Categories: Podcasts

Director Watch Podcast Ep. 8 – ‘Prisoners’ (Villeneuve, 2013)

Published by
Share

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 8 of the Director Watch Podcast, they are joined by AwardsWatch Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson discuss the next film in their Denis Villeneuve series, Prisoners (2013).

After breaking through on the festival circuit in America with Incendies, as well as receiving an Oscar nomination for Best International Feature, Villeneuve took some time off riding the success of his acclaimed film. He returned to cinemas in 2013, directing his first Hollywood studio project, Prisoners, a story involving the search for two missing young girls in Pennsylvania. Focusing on two perspectives, one being the father of one of the missing girls (Hugh Jackman) and the detective trying to solve the case (Jake Gyllenhaal), this bleak mystery thriller was a surprise hit back in 2013, as well as considered by many of his fans to be Villeneuve’s best. In this episode, Ryan, Jay and Erik break down the symbolism shown throughout the film (SNAKES, PUZZLES), Jackman and Gyllenhaal’s performances, Paul Dano’s punchable face, Melissa Leo’s wig, Roger Deakin’s cinematography, the film’s ridiculous logic, and if it is a David Fincher knockoff.

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 Denis Villeneuve series with a look at Enemy. You can stream Enemy on Cinemax on Demand as well as rent 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)

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.

Recent Posts

Producers Guild of America Announces Finalists and Expansion of “PGA Innovation Award” for the 36th Producers Guild Awards

Today, the Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced the six finalists for the 2025 PGA… Read More

November 14, 2024

2025 Cinema Eye Honors Nominations: ‘Sugarcane,’ ‘Dahomey,’ ‘No Other Land’ Lead Documentary/Nonfiction Awards

Cinema Eye Honors, which celebrates the artistic achievements of nonfiction and documentary filmmakers, has unveiled… Read More

November 14, 2024

2025 Oscar Predictions: ADAPTED SCREENPLAY and ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY (November)

With just a few boutique groups with nominations out already, the European Film Academy and… Read More

November 14, 2024

Adrien Brody to Receive Desert Palm Achievement Acting Award from Palm Springs International Film Awards

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Adrien Brody is the recipient of the Desert… Read More

November 14, 2024

2025 Oscar Predictions: FILM EDITING, CINEMATOGRAPHY, COSTUME DESIGN, PRODUCTION DESIGN (November)

The American Cinema Editors ACE Eddie nominations (ACE) will be December 11, with Costume Designers… Read More

November 14, 2024

2024 SFFILM Awards Night to Honor Denis Villeneuve, Demi Moore, Malcolm Washington, Jason Reitman

Today, SFFILM announced their honorees for the annual 2024 SFFILM Awards Night: Academy Award-nominated filmmaker… Read More

November 14, 2024

This website uses cookies.