a movie, and how massive of a misstep it is from the same mind that brought us Heavenly Creatures.

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 2h21m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his set of other Middle Earth films, The Hobbit trilogy. 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).

Good horror films should terrify audiences with memorable monsters and eerie effects, but great horror will also fearlessly tackle timely issues with complex characters and impactful resolve. This is exactly what Tina Romero does in her feature debut, "Queens of the Dead," with her talented team of collaborators. Though she never expected to make a movie about zombies, the title makes for a beautiful nod to her dad, George, aka the "Father of the Zombie Film" or "Godfather of the Dead," while still remaining true to herself. Which, as a talented multi-hyphenate, allowed her to imbue the film with even more soul and called back to her early days as a DJ. She speaks to the collective energy music fosters, how her DJ name added another layer to the film's setting, and how Kesha became the ideal voice for a queer-coded apocalyptic battle cry.  

Romero joined me for a lively, revealing interview along with producer Natalie Metzger and actors Tomás Matos (Fire Island, Fantasmas) and Julie J before the film's premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. They all expressed their overwhelming excitement for working on a project that was as unapologetically queer and richly imagined, and were quick to hype up their sensational co-stars, including: Katy O'Brian, Jaquel Spivey, Riki Lindhome, Margaret Cho, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Jack Haven, Nina West, Dominique Jackson, and Cheyenne Jackson. Furthermore, they credit the makeup designer Christina Grant, hair department head Mitchell Beck, and costume designer David Tabbert for creating unforgettable looks that quite literally slay the house down boots. 

The effortless rapport in the following recording and seen on-screen is a direct result of the entire team cultivating a sense of community and tolerance. Attacks against the LGBTQ+ community continue every day and this film is a testament that having an open dialogue and fighting back with kindness and honesty is the only way to achieve a brighter, more accepting future.

On episode 290 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello, AwardsWatch contributor Mark Johnson, and special guest Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly Content Update Editor and host of the And the Runner Up Is podcast, for part two of their Best Actress Tier Rankings.

In the second part of the Best Actress tier rankings (listen to Part 1 here), the team return to the scene of the crime from last week to rank the remaining 49 Oscar winning performances, and discuss where they place them in their all-ranking. In trying to place these winners in the correct spot, the team had to come together and decide on whether to place these performances in the S (all-time winner), A, B, C, D, or F tier and explain the ranking. For the first time in the tier ranking episodes, the performances have been randomized, making the show even more unpredictable as to who will be covered from the list of winners on this episode. Also, the team has instituted two rules that include only 15 winners being able to be in the "S tier" and if an actress has multiple wins, only one of their wins can make it into the 15. Some of the winners ranked on this week's episode are Claudette Colbert for It Happened One Night, Nicole Kidman for The Hours, Meryl Streep for Sophie's Choice, Julia Roberts for Erin Brockovich, Jodie Foster for The Silence of the Lambs, Diane Keaton for Annie Hall, Faye Dunaway for Network, Michelle Yeoh for Everything Everywhere All at Once, our most recent winner Mikey Madison, Anora, and many more. By the end of the episode, some of the wildest takes of the episode start coming out, so you will want to listen all the way to the end to hear them; it's lot of fun.

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

This podcast runs 4h18m. We will be back in next week reviews of Materialists and The Phoenician Scheme. Till then, let's get into it.

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

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 102 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by the Head of Content for The Ringer and co-host of The Big Picture podcast Sean Fennessey to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, King Kong (2005).

After making one of the most successful trilogies of all time, winning dozens of Oscars, making billions of dollars at the box office, and defying all odds due to the inadaptability of the source material, Peter Jackson was on top of the cinematic world. Following up The Lord of the Rings was going to be no small task, but the director had essentially created an opportunity that very few artists get to have in a career; he earned a blank check to make whatever he wanted. In doing this, he came back to a project he had been trying to make years before his work in Middle Earth; a remake of one of the most iconic films in the history of cinema, King Kong. In making a direct remake of the 1939 classic, Jackson was able to recreate and expand a film that changed his life when he first saw it as a child in a local theater with his mother. But in doing so, he made a heavily CGI'd spectacle filled with dinosaurs that bogs down the emotional, fantastical elements at the core of the original story, and an effort that showed the problematic signs of what happens when total creative control is handed to those that need a little bit of a guiding hand. Ryan, Jay, and Sean breakdown their thoughts on the film, the other versions of King Kong, the career of Naomi Watts, how Jack Black is still a giant movie star, Adrian Brody's Oscar speech, why no one can make a good dinosaur film outside the first Jurassic Park, why this movie didn't work, why Sean picked this film to come on and talk about, and how nice a guy David Cronenberg seems.

