Watch With Jen™

As promised, Watch With Jen is back with your second brand-new time-sensitive episode of the week! And my goodness, it's a stellar conversation that writers, book lovers, WWII history buffs, & fans of awesome heroines will love.

Returning to the podcast today, we have the terrific Susan Elia MacNeal. The NY Times bestselling author of the Maggie Hope mystery series and the standalone MOTHER, DAUGHTER, TRAITOR, SPY, Susan Elia MacNeal has won the Barry Award & has also been nominated for the Edgar, Macavity, Agatha, Left Coast Crime, Dilys, ITW Thriller, & other awards. A Brooklyn resident, where she lives with her husband & son, Susan is back to talk about kickass women & especially her intrepid spy Maggie Hope, since the wonderful final installment of that series, THE LAST HOPE, releases on May 21 (today!).

Consider this the sequel to our lovely, wide-ranging Season 3 conversation about Spy Movies, since it ties in with our topic. Sharing some behind-the-scenes information about researching & writing her beloved WWII Maggie Hope series, Susan also drops some incredible news about an upcoming series that I can't wait to get to dig into, & celebrates three great films about Kickass Women working together - FEMALE AGENTS, WIDOWS, & OCEAN'S EIGHT.

Originally Posted on Patreon (5/21/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/104666818

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We're back from our short spring hiatus this week with a very special conversation featuring my friend & occasional co-host, the wonderful Senior Vice President of The Black List, Kate Hagen. Joining us today are two of our favorite women & returning guests, the fabulous writer-director, cinephile, & retired professor Allison Anders, & her incredibly in-demand music supervisor daughter Tiffany Anders. Allison, of course, is the great filmmaker behind such contemporary classics as GAS FOOD LODGING, MI VIDA LOCA, GRACE OF MY HEART, & THINGS BEHIND THE SUN, & Tiffany Anders is the tastemaker & music supervisor behind RESERVATION DOGS, PEN15, & BEEF.

Passionate about music - especially rock & its intersection with film - they're here today to tell us all about the upcoming triumphant return of their beloved early aught Los Angeles-based film festival Don't Knock the Rock (aka DKTR), which showcases hard-to-see & overlooked music documentaries & rock classics & boasts Master Classes, Special Guests, discussions with filmmakers, & more. This year's festival is particularly exciting because it has both an in-person component at the American Cinematheque Los Feliz 3, which runs from May 23-27, & a streaming festival hosted by Cineville from May 23-July 31 that everyone can access. Filled with stories about music, movies, records, LA, & more, this breezy, infectiously delightful discussion is a perfect summery weekend listen!

Originally Posted on Patreon (5/18/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/104487153

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Welcome to our first Physical Media episode of 2024. Joining me today, we have a terrific quartet of movie minds discussing a handful of titles newly released on disc, including novelist Alison Gaylin on TO DIE FOR, podcaster-critic Blake Howard on CONTAGION, filmmaker Chris McKay on THE SHOOTIST & THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, & podcaster-critic Rachel Wagner on FOOTLOOSE (1984). Additionally, you'll hear me cover the new Criterion box set of Eric Rohmer's TALES OF THE FOUR SEASONS & the new Blu-ray edition of the Anthony Mann western THE TIN STAR solo. A wonderful compilation episode that provides lively commentary, excellent film references, & double feature ideas, plus hilarity & tangents galore, I hope you have as much fun listening to this series of conversations as I did having them.

Note: This is the last new episode of Watch With Jen before a brief April hiatus but rest assured, we have so much more in store for you this season when we return in May. Also, Patreon subscribers will begin finding more writing & other surprises waiting for them shortly.

Originally Posted on Patreon (4/10/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/102095895

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In this ambitious research-filled exploration of one of Italian cinema's most fascinating & influential figures, Canadian actor-writer-podcaster Robert Bellissimo returns to the podcast to discuss the singularly daring maestro Luchino Visconti. An aristocratic count turned Socialist who fought the Nazis as a member of the Italian Resistance & was sentenced to death before fate & history intervened & he was eventually able to testify & help sentence to death the man who tortured him during WWII, Luchino Visconti is a man who lived a thousand lifetimes before he became one of the most acclaimed & groundbreaking directors of the twentieth century.

The man behind arguably the first Neorealist feature, the film noir OSSESSIONE (which was made before Hollywood adapted the same James M. Cain novel as THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE), in this rich episode, we discuss three of his towering, staggeringly beautiful, & emotionally devastating works, including ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS (which inspired both THE GODFATHER & RAGING BULL), THE LEOPARD, & DEATH IN VENICE. Delving into the history, significance, analysis, text, & subtext of these remarkable movies, this is a conversation to listen to with a notebook as it might send you on the hunt for more incredible features.

Robert's Bio: Robert Bellissimo is an actor, acting teacher, and YouTube video podcaster. He is also an ongoing contributor to two Toronto film critics' websites, IN THE SEATS and SCREENFISH. Robert's YouTube channel - Robert Bellissimo at the Movies - is an exploration of all things cinema, which includes reviews and in-depth interviews with guests who work in film.

Originally Posted on Patreon (3/26/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/101108059

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This week, I'm delighted to be joined once again by my good friend Kate Hagen, who is the Senior Vice President of The Black List. Returning to the show for another conversation with some of our favorite independent filmmaking heroes, in the past, we've spoken to such greats as writer-director Allison Anders and actors turned producers Amy Robinson & Griffin Dunne.

Today, we're honored to be chatting with the woman who received an award naming her a New York trailblazer, writer-director Nancy Savoca, who, along with her frequent co-writer, producer, and husband Richard Guay have made such groundbreaking & beloved award-winning & critically acclaimed indies as TRUE LOVE, DOGFIGHT, HOUSEHOLD SAINTS, THE 24 HOUR WOMAN, and more.

A must for fans of independent filmmaking of the '80s & '90s, in this illuminating discussion, Nancy & Rich chronicle not only their journey as filmmakers but more recently, their incredibly vital work on behalf of MissingMovies.org to try to locate, preserve, and safeguard indies for future generations.

Originally Posted on Patreon (3/20/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/100694293

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Welcome to the finale of our podcast miniseries devoted to celebrating the 1988 contemporary classic, action buddy comedy MIDNIGHT RUN, written by George Gallo & directed by Martin Brest. Produced & hosted by Blake Howard & Jen Johans of One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen, respectively, over the past 12 weeks, you've heard us explore the film we first bonded over when we became friends in 2019 by surfing through an incredible roster of guests from journalists to novelists & beyond who love it as much as we do. If you've missed previous discussions or are just discovering the show today, you'll find all 12 installments available wherever you get your pods in the One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen podcast feeds.

All good things must come to an end & this episode, lovingly edited by Blake Howard sends the show off on a beautiful note with a thoughtful & candid conversation with MIDNIGHT RUN screenwriter George Gallo that's inter-spliced with select excerpts from Charles Grodin's memoirs, performed by the incredible character & voice acting legend, Mr. James Urbaniak. Whether you're listening on a plane, train, bus, car, or running or walking, this is the perfect spring travel partner for you & we want to thank you so much for taking us along with you on your journey. See you in the next life (....or maybe in a future bonus episode).

Note: Since this is our finale, you'll hear the next new episode of Watch With Jen next week!

Originally Posted on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/100356852

Twisty, engaging, & filled with colorful performances, the Soviet paranoia of the Cold War '80s fueled the plotlines of so many first-rate films that New York Times bestselling author Ace Atkins & I vividly remember from the Reagan/Bush era. And with the next two books that Atkins is set to release revolving around spies &/or the '80s, it's the perfect time to revisit a quartet of spy-centric releases, including THE FALCON AND THE SNOWMAN, TARGET, JUMPIN' JACK FLASH, & NO WAY OUT in this inquisitive & nostalgic episode. Touching on several other films along the way & offering great insights into the evolution of both the spy genre & the way that attitudes shifted in audiences & Hollywood from the '60s through the '80s, Atkins fans, Gen Xers, & film lovers will find much to dig into in this sparkling conversation.

Ace's Bio: Ace Atkins is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author who started his writing career as a crime-beat reporter in Florida. Don’t Let the Devil Ride is his thirtieth novel. His previous novels include eleven books in the Quinn Colson series and multiple true-crime novels based on infamous crooks and killers. In 2010, he was chosen by Robert B. Parker’s family to continue the iconic Spenser series, adding ten novels to the franchise. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi with his family. (From AceAtkins.com)

Originally Posted on Patreon (3/8/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/99999786

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Welcome to our podcast miniseries devoted to celebrating the 1988 contemporary classic, action buddy comedy MIDNIGHT RUN, written by George Gallo & directed by Martin Brest. Produced & hosted by Blake Howard & Jen Johans of One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen, respectively, each week, we’ll explore the film we first bonded over when we became friends in 2019 by surfing through an incredible roster of guests from journalists to novelists & beyond who love it as much as we do. Now available wherever you get your pods, each week, you'll find a new installment here & in both the One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen podcast feeds.

For the penultimate finale of MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH, Blake & I were joined by two of our dearest & most hilarious friends whose voices longtime listeners of both Watch With Jen & One Heat Minute Productions undoubtedly know very well by now. Returning to the airwaves after he joined me late in '23 to cover some of Robert Altman's most under-discussed movies, we have the Boston-based WBUR film critic Sean Burns & the very funny impressionist, cinephile actor-writer-producer Rob Belushi. It's the kind of sprawling, at times stream-of-consciousness inspired chat that you can only have with people with whom you're close. Press play & you'll hear ex-smokers Rob, Sean, & Blake celebrate Robert De Niro's screen love affair with cigarettes (& the '80s as a smoke-filled decade in general), express wonderment at the way that nobody does phone acting better than Bobby, relish in the reaction shots of Charles Grodin, & laugh as Rob slides into his Chicago accent to give us a little bit of Dennis Farina. This episode is a good one! Enjoy.

Originally Posted on Patreon (3/7/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/99926294

Earlier in the year, I was thrilled to meet longtime Twitter acquaintance Duane Swierczynski when he arrived in Scottsdale on his book tour for his terrific new crime novel CALIFORNIA BEAR. Co-hosting an event with Patrick Milliken at the beloved local bookstore Poisoned Pen, we spent an hour chatting with the Philadelphia native about his life, work, new novel, & love for his adopted state of California, especially in the world of books & film. A knowledgeable cinephile, we made plans for Duane to become a guest on the show & he came up with an ingenious topic that fits right in with California Bear & the films he loves to watch by exploring a trio of SoCal Amateur Detectives movies from the late '70s through the early '80s, including THE LATE SHOW, CUTTER'S WAY, & MIKE'S MURDER. And it's the 4th episode of 2024, which is incidentally releasing on the weekend this show turns 4, so grab your headphones, notepads, & sunglasses for a little trip to the sunny, deadly beaches of Southern California, where people escape to reinvent themselves, try again, & maybe solve a crime... or 4.

Duane's Bio: Duane Swierczynski is the New York Times bestselling & two-time Edgar-nominated author of ten novels, including Revolver & Canary - many of which are in development for film and TV - as well as the graphic novel Breakneck. Most recently, Duane released the novel California Bear, co-authored Lion & Lamb with James Patterson, and co-scripted James Patterson's The Guilty, an Audible Original starring John Lithgow and Bryce Dallas Howard. He lives in Southern California with his family.

Originally Posted on Patreon (3/2/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/watch-with-jen-99599827

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Welcome to our podcast miniseries devoted to celebrating the 1988 contemporary classic, action buddy comedy MIDNIGHT RUN, written by George Gallo & directed by Martin Brest. Produced & hosted by Blake Howard & Jen Johans of One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen, respectively, each week, we’ll explore the film we first bonded over when we became friends in 2019 by surfing through an incredible roster of guests from journalists to novelists & beyond who love it as much as we do. Now available wherever you get your pods, each week, you'll find a new installment here & in both the One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen podcast feeds.

As this series starts nearing its conclusion, like Jack & the Duke getting to L.A. by midnight, we want to make sure we have a Happy Ending ahead & this week, we definitely did, thanks to our amazing guests, filmmaker & Light the Fuse co-podcaster Charles Hood & HAPPY ENDINGS star Adam Pally. Both major fans of the film, it was a pleasure to chat with the pair for close to an hour about everything from the video store & HBO era of yesteryear to the alchemy of the actors. Also, Adam Pally gave me the thinnest excuse imaginable to riff about BLACK RAIN, which, if you know anything about me, you know was a total blast. Buckle up, you'll dig it.

Originally Posted on Patreon (2/28/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/99382828

Surprise! Since next week marks the anniversary of when I started this podcast, I'm dropping this episode a few days early as a thank you for your support & listenership over the years. (Note: I haven't decided how to celebrate the date yet, but I think a good start would be not forgetting it like I usually do, haha.) Season 5 has kicked things off in a wonderfully nostalgic mode so far with several installments I've recorded about films of the '80s & '90s, which I'm hoping casts the same sort of warm, glowy, Gen X memory-filled spell on you that it did on me as I researched & prepped for these episodes. And who better to focus on for a look back at this era than John Cusack whose onscreen alter-ego so many of us grew up alongside? 

Returning to the podcast to investigate is filmmaker & author Duncan Birmingham, who started revisiting Cusack's films towards the end of '23 & pitched this terrific idea to zero in on the Quintessential Cusack era from SAY ANYTHING...(1989) to HIGH FIDELITY (2000).  Citing multiple other films along the way, in this appreciative, analytical look back, we focus on his work in three other tremendous films including THE GRIFTERS, GROSSE POINTE BLANK, & BEING JOHN MALKOVICH. Giving plenty of love to his outstanding collaborators & including stories from our own lives & the way our relationships with these characters & films change with age, this is just the thing to queue up & maybe blast from your boombox in some sort of grand romantic declaration as you head into your weekend.

Duncan's Bio: A writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, today's guest Duncan Birmingham was an executive producer and screenwriter for IFC's MARON and also served as a co-executive producer and writer on the Starz series BLUNT TALK. Additionally, Duncan's short films have premiered at festivals like Sundance and AFI, and his screenplay SWINGLES, which Paramount purchased, was also on The Black List. Recently, his lively, irreverent short-story collection THE CULT IN MY GARAGE was published by Maudlin House in 2021, & in '22, he wrapped & released his excellent first feature-length film as a writer-director called WHO INVITED THEM.

Originally Posted on Patreon (2/23/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/99081183

Welcome to our podcast miniseries devoted to celebrating the 1988 contemporary classic, action buddy comedy MIDNIGHT RUN, written by George Gallo & directed by Martin Brest. Produced & hosted by Blake Howard & Jen Johans of One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen, respectively, each week, we’ll explore the film we first bonded over when we became friends in 2019 by surfing through an incredible roster of guests from journalists to novelists & beyond who love it as much as we do. Now available wherever you get your pods, each week, you'll find a new installment here & in both the One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen podcast feeds. It's duos on duos this week on Midnight Run-Through as Blake & I are joined by two of our favorite fellow podcasters from The B-Side in the form of Conor O'Donnell & Dan Mecca, who join us to discuss our favorite duo of Grodin & De Niro in MIDNIGHT RUN. Similar to their past appearances on Watch With Jen, their enthusiasm & passion for filmmaking shines through in this sparkling, briskly-paced conversation.

Originally Posted on Patreon (2/21/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/98938487

Although we had an early kickoff to our 2024 season with our episode dedicated to the work of Tom Wilkinson early in January, Watch With Jen listeners can consider this the official start of Season 5. Reuniting with my good friend & the senior editor of Letterboxd, the intelligent & highly articulate Mitchell Beaupre, in this delightful, research-filled feature-length conversation, we take a look at director Francis Ford Coppola's ambitious, messy, underrated, & often misunderstood '80s period, with emphasis on the films RUMBLE FISH, THE COTTON CLUB, ONE FROM THE HEART, & PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED.

Mitchell Beaupre's Bio: I'm so pleased to welcome back to the podcast a talented, supportive, and funny friend. Currently based in Newark, Delaware, Mitchell Beaupre is not only the Senior Editor at one of my favorite services (via Letterboxd), but they're also the co-host of the Weekend Watchlist and Four Favorites podcasts, which you can find in the stream for The Letterboxd Show. Additionally, a prolific freelance film journalist and stellar interviewer for prestigious outlets such as "The Film Stage," "Paste Magazine," "The Playlist," and "Little White Lies," you can keep up with all of their impressive work on Twitter @ItIsMitchell.

Originally Posted on Patreon (2/18/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/98710804

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Welcome to our podcast miniseries devoted to celebrating the 1988 contemporary classic, action buddy comedy MIDNIGHT RUN, written by George Gallo & directed by Martin Brest. Produced & hosted by Blake Howard & Jen Johans of One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen, respectively, each week, we’ll explore the film we first bonded over when we became friends in 2019 by surfing through an incredible roster of guests from journalists to novelists & beyond who love it as much as we do. Now available wherever you get your pods, each week, you'll find a new installment here & in both the One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen podcast feeds. Roses are red, violets are blue, & on Valentine's Day, you'll hear writer-producer Bryan Cogman & Screen Drafts podcaster Clay Keller on Midnight Run-Through. An engaging, wide-ranging celebration of a movie we love, settle in for a conversation that could've easily lasted twice as long.

Originally Posted on Patreon (2/14/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/98475143

Welcome to our podcast miniseries devoted to celebrating the 1988 contemporary classic, action buddy comedy MIDNIGHT RUN, written by George Gallo & directed by Martin Brest. Produced & hosted by Blake Howard & Jen Johans of One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen, respectively, each week, we’ll explore the film we first bonded over when we became friends in 2019 by surfing through an incredible roster of guests from journalists to novelists & beyond who love it as much as we do. Now available wherever you get your pods, each week, you'll find a new installment here & in both the One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen podcast feeds. This week, I was delighted to introduce Blake to the hilarious & insightful author Adrian McKinty, who's penned the award-winning, internationally bestselling Sean Duffy detective novels plus THE CHAIN, & THE ISLAND.

Welcome to our podcast miniseries devoted to celebrating the 1988 contemporary classic, action buddy comedy MIDNIGHT RUN, written by George Gallo & directed by Martin Brest. Produced & hosted by Blake Howard & Jen Johans of One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen, respectively, each week, we’ll explore the film we first bonded over when we became friends in 2019 by surfing through an incredible roster of guests from journalists to novelists & beyond who love it as much as we do. Now available wherever you get your pods, each week, you'll find a new installment here & in both the One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen podcast feeds. Episode 5 brings two dear friends, brilliant authors, & frequent Watch With Jen guests in the form of BEWARE THE WOMAN novelist Megan Abbott & SHOOT THE MOONLIGHT OUT author William Boyle onto the podcast. In this lightning-fast conversation where two duos from two Pandemic Movie Clubs come together, you'll hear Abbott & Boyle celebrate the heyday of HBO & also dissect the film as a screwball romcom.

Originally Posted on Patreon (1/31/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/97569122

A podcast miniseries devoted to celebrating the 1988 contemporary classic, action buddy comedy MIDNIGHT RUN, written by George Gallo & directed by Martin Brest. Produced & hosted by Blake Howard & Jen Johans of One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen, respectively, each week, we’ll explore the film we first bonded over when we became friends in 2019 by surfing through an incredible roster of guests from journalists to novelists & beyond who love it as much as we do. Now available wherever you get your pods, each week, you'll find a new installment here & in both the One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen podcast feeds. In the fifth episode, we finally bring MIDNIGHT RUN superfan & BOOGIE NIGHTS director Paul Thomas Anderson fully into the mix with our terrifically knowledgeable guests, author & Cinephile Game creator Cory Everett & the man who wrote the book on PTA via author Ethan Warren.

Originally Posted on Patreon (1/24/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/97117158

Welcome to our podcast miniseries devoted to celebrating the 1988 contemporary classic, action buddy comedy MIDNIGHT RUN, written by George Gallo & directed by Martin Brest. Produced & hosted by Blake Howard & Jen Johans of One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen, respectively, each week, we’ll explore the film we first bonded over when we became friends in 2019 by surfing through an incredible roster of guests from journalists to novelists & beyond who love it as much as we do. Now available wherever you get your pods, each week, you'll find a new installment here & in both the One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen podcast feeds. Episode four gave Blake & me the wonderful opportunity to chat with two of our dearest friends, crime writers & frequent Watch With Jen guests Jedidiah Ayres (Peckerwood) & Nikki Dolson (Love & Other Criminal Behavior).

