2025 Toronto International Film Festival Reviews: ‘The Fence,’ ‘Fuze,’ ‘Good Fortune’
In this review roundup out of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, three films from across the world, over three different genres, explore similar issues... Read More
Ryan McQuade
Ryan McQuade is the AwardsWatch Executive Editor and a film-obsessed writer in San Antonio, Texas. Raised on musicals, westerns, and James Bond, his taste in cinema is extremely versatile. He’s extremely fond of independent releases and director’s passion projects. Engrossed with all things Oscars, he hosts the AwardsWatch Podcast. He also is co-host of the Director Watch podcast. When he’s not watching movies, he’s rooting on all his favorite sports teams, including his beloved Texas Longhorns. You can follow him on Twitter at @ryanmcquade77.
‘Wake Up Dead Man’ Review: Rian Johnson’s Latest Puzzlebox Takes Benoit Blanc to Church on an Unholy Whodunit [A-] TIFF
The latest whodunit from writer-director Rian Johnson, Wake Up Dead Man, starts with a confession; not one of guilt or sin, but of absolute truth.... Read More
Director Watch Podcast Ep. 115 – ‘Early Summer’ (Yasujirō Ozu, 1951)
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... Read More
‘Frankenstein’ Review: To the Victor Go the Spoils [B] Telluride
For close to one hundred years, Frankenstein has always been a complex, fascinating tale of the moral consequences from man’s decision to create something beyond... Read More
On the Shelf: ‘Lost in Space,’ ‘The Two Jakes,’ Original Superman Film Collection Fly Home on 4K Blu-ray This Week
Happy Labor Day week to all who celebrate. Taking a look at the month of September, it looks to a giant month of releases stretched... Read More
‘Jay Kelly’ Review: Fame Comes at a Reflective, Personal Price in Noah Baumbach’s Newest Masterpiece [A-] Telluride
“All my memories are movies” says the titular Jay Kelly (George Clooney) to his mentor, veteran director Peter Schneider (Jim Broadbent) as they stand in... Read More
Director Watch Podcast Ep. 114 – ‘Late Spring’ (Yasujirō Ozu, 1949)
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... Read More
‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’ Review: Scott Cooper’s Uneven Snapshot at The Boss’ Crucial Album Features an Astonishing Jeremy Allen White [C+] Telluride
This musical biopic can be a tricky thing to get right, especially for a fan of the artist being portrayed in the film. The growing... Read More
On the Shelf: ‘Materialists,’ ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ Modern Horror Mayhem, Criterions, and More Arrive Home on Physical Media
A stacked week of physical media is arriving at your doorsteps as we start with two of the most talked about films of the summer,... Read More
Director Watch Podcast Ep. 113 – ‘Benedetta’ (Paul Verhoeven, 2021)
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... Read More
‘Mouse’ Review: Sophie Okonedo and Katherine Mallen Kupferer Shine in Tender Portrait of Grief and Growing Up [B+] Berlinale 
UK Casting Directors’ Guild Awards: ‘Hamnet,’ ‘Adolescence’ Take Top Wins 
Director Watch Podcast Ep. 139 – ‘Les Rendez-vous d’Anna’ (Chantal Akerman, 1978) 
Frontrunner Friday Oscar Predictions: Paul Thomas Anderson Inches Closer (2/13/26)