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

This podcast runs 1h43m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his next film, The Lovely Bones. 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 289 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello, AwardsWatch contributor Mark Johnson, and special guest Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly Content Update Editor and host of the And the Runner Up Is podcast. Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night.

While everyone is settling into the summer blockbuster season and recovering from the Cannes Film Festival from the month of May, the AW team turn to the month of June by going back to a favorite exercise from last year, an extensive tier ranking of an Oscar category. After doing Best Director last year, the team moves the most popular category the Oscars has for the team; Best Actress and its 98 winners. In trying to place these winners in the correct spot, the team had to come together and decide on whether to place these performances in the S (all-time winner), A, B, C, D, or F tier and explain the ranking.

Only 49 of the winners are discussed on this episode, including Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind, Liza Minnelli in Cabaret, Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday, Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose, Loretta Young in The Farmer's Daughter and Sally Field in Norma Rae, with the rest covered next week. For the first time in the tier ranking episodes, the performances have been randomized, making the show even more unpredictable as to who will be covered from the list of winners on this episode. Also, the team has instituted two rules that include only 15 winners being able to be in the "S tier" and if an actress has multiple wins, only one of their wins can make it into the 15. It adds a fun wrinkle for the team to try and figure out when they get to their final rankings. It may only be part one, but it's a great episode and we hope you all enjoy it and listen next week to part two.

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

This podcast runs 3h58m. We will be back in next week for part 2 of our Best Actress tier ranking episode. Till then, let's get into it.

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

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 101 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Griffin Schiller to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).

One final time, in the winter of 2003, the world ran to the theaters to see the final chapter in what was the greatest, most important cinematic trilogy with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. In the climatic ending of Peter Jackson's masterpiece, we find the war for Middle Earth taking full effect as Frodo and Sam get closer and closer to destroying the ring of power once and for all. With many memorable moments (and a few too many endings?), Jackson was able to stick the landing, resulting the movie event of the 21st century, the highest grossing film of 2003, and performing a clean sweep as Return of the King went on to win eleven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Jackson. Ryan, Jay, and Griffin break down their thoughts on the third film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, if the extended cut of the film adds anything but runtime to the final film, the ending controversy, every character's arc and how they are wrapped up, how emotional the film is, if this is the most important, best blockbuster of the 21st century, and so much more.

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 2h25m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his next film, King Kong. 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).

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

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

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

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

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

The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival has ended but not without a few bumps along the way, including a full city power outage just hours before the Closing Ceremony.

AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello (along with a handful of contributors) were on the ground, watching the films that will soon be hitting future festivals and cinemas near you. On episode 288, we discuss our impressions of this year's fest as a first-timer (Ryan), a second-timer (Sophia) and a fourth-timer (Erik) from the city, the food, and of course, the films. And the coughing. So. much. coughing.

We break down our favorites that we saw (and a few we really didn't like) like Sentimental Value, The Mastermind, Highest 2 Lowest, The History of Sound, Pillion and more, plus we look at the winners as chosen Academy Award-winning French actress Juliette Binoche and her jury, including Academy Award-winning American actress and filmmaker Halle Berry, Indian director and screenwriter Payal Kapadia, Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher, French-Moroccan writer Leïla Slimani, Congolese director, documentarist and producer Dieudo Hamadi, Korean director and screenwriter Hong Sangsoo, Mexican director, screenwriter and producer Carlos Reygadas and American actor Jeremy Strong.

We had to talk about the NEON of it all, winning its sixth Palme d'Or in a row with Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident, and buying up the lion's share of In Competition contenders to help shore that up. We look at how these wins could factor into the upcoming Oscar race as Cannes has become the new kickoff of awards season.

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

This podcast runs 1h24m. We'll be back next week with the first part of our Best Actress Rankings.

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 100 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by AwardsWatch Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002).

Once The Fellowship of the Ring released into theaters, and became the biggest film of the year, audiences didn't have to wait too long to go back and continue the journey in Middle Earth as the winter of 2002 brought the second chapter of The Lord of the Rings to the big screen. Continuing the events of the saga just after the separation of the fellowship, our heroes venture off into three separate but vital storylines for the ultimate destination of destroying the ring of power and saving Middle Earth from a dark war. Though the middle chapter, many, including Ryan, hold The Two Towers as their favorite entry into the trilogy, one with heart, action, and a new, game changing character in Gollum that makes for one of the most important villains in modern film. Ryan, Jay, and Sophia break down their thoughts on the film, the revolutionary work on Gollum, casting what ifs, the introduction to the Kingdom of Rohan and its incredible characters, why Jay doesn't think Legolas isn't that cool, what the gang was like in high school, space missions, favorite type of potato, and so many more thing about and not about the film. It's the 100th episode and it's a damn good one.

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 2h54m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his next film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. 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).