Originally Posted on Patreon (1/17/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/96635808

Welcome to our podcast miniseries devoted to celebrating the 1988 contemporary classic, action buddy comedy MIDNIGHT RUN, written by George Gallo & directed by Martin Brest. Produced & hosted by Blake Howard & Jen Johans of One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen, respectively, each week, we’ll explore the film we first bonded over when we became friends in 2019 by surfing through an incredible roster of guests from journalists to novelists & beyond who love it as much as we do. Now available wherever you get your pods, each week, you'll find a new installment here & in both the One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen podcast feeds. In the third episode of MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH, we were honored to be joined by two of the biggest fans of the movie that we've met, beloved TCM host Ben Mankiewicz and brilliant "Rolling Stone" critic Alan Sepinwall. This was a truly wonderful chat that I know you'll love!

Originally Posted on Patreon (1/9/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/96186078

Welcome to our podcast miniseries devoted to celebrating the 1988 contemporary classic, action buddy comedy MIDNIGHT RUN, written by George Gallo & directed by Martin Brest. Produced & hosted by Blake Howard & Jen Johans of One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen, respectively, each week, we’ll explore the film we first bonded over when we became friends in 2019 by surfing through an incredible roster of guests from journalists to novelists & beyond who love it as much as we do. In the second episode of MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH, Blake & I are joined by veteran film critic & lawyer Nell Minow & the knowledgeable cinephile & essayist Peter Avellino. Now available wherever you get your pods, each week, you'll find a new installment here & in both the One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen podcast feeds.

Originally Posted on Patreon (1/3/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/95736859

Although Watch With Jen: Season 5 won't get into full swing until roughly February, we're returning early with a special episode devoted to honoring the life & career of the great British character actor Tom Wilkinson, whom we sadly lost over the weekend. Getting together for a Zoom on New Year's Eve with the always soulful & analytical Roxana Hadadi, we spent an hour celebrating the films & performances of Wilkinson, with particular emphasis on his Oscar-nominated turn in MICHAEL CLAYTON & the '90s ensemble favorite THE FULL MONTY. It's an ideal conversation to listen to with a pad & pen because Roxana & I reference multiple other movie & television roles throughout its running time. As we all start settling back into our post-holiday daily routines, we hope you enjoy this tribute to a legend, & find some new performances of his to seek out to kick off an inspiring year of viewings.

Roxana's Bio:

A TV critic with Vulture, who also writes about film & pop culture, previously Roxana was the film editor & a critic with Pajiba, & her reviews, essays, recaps, and other writing have also been published by The AV Club, Polygon, RogerEbert.com, The L.A. Times, Crooked Marquee, The Playlist, Fox Digital, GQ, & Inverse.

Originally Posted on Patreon (1/2/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/95734421

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Welcome to our podcast miniseries devoted to celebrating the 1988 contemporary classic, action buddy comedy MIDNIGHT RUN, written by George Gallo & directed by Martin Brest. Produced & hosted by Blake Howard & Jen Johans of One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen, respectively, each week, we’ll explore the film we first bonded over when we became friends in 2019 by surfing through an incredible roster of guests from journalists to novelists & beyond who love it as much as we do. In our inaugural episode, you'll hear from filmmaker BenDavid Grabinski & film critic Drew McWeeny. Now available wherever you get your pods, each week, you'll find a new installment on Patreon & in both the One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen podcast feeds.

Originally Posted on Patreon (12/27/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/95329626

It's always the greatest joy to spend the last few episodes of a phenomenally busy season just chatting about movies hangout-style with some of my closest friends & this year was no exception. I'm so lucky that in the middle of award-season deadlines, one of my funniest cinephile pals, the great Sean Burns joined me for two evenings after Thanksgiving, first to discuss CARLITO'S WAY alongside S.A. Cosby & William Boyle, & then logging back onto Zoom the next night for his latest solo episode on four of director Robert Altman's many terrific under-discussed films: BREWSTER MCCLOUD, THE CAINE MUTINY COURT MARTIAL, COOKIE'S FORTUNE, & THE COMPANY.

This is the final installment of Watch With Jen for 2023. It's been an incredibly ambitious & exciting year for the podcast. The show reached a few great milestones I never thought I'd achieve when I launched it in the winter of 2020 & I want to thank you for your listenership & support as I continue to learn & grow with each passing year. I'll be taking a handful of weeks off to rest, recharge, & start recording episodes I'm truly excited to bring you in Season 4, but don't worry because you'll still be finding brand new shows in your Watch With Jen feed. Launching next week in both my feed & our co-producer Blake Howard's One Heat Minute Productions, you'll begin exploring our years-in-the-making passion project MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH, which is devoted to the 1988 movie MIDNIGHT RUN. It was a joy to create & I know you'll love it!

Note: Originally, I was going to wait to upload this episode until the end of next week but this year has been super stressful for so many people in my life (including myself) & I want to make sure you have enough to distract & delight you during your winter break &/or holiday travels. Wishing you & yours a peaceful & relaxing week & the happiest 2024.

Sean's Bio:

A film critic for WBUR's Arts & Culture and a contributing writer at North Shore Movies and Crooked Marquee, he was Philadelphia Weekly's lead film critic from 1999-2013 and worked as contributing editor at the Improper Bostonian from 2006-2014. His reviews, interviews, and essays have also appeared in Metro, The Village Voice, Rolling Stone, The Boston Herald, Nashville Scene, Time Out New York, Philadelphia City Paper, and RogerEbert.com.

Originally Posted on Patreon (12/22/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/95121862

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My holiday gift to you is the early upload of what is easily one of the five funniest episodes of Watch With Jen that I've released so far. Joining me for another chat-a-thon is one of my wisest & wittiest besties, Priscilla Page, who tackles the legendary, iconoclastic 20th-century filmmaker John Frankenheimer with me in her rollicking, rowdy, & incredibly articulate return. Needing to check that explicit language box almost immediately, as one does with Frankenheimer, we celebrate the man, the mythos, & the master of automotive action in the films GRAND PRIX & RONIN. Going on a few memorable tangents about Steve McQueen, James Garner, zen & the art of racecar driving, David Mamet, Robert De Niro, & how obsession with continuity is stupid, this episode serves up plenty of laughter & stories, though none are greater than the ones shared in the last section of the podcast by two of my other awesome friends.

My wonderful honorary kid brother from Oz - Mr. Blake Howard - hooked me up with some amazing audio he recorded in 2021 with incredible actor & dear friend Donal Logue where Donal shared some heartfelt & hilarious memories of working with Frankenheimer on the holiday actioner REINDEER GAMES. (I'd heard a couple of these from Donal in the past & they're the best!) Originally released by Blake Howard in his One Heat Minute Productions pod spinoff "Rum & Rant" which has since been dubbed "Roast & Rant," I'm thrilled to include these stories with you at the tail end of the episode as a way to honor the late great John Frankenheimer's legacy.

The best way to de-stress as you prep for the holidays, cinephiles will adore this one. It's a true pleasure to highlight gifted pals on the podcast, particularly as we begin to wrap up 2023, & Watch With Jen will return once more in December with a final S4 episode featuring the awesome Sean Burns on Robert Altman. Additionally, our spinoff pod MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH, co-hosted by Blake Howard, is premiering shortly & you'll also find it here, so get psyched!

Priscilla's Bio: One of the brightest & most popular lights of Film Twitter, Priscilla Page writes about cars, movies, and cars in movies, focusing mostly on your dad's favorites: actioners, thrillers, westerns, etc. Her bylines include Hagerty, Autoweek, Empire Magazine, The Guardian, Polygon, Birth.Movies.Death., and Bright Wall/Dark Room. You can keep up with Priscilla's outstanding work through her Patreon.

Originally Posted on Patreon (12/18/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/94880027

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This week, I was honored to bring one of my dearest friends & fellow "Brunette Dad with Bangs" aboard Watch With Jen for her first-ever podcast appearance. A long-in-the-works collaboration that Priscilla Page & I began planning in the summer of '22, the very first time we hung out as we cruised around to chat & see the lights of L.A. on a summer night, it's only fitting that we made her debut a hangout episode about cars.

More leisurely paced than your typical release, at the start of our discussion, I ask Priscilla about her background as a writer & the date in her twenties that made her first fall in love with cars. Soon, however, we shift our focus to two films & chase scenes starring Tom Cruise that she's written about & adores in writer-director Christopher McQuarrie's JACK REACHER & MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING.

Part 1 of a two-part episode focusing on two filmmakers who've crafted some of the most delightful car sequences in American film, you'll hear us tackle director John Frankenheimer's GRAND PRIX & RONIN next. The perfect accompaniment to your holiday travel & a terrific way to begin to close out this season of the podcast, I'm so delighted to introduce you to one of my favorite people beyond the staggeringly great film essays that she's penned over the years in this wonderful conversation. (Note: You won't have to wait very long for Part 2; it will be dropping earlier than usual as my holiday gift to you.)

Bio: One of the brightest & most popular lights of Film Twitter, Priscilla Page writes about cars, movies, and cars in movies, focusing mostly on your dad's favorites: actioners, thrillers, westerns, etc. Her bylines include Hagerty, Autoweek, Empire Magazine, The Guardian, Polygon, Birth.Movies.Death., and Bright Wall/Dark Room. You can keep up with Priscilla's outstanding work through her Patreon.

Originally Posted on Watch With Jen's Patreon (12/15/23): https://www.patreon.com/posts/94718858

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We Now Have Mugs!

Note: We're doing something new this season on Watch With Jen. Usually, I release our end-of-the-year Physical Media conversations across multiple episodes. But in '22, some listeners said they found it slightly confusing to see similar titles a few times in a row & they'd rather have a marathon installment instead so we're trying it in '23 with a supersized, superstar-filled episode. Additionally, rather than ending the season on Physical Media as we've done in the past, this year, you'll still receive a few more outstanding eps after this week's release. (Oh, & if you wondered why I didn't upload a new pod last week, it's because I was researching & recording all of these wonderful conversations!)

Clocking in at nearly 3 hours, this episode includes Walter Chaw on Walter Hill's 1979 film THE WARRIORS, Bilge Ebiri on Terrence Malick's DAYS OF HEAVEN, William Boyle, S.A. Cosby, & Sean Burns on Brian De Palma's CARLITO'S WAY, & Nikki Dolson on William Wyler's THE DESPERATE HOURS. Whether you're running holiday errands or just in need of a little company as you go about your work day, I hope you enjoy Watch With Jen's 2023 winter Physical Media extravaganza!

Originally Posted on Patreon (12/4/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/94065404

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This week, I was so pleased to welcome back to the pod one of my crime writer friends' favorite crime writers & a man whose taste in film, literature, & poetry is an endless source of delight on Twitter. Adrian McKinty was born & raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland, & then studied philosophy at Oxford University before he moved to Australia & New York. He is the author of more than a dozen crime novels, including his Dagger & Edgar nominated debut DEAD I WELL MAY BE, the critically acclaimed Sean Duffy series, as well as the smash international bestseller & award-winning standalone thriller THE CHAIN.

A man whose books have been translated into over thirty languages, Adrian has won the Edgar Award, the International Thriller Writers Award, the Ned Kelly Award (three times), the Anthony Award, the Barry Award, the Macavity Award, the Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year Award. Adrian's most recent novels include the smash bestseller THE ISLAND & the latest Sean Duffy mystery THE DETECTIVE UP LATE.

After having such a delightful first conversation with Adrian about EXCALIBUR & LORD OF THE RINGS earlier in the year (& then chatting with him once again for the upcoming MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH pod series with Blake Howard's One Heat Minute Productions), I couldn't wait to bring him back to discuss movies with me once again. Emailing me while working on his next book, Adrian came up with an ingenious idea to look at the ways that the Coen Brothers address creative blocks in the films BARTON FINK & INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS.

Witty yet highly analytical, in this episode, we check into the hotel from hell to explore the life of the mind in the 1991 film first & then take a folksy walk through early '60s Greenwich Village in search of a cat in one of the Coens' final works as a filmmaking team. The perfect companion to your holiday travels this week in the United States, it's a must for fans of the filmmakers & especially those who adore FINK, which is dissected in great detail in this entertaining conversation.

Originally Posted on Patreon (11/18/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/93115677

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This week, I was so pleased to welcome back two friends & the hosts of The Film Stage's excellent podcast The B-Side, which covers movie stars in a fascinating way by focusing not on the films that made or kept them famous but the ones that actors made in between. A producer & filmmaker living in Pittsburgh, Dan Mecca started The Film Stage with Jordan Raup in college at Buffalo & Conor O'Donnell is a post-production supervisor based in New York City & also serves as a critic for The Film Stage.

In the 39th episode of the podcast this season, the boys from The B-Side join me to discuss the career & main overarching theme that you will find in the filmography of child actor turned Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard. A man who's been working hard his entire life growing up on film sets where he'd see hundreds of craftsmen quietly executing their jobs with skill & precision in an industry that tends to overlook these individuals in favor of picture-perfect movie stars, Ron Howard is utterly fascinated by the working man. Particularly drawn to studying the work-life balance & the way we all struggle to care for family, friends, & ourselves while at the same time earning a living with purpose, since he stepped foot behind a camera, Howard's gravitated to these tales as a filmmaker. While we touch on numerous pictures that he's made and collaborators he's worked alongside throughout his career in this infectiously delightful & insightful feature-length conversation, we focus primarily on the films PARENTHOOD, THE PAPER, & THIRTEEN LIVES.

Originally Posted on Patreon (11/12/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/92808304

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Returning to Watch With Jen this week, we have my very talented friend and an official (and very popular) friend of the show. William Boyle is the acclaimed novelist behind such titles as Gravesend, The Lonely Witness, A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself, City of Margins, and Shoot the Moonlight Out. In addition to crafting these wonderfully humanistic Lumet-like character-driven ensemble crime epics, Bill is quite the pop culture buff and one hell of a good movie trivia game player.

In this entertaining follow-up to the first installment of a new pod series focused on French Crime Movies that we launched in Season 4, Bill is back to chat about another trio of terrific works released across three decades: director Alain Corenau's CHOICE OF ARMS, Claude Chabrol's TORMENT (aka HELL), and Guillaume Canet's TELL NO ONE.

Originally Posted on Patreon (11/7/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/92467704

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Peckerwood novelist and Hardboiled Wonderland blogger Jed Ayres returns to the podcast this week for a two-hour extravaganza devoted to the man famously dubbed "the poet laureate of wild assholes with revolvers," Mr. Elmore Leonard. One of the godfathers of contemporary crime fiction and an influence on every single writer working in the genre today (whether they realize it or not), Jed and I investigate the western genre that launched the Navy vet lovingly nicknamed Dutch.

Revisiting a few films you've heard discussed on Watch With Jen in the past, including 3:10 TO YUMA and THE TALL T (both from 1957), we then explore some of the revisionist westerns made from his books or penned directly for the screen by Leonard in the late '60s and early '70s, including HOMBRE, THE MOONSHINE WAR, VALDEZ IS COMING, and JOE KIDD.

A perfect way to kick off Noirvember since these are indeed works of Western noir, after these films were released at the end of the genre's heyday, Elmore Leonard moved to crime fiction. Fans of the author's work won't want to miss what is likely just the first of multiple eps devoted to Leonard.

Originally Posted on Patreon (10/30/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/91886163

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Returning to the podcast this week, we have the witty and wonderful writer-director Jessica Ellis. A graduate of UCLA and the American Film Institute who made her feature filmmaking debut with the acclaimed coming-of-age movie What Lies West, Jessica is one of the brightest lights on Twitter and never fails to make me smile. In this thoughtful, charming, and nostalgia-filled conversation that's perfect for Halloween, we share amusing stories from our lives and explore the way that magic has been used onscreen in the films Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Illusionist (2006), & Now You See Me.

Originally Posted on Patreon (10/23/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/91522593

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This week, I'm honored to be joined by not one but two brilliant screenwriters, Larry Karaszewski & Daniel Waters.

Larry Karaszewski & his writing/directing/producing partner Scott Alexander are best known for writing unusual true stories such as the films ED WOOD, THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT, MAN ON THE MOON, AUTO FOCUS, BIG EYES, DOLEMITE IS MY NAME, & the hit television miniseries THE PEOPLE VS. OJ SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY. The team has won Emmys, Golden Globes, Producers, & Writers Guild Awards. Additionally, Larry is also a former Governor & Vice President of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.

Born in Ohio & raised in Indiana, Daniel Waters is the Edgar award-winning screenwriter of the 1988 cult classic HEATHERS starring Winona Ryder & Christian Slater. Additionally, the man who wrote or co-wrote the films BATMAN RETURNS, HUDSON HAWK, THE ADVENTURES OF FORD FAIRLANE, DEMOLITION MAN, & more, he's also the writer-director of HAPPY CAMPERS & SEX & DEATH 101.Dear friends & movie buddies since their teenage years in Indiana, in this witty & well-researched ninety-minute conversation, the two champion the incredible '70s run of filmmaker Michael Ritchie. Focusing on Ritchie's view of America in the films DOWNHILL RACER, PRIME CUT, THE CANDIDATE, SMILE, THE BAD NEWS BEARS, & SEMI-TOUGH, before his wildly uneven '80s era, this episode is a must for '70s film fans.

Originally Posted on Patreon (9/18/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/89431917

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Following up on our great Brian De Palma episode with Megan Abbott & Alison Gaylin that was released last week, we have our second of three installments this month featuring two tremendous guests. Centered on one of our greatest film stars in the form of Robert Mitchum, you'll hear two different conversations with two brilliant women, recorded over the course of the summer to clock in at a combined total of two hours. If anyone deserves that much time & attention, it's Robert Mitchum!

First up, we have blogger & historian Raquel Stecher, who joins me to cover some of the actor's most famous performances in the films OUT OF THE PAST, BLOOD ON THE MOON, RIVER OF NO RETURN, THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, & THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE. After that, actress-turned-producer Amy Robinson returns to share her thoughts on the man whose six-decade-spanning career she did a deep dive into during the pandemic. In addition to a general appreciation of what Robert Mitchum brought to film history, she chose to tackle one of his most unexpected & fascinating collaborations with his good friend Deborah Kerr, with whom he starred in the films HEAVEN KNOWS MR. ALLISON, THE SUNDOWNERS, THE GRASS IS GREENER, & REUNION AT FAIRBOROUGH.

A wide-ranging conversation that touches on several other memorable films, stars, & directors, you'll want to be sure to listen to this one with a notebook & pen in order to write down all of the titles we work into these two terrific chats.

Originally Posted on Patreon (9/13/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/89228681

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This week, I am honored to welcome a dynamic duo of acclaimed bestselling crime writers to the podcast & two women who've both won the Edgar and numerous other awards. Additionally, good friends who've also collaborated on the graphic novel NORMANDY GOLD, it's the wonderful partnership of Megan Abbott & Alison Gaylin. Author of such must-reads as DARE ME, THE TURNOUT, & GIVE ME YOUR HAND, Megan Abbott's latest novel BEWARE THE WOMAN is a modern gothic nightmare that you won't be able to put down. Alison Gaylin is the author of such gripping works as IF I DIE TONIGHT, NEVER LOOK BACK, & THE COLLECTIVE, & her latest title is a brand new Sunny Randall novel, ROBERT B. PARKER'S BAD INFLUENCE.

Joining me to discuss the career of Brian De Palma, one of our most singular yet controversial filmmakers, in this breathlessly paced, contemplative & infectiously fun conversation, the two writers share their thoughts on the director's works, legacy, critics, popular sources of debate, & the films SISTERS, BLOW OUT, & BODY DOUBLE. As a fun bonus for listeners, similar to the way that I wove voice-over into an earlier fourth-season episode with Megan Abbott devoted to Paul Schrader, once again, I've recruited the vocal talents of a friend (today, in the form of past guest Peter Avellino) to read excerpts from past De Palma interviews I discovered & enjoyed during my research.

