It's another episode of the Asian A.V. Club What to Watch podcast as we are trying something different by taking a look into the fall film festivals. If you didn't already know, the Venice, Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals basically set up the kickoff point for a slew of buzzy films that are vying for a spot in the Award season conversation. By the end of these two weeks, certain titles that are most talked about also inform the studios if they're going to spend the time and effort for their awards campaigns.

Since I didn't make it to Venice Film Festival this year, I asked three of my fave journalists, Mathilde Bernard, René Mioch and returning friend of the pod Patrick Heidmann, to talk about 5 films that had the critics talking.

First up, George Clooney plays the role of JAY KELLY, a megawatt smile superstar who is looking at his career and life, wondering if it was all worth it. Directed by Noah Baumbach, the film gives Clooney a chance to showcase a meta version of himself, which is always a good thing to experience. Next, director Luca Guadagnino leads Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri and Andrew Garfield through the minefield of truth and lies in the divisive AFTER THE HUNT.

The gang is split on director Yorgos Lanthimos' twisty 'comedy' thriller BUGONIA reuniting with Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, giving the latter early kudos from the reviewers. Another dark 'comedy' comes in the form of director Park Chan-wook's new film NO OTHER CHOICE. Reuniting actor Lee Byung-hun (Squid Game) with the filmmaker, those who watched enjoyed how wicked and surprisingly touching the film turned out to be.

Finally, director Guillermo Del Toro brings us his version of FRANKENSTEIN with Jacob Elordi as the monster in question and Oscar Isaac as his creator. As usual with anything done by Del Toro, the story is filtered through his amazing filmmaking skills, reimagining this iteration with a masterful perspective.

We cover ALOT in this hour, so press play and enjoy this lively chat about Venice Film Festival and the movies that should be on our radar!