The Awards Watch Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Director Watch Podcast Ep. 86 - 'Postcards from the Edge' (Mike Nichols, 1990) with Special Guest Christina Jeurling Birro Feb 20, 2025

Show notes

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 86 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Pop Culture Confidential host Christina Jeurling Birro to discuss the next film in their Mike Nichols series, Postcards from the Edge (1990).

As we enter the 1990s, Mike Nichols is coming off one of the most successful films of his career, and with his follow-up to Working Girl, he brings to life the deeply honest, humorous, personal story of Carrie Fisher's autobiographical novel, Postcards from the Edge. Based on Fisher's novel inspired by real life events from her childhood, relationship with her mother Debbie Reynolds, her acting career post Star Wars, and her battle with substance abuse, Nichols is expertly able to bring every element of Fisher's life together with a brilliant performance by Meryl Streep, and the excellent work by Shirley MacLaine playing her version of Reynolds, and the tragic yet relatable bond the real mother-daughter had while going through the Hollywood machine. Ryan, Jay, and Christina break down their thoughts on the film, their connection to Fisher and Reynold's careers, how different a role like this is for both Streep and MacLaine, the perfect use of Gene Hackman, the film's depiction of substance abuse and if it goes deep enough on the matter, and the what might possibly be the funniest moment in the history of the show with the discovery of the plot of a Disney Channel original movie from 2004 and how it all ties to the career of Debbie Reynolds. And no, we aren't talking about Halloween Town. You will have to listen to find out, and trust us, it's worth it.

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

AwardsWatch Podcast Ep. 276 - BAFTA Winners and SAG Predictions Preview Feb 17, 2025

Show notes

On episode 276 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, AW's Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello break down the 2025 BAFTA winners and give a preview and their predictions of next week's SAG Awards.

A very spread-the-wealth year, BAFTA gave no film more than four wins, including a split Best Film and Best Director, with Conclave claiming the former and Brady Corbet the latter for The Brutalist, the two films to to earn those four BAFTAs. No real surprises in the Leading Actor (Adrien Brody), Supporting Actor (Kieran Culkin) and Supporting Actress (Zoe Saldaña) races but when Anora won the Casting award early on it was the bellwether for Mikey Madison's 'surprise' win for Leading Actress at the end of the night over Demi Moore (The Substance). A Real Pain's historically significant triumph over Anora in Original Screenplay also set up what will be one of the most competitive Oscar races on March 2 as winner voting ends tomorrow.

We jump over to SAG, a conversation that mirrors BAFTA a bit, where we all feel strongly for three frontrunners and each make cases for Madison, Moore and the outside spoiler of a Cynthia Erivo.

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 1h13m. We will be back next week to talk the results of the back-to-back Spirit Awards and SAG Awards and reveal our final Oscar predictions of the 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).

AwardsWatch Podcast Ep. 275 - Reviewing 'Captain America: Brave New World' Feb 15, 2025

Show notes

On episode 275 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributor Trace Sauveur to talk about the latest film from the MCU, Captain America: Brave New World and dive into a conversation about the current and future state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

You can read Trace's review of the film 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 1h50m. We will be back soon to discuss the 2025 BAFTA winners and preview the 2025 SAG awards. Till then, let's get into it.

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

Director Watch Podcast Ep. 85 - 'Working Girl' (Mike Nichols, 1988) Feb 14, 2025

Show notes

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 85 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to discuss the next film in their Mike Nichols series, Working Girl (1988).

By the late 1980s, Mike Nichols was back to being a steady force in the industry. After the moderate success of Heartburn, and while filming his other 1988 feature film, Biloxi Blues, he found the script for the next big hit of his career, Working Girl. In finding a tale of an ambitious secretary from Staten Island working her way up the corporate ladder, pretending to be in her boss's role and proving herself valuable while also falling in love with the man she partners with on a big deal for both of their companies. Working Girl is not only a staple within Nichols' filmography, but it is a defining film of the 1980s led by extraordinary performances, zippy dialogue, and just the right amount of earnestness to make it a classic. Ryan, Jay, and Sophia talk about their thoughts on the film, Melanie Griffith's career best performance, just how complex the story is, the hotness of Harrison Ford, the elegance of Sigourney Weaver, which beer brand is the king of cheap beer, discussions on modern popstars, and over a dozen fun tangents that make this episode so long, yet so great.

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 2h44m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Mike Nichols with a review of his next film, Postcards from the Edge. 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).

AwardsWatch Podcast Ep. 274 - 'Anora' Wins Critics Choice, DGA, PGA and the State of the Oscar Race Feb 10, 2025

Show notes

This weekend truly kicked off the Oscar race with the 1-2-3 punch of Critics Choice, the Directors Guild and the Producers Guild all announcing their winners in the span of 24 hours, including dueling ceremonies for the latter. On episode 274 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson is joined by AwardsWatch Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Associate Editor Sophia Ciminello to break down what happened, how it happened and what's next.