Originally Posted on Patreon (9/7/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/88932927

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I have a pretty busy week lined up so you're getting this new episode early! Returning to the podcast today, we have a fan favorite in the form of Mr. Jordan Harper. One of my dearest friends, this podcast's very first guest, and my Pandemic Movie Club, and Game Night crew buddy, Jordan is the Edgar award-winning author of She Rides Shotgun, Love & Other Wounds, The Last King of California, & Everybody Knows.

Additionally, a screenwriter and producer of such shows as The Mentalist, Gotham, and Hightown, Jordan crafted one of the most beautiful pilots for L.A. Confidential, which CBS stupidly did not pick up, but was so acclaimed he screened and did a virtual panel on the show at the ATX TV Festival. A Missouri native - and yes, that will come up in today's conversation - Jordan currently lives in L.A. along with his talented screenwriter girlfriend Megan Mostyn-Brown, and adorable dog Ellroy.

When Jordan & I planned this episode, we had no idea that we'd wind up recording on Day 100 of the WGA strike, which also happened to be National Book Lovers Day, or that it'd fall on a day when I could really use the distraction of laughing about movies with a good friend.

A very funny, fast-paced, yet intensive blast from the past that celebrates & interrogates our childhood nostalgia, in this 85-minute conversation, we dig through what he's dubbed "a great stack of videos" from 1989. Kicking things off by sharing our thoughts on that bygone video store era (which has been revived in his Eagle Rock neighborhood, thanks to Vidiots), we open with a hilarious foray into two trashtastic films we enjoy throwing on as needed - Road House & Black Rain. Following up our discussion on those with something lighter in the form of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, we conclude the episode with Jordan's thrilling insights into Gleaming the Cube, including a major appreciation of the filmography of actor Max Perlich & the ways in which the brilliant screenwriter Michael Tolkin uses a teen skateboard picture to dig into political issues of the time. Filled with laughter, this one is sure to be a new hit with listeners, & I know it'll brighten your day.

Originally Posted on Patreon (8/13/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/87634121

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This week, I'm so pleased to welcome back to the podcast a talented, supportive, and funny friend. Currently based in Newark, Delaware, Mitchell Beaupre is not only the Senior Editor at one of my favorite services (via Letterboxd), but they're also the co-host of the Weekend Watchlist and Four Favorites podcasts, which you can find in the stream for The Letterboxd Show. Additionally, a prolific freelance film journalist and stellar interviewer for prestigious outlets such as "The Film Stage," "Paste Magazine," "The Playlist," and "Little White Lies," you can keep up with all of their impressive work on Twitter @ItIsMitchell.

Over the past few years, I've enjoyed following Mitchell's film journeys on social media, including their discovery of a trio of outstanding Meryl Streep romance movies that I love, including FALLING IN LOVE, DEFENDING YOUR LIFE, and most recently, THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, which became one of their new favorites. Messaging them instantly to join me in discussing the topic of Meryl Streep in Love, we chose these three films which showcase a lighter, more accessible, and less "actorly" side of the Oscar-winning legend, yet one that might boast her best performance committed to film.

And as we delve deeply into what Streep and her great co-stars and craftsmen are doing in these movies and the ways they touch us, we wind up doing a lot of storytelling along the way, culminating in a long, personal, and philosophical conversation about friendship, love, and some of our own experiences that I know listeners will appreciate.

Originally Posted on Patreon (7/27/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/86758622

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A film critic for publications such as LA Weekly, New York Magazine, Vulture, The New York Times, and formerly, The Village Voice, the brilliant Bilge Ebiri is one of my favorite journalists working today. Although we've discussed some of his favorite directors like Terrence Malick & Neil Jordan tangentially in the past, I was thrilled to bring him back to the podcast this time to focus on the filmmaker who helmed his favorite movie of all time Barry Lyndon.

An engaging and insightful journey into Ebiri's own life & career exploring the work of Stanley Kubrick, which is one of his particular areas of expertise, over the course of two jam-packed hours of conversation, we explore the films Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, & The Shining. Unable to stop asking him questions about the rest of Kubrick's filmography, the result is a highly entertaining, story-filled exchange that's sure to be a new favorite among cinephiles.

Moreover, following the podcast's three most recent installments covering French Crime Movies, the oeuvre of actor-producers Amy Robinson & Griffin Dunne, & the Ranown Westerns of Budd Boetticher, this episode is the perfect way to close out what has unofficially become Watch With Jen's Criterion Collection-centric July.

Originally Posted on Patreon (7/22/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/86458886

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The director behind the hilarious LEGO BATMAN MOVIE, the popular series ROBOT CHICKEN, as well as the films THE TOMORROW WAR starring Chris Pratt for Prime, & the brand new RENFIELD with Nicholas Hoult & Nicolas Cage, this week, I was so pleased to welcome filmmaker Chris McKay to the podcast.

A huge film buff who fell in love with the films of Alfred Hitchcock early, thanks to his cinephile mom, Chris McKay is such an enormous fan of B-movie director Budd Boetticher that his Twitter handle is even @BuddBoetticher in his honor. And with The Criterion Collection releasing a captivating new Ranown Westerns box set featuring jaw-dropping 4K restorations of a handful of the best films that Boetticher made with his most important collaborator & star Randolph Scott, it was the perfect time to team up with McKay to discuss a quartet of his favorites.

Zeroing in on the outstanding SEVEN MEN FROM NOW (which is not included in the Criterion box), THE TALL T, COMANCHE STATION, & RIDE LONESOME, in this spirited, fast-moving episode, we set out for the wide open spaces of Boetticher's westerns with Scott. Along the way, we pay particular attention to not only the great supporting players who stole scenes from the leading man as antagonists but also the screenplays from Burt Kennedy for films that all seem to be in conversation with one another. Whether you're new to Boetticher's filmography, Westerns in general, or are a devotee of the genre, you're sure to find this installment a delight.

Originally Posted on Patreon (7/17/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/86244952

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In Season 3 of the podcast, my good friend Kate Hagen - a talented writer & Senior Vice President at The Black List - joined me to kick off a fascinating new series of conversations with the people behind the movies we love. We launched it with what is still one of my all-time favorite episodes: a long, career-spanning discussion with the great filmmaker Allison Anders & then a few months later, we reunited to chat with Allison's daughter, the hard-working & acclaimed music supervisor Tiffany Anders. And recently, Kate returned to help me welcome two extraordinary guests, actors & producers Griffin Dunne & Amy Robison, who, along with their company Double Play Productions, were behind some of the best movies when we were growing up, including director Joan Micklin Silver's CHILLY SCENES OF WINTER, director John Sayles' BABY IT'S YOU, Martin Scorsese's AFTER HOURS (which also starred Dunne), Sidney Lumet's RUNNING ON EMPTY, & more. An actor I think most people in my generation first remember as the teacher upon whom Anna Chlumsky's character had an impossible crush in MY GIRL, Griffin Dunne has had an impressive career on both sides of the camera, acting in films as diverse as AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON & QUIZ SHOW, & directing films such as PRACTICAL MAGIC & the wonderful Joan Didion documentary THE CENTER WILL NOT HOLD. Amy Robinson made a stunning debut as an actress in director Martin Scorsese's MEAN STREETS, in which she played Teresa. And in addition to the films she's produced with Dunne, Robinson has also produced director Joan Chen's AUTUMN IN NEW YORK, the Hughes brothers' FROM HELL, Michael Cuesta's 12 & HOLDING, Nora Ephron's JULIE & JULIA among others. In this feature-length episode, the warm & thoughtful duo behind Double Play Productions take us on a tour of their memories making some of the most acclaimed films from the late '70s through the early '90s & beyond. Timed to release this week as AFTER HOURS debuts on disc from The Criterion Collection (a few months after CHILLY SCENES OF WINTER did as well), film buffs, & especially those interested in the business of making movies are sure to enjoy this endearing conversation. Note: SAG strike rules prevent actors from discussing or promoting any projects they made under past contracts. This conversation was recorded prior to the strike in May of 2023. Originally Posted on Patreon (7/14/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/86100088 Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive Logo: KateGabrielle.com

Returning to Watch With Jen this week, we have my very talented friend and an official (and very popular) friend of the show. William Boyle is the acclaimed novelist behind such titles as Gravesend, The Lonely Witness, A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself, City of Margins, and Shoot the Moonlight Out. In addition to crafting these wonderfully humanistic Lumet-like character-driven ensemble crime epics, Bill is quite the pop culture buff and one hell of a good movie trivia game player too.

Although he's a distinctly American writer-, given that he sets his sometimes interconnected tales in Brooklyn neighborhoods, Bill has quite a following for his work in France where he routinely visits for appearances and book events. Knowledgeable in his love of film, and continuing to foster his keen interest in the country, its people, as well as its cinema, this episode seemed like the perfect starting point for a new series that Bill & I will be revisiting in the future that's devoted to our love of French Crime Movies.

To kick us off, Bill bypassed some of the most obvious iconic titles like ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS, RIFIFI, PURPLE NOON, and LE CERCLE ROUGE, and selected slightly deeper cuts from the '50s, '60s, and '70s respectively. In this fascinating 86-minute installment that we're calling Part 1, we explore the films TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI, SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER, and MAX & THE JUNKMEN, while also championing other titles you'll want to be sure to jot down. Vive La France!Vive La France!

Originally Posted on Patreon (7/5/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/85589343

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Whether you're embarking on an exotic vacation or staying close to home, we're back from our month-long hiatus a few days early to give you something you can escape into your headphones & enjoy over the long holiday weekend. Delivering a month of hotly anticipated episodes featuring a killer lineup of guests & themes, we begin with the return of the brilliantly insightful Roxana Hadadi on HBO's remarkable "Succession," which is one of the most popular watercooler shows of the twenty-first century.

A TV critic with Vulture, who also writes about film & pop culture, previously Roxana was the film editor & a critic with Pajiba, & her reviews, essays, recaps, and other writing have also been published by The AV Club, Polygon, RogerEbert.com, The L.A. Times, Crooked Marquee, The Playlist, Fox Digital, GQ, & Inverse.

Back together for the first time since last summer's great installment devoted to "The Americans," here we cover the entire 4-season run of "Succession." An in-depth conversation that's filled with spoilers, it doesn't take long for Roxana & I to throw ourselves into the emotional highs & lows of Jesse Armstrong's incredibly well-written, brilliantly acted, masterful series in this feature-length episode that fans of the show will love.

From "Columbo" to "Mr. Inbetween," we've only covered television a handful of times on this podcast because it's time intensive & best dissected once a series has ended, but we hope to keep bringing you these occasional celebratory explorations of shows we can't stop thinking about in the future so if you enjoy them, please share, subscribe, review, & let us know.

Originally Posted on Patreon 6/29/23 here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/85260037

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Returning to the podcast this week, we have a woman who needs no introduction and one whose voice is or should be - especially if you're a cinephile - her own introduction. A film writer I remember reading as far back as her days at "Cinematical" and "The Village Voice," as well as the author of "Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes' Hollywood," and books on George Lucas, Al Pacino, and Meryl Streep, the wonderful Karina Longworth is the historian and podcaster behind the acclaimed, addictive, and utterly fascinating series You Must Remember This and the recent show Love is a Crime for "Vanity Fair" as well. Having joined us in the past two seasons for episodes about Dean Martin and Erotic '80s titles, I was so happy and honored to have her back once again to tell us all about the new season of You Must Remember This devoted to the Erotic '90s. Taking time out of her busy schedule, in this fast-paced, jam-packed conversation, Karina not only gives us a sneak preview of what's to come on her show but also helps dissect the popular early '90s films PRETTY WOMAN, THELMA & LOUISE, and INDECENT PROPOSAL. Originally Posted on Patreon (4/7/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/81181158Logo: KateGabrielle.com Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

This week, I was the luckiest host because shortly after both Rob Belushi and Jordan Harper dropped into Phoenix separately this year, I was once again able to reunite on the pod with not one but two of my favorite guys. The closest you can get to know what it's like to hang out with Rob and Jordan in real life, I was honored to have them join me for a long, funny, vulnerable, surprisingly philosophical conversation about God, addiction, acting, and the highs and lows of gambling movies, including OWNING MAHOWNY, MISSISSIPPI GRIND, and ROUNDERS. So double down or split your aces and settle in because this is one of the richest and deepest season four episodes we've released so far.

Bios: An actor, former host of the excellent Game Show Network series GET A CLUE, longtime improv teacher at Second City, plus a writer, producer, entrepreneur, and gifted impressionist, Rob Belushi is a loyal and caring friend, husband, father, son, and a man who wears many hats. In his last two appearances on Watch With Jen, Rob joined me to help cover the FX series MR. INBETWEEN and also went back in time to discuss a handful of Steven Soderbergh's best films from his late '90s, early aught heyday.

And returning alongside Rob, we have Jordan Harper, who was the podcast's very first guest, the Edgar award-winning author of SHE RIDES SHOTGUN, LAST KING OF CALIFORNIA, and EVERYBODY KNOWS as well as the screenwriter and producer of such series as THE MENTALIST, GOTHAM, and HIGHTOWN. Although you've heard him on a wide variety of episodes so far including ones devoted to David Mamet, Preston Sturges, and others, most recently, we discussed the Hong Kong INFERNAL AFFAIRS series on the second to the last physical media episode in Season 3, and also the topic of Crime Families as well.

Originally Posted on Patreon (4/1/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/80884212

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At the end of classic 007 pictures, the words "James Bond will return" filled the screen. And although there is no actual screen available on Watch With Jen because it isn't a video podcast, James Bond has indeed returned for the second time in our series run so far, following the success of our very popular Roger Moore episode in season two. And once again, my lovely, funny, crackerjack guest Julia Ricci is back.

A Film Programming Manager at Heartland Film in Indianapolis, Indiana, which organizes the Heartland International Film Festival, and the Academy Award-qualifying Indy Shorts International Film Festival, Julia has been part of the programming team since 2018. Selecting films for the festival's shorts, features, and retrospective slates, she has programmed 17 short films that went on to become Oscar nominees and winners in the Live Action, Documentary, and Animated Short categories. Prior to Heartland Film, Julia was a researcher for Turner Classic Movies and The Criterion Collection's former streaming platform FilmStruck, and appeared on TCM as a Guest Fan Programmer. She has a degree in History from Ball State University and is a regional Emmy nominee for the documentary short LEGACIES OF PERFECTION: AUBURN, CORD, DUESENBERG, from 2013.

While we will definitely continue these conversations about James Bond with the latest man to wear the suit in the form of Daniel Craig in the future, we decided to have some fun traveling back in time to the '90s to when Pierce Brosnan picked up Timothy Dalton's shaken-not-stirred martini in what can best be described as the second Roger Moore era. Taking a look at every single Brosnan entry, in this lively hour-long conversation, join us as we dive deeply into the actors, the action, the songs, and the way the franchise has evolved in the films GOLDENEYE, TOMORROW NEVER DIES, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, and DIE ANOTHER DAY.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (3/27/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/80618553

A writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, today's guest Duncan Birmingham was an executive producer and screenwriter for IFC's MARON and also served as a co-executive producer and writer on the Starz series BLUNT TALK as well. Additionally, Duncan's short films have premiered at such festivals as Sundance and AFI, and his screenplay SWINGLES, which was bought by Paramount, was also on The Black List. Recently, his lively, irreverent short-story collection THE CULT IN MY GARAGE was published by Maudlin House in 2021, & last year, he wrapped & released his excellent first feature-length film as a writer-director called WHO INVITED THEM.

Having joined me in 2022 for one of my favorite conversations devoted to director Hal Ashby in the fifth episode of the third season, he's back for the fifth episode of the fourth to discuss writer-director Noah Baumbach's career over the decades & the films KICKING AND SCREAMING, THE SQUID & THE WHALE, GREENBERG, FRANCES HA, & MARRIAGE STORY.

Note: If you hear me blank on things a bit more than usual in this episode, it's because I was battling an unrelenting sinus infection but was determined to power through & have an analytical conversation about outstanding talky indies with Duncan, who was coming off of the tail end of a bad cold himself! 'Tis the season! Nonetheless, it's a very rich discussion for fans of the filmmaker's work wherein we assessed recurring themes, compared the ways in which newer films & characters commented on past ones, & celebrated Baumbach's rich collaborators as well.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (3/16/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/80110999

This week, I was so happy to welcome back my good friend Rachel Wagner who was my guest for the most downloaded episode of Season 3 devoted to LOL Funny '90s Romcoms. The woman behind not only the website, pod, & YouTube channel Rachel's Reviews as well as The Criterion Project podcast, the Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic also runs the incredibly popular Hallmarkies podcast, & is a veteran interviewer in her own right.

Additionally, she has a keen interest in both obscure animation & the genre that brings her back today, which finds us dishing out an '80s-themed sequel to last year's episode & celebrating the films SPLASH, MOONSTRUCK, BULL DURHAM, & WHEN HARRY MET SALLY. A fast-paced, funny, & freewheeling hangout-styled conversation that delves into what makes these films work while also serving up some romantic & biographical tales of our own, we set out to make you laugh along with us while reliving some of the decade's most delightful movies.

Originally Posted on Patreon (3/12/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/79916599

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As soon as this episode was announced & I began researching it, there was a massive amount of interest from listeners to hear what turned out to be an absolutely hilarious yet still very insightful conversation with author Adrian McKinty. So in that spirit, & because I've recorded a pretty healthy backlog of episodes for the new season so far, I thought I'd upload it early for all of you as a bonus surprise release.

This week, I was so pleased to welcome to the podcast one of my crime writer friends' favorite crime writers & a man whose taste in film, literature, & poetry is an endless source of delight on Twitter. Adrian McKinty was born & raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and then studied philosophy at Oxford University before he moved to Australia & New York. He is the author of more than a dozen crime novels, including his Dagger & Edgar nominated debut DEAD I WELL MAY BE, the critically acclaimed Sean Duffy series, as well as the smash international bestseller & award-winning standalone thriller THE CHAIN. A man whose books have been translated into over thirty languages, Adrian has won the Edgar Award, the International Thriller Writers Award, the Ned Kelly Award (three times), the Anthony Award, the Barry Award, the Macavity Award, the Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year Award. His latest bestseller THE ISLAND is set to be a Hulu original series & will be hitting paperback soon as well, & he shares more book news in this episode.

In this very lively 87-minute discussion, I join Adrian to embark on a quest & return with elixir, while learning more about a genre about which I am far from an expert! Dissecting two popular fantasy films that he's passionate about as both a writer & cinephile - John Boorman's divisive yet beloved 1981 Arthurian epic EXCALIBUR & Peter Jackson's smash blockbuster adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS - fans of storytelling, film, & McKinty's work are sure to adore this amusing installment. A nice break from traditional deep dives into the careers of filmmakers & actors, I hope this conversation makes you laugh as hard as I did throughout the recording.

Originally Posted on Patreon (3/8/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/79754710

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An episode that we've been planning since we recorded our first conversation devoted to Martin Scorsese in Season 2, this week, I was so honored to welcome back my favorite crime writer working today to dissect one of her most significant sources of inspiration, the fascinating & controversial writer-director Paul Schrader.

Novelist Megan Abbott is the Edgar-winning author of such acclaimed, rich works as GIVE ME YOUR HAND, YOU WILL KNOW ME, THE TURNOUT, DARE ME, QUEENPIN, and more. Her newest book, BEWARE THE WOMAN, is set to release on May 30 from Penguin Random House and is already available for pre-order.

Much like when we discussed Martin Scorsese and opted to tackle some of her underrated or under-discussed favorites from his filmography, we did the same here. For this episode, Megan selected five Schrader films that are often overlooked, including HARDCORE, PATTY HEARST, THE COMFORT OF STRANGERS, LIGHT SLEEPER, and AUTO FOCUS. Sprinkled into this deeply analytical & appreciative conversation, I've included first-person accounts from filmmaker Paul Schrader that I encountered in the book SCHRADER ON SCHRADER during my research. Except, as I was unable to find them voiced by Schrader himself, doing the honors today, we have past guest and veteran film critic Sean Burns graciously bringing the man, the myth, the Michigan accent to life for your listening pleasure. The result is an episode that I know film buffs will cherish. It's two sharp women on Schrader, seediness, Scottsdale, & sex. What more could you want?!

Originally Posted on Patreon (3/4/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/79557830

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We are back in 2023 with the first episode of the fourth season of Watch With Jen & it's a nice long, chatty, analytical one that's as surprisingly moving as it is filled with great Hollywood stories. RAVENOUS, OCEAN'S ELEVEN, & MATCHSTICK MEN screenwriter Ted Griffin (who also created FX's TERRIERS & produced THE WOLF OF WALL STREET) returns to the podcast to pay tribute to his old late mentor, the beloved yet still widely unsung writer-director Curtis Hanson.

A man who began his career as a film critic, journalist, & photographer for "Cinema" magazine before he cut his teeth at Roger Corman's American International Pictures, Hanson went on to become a terrific director of crackerjack Hitchcockian thrillers before directing his masterpiece LA CONFIDENTIAL, & delving into more character-driven work like WONDER BOYS & IN HER SHOES.

Focusing on the start of his career & rise to become a master of genre filmmaking, in this roughly ninety-minute conversation, we discuss the works THE SILENT PARTNER (adapted from a Danish crime novel by Hanson for director Daryl Duke), THE BEDROOM WINDOW, BAD INFLUENCE, THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, & THE RIVER WILD.

A heartfelt ode to Hanson - the man as well as the filmmaker - this was such a wonderful discussion & Ted Griffin went above & beyond in calling the director's old friends, family, & collaborators, including the incredible cinematographer Robert Elswit, in order to paint the most accurate portrait of Hanson. I'm so honored to be in a position to not only hear all of these stories but share them with all of you as well, & I know you'll enjoy our celebration of the life & career of the great Curtis Hanson.

Originally Posted on Patreon (2/27/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/79288476

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Behold our final episode of not only this 3-part holiday bonus special, but also the final episode of Season 3. For fun last night, I used a calculator to add up the number of installments of Watch With Jen that have been uploaded in the show's history so far & was stunned to discover that this one is number 170! That's A LOT of conversations about film, you guys, & I want to thank you so much for digging it & joining us along the way. I hope you will return for what is shaping up to be a thrilling Season 4!

Today's episode involves a handful of larger-than-life figures that most of us in the past few generations grew up loving in the form of Tennessee Williams, Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr, John Huston, Elvis Presley, & Angela Lansbury. Joining me to discuss the newly released & remastered edition of THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA, we have my very good friend & one of the show's most frequent guests, author William (Bill) Boyle, plus one of the greatest film writers & Elvis experts working today, the wondrous Sheila O'Malley on BLUE HAWAII.

Sheila & I had a ball tackling the scandalous world of sexy, violent pre-code Hollywood midway into the second season & I was so honored to have her back once again to cover a topic she's so passionate & knowledgeable about. Both Bill & Sheila will be back in Season 4, as will all of the other guests you heard this week, & I know you'll get a kick out of this chatty, celebratory, funny, & eye-opening roughly 52-minute episode.

Originally Posted on Patreon (12/22/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/watch-with-jen-76243968

Welcome to the second of three bonus episodes on films you can now find on physical media. Zeroing in on some of my favorite contemplative foreign & art-house releases, in this 82-minute installment of Watch With Jen, we discuss three films you can now find on Criterion disc, including THE POWER OF THE DOG, DRIVE MY CAR, & THE INFERNAL AFFAIRS TRILOGY, as well as MONSIEUR HIRE, which Cohen Films just made available on Blu-ray. An engaging, alternately soulful & funny chat, in a gem of an episode, you'll hear from three more of my dearest friends & your favorites from the show, including author/critic Walter Chaw, author/blogger Jed Ayres, & author/screenwriter Jordan Harper.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (12/21/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/watch-with-jen-76199157

Welcome to the first of three bonus physical media episodes that I'll be releasing this week to celebrate the end of the third season, the end of the year, and above all, to thank you for your support throughout 2022. In this installment, which is devoted to '22 releases, you'll hear film critic Sean Burns and critic/podcaster Blake Howard on TOP GUN: MAVERICK, "New York Times" bestselling author S.A. Cosby on NOPE, & crime writer Nikki Dolson on THE BAD GUYS, DC's LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS, & MOONFALL (which made us laugh so hard that I deleted sections of us just howling). Blake - the absolute prince among men that he is - gave us all the coolest holiday present by editing the TOP GUN section himself & splicing in audio from the film so you can lose yourself in its soundscape & it sounds amazing so I know you'll love it!

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Originally Posted on Patreon (12/20/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/watch-with-jen-s-76157436

For the third season finale of Watch With Jen, I was thrilled and proud to welcome back one of my dearest pals and the hardest-working man in pod-business, Mr. Blake Howard.

The brains behind the stellar One Heat Minute Productions that launched with an in-depth minute-by-minute investigation and appreciation of Michael Mann's "Heat," he's released numerous pods since, including "All The President's Minutes," "Josie and the Podcats," "Zodiac: Chronicle," and also, the excellent "Increment Vice," hosted by our good friend, the film essayist Travis Woods. With several more releasing now like "Miami Nice," "Rum and Rant," "Too Much Movie," plus essays on heist films at Vague Visages, his busy family life with his lovely wife and two young children, and a new career as a teacher, Blake Howard is one of the busiest and most talented people I know... and also, the nicest.

In this thoughtful, funny, and passionate episode devoted to one of our favorite filmmakers, Blake and I discuss the career of Australian master director and recent honorary lifetime Oscar winner Peter Weir. Celebrating his diverse career of groundbreaking work that set a new bar for Australian film and helped kick off the country's new wave in the 1970s along with fellow directors like George Miller and Bruce Beresford, in this fast-paced conversation, we investigate what makes GALLIPOLI, WITNESS, and THE TRUMAN SHOW (still) so powerful, entertaining, and profound.

Our final regular season episode of the year, Watch With Jen will be delivering a bonus Physical Media episode in mid to late December first for our Patreon subscribers (before making it available to all). We will also return in February of 2023 with Season 4 and have many exciting future installments in various planning stages that you're sure to love. Thank you so much for your loyalty, enthusiasm, and support, and for making this year our biggest yet.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (12/5/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/75508099

This week, I'm so pleased to welcome back to the podcast a very talented, supportive, and funny friend. Currently based in Newark, Delaware, Mitchell Beaupre is not only the Senior Editor at one of my favorite services (via Letterboxd), but they're also the co-host of the Weekend Watchlist and Four Favorites podcasts, which you can find in the stream for The Letterboxd Show. Additionally, a prolific freelance film journalist and stellar interviewer for prestigious outlets such as "The Film Stage," "Paste Magazine," "The Playlist," and "Little White Lies," you can keep up with all of their impressive work on Twitter @ItIsMitchell.

The biggest fan of Willem Dafoe, Mitchell's passion for their favorite character actor shines through in this rich, in-depth feature-length conversation. Zeroing in on TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. (which is a legit obsession for both of us), THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST, SPIDER-MAN, THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU, 4:44: LAST DAY ON EARTH, and THE FLORIDA PROJECT, we cover everything from the way Dafoe uses his sexuality and spirituality to seduce and captivate to his generosity with other actors and joy just doing the work every day as a self-described restless "nomad."

It's an engaging and thoughtful episode that acting nerds will especially appreciate. And since Mitchell's earlier appearance covering Jim Jarmusch movies was one of the most popular installments of Watch With Jen released this season, I know you'll enjoy this one as well!

Note: There is only one regular episode left of Watch With Jen S3! Next week's Peter Weir discussion with Blake Howard marks our season finale, save for a bonus physical media episode that will drop sometime in December, initially as a Patreon exclusive, in order to thank you for your kind support.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (11/30/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/75311857

Watch With Jen started 2022 with an episode featuring fan favorite S.A. Cosby, so as we begin wrapping up our third season, it's only fitting that we bring Shawn back to discuss more movies he loves. As kind and genuine as he is knowledgeable and gifted, the first time I ever chatted with Shawn was one week before he released the book that would become a smash success and put him on the map.

The remarkable Blacktop Wasteland won an avalanche of well-deserved praise and awards, including the Anthony and the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Hardcover Fiction Novel. Impressively, his follow-up title Razorblade Tears met and/or exceeded all expectations, becoming a runaway New York Times bestseller, earning Shawn another boatload of accolades, including repeat honors from organizations that celebrated Blacktop Wasteland the previous year. Perhaps the most staggeringly awesome achievement for Razorblade Tears, however, was when it was included as one of the titles on former President Obama's list of summer reads! Yet still as gracious as ever and well-loved among his colleagues, we're all so very proud of Shawn, and, considering that he was working intensely on the final edits of his next novel All the Sinners Bleed (out June 2023), I appreciated all the more his taking the time to tackle a filmmaker that fascinates him in this roughly one hundred minute conversation.

While the first part of our chat is devoted to his own work because fans always want to know what's going on with the screen adaptations of his books and all other news (including my attempts to make him blush with questions from his best friend Nikki Dolson), we then venture north to Toronto to look at the weird, wild, kinky, yet morose filled world of Armenian-Egyptian-Canadian writer-director Atom Egoyan.

Drawn to stories of tragedy, regret, alienation, isolation in modern society, and our struggles to connect with one another, in this episode, we look at his two career high-water marks of the 1990s with Exotica and The Sweet Hereafter, as well as his biggest box office hit from 2009 in Chloe. Analyzing the films' rich characterization, performances, and our impressions of what Egoyan is trying to say, while we do get deep, we also entertain, whether it's in the tale I share about this time in college when this woman in the quad tried to recruit me to join her escort agency (she had the wrong girl!) or Shawn talking about the beauty of ambiguous endings while touching on his own work. Cinephiles will dig this episode.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (11/14/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/74615939

A film critic for publications such as LA Weekly, New York Magazine, Vulture, The New York Times, and formerly, The Village Voice, the brilliant Bilge Ebiri is one of my favorite journalists working today. And recently, he was kind enough to name Watch With Jen one of the best current film podcasts in an article for Vulture. Additionally, a writer-director who's known for the films New Guy, Purse Snatcher, and for assistant directing The Barber of Siberia, Bilge and I had so much fun with our Colin Farrell episode last March that while talking about In Bruges, we knew immediately that Ralph Fiennes should be next.

Celebrating the great range and remarkable films of the powerful and unpredictable performer who fluctuates between charm and menace, while we cite numerous movies from Fiennes' career, in this nearly two-hour episode, we spend the most time on Sunshine, The End of the Affair, Coriolanus, The Invisible Woman, and The Dig. One of my favorite things about chatting with the great Bilge is just how wonderfully descriptive he is, often using his hands to drive home precisely what it is that makes actors' faces and physicality so unique. The end result is a delightful and illuminating conversation about acting, character, filmmaking, and storytelling - including what Fiennes has in common with Prince - that cinephiles are bound to appreciate.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (11/7/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/74350007

Returning to Watch With Jen this week, we have my very talented friend and an official (and very popular) friend of the show. William Boyle is the acclaimed novelist behind such titles as Gravesend, The Lonely Witness, A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself, City of Margins, and Shoot the Moonlight Out. In addition to crafting these wonderfully humanistic Lumet-like character-driven ensemble crime epics, Bill is quite the pop culture buff and one hell of a good movie trivia game player as well.

Someone with whom I frequently discuss great character actors - such as Jennifer Jason Leigh and Nicolas Cage - in this thoughtful feature-length conversation, we take a look at the films, themes, actors, and style of the work of writer-director John Sayles.

A humanistic sociologist of sorts with a passion for exploring human relationships among largely hardworking, blue-collar characters, while Sayles has a career that's spanned several decades, we opted to zero in primarily on his prolific, acclaimed '80s and '90s output via the films Matewan, Eight Men Out, City of Hope, Lone Star, and Limbo.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (10/31/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/74025916

This week's guest is a terrific character actor with over thirty years in the industry. A veteran of more than seventy Hollywood movies and hundreds of episodes of television, Donal Logue is the beloved scene-stealer of such films as Sneakers, Blade, and Zodiac, and TV series as Grounded for Life, Sons of Anarchy, Vikings, Gotham, and of course, the great Terriers, which Jed Ayres and I celebrated earlier this year in a full episode. Additionally, the recipient of the Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Acting at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival for the indie favorite The Tao of Steve, Donal also has quite the passion and talent for writing.

In 2021, he co-wrote the brilliant New York Times bestseller Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, & Hollywood, along with his good friend Danny Trejo. Currently hard at work on his next book, Donal has just been added to the third season of the popular Queen Latifah CBS series The Equalizer, which I'm looking forward to checking out. Needless to say, he's a very busy guy! Someone I'm honored to have gotten to know after the Terriers episode, Donal has not only become a very good friend but has also consistently given me the best film recommendations, including several that we discuss in this fascinating episode.

In a thoughtful roughly two-hour conversation, Donal shares his affection for the gritty, social realism centric tales of the so-called "angry young men" that took the world by storm in the UK Kitchen Sink Drama movement of theater and film in the late 1950s and early '60s. Focusing primarily on Look Back in Anger, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Billy Liar, This Sporting Life, Kes, A Taste of Honey, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, and The Entertainer, this is an episode to listen to with a pen and a pad of paper as masterful films get cited throughout. With sharp insights about acting, filmmaking, and storytelling from his perspective as a film fan first and a professional second, this engaging chat is a treat for cinephiles everywhere. Enjoy!

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Originally Posted on Patreon (10/24/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/73713693

About a decade ago now, my mom read a WWII-era historical thriller novel called Mr. Churchill's Secretary and became an instant fan of both the main character - Maggie Hope, an intrepid young spy, and codebreaker who rose up to meet the challenges of that time - as well as author Susan Elia MacNeal. In the years that followed, she would eagerly anticipate each new installment and I remember going to track down a few on pub day at Barnes and Noble.

A New York Times bestselling novelist of not only the Maggie Hope series, but also her recently published standalone book Mother Daughter Traitor Spy, in the last decade, MacNeal has won the Barry Award and also been nominated for the Edgar, Macavity, Agatha, Left Coast Crime, Dilys, and ITW Thriller awards.

Joining me to discuss first her new book as well as her writing and research process, Susan and I then dive into the world of spies in the films North By Northwest, Valkyrie, and BlacKkKlansman in a fun and fascinating hour of conversation.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (10/19/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/73508358

This week, I was so pleased to welcome back a very dear friend to the podcast. A senior film critic who writes the most soulful, insightful, and humanistic pieces at FilmFreakCentral.net, Walter Chaw's bylines have also appeared in LA Weekly, The New York Times, New York Post, The Washington Post, Criterion, New York Magazine, and more. Additionally, the author of a book about the film MIRACLE MILE, Walter's in-depth critical study of Walter Hill is scheduled to be published by Matt Zoller Seitz's MZS Press before the end of the year.

After serving up an extended behind-the-scenes look at his book on Hill and the discoveries that he made writing it along the way, we spend the rest of this fast-paced roughly hour-long episode dissecting and celebrating the SCREAM franchise, which was launched by director Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson in 1996. Releasing it early this week to coincide with the brand new 4K edition of SCREAM 2, it's the perfect listen to get you in the mood for Halloween. (And don't miss last year's episodes on Horror Remakes with Scott Weinberg, Sex, Gender, & Final Girls of Horror with Elizabeth Cantwell, and/or my conversation about the first SCREAM film on the first Adventures in Physical Media episode from Season 2 with Kate Gabrielle.)

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Originally Posted on Patreon (10/10/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/73124925

Returning to the podcast this week, we have a very talented freelance writer and lecturer specializing in women surrealists and visual culture. Sabina Stent's bylines include Magnum Photos and Crime Reads and she also writes a substack newsletter called Love Letters During a Nightmare. Her next online lecture is for the Morbid Anatomy Museum and is titled Cinematic Surrealism in Los Angeles: Maya Deren and David Lynch. (Tickets are available on the museum's website, which you can also find a link to in Sabina's current pinned tweet.)

Joining me to discuss the fantastic range of character actor Robert Downey Jr. (whom she's dubbed Walking Charisma), in this thoughtful celebratory conversation, we analyze what it is that makes him so unique, and champion his work in the films ONLY YOU, KISS KISS BANG BANG, FUR: AN IMAGINARY PORTRAIT OF DIANE ARBUS, ZODIAC, & IRON MAN.

Note: This episode also includes a lengthy introduction covering what you can expect to hear on the podcast for the rest of Season 3 and a few guests we have lined up for S4.

Originally Posted on Patreon (10/4/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/72872065

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In this highly-requested feature-length episode, dear friends and past guests Jed Ayres, Rob Belushi, and Blake Howard join me to explore the critically acclaimed, award-winning FX Australia series Mr. Inbetween, which ran for three seasons from 2018-2021. Created and written by the show's charismatic lead Scott Ryan, the series finds the actor starring as muscle, debt-collector, hitman, and Underworld-Jack-of-All-Trades for-Hire Ray Shoesmith, whom Ryan's fans will recall was the same character he portrayed in his 2005 Australian independent feature film The Magician.

Beginning like a traditional episode of Watch With Jen where we serve up a roughly forty-minute analytical overview and appreciation of the growing word-of-mouth cult favorite series, from there we move into an extended conversation the four of us were fortunate enough to recently have with the funny, disarming, and kind Scott Ryan.

Covering everything from how much he hates "raw" sandwiches to his love of writing believable dialogue that isn't solely dependent on moving the plot forward, Ryan discusses the pros and cons of TV vs. film, celebrates his gifted co-stars, along with series director Nash Edgerton, and lets us in on what he's hoping to do next. A spoiler-filled installment that's best appreciated after you've seen Mr. Inbetween, we hope you'll enjoy it, and recommend both Ryan's series and this podcast to others to help spread the word.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (2/27/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/72500093

This week, I'm very excited to bring back one of our warmest & most knowledgeable guests who's become synonymous with fall. In fact, this is her third consecutive fall episode and fifth appearance overall!

An accomplished lawyer and a highly readable film critic at her own site MovieMom.com and at RogerEbert.com where she's also an editor, Nell Minow has written over 3,000 movie reviews since the 1990s. Additionally, she's also authored a handful of terrific film books, including 101 Must See Movie Moments and The Movie Mom's Guide to Family Movies.

Playing almost like a companion piece to Nell's last episode in the fall of 2021, which focused on female friendships in film, in this fast-paced, fun, and informative conversation, we take a look at the history of the role of the cinematic best friend as epitomized by Eve Arden in Mildred Pierce and Anatomy of a Murder and Judy Greer in 13 Going on 30 and 27 Dresses.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (9/22/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/72336836

Returning to the podcast today, we have a fan favorite in the form of Mr. Jordan Harper. One of my dearest friends, this podcast's very first guest, and my Pandemic Movie Club, and Game Night crew buddy, Jordan is the Edgar award-winning author of She Rides Shotgun, Love & Other Wounds, The Last King of California - releasing in September in the UK - and Everybody Knows, which will be available everywhere in 2023.

Additionally, a screenwriter and producer of such shows as The Mentalist, Gotham, and Hightown, Jordan crafted one of the most beautiful pilots for L.A. Confidential, which CBS stupidly did not pick up, but was so acclaimed he screened and did a virtual panel on the show at the ATX TV Festival. A Missouri native - and yes, that will come up in today's conversation, Jordan currently lives in L.A. along with his talented screenwriter girlfriend Megan Mostyn-Brown, and adorable dog Ellroy.