In a surprising sweep, Sean Baker's Anora took home the top prize at all three: Best Picture at Critics Choice (its only win), the DGA for Theatrical Film and the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures at the PGA. Erik, who was at all three events, offers his insight to vibe in the rooms, which felt muted at Critics Choice until the left field Best Director win for Wicked's Jon M. Chu (and the awkward Oscar-stat intro the category got), and the race from the DGA to the PGA that brought life back to everyone, making Anora the first film to win the Palme d'Or and DGA since 1955's Marty and pushing it (back?) to the top of the Best Picture race. But what does that mean for its star Mikey Madison? The young actress is the far and away critics' leader but so far has lost to Demi Moore (The Substance) in their first two face-offs, the Golden Globes and Critics Choice (ironically, or not so). With BAFTA and SAG looming, as well as the passion for Fernanda Torres (I'm Still Here), Best Actress remains the most exciting race of the season.

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

This podcast runs 1h57m. We will be back next week with the very fresh BAFTA winners and a preview of the Screen Actors Guild. Till then, let's get into it.

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

Director Watch Podcast Ep. 84 - 'Silkwood' (Mike Nichols, 1983) with Special Guest Izzy of Be Kind Rewind Feb 06, 2025

Show notes

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 84 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Izzy of Be Kind Rewind to discuss the next film in their Mike Nichols series, Silkwood (1983).

While most directors from the 1970s flourished during this time period, Mike Nichols struggled through the decade trying to find himself. With two lackluster pictures under his belt, Nichols went back to the theater, look for inspiration and a chance to make something meaningful again. After making some successful plays, he came back to cinema in the early 1980s with one of his most celebrated films to date, a biopic about Karen Silkwood, a a nuclear whistleblower and a labor union activist who investigated alleged wrongdoing at the Kerr-McGee plutonium plant where she worked. The story was all over the news in the late 70s, and the rights to make the film went through hell and back again in the courts, but when it was all set and down, Nichols and company got the chance to make a vital picture that would become a blueprint for Hollywood in telling stories like this for decades to come. Ryan, Jay, and Izzy breakdown their thoughts on the film, how well it holds up, Meryl Streep's incredible performance at the center of the film, queer identity displayed through the eyes of Dolly played by Cher, how smoking hot Kurt Russell was at the time, their thoughts on the current state of physical media, and the worst foods to eat in a movie theater.

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

This podcast runs 1h54m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Mike Nichols with a review of his next film, Working Girl. 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).

AwardsWatch Podcast Ep. 273 - Oscars Retrospective of the 73rd Academy Awards Feb 03, 2025

Show notes

On episode 273 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Jay Ledbetter and Josh Parham to go back 25 years and take a look at the 73rd Academy Awards, covering the films of 2000.

The state of the new millennium say the Oscar get nostalgic as Ridley Scott's swords and sandals epic, Gladiator, took home the top prize of the night, alongside Best Actor and a couple wins in the technical categories. A giant hit from the summer, the film took down an international film sensation in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, two films from Steven Soderbergh in Traffic and Erin Brockovich, and the sleeper, delightful indie film Chocolat. Overall, it was a descent list of nominees and winners that represented a shift from the indie films that dominated the 1990s, and the more populist films that would become winners in the early 2000s.

In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 2000, briefly discuss talk about Gladiator 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 2h14m. We will be back next week for a recap the winners from Critics Choice, DGA and PGA as the Oscar race starts to narrow before final winner voting begins. Till then, let's get into it.

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

Director Watch Podcast Ep. 83 - 'Carnal Knowledge' (Mike Nichols, 1971) with Special Guest Andrew Carden Jan 30, 2025

Show notes

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 83 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Awards Connection writer Andrew Carden to discuss the next film in their Mike Nichols series, Carnal Knowledge (1971).

After starting off on a hot streak with his first two films, Mike Nichols hit a bit of bad luck for his third film, with an adaptation of the renowned novel Catch-22. Considering it was released after the smash hit that was Robert Altman's M*A*S*H, audiences didn't respond to the film at all, but the following year, audience did discuss Nichols' fourth film, the controversial Carnal Knowledge. Focusing on the troubled relationship between two men who meet in college, become friends, and their journey through the sexual relationships they have and share along the way. Might sound like a simple summary but the film is far thornier with the way these men and their relationship with each other and others evolve as the film plays out; making for a fascinating film. Ryan, Jay, and Andrew break down their thoughts on the film, Nicholson's unhinged performance, the idea of an unlikeable protagonist, Ann-Margret's vulnerable work, the film's battle with censorship, the final, controversial scene of the movie, 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 1h45m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Mike Nichols with a review of his next film, Silkwood. 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).

AwardsWatch Podcast Ep. 272 - Reviewing 'Presence' and Our Top 5 Steven Soderbergh Films Jan 27, 2025

Show notes

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).

Director Watch Podcast Ep. 82 - 'The Graduate' (Mike Nichols, 1967) Jan 24, 2025

Show notes

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).

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