Welcoming Jordan back to celebrate the release of The Last King of California next week in the UK, in this rich, thoughtful, fresh conversation, we explore a trio of films that center on criminal families (of the blood variety), including James Foley's At Close Range, David Michôd's Animal Kingdom, and Debra Granik's Winter's Bone.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (9/14/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/71974209

In his last appearance, film writer Sean Burns joined me to take a look at Michael Douglas in lothario mode in one of the pod's most hilarious and popular adults-only episodes. And this week, he's back to dissect five films starring one of the podcast's most beloved and covered character actors in the form of Jack Nicholson's turns in Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, The Shining, Terms of Endearment, and The Crossing Guard. In addition to astute insights and Nicholson storytelling, you'll hear the hilarious Burns bring out my feistier side the deeper we get into the episode. So sit back as we curse like sailors, critique strip club numbers, lovingly poke fun at filmmaking pretensions, and compare the pretty, dull young actors of today to salad dressing. It's another fun conversation indeed!

A film critic for WBUR's Arts & Culture and a contributing writer at North Shore Movies and Crooked Marquee, he was Philadelphia Weekly's lead film critic from 1999-2013 and worked as contributing editor at the Improper Bostonian from 2006-2014. His reviews, interviews, and essays have also appeared in Metro, The Village Voice, Rolling Stone, The Boston Herald, Nashville Scene, Time Out New York, Philadelphia City Paper, and RogerEbert.com.

A graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Burns was a recurring guest on the late David Brudnoy's WBZ 1030 AM radio show, and in 2002, received an award for Excellence in Criticism from the Greater Philadephia Society of Professional Journalists. His writing has been called "jocular but serious, more like a 1940's daily reporter pounding out columns on a manual typewriter than a typical twenty-first-century navel-gazing film critic." Meanwhile, his sisters still tell him that he "swears too much and drive like an old lady."

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Originally Posted on Patreon (9/9/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/71745247

This week, we're welcoming back a woman I had so much fun dissecting Roger Moore's Bond era with the last time she appeared on the podcast towards the end of Season 2. Julia Ricci is a Senior Programmer at Heartland Film in Indianapolis, Indiana, which organizes the Heartland International Film Festival and the Academy Award-qualifying Indy Shorts International Film Festival. She has been part of the programming team since 2018, selecting films for the festivals' shorts, features, and retrospective slates, and has programmed 17 short films that went on to become Oscar nominees and winners in the Live Action, Documentary, and Animated Short categories.

Prior to Heartland Film, Julia was a researcher for Turner Classic Movies and The Criterion Collection's former streaming platform FilmStruck, and appeared on TCM as a Guest Fan Programmer. She has a degree in History from Ball State University and is a regional Emmy nominee for the documentary short "Legacies of Perfection: Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg," from 2013.

Returning to celebrate three classic underdog sports stories set in Indiana, in this episode, we look at beloved family favorites Breaking Away, Hoosiers, and Rudy, and also investigate our relationships to these films and sports in general, and discuss what makes the genre so timeless and compelling.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (9/2/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/71424071

This week, I was so pleased to welcome two friends and the hosts of The Film Stage's excellent podcast The B-Side, which covers movie stars in a fascinating way by focusing not on the films that made or kept them famous but the ones that actors made in between. The delightful show just celebrated its four-year anniversary and I had such a fun time joining hosts Dan Mecca and Conor O'Donnell to discuss a handful of films starring Marisa Tomei last year.

A producer and filmmaker living in Pittsburgh, Dan Mecca started The Film Stage with Jordan Raup in college at Buffalo and Conor O'Donnell is a post-production supervisor based in New York City and also serves as a critic for The Film Stage.

Joining me to celebrate four former crew members turned directors and the diverse films that resulted from their work, in this episode, we tackle Douglas Trumbull's Silent Running, Jack Fisk's Violets are Blue, Ava DuVernay's Selma, and Jesse V. Johnson's Avengement.

Originally Posted on Patreon (8/26/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/71068857

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This week, I was so pleased to welcome a new friend to the podcast. An actor and an acting teacher in his native Canada, Robert Bellissimo has appeared in numerous television shows, feature films, commercials, and plays. Two recent credits include PRIVATE EYES starring Jason Priestly and ROBBERY, which starred Art Hindle as well.

A passionate cinephile for twenty years, in his late twenties, he realized he wanted to explore storytelling in a more in-depth way. When the Covid-19 lockdown began in March of 2020, he took advantage of his free time and created his high-quality YouTube Channel Robert Bellissimo at the Movies. Reviewing and introducing viewers to some of cinema's greatest films, over the past two years, he's interviewed many industry professionals who work in and around theatre, TV, and/or film, including yours truly who's been honored to appear on the channel twice - the first to discuss Scorsese's GOODFELLAS and more recently, returning to tackle Hitchcock's NOTORIOUS as well.

Joining me to discuss the life and career of his favorite filmmaker John Cassavetes, in this in-depth feature-length episode, we focus on the beginning, middle, and end of Cassavetes' oeuvre in the form of SHADOWS, A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE, and LOVE STREAMS. Additionally sprinkling in throughout our conversation some of the director's thoughts on filmmaking, acting, men, women, and life in general, this is an episode that I hope Cassavetes devotees will love.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (8/17/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/70659691

This week, I'm thrilled to welcome back one of the sharpest critical minds working today, plus a guest that longtime listeners will remember hearing discuss Sofia Coppola's entire filmography with me in the first season of this show. I had such a fun and engaging conversation with the great Roxana Hadadi in that episode that it inspired me to shape the future of this podcast accordingly as a series devoted to these in-depth deep dives on topics my guests are truly passionate about.

A TV critic with Vulture, who also writes about film and pop culture, previously Roxana was the film editor and a critic with Pajiba, and her reviews, essays, recaps, and other writing have also been published by The AV Club, Polygon, RogerEbert.com, The L.A. Times, Crooked Marquee, The Playlist, Fox Digital, GQ, and Inverse.

Today, Roxana joins me for a richly analytical conversation to appreciate and evaluate the moral, ethical, political, interpersonal, stylistic, and narrative implications of one of the best television shows of the 2010s in the form of FX's THE AMERICANS. Approaching the series through various critical lenses, this spoiler-filled feature-length conversation is a must for fans of the show and I hope it's as enjoyable for you to listen to as it was for us to record. The second television-focused episode of the season so far - following an early installment devoted to TERRIERS - the next series that you'll hear dissected on Watch With Jen is MR. INBETWEEN, coming in early fall, and more episodes devoted to the medium will be announced soon.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (8/10/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/70336915

A very talented, versatile, and witty performer with more than 150 credit listings on IMDb, as an actor, James Urbaniak has brought to life Dr. Venture on Adult Swim's The Venture Brothers, the scene-stealing Arthur (who was my favorite character) on Hulu's Difficult People, and Grant on Comedy Central's Review. Additionally, he's also a podcaster in his own right and the creator of the scripted shows Getting On With James Urbaniak, A Night Called Tomorrow, and I Will Never Lie to You.

Returning for the first time since our fascinating and very fun Charles Laughton episode late last season where he gave me a crash course in the '30s era of the great British actor, it was so great to have him back this time to discuss a character actress of a different decade. In this, our 150th episode of Watch With Jen (yes, really!), we take a look at a woman who is synonymous with the 1970s, in the form of Faye Dunaway.

Focusing on her tremendous turns in notable classics, we begin in the late '60s with Dunaway's breakout turn in Bonnie and Clyde, then move into the '70s with Chinatown, Three Days of the Condor, and Network, and finally wrap things up with the controversial Mommie Dearest in the early '80s, which she considers the end of an era. An engaging and research-filled episode full of great Urbaniak witticisms and observations, devotees of Dunaway, acting, and/or '70s cinema lovers won't want to miss this conversation.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (7/28/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/69704390

Returning to the podcast this week, we have the impressive critic, in-demand lecturer, and insightful author Mr. Adam Nayman, who longtime listeners will remember hearing last summer around this time as he joined me to discuss the life and career of actress Gene Tierney. A contributor to The Ringer, Criterion, CinemaScope, and more, additionally, our Toronto-based guest has written thoughtful books on SHOWGIRLS, Ben Wheatley, the Coen brothers, Paul Thomas Anderson (which will come in handy today), and the recently released David Fincher: Mind Games from the great publisher Abrams.

In this fascinating and rich conversation, we take a look at the way that John Huston's previously classified post-World War II documentary LET THERE BE LIGHT, John Frankenheimer's 1962 classic THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, and writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson's 2012 film THE MASTER all deal with elements of mind control and psychotherapy where U.S. veterans are concerned.

Note: Although it isn't overly graphic, in an abundance of caution, I checked the Explicit box for this week's episode across your favorite podcast platforms due to our analysis of a certain infamous scene in THE MASTER, so you might not want to listen with young children.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (7/22/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/69440460

This week, I'm so happy to welcome a fellow podcaster to Watch With Jen. Conrado Falco is a filmmaker, film lover, foodie, soccer fan, and co-host of the excellent pod The Criterion Project along with my good friend Rachel Wagner. Additionally, he's the co-host of the podcast Foreign Invader and co-creator and co-star of the science fiction comedy series Wormholes, which you can find on YouTube by searching for Wormholes: The Series.

Joining me for a thoughtful, celebratory, and humanistic celebration of the actor Owen Wilson, in this fast-paced conversation, we sum up the appeal, strengths, and career of Wilson and the films Zoolander, The Darjeeling Limited, and How Do You Know, in particular.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (7/13/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/69050335

Returning to the podcast once again, we have my very talented friend and an official (and very popular) friend of the show. William Boyle is the acclaimed novelist behind such titles as Gravesend, The Lonely Witness, A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself, City of Margins, and the brand new Shoot the Moonlight Out. In addition to crafting these wondrously humanistic Lumet-like character-driven ensemble crime epics, Bill is also quite a pop culture buff and one hell of a good movie trivia game player as well.

One of the biggest things we have in common, beyond just a real love for film in general (of course), is our great affection for character actors - especially when it comes to the true "actors' actors" we grew up watching onscreen in the '80s and '90s. In past episodes, we tackled the careers of Nicolas Cage, David Morse, and Mickey Rourke, and today, we're adding another incredibly talented performer to the roster.

In this very comprehensive and celebratory two-hour conversation, we zero in on the prolific, staggeringly great, and endlessly inventive early to mid-'90s work of actress Jennifer Jason Leigh. Delving into the films Rush, The Hudsucker Proxy, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, Georgia, and Kansas City, we take a look at her power, range, vulnerability, and courage in these vital performances and reference her other films as well.

Note: In citing a shockingly funny anecdote involving our subject giving a very gritty audition for a romcom, I said a certain word that I thought might not be appropriate for audiences listening with their children so am marking the box for "Explicit" on this one out of an abundance of caution.

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Originally Posted on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/68321241

This week, we have a very special episode featuring not one but two wonderful guests. First up, we have the return of the talented Los Angeles-based writer and a Senior Vice President at The Black List, Kate Hagen.

Having bonded last year over our affection for the career of actor James Spader whom we did two podcast episodes about (one here on Watch With Jen & one on Screen Drafts), Kate joined me once again on this show a few months back for a rich, soulful, wide-ranging conversation with one of our favorite filmmakers - the wondrous Allison Anders.

Later that night, we hatched an idea for our next podcast conversation where we looked forward to learning and seeking inspiration from talented women by inviting Allison's wildly gifted daughter Tiffany Anders to come and talk to us and all of you about her stellar career and a trio of her favorite obscure music documentaries as well.

A Los Angeles native who was recently selected by Variety as one of the Music Supervisors to Watch in 2022, in addition to her outstanding work in the field on acclaimed TV shows such as Reservation Dogs, You're the Worst, Pen15, The Chair, Sorry for Your Loss, she's been the music supervisor on films such as To the Stars, Rust Creek, The Circle, and The End of the Tour. Having also worked as a musician, journalist, Radio DJ, plus a co-founder/co-head curator of LA's Don't Knock the Rock Film Festival, Tiffany's critically lauded debut album as a singer-songwriter, "Funny Cry Happy Gift" was produced by the legendary PJ Harvey as well.

Taking you behind the scenes of her incredible life and career, in this candid, fascinating conversation, Tiffany shares her thoughts on the music business and also introduces and educates us about the obscure music documentaries Scott Walker: 30 Century Man (2006), Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Booker (2013), and Syl Johnson: Any Way The Wind Blows (2015) and their subjects as well.

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Patreon Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/68064737

Quick-witted, loyal, caring, and so very talented - this week, I was thrilled to welcome one of my best pals and honorary brothers back to the podcast. An actor, former host of the excellent Game Show Network series "Get a Clue," and longtime improv teacher at Second City, plus a writer, producer, entrepreneur, and gifted impressionist who regularly turns my voicemail into the funniest comedy club in the world, Rob Belushi is a man who wears many hats.

In the past, you've heard him share his insights as a knowledgeable film lover in his very first episode way back in 2020 and then twice last year as well, first lending his expertise as the host of "Get a Clue" for an episode I did on Game Show Movies, and then later in our season two finale, Rob joined me along with his inspiring, intelligent, and very lovely mother Sandi to tease and interrogate her both about her personal life as well as her passion for her favorite film - Warren Beatty's REDS.

A huge fan of the endlessly innovative Steven Soderbergh's work - particularly his exceptionally clever late '90s period, in this very funny, thoughtful, and emotional episode, which clocks in at well over two hours, Rob and I celebrate and study the films OUT OF SIGHT, THE LIMEY, ERIN BROCKOVICH, and TRAFFIC. Whether he's opening up to reveal his own personal experiences with addiction and recovery or appreciating the humanity we see in the decent outsiders and strong female leads trying to connect and do right in these works, it's an eye-opening, passionate conversation that fans of Soderbergh, in particular, will love.

Originally Posted on Patreon (6/15/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/67815306

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As, thankfully, my recent life/med stress ended early (quick - where's a piece of wood to knock on?), that means our temporary hiatus is ending a week early too! Editing this lively episode yesterday made me laugh multiple times. I figured that right now laughter is something we all could use in this grim world as of late so I wanted to deliver this conversation to you ASAP to hopefully brighten your day.

Kind, witty, and wildly gifted, my good friend Nikki Dolson is a prolific crime writer whose work has been published in such well-respected places as Shotgun Honey, Tough, ThugLit, and Bartleby Snopes. The author of what she affectionately calls "a novelish thing" - the book All Things Violent - Nikki has also released a short story collection entitled Love and Other Criminal Behavior. And last fall, one of her outstanding pieces appeared in the prestigious Best American Mystery and Suspense Stories anthology of 2021, edited by Alafair Burke and Steph Cha.

A delightful film buff who has excellent taste in movies (and men!), and is also quite the TV reenactor and movie trivia game player, I always have a ball talking to Nikki. And this witty, candid, free-flowing conversation, which covers women in the crime films The Last Seduction, Bound, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Widows, and I'm Your Woman (plus Michael Mann's Thief and Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive) was no exception to that rule. In fact, my favorite thing about this episode is that because Nikki is one of my very best friends, you're getting a different side of both of us than you would in other episodes, and you're hearing us delve into something we're truly, truly passionate about. Enjoy!

Originally Posted on Patreon (6/9/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/67517337

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Every so often, I receive requests from longtime listeners who miss the way this podcast first began with me recommending and telling solo tales about excellent films you might've missed. And while I'm seriously flattered and thrilled you enjoyed those very humble, low-fi, old school eps, I would just as soon stick to the format of conversations with thoughtful, funny, brilliant, and charismatic friends and colleagues.

Still, once in a while, it's important to change things up and venture out of your comfort zone. Since I'm currently going slightly stir crazy while recovering from a small surgery, and completely in love with all seven films I wanted to cover this week, I decided to use the opportunity of our hiatus from traditional episodes to record another chatty, film fact, and anecdote-filled installment for you all. Incredibly nerdy, personal, and very long, my best advice would be to listen to these segments about the films The Clock, For Me and My Gal, The Godfather Trilogy, The Last Waltz, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Ordinary People, and The Untouchables one at a time and take plenty of breaks, because it's a whole lot of Jen, but you do what's right for you!

Without further ado, I hope you'll enjoy my film geek rambling, and please stay tuned because I'm working on several new episodes in our regular format which will start dropping when we return from hiatus in the coming weeks. Thank you for your continued support!

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Originally Posted on Patreon (6/1/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/67193104

Returning to the podcast this week, we have a woman who needs no introduction and one whose voice is or should be - especially if you're a cinephile - her own introduction. A film writer I remember reading as far back as her days at "Cinematical" and "The Village Voice," as well as the author of "Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes' Hollywood," and books on George Lucas, Al Pacino, and Meryl Streep, the wonderful Karina Longworth is the historian and podcaster behind the acclaimed, addictive, and utterly fascinating series You Must Remember This and the recent show Love is a Crime for "Vanity Fair" as well.

Visiting today to tell us all about her titillating new season of You Must Remember This that's devoted to Erotic Cinema of the '80s and '90s when we both came of age, in this fast-paced, fact-filled, funny episode, we take a closer look at the films "American Gigolo," "Nine 1/2 Weeks," "Fatal Attraction," and movie sex in the era.

Note: Although not terribly explicit, I've checked the box for content for this episode due to the maturity of our subject matter. The last new episode of the podcast for a few weeks as Watch With Jen goes on a short hiatus, have no fear for the future as more terrific installments will be planned and recorded during this break and the season will soon be resuming in June at full strength. You'll also learn more about whom and what you can expect to hear when we return at the start of this episode.

Originally posted on Patreon (5/16/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/66500288

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A favorite among my circle of crime writer friends, this week I was pleased to welcome Dennis Tafoya to the podcast. Author of the novels "Dope Thief," "Wolves of Fairmount Park," and "The Poor Boy's Game," Dennis Tafoya's work has not only been optioned for film and television but his short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies, including "Philadelphia Noir" and "Best American Mystery Stories." Joining me to discuss the prolific '90s heyday of inventive crime movies, in this fast-paced hour-long episode, we take a closer look at the movies "Miami Blues," "After Dark, My Sweet," "Shallow Grave," and "Hard Eight."

Originally Posted on Patreon (5/8/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/66166995

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This week, I was so honored to welcome back my favorite crime writer working today. Novelist Megan Abbott is the Edgar-winning author of such acclaimed, rich works as "Give Me Your Hand," "You Will Know Me," "The Fever," "Dare Me," "Queenpin," and more. Her latest novel - "The Turnout" - was a "Today Show" Read with Jenna book selection as well as a "New York Times Bestseller" and most recently the winner of "The LA Times" Book Prize for Mystery/Suspense.

An impressive film buff who is as delightful as she is intelligent, I had so much fun celebrating Judy Holliday and Martin Scorsese with her last year and am so glad she returned to get the band back together to discuss five of her favorite underrated movies from one of her most beloved filmmakers - Mr. Billy Wilder.

In this fast or one could even say "Wilder-paced" episode, you'll hear us explain why the films "The Major and The Minor," "A Foreign Affair," "One, Two, Three," "Love in the Afternoon," and "Kiss Me, Stupid" deserve just as much love as some of the most famous classics from the director of "Some Like it Hot," "Double Indemnity," and "The Apartment."

Originally Posted on Patreon on 5/3/22 here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/65951851

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This week, I happily welcomed Beth Ann Gallagher to the podcast. A very talented film writer and the mother of one of the most photogenic and adorable babies you'll ever see in your life, she is the founder of the classic film blog Spellbound with Beth Ann which has been running since 2008.

Last year, we were both honored to contribute essays on film noir to the dazzling Columbia Noir 4 Blu-ray box set from the UK boutique label Indicator and Beth Ann's writing has also appeared in such diverse publications as Turner Classic Movies' Backlot Site, Discover Rio Vista Magazine, and various film festival programs as well. Additionally, a former president of the Sac Town Classic Movie Club, she also co-founded the Luso World Cinema Blogathon, which is a celebration of the Lusitanic people and their impact on cinema.

After asking her about both her site and her great Luso blogathon, the recent first-time mom shares her perspective on parenthood in the classic movies Bachelor Mother (1939), Penny Serenade (1941), and Never Too Late (1965) in this breezy free-flowing conversation.

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This week, I was so pleased to welcome to the podcast a fellow writer and a tennis fan - yes, I had to get that in there - Isaac Butler. Co-author of "The World Only Spins Forward: The Ascent of Angels in America," which NPR.Org named one of the best books of 2018, Isaac Butler’s writing has appeared in "New York Magazine," "Slate," "The Guardian," "American Theatre," and other publications. For "Slate," he created and hosted "Lend Me Your Ears," a podcast about Shakespeare and politics and he currently co-hosts "Working," a pod dedicated to the creative process.

Additionally, a director whose work has been seen on stages across the country, he is the co-creator of "Real Enemies," a multimedia exploration of conspiracy theories in the American psyche, which was not only named one of the best live events of 2015 by "The New York Times" but has also been adapted into a feature-length film. An MFA graduate in creative nonfiction from the University of Minnesota who teaches theater history and performance at the New School and elsewhere, most recently, he became the author of the richly detailed, utterly fascinating book "The Method: How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act," which is what we’re here to talk about today.

Joining me to share stories involving the history of The Method as well as its many practitioners, we discuss some of the eye-opening and enlightening discoveries that Isaac made as he wrote his terrific new book. Following that, we take a deeper look at the Method performances of everyone from John Garfield to Jessica Lange that are on display in the films "Four Daughters," "Wild River," "Paris Blues," and "Frances" (1982).

Originally Posted on Patreon (4/18/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/65296760

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This week, it was a true honor to welcome a very special guest that I recently made the acquaintance of following our episode dedicated to FX's superb 2010 series TERRIERS. He's the first of two individuals related to the show whom you'll hear this season – series star Donal Logue is also forthcoming – but first up we have the show's creator and executive producer, along with the writer and director of two episodes, it's the great Ted Griffin.

A terrific screenwriter whose credits include RAVENOUS, OCEAN'S ELEVEN, and MATCHSTICK MEN (which he co-wrote with Nicholas Griffin), additionally, he is the producer of such Oscar-nominated films as UP IN THE AIR and THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, as well as one of my pandemic TV favorites, the Emmy nominated Netflix series PRETEND IT'S A CITY. Working alongside Martin Scorsese on some of the titles mentioned earlier, Ted also wrote two Scorsese-directed advertisements: the CLIO award-winning THE KEY TO RESERVA and STREET OF DREAMS.

Joining me to discuss the 1930s and '40s heyday of filmmaker Leo McCarey, who often gets overlooked in conversations that so often focus only on contemporaries like Lubitsch and Capra, in this wide-ranging conversation, we focus on the movies DUCK SOUP, MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW, THE AWFUL TRUTH, LOVE AFFAIR, and GOING MY WAY. Also revealing the way that his own family history links up with McCarey's as the grandson of director William A. Seiter as well as his own insights as a filmmaker and shout-outs to his gifted wife Sutton Foster, this episode is a must for classic movie lovers, in particular.

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Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

Originally Posted on Patreon (4/9/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/64931833

This week, I was so pleased to welcome to the podcast a friend I made last summer during Cinephile Game Night where we played on opposite sides, me as a guest with Team The Film Stage at Lincoln Center and Mitchell Beaupre as part of the delightful Team Letterboxd.

Currently based in Newark, Delaware, Mitchell is not only the Senior Editor at one of my favorite services (via Letterboxd) but they're also the co-host of the recently launched podcast Weekend Watchlist, which you can find in the stream for The Letterbod Show. Additionally, a prolific freelance film journalist and stellar interviewer for prestigious outlets such as "The Film Stage," "Paste Magazine," "The Playlist," and "Little White Lies," you can keep up with all of their impressive work on Twitter @ItIsMitchell.

Joining me to discuss a filmmaker that they fell in love with at a time when they needed it the most (while suffering from a scary, then-undiagnosed autoimmune condition), in this passionate two-hour episode, we go deep into our personal connections to the humanistic works of Jim Jarmusch. Filled with research and analysis as well as humor and heart, although we primarily explore the films "Mystery Train," "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai," "Broken Flowers," and "Paterson," over the course of this thoughtful conversation, we provide an overview and appreciation of four decades in the iconoclastic indie director's storied career.

Originally Posted on Patreon (4/3/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/64664011

Logo: Kate Gabrielle (KateGabrielle.com)

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Returning to the podcast this week, we have the witty and wonderful Los Angeles-based writer-director Jessica Ellis. A graduate of UCLA and the American Film Institute who last year made her feature filmmaking debut with the acclaimed coming-of-age movie What Lies West, Jessica is one of the brightest lights on Twitter and never fails to make me smile. Filled with sharp insights into the craft of screenwriting, in taking a closer look at the films The Princess Bride, Joe Versus the Volcano, and Palm Springs, we discuss love and life as it plays out against the backdrop of the fantasy romantic comedy subgenre she's so passionate about.

Originally Posted on Patreon (3/28/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/64378129

Logo: Kate Gabrielle (KateGabrielle.com)

Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

A film critic for publications such as "L.A. Weekly," "New York Magazine," "Vulture," "The New York Times," and formerly, "The Village Voice," Bilge Ebiri is one of my favorite journalists working today. Additionally, a writer-director who's known for the films "New Guy," "Purse Snatcher," and "The Barber of Siberia," whenever you talk to Bilge, you're bound to not only learn something new but also see cinema in a totally new way, and this week's episode is no exception.

Joining me to discuss the expressive eyebrows, pathos, and inner melancholy of the classically handsome Irish character actor Colin Farrell, in this thoughtful 94-minute episode, we take a look at the evolving talents and many phases of Farrell's career as seen in the films "Phone Booth," "The New World," "Miami Vice," "In Bruges," and "The Lobster."

Originally Posted on Patreon (3/21/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/64078584

Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

Logo: Kate Gabrielle (KateGabrielle.com)

Returning to the podcast today, we have a fan favorite and one of my besties - that's right it's our very first guest and my Pandemic Movie Club buddy - the Edgar award-winning author of "She Rides Shotgun" and "Love and Other Wounds," Jordan Harper. A screenwriter and producer of such shows as "The Mentalist" and "Gotham," who also crafted one of the most beautiful pilots for "L.A. Confidential," which CBS stupidly didn't pick up, currently, Jordan is back in the writers' room for the third season of the Starz series "Hightown."

Additionally (and goddamned annoyingly, if you ask me), he finished not one but two novels during the pandemic and they're both excellent. The first book, called "The Last King of California" is a gritty work perfect for fans of "Shotgun" that will be published this year in the UK, and the second, the topical epic Tinseltown thriller "Everybody Knows" will hit shelves everywhere next year. I can't wait for you to read them both!

Since we talk crime movies all the time, because - as Raymond Chandler might say - murder is his business, Jordan and I opted to put on on our fedoras and have some laughs this week at the genre's comedic side in this engagingly fast-paced eighty-eight-minute conversation. So join us for some friendly intrigue as we take a tour of the secret passageways of the movies "Deathtrap," "Clue," "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" and "So I Married An Axe Murder" and prove that (in the right hands) murder can be fun.

Originally Posted on Patreon (3/15/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/63839960

Logo: Kate Gabrielle (KateGabrielle.com)

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You're receiving an early bonus episode this week because daylight saving time is on Sunday and winter is almost gone, so I figured the best way to say goodbye to the days of cool temperatures and early darkness is with a roundup of recent Blu-ray releases. Featuring a very eclectic collection of titles that were largely so obscure that guests weren't able to track them down to join me, the first half of this very casual, laid-back episode finds me walking you through the new Chabrol box set from Arrow as well as "Only the Animals," "Gold Diggers of 1933," "Song of the Thin Man," "The Three Musketeers" (1948), and "Wayne's World."

While this section of the episode is a throwback of sorts to the early days of this podcast where you heard me offering solo film recommendations (and trying to make good on a promise to some listeners who miss this casual, impromptu approach), the second half serves up a very delightful conversation with one of my best friends. Joining me to deliver a passionate defense of one of her favorite underrated Alfred Hitchcock movies - "Stage Fright" (1950), which was just released by Warner Archive Collection - I adore talking to artist Kate Gabrielle about all things classic movies. She's always a joy and fittingly, her love of physical media inspired her to design the tee I'm wearing in the photo (which is available at KateGabrielle.com). And although next week will find us going back to the episode style you're used to hearing from Watch With Jen, I hope this installment will amuse you all the same!

Originally Posted on Patreon (3/11/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/63666474

Logo: KateGabrielle.com

Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

This week, I was thrilled to welcome Washington City Paper film critic Noah Gittell back to the podcast for the first time since he joined me for an epic discussion last May on '90s duality in the films "Zero Effect" and "Fight Club." A reporter at BBC Talk Movies and a guest lecturer at Smithsonian Associates, Noah is also a freelance contributor at such notable outlets as The Atlantic, The Ringer, The Guardian, Polygon, and The Economist.

In this fast-paced contemplative episode, he joins me to take a closer look at one of the most creatively fertile periods in the life of our favorite wild and crazy guy - Steve Martin. A comedian, actor, writer, director, producer, musician, magician, and Mensa level genius, Steve Martin is a man who has worn a number of hats throughout his fifty-plus year career but for the purposes of our conversation, we decided to zero in on Martin in the mid to late 1980s as he began embracing his career as an actor.

From his supporting turn as a sadistic dentist in "Little Shop of Horrors" to his great ensemble studio comedies "Three Amigos!" and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" to his surprisingly sweet, sexy, and sophisticated "Cyrano de Bergerac" adaptation "Roxanne," in this 52-minute discussion, Noah and I evaluate all sides of the Martin persona from the fully absurd to the downright horny.

One of the world's most beloved entertainers you've heard discussed on Watch With Jen in past installments on David Mamet (for "The Spanish Prisoner"), Physical Media - Part 3 (for a new edition of "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles"), and '90s Romcoms (for "Father of the Bride") while this is our first episode dedicated to the actor, it's safe to say, it won't be our last.

Originally Posted on Patreon (3/8/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/63509809

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Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

In this very special episode, The Black List's Director of Community Kate Hagen returns to the podcast to help me welcome one of our all-time favorite filmmakers to Watch With Jen. A Los Angeles based independent writer-director who's won both a MacArthur Genius Grant along with a Peabody Award, Allison Anders' acclaimed films include her terrific debut "Border Radio" (co-directed with UCLA classmates Kurt Voss and Dean Lent), "Gas Food Lodging," "Mi Vida Loca," "Grace of My Heart," "Things Behind the Sun," and more.

Although we'd mainly planned to come together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of her award-winning sophomore feature "Gas Food Lodging," soon our richly free-flowing conversation opened up to span the beloved director's entire career. Whether she's describing her time spent inspiring Harry Dean Stanton's performance on the set of "Paris, Texas" while working as a PA for Wim Wenders, directing Brooke Adams on "Gas Food Lodging," collecting Greta Garbo's records, or appearing in Paul McCartney's liner notes, Anders' stories will delight film students, buffs, and professionals alike. Filled with laughter, great advice, and creative inspiration, this is one of our best episodes so far.

Originally Posted on Patreon (3/4/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/63342725

Logo: Kate Gabrielle (KateGabrielle.com)

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This week, I'm so thrilled and proud to welcome back one of my dearest pals and the hardest working man in pod business, Mr. Blake Howard. The brains behind the stellar One Heat Minute Productions that launched with an in-depth minute-by-minute investigation and appreciation of Michael Mann's "Heat," he's released numerous pods since, including "All The President's Minutes," "Josie and the Podcats," "Zodiac: Chronicle," and also, the excellent "Increment Vice," hosted by our good friend, the film essayist Travis Woods. With several more releasing now like "Miami Nice," "Rum and Rant," "Too Much Movie," plus essays on heist films at Vague Visages, his busy family life with his lovely wife and two young children, and a new career as a teacher, Blake Howard is one of the busiest and most talented people I know... and also, the nicest.

Always down to talk about movies, even when it's before six a.m. in Australia, in this episode, he joins me to discuss three underrated films and performances we enjoy featuring character actor James Caan, including "Comes a Horseman," "Hide in Plain Sight," and "The Yards." Along the way, we tackle the Caan mystique for better and worse, what he brings to his roles, and reevaluate some of his other films along the way.

While editing today's episode, I realized that all you really need to know about our friendship is that it began with me confessing that because I love De Niro so much, I actually texted an undercover cop to make sure Pacino's shoot was clean in "Heat" to try to retroactively save his character's life! (Texting wasn't around when I first saw it in '95 but when I revisited it a few years ago, I had the luxury to annoy a friend.) Thus, it's perfect that our relationship comes full circle in this episode as we officially announce our next co-project together all about De Niro's "Midnight Run." We'll see you in the next life.

Logo: KateGabrielle.com

Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

Originally Posted on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/63171958

Joining me for a fun, feisty, fast-paced conversation about some of the funniest romcoms from the period we both came of age is prolific Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and podcaster Rachel Wagner. The woman behind not only the website, pod, and YouTube Channel Rachel's Reviews but also the incredibly popular Hallmarkies Podcast as well, Rachel is a veteran interviewer in her own right and has a keen interest in both obscure animation and the genre that brings her back here today. Less focused on film history than it is on providing listeners with a good nostalgic movie quote-filled hang, in this roughly hour-long exchange, Rachel and I take a closer look at the '90s romantic comedy heyday of the "Father of the Bride" remake along with "While You Were Sleeping," "Clueless," "Notting Hill," and more.

Originally Posted on Patreon (2/24/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/62971521

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Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

Striking while the iron is hot and while people's schedules are most open, we're back with another bonus episode for you this week and you are definitely in for a treat.

A writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, today's guest Duncan Birmingham was an executive producer and screenwriter for IFC's "Maron" and also served as a co-executive producer and writer on the Starz series "Blunt Talk" as well. Additionally, Duncan's short films have premiered at such festivals as Sundance and AFI, and his screenplay "Swingles," which was bought by Paramount, was also on The Black List. Recently, his lively, irreverent short-story collection "The Cult in My Garage" was published by Maudlin House in 2021, and in other exciting news, he just wrapped his first feature-length film as a writer-director called "Who Invited Them?" starring Ryan Hansen, Melissa Tang, Timothy Granaderos, and Perry Mattfeld.

In easily one of my favorite research-intensive episodes so far on Watch With Jen, Duncan joined me to cover the incredible run of films made by chronically under-discussed Oscar-winning editor turned masterful '70s director Hal Ashby. An empathetic collaborative filmmaker who was fascinated by human relationships, in this rich ninety-minute conversation, we delve into the films "Harold and Maude," "The Last Detail," "Shampoo," "Coming Home," and "Being There."

Here you'll hear stories about Ashby fighting with the studios over marketing and foul language, his notably democratic film sets where everyone had a voice, ambitious abandoned projects, as well as thoughts on the performances that would garner 11 Oscar nominations throughout the decade, not to mention the way that contemporary filmmakers still seek inspiration in his work today. Settle in; it's a good one.

Originally Posted on Patreon (2/19/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/62775976

Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

Logo: Kate Gabrielle (KateGabrielle.com)

Today's guest, the great Dana Stevens has been Slate's chief film critic since 2006 as well as a veteran podcaster in her own right, serving as a co-host of the magazine's long-running weekly culture pod, "The Slate Culture Gabfest," which you should definitely seek out. An accomplished journalist whose work has also appeared in such esteemed publications as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Bookforum, Dana's latest opus is the passionately written and phenomenally well-researched new book Camera Man: Buster Keaton, The Dawn of Cinema, and The Invention of the 20th Century. Not just an outstanding title, her book really is about all of those things cited within it, which is what makes it so endlessly fascinating from start to finish.

In this fast-paced conversation, the knowledgeable and witty author joins me to discuss her exciting new book, the surprises she's made along the way, as well as the shorts Fatty & Mabel Adrift (featuring Keaton's contemporaries Roscoe Arbuckle and Mabel Normand), Good Night, Nurse! (with Arbuckle and Keaton), and the certified classic Keaton feature Sherlock, Jr. The kind of episode you'll want to listen to with a pen and a sheet of paper so you can make a note of all of the terrific titles Dana references and recommends from its earliest moments, silent film buffs, in particular, are sure to appreciate this one.

Originally Posted on Patreon (2/16/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/62644819

Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

Logo: Kate Gabrielle (KateGabrielle.com)

Join us for "a ride with a trickster and a javelin man to a town down by the sea," in this engaging, analytical feature-length conversation dedicated to FX's 2010 wonderful one-season wonder series "Terriers." A sun-drenched San Diego set comedic crime show about scrappy unlicensed private eyes who are brilliantly brought to life by real-life friends Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James, the series was created by "Ocean's Eleven" and "Matchstick Men" screenwriter Ted Griffin.

Recommended to me almost exactly a year ago by my good friend, Pandemic Movie Club buddy, and "Peckerwood" and "Fierce Bitches" author Jed Ayres, it's only fitting that he chose to focus on "Terriers" for today's chat. The man behind the terrific blog Hardboiled Wonderland, which I've been fortunate enough to contribute to on occasion, there's nobody better suited to breaking down the building blocks, unforgettable characters, and ingenious twists of the whodunnit genre than Jed.

Covering everything from the unbelievable chemistry of the actors and the throwaway lines that tell us so much about the characters they play to the way it cleverly subverts genre tropes and more, this episode was made with not only the show's fans in mind but also for those who, like Jed and me, adore the films, books, and series that helped create this irresistible world. Enjoy!

Originally Posted on Patreon (2/11/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/62429171

Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

A Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and journalist who writes for "Variety" and Fresh Fiction TV, this week's guest Courtney Howard is also a member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, as well as Critics Choice, and the Online Film Critics Society.

Holding an informal meeting of the cinematic Gen X Babysitter's Club with me this week to tackle the late '80s-early '90s studio comedies "Adventures in Babysitting," "Three Men and a Baby," and "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead," Courtney's return to the podcast marks a lighthearted change of pace from some of the more dramatic epics and crime movies you'll frequently hear discussed on Watch With Jen.

Along the way, we recall our earliest experiences with these movies, serve up fascinating behind-the-scenes information about the making of and reaction to each film when they were released, and reference a number of others that would create the perfect lineup for an impromptu Babysitting Film Festival.

So hit the road, leave your newborn with your boisterous bachelor pals, drop F-bombs only in tandem, lie about going to Vassar on your job application, and enjoy this breezily entertaining chat.

Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

Originally Posted on Patreon (2/7/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/62242290

Welcome back to the podcast! Taking a look at the work of legendary director John Huston and the films "Key Largo," "Fat City," and "Prizzi's Honor," today's installment, featuring "New York Times" bestselling "Razorblade Tears" author S.A. Cosby, is a little different from what longtime listeners are used to hearing on the pod. Sprinkled throughout this extended conversation, which covers everything from post-war existential noir to down-and-outers, hitmen, and southpaws, you'll discover memorable excerpts I've recorded about Huston's life and incorporated for your listening pleasure.

A high-water mark for the series so far, our 2022 premiere is only the beginning. For the past month and a half, I've been busily planning for the exciting third season launch of Watch With Jen. This year, you'll be treated to not only the return of some of your favorite guests but the appearance of some wonderful new ones and VIPs as well so I hope you'll check back often to see which contributors and themes we'll have available for you soon. Thank you for your support and happy listening.

Originally Posted on Patreon (2/1/22) with links to items discussed here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/61911795

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Wrapping up our Physical Media series with this third and final installment, which also brings this season of Watch With Jen to a close, I hope you've enjoyed listening to these freewheeling episodes half as much as my collaborators and I did making them as well.

Continuing on from where we left off yesterday with Walter Chaw and Nikki Dolson in Part 2, today we're kicking things off with my friend (and frequent guest), the gifted novelist William Boyle discussing The Window (1949), Harold and Maude, and Heaven Can Wait (1978).

Then, after he and I dissect that unexpected trio of films, I serve up a trio of a different kind in the form of a hilarious, awkward, and enlightening three-way conversation about Reds, which just so happens to be my buddy, actor Rob Belushi's mother Sandi's favorite film of all time. Enlisting Rob to not only sit down and watch it for the very first time but also, to join in for a fun, anything goes discussion of Warren Beatty's 1981 epic alongside Sandi, Rob took his task seriously, teasing and interrogating his mother in equal measure throughout our extended conversation.

And following these two fun yet very different chats, you'll hear me review the recent Paramount releases of Ragtime and the new steelbook edition of the celebrated holiday favorite Planes, Trains, and Automobiles as well.

A nice way to wrap up the season before I return in 2022, if you're looking for more Watch With Jen in the meantime, please be sure to check out our backlog of over 120 episodes and also join the conversation with me on Patreon or Twitter (via the user name FilmIntuition) in order to find out who and what you'll be hearing on the podcast soon. Until next time, I want to thank you so much for listening, subscribing, and supporting the show. I'm wishing you and your loved ones a very safe, happy, and healthy holiday season and happy movie-watching to you all!

Originally Posted on Patreon (12/15/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/59921295

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We're back with Part 2 of 3 of this season's final series of episodes devoted to recent physical media releases. Joining me today, we have the brilliant film critic Walter Chaw (whose video essay on Walter Hill's 48 Hrs. dubbed "Profane and Profound" you can find on Netflix's new series VOIR) and the witty and wonderful crime writer Nikki Dolson as well.

After investigating The Naked Spur and The Last of Sheila with Chaw and diving into Nicholas Ray's Party Girl with Dolson, I take a look at two new French releases entitled Who You Think I Am and White as Snow from Cohen Media Group. Another installment packed with great conversation and astute observations, get ready for one more (final) episode dropping very soon as well.

Originally Posted on Patreon (12/14/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/59911369

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I'm wrapping up the second season of Watch With Jen with three holiday presents for you. Starting today, they arrive in form of this trio of laid-back, conversational episodes devoted to recent physical media releases.

Featuring some of your favorite recurring guests (and my closest friends) as well as analysis by yours truly solo, Part 1 finds me tackling the Brian Wilson style symphony of taste and existential ennui of Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky, going in-depth into an appreciation of Scream with Kate Gabrielle, and talking to Blake Howard about the under-discussed, Michael Mann linked 1978 masterpiece Straight Time. So download, dive in, and/or savor this gift - which will be followed in quick succession by Parts 2 & 3 soon - as I thank you for listening and supporting this show with these casual yet rich discussions.

Originally Posted on Patreon (12/13/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/59867340

The name is Moore, Roger Moore. In this lively, research-intensive episode on 007, I'm joined by Julia Ricci, the delightful Emmy nominated documentary researcher and senior programmer at the well-respected Heartland Film, which hosts two terrific festivals every year.

Having recently completed a year-long project to watch each and every James Bond film for the first time, Julia sat down with me to chat about the effervescent, winking tenure of Roger Moore as 007 in the films The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, and For Your Eyes Only.

Covering everything from the villains to the girls to the action to the gadgets to Moore on The Muppet Show, I hope you'll enjoy this affectionate look at the notably macho franchise by two thoughtful women who love its history, humor, and the various tenors, subgenres, approaches, and tones that have colored it over the years.

James Bond Update: This conversation was recorded in early November. I've since seen No Time to Die and it's become one of my favorite films in the entire franchise.

Podcast Note: This is the final traditional episode of Season 2 (aka 2021), but I will be uploading a few more episodes within the next week (!) consisting of fun laid-back conversations about recent physical media releases with some of your favorite guests. Also, for those of you who've said that you miss hearing me talk about films solo, these episodes will feature a few segments of me doing just that (so be careful what you wish for).

Originally Posted on Patreon (12/10/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/59753959

Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

If you're going to go gothic, the best person to bring along is undoubtedly victorian literature and romantic poetry scholar Walter Chaw.

A very good friend and the sharp yet humanistic critic whose work you can and should read at FilmFreakCentral, it's always an honor and a pleasure to talk about film, art, life, writing, sex, gender, and Hitchcock with Walter and today's discussion is no exception.

In this richly philosophical, inquisitively minded, film obsessives only two-hour episode, we take a look at five twentieth-century cinematic classics, including Rebecca, Jane Eyre (1943), My Name is Julia Ross, The Night of the Hunter, and The Innocents (1961). Going deeper into plenty of other movies as well (because this is Walter Chaw and me, after all), we went into so much detail here that this installment was recorded over two separate chats to bring you our very best insights. The perfect accompaniment to running across the moors or investigating a strange noise in a crumbling Cornwall estate on a dark and stormy night, we hope you enjoy this foray into films that are black, white, and gothic all over.

Originally Posted on Patreon (12/3/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/59472097

Returning to the podcast once again, we have my very talented friend and an official (and very popular) friend of the show. William Boyle is the acclaimed novelist behind such titles as Gravesend, The Lonely Witness, A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself, City of Margins, and the brand new Shoot the Moonlight Out. In addition to crafting these wondrously humanistic Lumet-like character-driven ensemble crime epics, Bill is also quite a pop culture buff and one hell of a good movie trivia game player as well.

A huge fellow fan of great character actors, there seems to be an unspoken rule that whenever Bill and I get together, we're going to champion actors' actors, indies from the '90s, and/or anything Italian American onscreen, and in this episode about the amazing Mr. Nicolas Cage, we did all three.

Clocking in right around the length of Red Rock West, here you'll hear us discuss that movie, plus Valley Girl, Moonstruck, Wild at Heart, and Joe, and offer an overview and appreciation of several other Cage films and roles. One of the most popular actors in the history of this podcast, with past installments covering films like Adaptation, Vampire's Kiss, Mandy, Bringing Out the Dead, Rumble Fish, and more, I'm always happy to discuss Cage and had so much fun doing so with Bill. Releasing just in time for Thanksgiving in the United States (because who isn't thankful for Nicolas Cage), I hope this episode will entertain you and yours over the long holiday weekend.

Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

Originally Posted with links to films, people, & items discussed on Patreon (11/22/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/59012566

This week on Watch With Jen, we have a very special guest and the man behind one of my favorite shows in recent memory. The TV writer, director, producer, showrunner, and co-creator of Halt and Catch Fire, which, along with The Americans, Succession, and Better Call Saul, is easily one of the best series of the 2010s, Christopher Cantwell is here to tell us all about the cult favorite AMC show that you can watch in its entirety right now on Netflix. (And you should totally do that and then come right back to listen to the podcast!)

In addition to his TV work, which also includes co-executive producing Lodge 49 and Paper Girls, Chris has been very active as of late in the world of comic books, where he is currently writing Marvel's monthly Iron Man series, as well as his own original titles in collaboration with some truly fantastic artists and imprints such as Vault Comics' The Blue Flame, Regarding the Matter of Oswald's Body from Boom Studios, She Could Fly, Volume 3 from Berger Books and Dark Horse. You can find the latest issues of these titles on comic book store shelves throughout the month.

Running the length of a feature film, in this epic episode (which serves up some details about the critical favorite that have never before been revealed), Cantwell shares the funny and fascinating behind-the-scenes saga of Halt and Catch Fire from its initial idea to its eventual series run on AMC. Here you'll hear about the casting process including the way that the actors informed their characters, as well as the decision to constantly shift the show's setting and power dynamics each season, along with production stories, Halt's pitch-perfect use of music, and so much more.

As a fan of the series from the very beginning and someone who greatly enjoyed chatting with Chris's brilliant wife Elizabeth about horror movies earlier in the year as well, this conversation was a true honor and a pleasure and I'm thrilled to share the story of Halt and Catch Fire with all of you all.

Originally Posted on Patreon (11/16/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/58774714

Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

A marketing and social media manager at Turner Classic Movies, you can see the work of today's wonderfully delightful guest Diana Bosch on the network's social accounts creatively spreading the joy of classic movies with fans around the globe. Diana's love of old Hollywood and the classics can be traced back to TV's I Love Lucy and the film noir that's similarly one of my favorites, Laura. Additionally, one area of her research and expertise is on the actor William Holden, which comes in very handy this week as we take a closer look at the life and career of Audrey Hepburn in honor of Paramount's new seven-film Blu-ray collection, and discuss the movies Roman Holiday, Sabrina, and Paris When it Sizzles (the latter two of which co-star Holden).

Originally Posted on 11/13/21 here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/58635625

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As I recently discovered, one of the best things about having an actor on the podcast is that not only do they bring a valuable and unique perspective to these discussions about film and craft but they also have the ability to do all of the voices we're talking about! (And this particular guest is especially gifted in that department.)

A very talented, versatile, and witty performer with more than 150 credit listings on IMDb, as an actor, James Urbaniak has brought to life Dr. Venture on Adult Swim's The Venture Brothers, the scene-stealing Arthur (who was my favorite character) on Hulu's Difficult People, and Grant on Comedy Central's Review. Additionally, he's also a podcaster in his own right and the creator of the scripted shows Getting On With James Urbaniak, A Night Called Tomorrow, and the upcoming I Will Never Lie to You.

Joining me to discuss one of his all-time acting heroes and favorite periods of filmmaking in the form of Charles Laughton in the 1930s, in this lively and often laugh-out-loud funny episode, you'll hear us take a closer look at The Private Life of Henry VIII, The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934), Ruggles of Red Gap, Les Miserables (1935), Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939).

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Originally Posted on Patreon (11/9/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/58460341

This week on the podcast, we have a woman who truly needs no introduction - one whose voice is or should be (especially if you're a cinephile) her own introduction. A film writer I remember reading as far back as Cinematical and The Village Voice as well as the author of Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes's Hollywood, and books on George Lucas, Al Pacino, and Meryl Streep, Karina Longworth is the historian and podcaster behind the acclaimed, addictive, and utterly fascinating series You Must Remember This, as well as the recent show Love is a Crime with Vanity Fair.

Dropping in to tell us all about the exciting new season of You Must Remember This: Sammy & Dino, in this fun hour-long chat we discuss Dean Martin's film career from 1958-1960. In addition to focusing on the films The Young Lions, Some Came Running, and Rio Bravo, Karina was also kind enough to discuss the resurgence of The Rat Pack nostalgia in the mid-'90s, humor me during a segue about Gen X's two Coreys, and shout-out Clueless as well. You're bound to get a kick out of this one.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (11/1/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/58167211

Happy Halloween from Watch With Jen, care of this episode that will put you in the mood for the spooky season. One of my oldest Twitter friends from way back in the fail whale days, I'm so pleased to be joined today by the wonderfully witty Scott Weinberg.

A prolific film writer for twenty years as well as a Jack of All Trades, Scott Weinberg has created such great podcasts as the new Overhated (which you can find on his Patreon Weinberg+) as well as co-created '80s All Over and more. Additionally, he's produced a few indie films, narrated audiobooks, and you can find his byline everywhere.

Extremely knowledgeable about horror, in particular, in this spirited, freewheeling, rapid-fire episode, we tackle the remakes of such genre classics as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing, The Fly, The Blob, and Dawn of the Dead, while also discussing their predecessors and the films' underlying and sometimes subversive themes. The perfect accompaniment to your horror movie marathon plans for Halloween, today's pod is both a whole lot of fun... and far less trick than treat.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (10/27/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/57932809

Planning to travel? It always helps if you have the right guide. And when it comes to New York City, I have the perfect one for you today, especially if you're a film fan, because he literally just wrote the book on it. That's right, this week on the podcast, I was so honored to have back my talented friend Jason Bailey.

The author of the brand new book Fun City Cinema, in this entertaining and informative episode, Jason tells us all about writing and researching his new critically acclaimed nonfiction work and breaks down a few films along the way. A gifted film writer, critic, and historian who's the editor-in-chief of the site Crooked Marquee, additionally, Jason Bailey is an author of four additional books on film, and a freelance journalist with bylines everywhere from The New York Times to Vulture to The Playlist and beyond.

Tying in with both Jason's book (releasing Tuesday, October 26) as well as the outstandingly diverse New York City collection currently available on The Criterion Channel, in this installment, we zero in on The Garment Jungle (1957), The Incident (1967), The Out-of-Towners (1970), and Little Murders (1971).

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Originally Posted on Patreon (10/23/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/57771748

If you follow me on social media, you'll recall that earlier this year, I fell head over heels for Columbo. From creating a popular episode-by-episode mega-thread on Twitter to deciding that Peter Falk (who I'd long loved) was going to be one of my most-watched actors for the year on Letterboxd, I soon began steering even the most casual conversations with acquaintances back to my new favorite television obsession.

Interacting with a number of fellow fans on Twitter, I started getting requests for an episode devoted to the series and eagerly recruited the great Noel Murray to join me to discuss five of his favorite Columbo mysteries. His selections include "Murder By the Book," "Étude in Black," "An Exercise in Fatality," "By Dawn's Early Light," and "Columbo Goes to College."

An Arkansas-based freelance writer who covers TV, movies, and pop culture for The A.V. Club, The New York Times, The L.A. Times, Polygon, Vulture, and more, it was so great to chat with Noel about all things Columbo in this celebratory, fast-paced episode.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (10/15/22) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/57445815

Is there a doctor in the house? Well, as it happens, this week there definitely is. A doctor of women surrealists and a freelance writer specializing in visual culture, art, couture, Old Hollywood, and more, the lovely Sabina Stent joins us to talk about some of her favorite generational soundtrack movies, including American Graffiti, Dazed and Confused, and Reality Bites in this warm, nostalgic, analytical episode that's bound to make you want to pack a mix CD, jump into your car, and drive all night.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (10/8/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/57166998

On the podcast this week, I welcomed back a very talented and thoughtful writer as well as a man recently (and affectionately) dubbed "Film Twitter Royalty." Peter Avellino's long-form essays on the movies that fascinate and frustrate him make his blog Mr. Peel's Sardine Liqueur a must-read for cinephiles. In a conversation that's equal parts witty nostalgia and astute film criticism, we took a look at the (recently) late, beloved comedy star Charles Grodin's work in the films "The Heartbreak Kid," "Seems Like Old Times," "The Lonely Guy," and "Midnight Run," and in the midst of discussing all of the food in these movies, found ourselves getting very hungry along the way.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (9/30/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/56816129

An accomplished lawyer and a highly readable film critic at her own site MovieMom.com and at RogerEbert.com, where she's also an editor, this week, I was so pleased to welcome back the friendly and wise Nell Minow. The author of over 3,000 reviews since the 1990s, Nell has also written a handful of terrific film books, including 101 Must-See Movie Moments and The Movie Mom's Guide to Family Movies.

Expanding upon a thoughtful, well-researched, and eye-opening article she wrote for RogerEbert.com on "19 Films That Celebrate the Art of Female Friendship," in this episode, we discuss the evolution of women in film over the years. Taking a closer look at the difference between sidekicks, frenemies, and true friendships onscreen, the pros and cons of the Bechdel Test, rebuttable presumption, and the stuffed animals we told all our secrets to as kids, in this fun, freewheeling chat, we focus on the films How to Marry a Millionaire, Steel Magnolias, and Set It Off and serve up plenty of food for thought.

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Originally Posted on Patreon on 9/24/21 here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/56568689

This week, I was so pleased to welcome back one of the funniest guests I've ever had, the quick-witted, fresh, and very clever Sean Burns. A staff writer at WBUR's The ARTery and contributing writer at North Shore Movies, Sean Burns was Philadelphia Weekly's lead film critic from 1999-2013 and worked as the movie section contributing editor at the Improper Bostonian from 2006-2014. Additionally, a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and the recipient of an award for excellence in criticism from The Greater Philadelphia Society of Professional Journalists in 2002, Sean's reviews, interviews, and essays have also appeared in Metro, The Village Voice, The Boston Herald, Nashville Scene, Time Out New York, Philadelphia City Paper, The House Next Door, Movie Mezzanine, RogerEbert.com, and more. Additionally, he's also a projectionist who can tell you exactly what's wrong if you're messing up the presentation of a movie at an AMC Theater.

Following up on an impromptu pact we made the last time Sean was a guest where we impossibly discovered that although we were both movie-obsessive teens at the time, neither one of us had ever bothered to see Disclosure, we turned that promise into today's theme. Investigating the sexy, sleazy side of Michael Douglas, in this very funny, adults-only episode, we take a closer look at Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, Disclosure, and Solitary Man in order to evaluate the man, the myth, the Michael in Lothario Mode. The ideal soundtrack for your household chores or whatever you decide to do in the kitchen (just please, take the dishes out of the sink first) and the ultimate conversation to hear on your way to dance awkwardly in a deep v-neck sweater in a nightclub on a Saturday night, I know you'll dig this one.

Note: Due to content & language - perfectly fitting our subject, of course - this episode is rated E for Explicit.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (9/18/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/56321819

Pack your sunglasses, suits, smokes, and Stetson hats, and get ready for a tour of international crime movies. In case the title of today's show didn't already give it away, this episode is different. Inspired by some of the requests I received from Patreon donors at "The Right Stuff" level who were looking for segments about new westerns, John Woo, and crime movies in general, I put together my first compilation episode based solely on the wishes of Watch With Jen fans.

Fine-tuning the topics and enlisting the help of a few friends, including Blake Howard, Jordan Harper, and Kate Gabrielle, I created this epic collaboration that clocks in at the length of Ivan Sen's brilliant Aussie western Goldstone, which is one of the films you'll hear discussed today. I hope you'll enjoy these terrific conversations and want to thank you so much for your continued support! There are plenty of surprises ahead, including a new monthly spin-off podcast you'll learn about towards the end of this episode.

Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

Originally Posted on Patreon (9/14/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/56159326

This week, I welcome one of my dearest friends back to the podcast. A talented freelance illustrator, blogger, and film fan, Kate Gabrielle is the designer of both the season one and two versions of our gorgeous Watch With Jen logo. As a professional artist, she's not only worked with the TCM Film Fest, Netflix, Doubleday, Mental Floss, and more but also runs her own brightly colored, uplifting shop KateGabrielle.com as well.

In her third solo and fourth total appearance on the show so far, Kate returns to discuss four movies starring one of her favorite actors, the gifted Dirk Bogarde. Focusing on So Long at the Fair, Darling, Modesty Blaise, and Accident - all of which she introduced to me - we delve into what makes these titles distinct works of classic British cinema and of course, what Bogarde does so well in all of them.

Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

Originally Posted on Patreon 9/10/21 here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/56012404

Nobody makes a creative, ultra-specific crime subgenre Letterboxd list quite like my good friend, Peckerwood and Fierce Bitches author Jedidiah Ayres. Inspired by his inventive and comprehensive "Just Dew It" list of Extreme Sports Crime Films (and their close relatives), we selected four titles to watch and discuss which were made and released during our childhood and teen years. Although we reference several movies throughout, in this episode, we focus on BMX Bandits, Point Break (1991, of course), Cliffhanger, and Drop Zone.

In sharing stories about our relationships to the films as well as what we think makes them so special (or at least intriguing!), Hardboiled Wonderland blogger Jed Ayres relays the single greatest "how I first saw ___" story I've heard on this podcast so far. It has everything - subterfuge, daring, ingenuity - and it's honestly, very incredible and very Jed. So buckle up, make sure your parachute works, and try to avoid any flamethrowers or kids on bike as you listen to this fun installment of Watch With Jen.

Note: Recorded in mid-August, I referenced my vaccinated dad's recent Covid diagnosis. I'm pleased to report that he is well today, thanks to that vaccine!

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Originally Posted on Patreon here (9/5/21): https://www.patreon.com/posts/55798166

This week, I'm honored to welcome back my favorite crime writer working today. Novelist Megan Abbott is the Edgar-winning author of such acclaimed, rich works as Give Me Your Hand, You Will Know Me, The Fever, Dare Me, Queenpin, and more. Her newest title The Turnout was released on August 3rd and became not only a Today Show "Read with Jenna" book pick but also a New York Times bestseller as well.

An impressive film buff who is as delightful as she is intelligent, I loved hearing Megan's fresh perspective on Martin Scorsese movies at the start of our 2021 season and was so thrilled to have her back to talk about the incredible Judy Holliday for this podcast today. Essentially discussing all of her movies, we focused mainly on The Marrying Kind, It Should Happen to You, Phffft, and The Solid Gold Cadillac. In the process, we take a look at what Holliday brought to these films, how with a 172 IQ, she was so much more than the stereotypical "dumb blonde" synonymous with her Oscar-winning performance in Born Yesterday, and also considered how she might have been gray-listed after cleverly refusing to name names during a HUAC hearing in 1950.

Clocking in at under an hour, this celebratory yet thorough chat is as quickly paced as one of Holliday's deliciously brisk films. And the result is an episode that classic movie fans, in particular, will be sure to love!

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Originally Posted on Patreon on 8/31/21 here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/55580653

This week, I was so excited to welcome back my friend, author S.A. Cosby, who I'm fortunate to know well enough to call Shawn.

An Anthony award-winning writer from southeastern Virginia, with My Darkest Prayer and Brotherhood of the Blade already under his belt, last year, Shawn burst onto the scene with his multiple award-winning breakthrough hit Blacktop Wasteland, which drew raves from Stephen King and Harlan Coben, among others. This summer, he released his acclaimed bestselling follow-up Razorblade Tears, which was one of the books selected as a potential Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon Summer Read.

As a fellow Godfather obsessive, I was thrilled when Shawn suggested exploring the career of Al Pacino in the '70s in today's episode. Delving into not only the Godfather series but also taking a closer look at two extraordinary films by Sidney Lumet - Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon - in this nearly two-hour episode, we discussed these works as well as the relative newcomer actor's rise to fame as one of the greatest character actors of his generation.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (8/27/21) here with links to items referenced & related: https://www.patreon.com/posts/55412305

What better way to celebrate the 100th episode of Watch With Jen than with a Titanic-sized conversation about passionate Titanic filmmaker James Cameron with the ever-passionate Tomris Laffly?

A contributor to Variety, RogerEbert.com, The Playlist, Timeout New York, Filmmaker Magazine, and Vulture, Tomris Laffly is a member of the prestigious New York Film Critics Circle. A noted lover of the director's work (and especially Titanic, which is one of her favorite movies), while we left out The Abyss, True Lies, and his documentaries due to time, over the course of this in-depth two-hour discussion, we take a closer look at the life, career, films, recurring themes, and obsessions of James Cameron.

One of my favorite episodes that I've recorded this summer (though believe me when I say there is some GREAT stuff ahead), you won't want to miss this conversation.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (8/22/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/55207246

In the tradition of my collaborative episodes with Bright Wall/Dark Room and the Classic Film Collective, I have another one for you today that is sure to make you see red (in a good way!).

Since 1998, DVD Netflix has delivered more than 5 billion DVD & Blu-ray rentals to movie lovers in every American zip code and to military bases around the world in their famous, iconic red envelopes. With an extensive library of movies from the early 1900s to today and shows from such premium networks as HBO and Showtime, DVD Netflix is a must for physical media lovers. In this fun, chatty episode, we'll go behind the scenes to talk to some of the people behind not only DVD Netflix but also its popular online movie blog.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (8/18/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/55055653

Visit FilmIntuition.com to find links to our Patreon and the official Watch With Jen merch shop.

This week, I was honored to welcome back my gifted friend and an official friend of the show. William Boyle is the acclaimed novelist of such books as Gravesend, The Lonely Witness, A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself, City of Margins, and the upcoming Shoot the Moonlight Out.

A knowledgeable film buff and a bard of Italian-American New York life, especially in the era he came of age in the 1990s (which I love since we're roughly the same age), in the past, Bill appeared to discuss the career of David Morse along with critic Nell Minow, and stopped by twice last year to chat including once about actor Mickey Rourke.

This time, he joined me to discuss five of his favorite underrated, overlooked, and/or largely forgotten Italian-American films, including Fatso (1980), Mac (1992), Household Saints (1993), Angie (1994), and Two Family House (2000).

In this delightfully breezy yet reflective chat, we shared some of our own family tales, our thoughts on the movies, and agreed that since we have no idea how to pronounce a few of the gorgeous Italian names, we'd say them multiple ways to ensure we were right at least once. So pull up your chair, prepare and plate some pasta, and enjoy it along with a hearty sauce and this rich conversation.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (8/7/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/54636577

This week's guest is the impressive critic, in-demand lecturer, and insightful author, Mr. Adam Nayman. A contributor to The Ringer, Criterion, CinemaScope, and more, the Toronto-based Adam has written books on Showgirls, Ben Wheatley, the Coen Brothers, and Paul Thomas Anderson. His newest title, David Fincher: Mind Games is available for pre-order now and will be released in November from Abrams.

If you're a fan of his work, it should come as no surprise that Adam Nayman is a very well-prepared and knowledgeable guest. In fact, he actually went above and beyond to track down a copy of an out-of-print autobiography by our subject in order to share it with us today. In this fascinating episode, he joins me to discuss the life and career of Gene Tierney as well as her films Laura, Leave Her to Heaven, Whirlpool, and Night and the City.

Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

Originally Posted on Patreon (7/29/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/54276854

This week, I was so pleased to welcome one of the best film writers currently working today - the wonderful Sheila O'Malley - to the podcast. A regular film critic for RogerEbert.com and a member of the prestigious New York Film Critics Circle, Sheila's work has also appeared in Film Comment, The New York Times, The L.A. Times, Criterion Collection, Sight & Sound, and other outlets.

Additionally, a scene from her full-length script July and Half of August was turned into a short film, which played at the Albuquerque Film and Music Experience, as well as at EbertFest. She's also written the narration scripts for two tribute reels played at the Lifetime Achievement Oscar ceremony, one for recipient Gena Rowlands (read by Angelina Jolie) and one for recipient Anne V. Coates (read by Diane Lane). Always a must-read, when she isn't doing everything else, Sheila writes about actors, movies, and Elvis at her outstanding personal site, The Sheila Variations.

Extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the art of acting and classic film, in this richly researched episode, Sheila joins me to dissect the movies (and mores!) of Hollywood's notorious pre-code era, including The Public Enemy, the original Scarface, Three on a Match, Baby Face, and Design for Living.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (7/21/21) with links to items discussed here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/53958553

This week, I was so pleased to welcome back the lovely, very funny, & terribly sweet Stephanie Crawford. A talented film writer and podcaster with an infectious love of cinema and physical media, you can check out Stephanie's work at her personal website House of a Reasonable Amount of Horrors.

Teaming up to celebrate the new 4K release of Almost Famous, we study three key rock music movies that explore (and were made in) three different decades. In this affectionate, personal, yet analytical conversation, we discuss Tom Hanks' 1996 directorial debut That Thing You Do! (which was set in the '60s), Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous from 2000 (which took place in the early '70s), and the iconic Prince rock movie Purple Rain from director Albert Magnoli which was made in and represents the early 1980s.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (on 7/16/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/53776811

This week, I'm proud to welcome back one of my dear mates (as he would say), Mr. Blake Howard. A podcaster extraordinaire, Blake is the man behind One Heat Minute Productions. Recent acclaimed podcasts you can find from him include All the President's Minutes, Josie and the Podcats, Increment Vice - hosted by our good friend Travis Woods - and the new Zodiac Chronicle. Additionally, Blake is a very insightful film writer and has recently launched a cool column on heist films at Vague Visages.

Couple this with the fact that he's a devoted husband and father of two adorable young children and is also going back to school to become a teacher, and he's one of the busiest men I know. (He's also one of the nicest!) And as someone lucky enough to chat with him nearly every week in our Pandemic Movie Club, I was thrilled to have him back on the podcast to discuss three masterful Irish Mob Movies: Miller's Crossing, Road to Perdition, and The Departed in an energetic, upbeat (save for a few risky opinions), and very entertaining feature-length chat.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (7/9/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/53504215

Returning to Watch With Jen today is one of the podcast's most popular and frequent guests - my good friend and Pandemic Movie Club buddy Jordan Harper.

An Edgar award-winning crime writer of the remarkable novel She Rides Shotgun and the terrific book of short stories Love and Other Wounds, Jordan also works in Hollywood as a TV writer and producer and has been behind such series as The Mentalist, Gotham, and Hightown. He also created a stunning pilot for CBS of L.A. Confidential that was just celebrated at the ATX Festival as well.

And since the most frequent feedback I receive whenever Jordan is on is compliments about our chemistry and banter (as evidenced in the David Mamet episode), it's only fitting that this time around, we ditched the crime genre in favor of screwball comedies.

Breaking down the subversive wit, ingenuity, and downright horniness of four famous Preston Sturges movies, we discuss Barbara Stanwyck's powers of seduction as a con-woman in The Lady Eve, the lessons Hollywood can and has learned from Sullivan's Travels, the chaotic confidence of The Palm Beach Story, and the brilliance of Eddie Bracken yelling "Spots!" in The Miracle of Morgan's Creek.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (7/1/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/53174633

Since I was a few days late with the last episode, this week, you have two terrific new installments of Watch With Jen to enjoy (as well as a Patreon only bonus episode of Watch With Jen: Ask Me Anything where I answer your burning questions).

And keeping with the theme of more is more, in this episode, I am joined by not one but five wonderfully talented women to talk about a handful of their favorite representations of female creativity in classic movies. My guests, Kate Gabrielle, Meg Hesketh, Raquel Stecher, Jill Blake, and Marya E. Gates are all contributors to Gabrielle's inspired new Patreon, The Fifth Avenue Anti-Stuffed Shirt & Flying Trapeze Club Classic Film Collective, where they share prose, poetry, art, music, etc. that's centered on classic movies.

From Bette Davis battling her twin sister to Deanna Durbin scheming Broadway to Joan Crawford taking on her daughter to an indie favorite from director Claudia Weill, we cover a lot of ground in this chatty episode. Discussing our own creative processes, along with double standards in the arts, our checkered relationship stories (romantic & otherwise), and more, it's a whole lot of fun.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (6/25/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/52923857

This week, I was so excited to welcome back Elizabeth Cantwell, whom I enjoyed talking to about The Shining in the Bright Wall/Dark Room episode earlier this season.

A poet and a high school teacher, Elizabeth is the author of the chapbook Premonitions, as well as two full-length books of poetry, Nights I Let the Tiger Get You and All the Emergency-Type Structures. Additionally an editor at Bright Wall, you can find her essays on a variety of films ranging from Jaws to Burn After Reading in Chad Perman's prestigious online film journal. Working by day as a high school teacher, she happily tricks her students into learning through her accessible, engaging courses on horror, creative nonfiction, and War & Peace.

Having recently launched a podcast in her own right, you can hear Elizabeth along with her husband, writer Christopher Cantwell happily obsessing over a wide range of topics on their new podcast "Spores, Molds, and Fungus."

Warm, kind, and incredibly intelligent, Elizabeth joined me to discuss sex, gender, and final girls in horror as it relates to Black Christmas (1974), Dressed to Kill (1980), Cat People (1982), Vampire's Kiss (1989), and Mandy (2018) this long, breezy, entertaining chat that I know you're going to love.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (6/20/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/52723379

As Leo Tolstoy wrote in the first sentence of Anna Karenina, "happy families are all alike, every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Joining me to discuss five wide-ranging international films centered on families with varying levels of dysfunction is NYU trained freelance television editor and writer, producer, director Steven Santos.

A New York City native who now lives in Los Angeles, for nearly fifteen years, Steven Santos has edited nonfiction TV shows for a variety of cable channels including Discovery, Animal Planet, The Travel Channel, NatGeo, A&E, TLC, History Channel, HGTV, and Oxygen.

In 2010, Steven also began to produce and cut video essays solo as well as in a creative partnership with film and TV critic Matt Zoller Seitz, which led to some top-notch work both online and off as the two developed a television show about film for Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail.

Returning to his first love of writing and filmmaking, after relocating to Hollywood in 2018, Steven has written and developed several film and TV projects, including scripting a full season of television by himself, while still working as a TV editor.

Filled with both personal stories and cinematic analysis, in this extended episode, we dissect My Family aka Mi Familia from 1996 (set in Mexico and America), Secrets & Lies, which was made a year later in England, Festen or The Celebration, which came out of Denmark in '98, The Royal Tenenbaums from America in 2001, and France's A Christmas Tale, which was released in '08.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (6/11/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/52386781

Joining me today is a Rotten Tomatoes approved critic and a podcaster in her own right, the wonderful Rosa Parra. A member of the Hollywood Critics Association, the Latino Entertainment Journalist Association, GALECA, and a fellow member of the Online Association of Female Film Critics, Rosa is also the co-founder and co-host of Latinx Lens. In her fun and informative podcast and companion website, Rosa focuses on highlighting Latinx representation and contributions in film and television. Additionally, Rosa, along with her co-writers and co-hosts, review all films with their unique Latinx Lens, lending a vital underrepresented perspective on cinema.

An endlessly kind and supportive Twitter presence, I was so pleased to welcome her to this podcast to discuss three of the most vital filmmakers of the past 30 years, three gifted Mexican filmmakers whose groundbreaking work ushered in the Mexican New Wave in the 1990s, and three good friends who collectively call themselves the Three Amigos. The men to whom I'm referring are, of course, the marvelous Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro, and Alejandro González Iñárritu, whose rich films inspire and challenge not just film fans but also each other.

In this celebratory yet highly analytical feature-length episode, Rosa and I take a look at two movies from each director to compare and contrast their films and styles, and also chat about their collaborators, while taking the rest of their work into consideration as well. Whether it's Cuarón's unique one-two punch of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Children of Men, del Toro's feminist fantasies Crimson Peak and The Shape of Water, or the gritty realism of Iñárritu's Amores Perros and 21 Grams, Rosa and I explore it all. Needless to say, this episode is a must for film geeks! Enjoy.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (6/3/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/52077664

In this entertainingly super-sized episode, we have two guests for the price of one! First up, is a teacher and writer from Lafayette, Louisiana. After graduating from AFI with an MFA in directing, Mike Miley first got his start as an award-winning short filmmaker. Having left life in the L.A. entertainment industry behind to work in education in California and Louisiana, Mike has taught middle and high school English for fifteen years and Film Studies at his alma mater Loyola University (New Orleans) for the past six.

Additionally, an essayist and author who's written about both subjects in popular and academic publications including TheAtlantic.com and Bright Lights Film Journal, in 2015, one of his works was included as a notable literary essay in 2015's Best American Essays. Mike's first book, Truth and Consequences: Game Shows in Fiction and Film was published by the University Press of Mississippi in 2019, Conversations with Steve Erickson, which he co-edited will be released from there in July, and he is currently working on his next book - about filmmaker David Lynch - to be published in the future.

Joining me to discuss four films from the '90s and early '00s that made game shows either a central focus or the goal of its characters, we move from Ron Shelton's terrifically funny White Men Can't Jump to Robert Redford's classy yet now largely forgotten Quiz Show to Paul Thomas Anderson's epic Magnolia to George Clooney's messily ambitious Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Dissecting key points in these movies and sharing our own experiences watching these films growing up and/or in the theater, it was great fun both reminiscing and hyper-analyzing all four with Mike.

Adding in a bonus round because how can you not when you're discussing game shows, after my chat with Mike, I welcomed my pal, actor, writer, and film buff Rob Belushi - who serves as a real live game show host on Game Show Network's Get a Clue - to the podcast. In a short, breezy chat, Rob shares his take on the movies Mike and I discussed and then lets us behind-the-scenes of life working on a game show. Answering some of your burning questions from social media and sharing some amusing stories, this conversation with Rob was the perfect coda to this episode.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (5/28/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/51800513

An animation lover since childhood with fond memories of belting out songs from the contemporary Disney classic The Little Mermaid, this week I'm joined by the Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and podcaster Rachel Wagner.

In addition to covering as many films as she can each year on her website Rachel's Reviews, Rachel has a particular love of interviewing others - from actors to directors to composers to animators - anyone with an interesting story to tell. A prolific podcaster in her own right, Rachel is the founder of the very popular Hallmarkies Podcast and her own Rachel's Reviews podcast and YouTube channel which covers all things animated, including a monthly Talking Disney and Obscure Animation show.

A member of the Utah Film Critics Association and the Online Association of Female Film Critics, when she isn't busy with all of that, you can find Rachel on Twitter (@rachel_reviews). Discussing her exciting adventures in podcasting and film coverage, in this fascinating hour-long episode, we take a look at three obscure works of foreign animation, including The Girl Without Hands (2016), Louise by the Shore (2016), and Away (2019). Incredibly knowledgeable on the subject, you might want to listen to Rachel's recommendations with a notebook and pen!

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Originally posted on Patreon (5/21/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/51530018

Kind, witty, and wildly gifted, Nikki Dolson is a prolific crime writer whose work has been published in such well-respected places as Shotgun Honey, Tough, ThugLit, and Bartleby Snopes. The author of what she affectionately calls "a novelish thing" - the book All Things Violent - Nikki has also released a short story collection entitled Love and Other Criminal Behavior. And later this year, one of Nikki's outstanding pieces will appear in the prestigious Best American Mystery and Suspense stories anthology for 2021, edited by Alafair Burke and Steph Cha.

In this intriguing episode that's sure to delight bibliophiles and cinephiles alike, Nikki returns to the pod to consider all things western. From the adaptations of two stellar short western stores by Elmore Leonard and Annie Proulx (including 3:10 to Yuma and Brokeback Mountain, respectively) to Young Guns and beyond, we evaluate both what makes an adaptation successful and the genre as a whole. A woman whose wit and intelligence shines through no matter what topic, this wide-ranging installment is filled with laughter and irresistibly rapid-fire conversation. (Note: This episode contains plot spoilers)

Originally Posted on Patreon (5/14/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/51266960

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Washington City Paper film critic Noah Gittell joins me to discuss two cult-favorite Gen X titles from the '90s - our mutual favorite "Zero Effect" and the brilliant "Fight Club" - in this nerdily analytical episode. A reporter at BBC Talk Movies and a guest lecturer at Smithsonian Associates, Noah is also a freelance contributor for a number of outstanding outlets, including The Atlantic, The Ringer, The Guardian, Polygon, and The Economist.

Filled with spoilers about "Zero Effect" and "Fight Club" as well as a few other twisty, unreliable narrator centrist films from the same era, in this in-depth conversation, we dissect not only what makes them great but also pinpoint their place in history then and now.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (5/3/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/50825689

A witty and wonderful writer-director currently living in Los Angeles, Jessica Ellis attended UCLA and the prestigious American Film Institute. Having recently made her feature filmmaking debut with the lovely coming-of-age movie What Lies West, Jessica's film is now available for pre-order at all online retailers and will be released on VOD on May 11. A bright light on Twitter, in this episode, she takes us behind-the-scenes of What Lies West before dissecting some of her favorite summer adventure movies, including Dirty Dancing, Now and Then, and The Way, Way Back from her perspective as a cinematic storyteller in her own right.

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Originally Posted on Patreon on 4/27/21 here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/50551103

This week, we have back a wonderfully talented writer I enjoyed chatting with last year: Robert Daniels. A freelance film critic based in Chicago who holds an MA in English, Robert is the founder of 812FilmReviews and has written for RogerEbert.com, The Playlist, Polygon, Consequence of Sound, and more.

In this lively episode, we dissect 5 of the most offbeat characters that America's Dad - the incredible actor Tom Hanks - has embodied over the past 40 years. From the Safdie brothers' favorite Punchline to The Ladykillers, The Terminal, Cloud Atlas, and A Hologram for the King, we take a look at what Hanks brings to these unusual roles and evaluate the films themselves as well. Referencing some of our other favorites including The 'Burbs and Road to Perdition, we hope you'll enjoy this laugh-filled, rapid-fire conversation half as much as we did!

Note: Exciting news! If you love the podcast and Kate Gabrielle's fabulous logo, you can now shop us on Threadless & bring home a t-shirt, sticker, &/or tote bag of your very own. More cool designs will be added soon. Check it out here

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Originally Posted on Patreon (4/21/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/50310048

A film critic for publications such as L.A. Weekly, New York Magazine/Vulture, The New York Times, and formerly The Village Voice, Bilge Ebiri is one of my favorite journalists working today. Additionally, he is a writer-director known for the movies New Guy, Purse Snatcher, and The Barber of Siberia.

Joining me for a chatty, fast-paced, feature-length exploration of 6 legal thrillers made during the golden age of the genre in the '80s and '90s, we discuss The Verdict, Suspect, Class Action, A Few Good Men, The Pelican Brief, and The Rainmaker. And in taking a closer look at these films, we question why Hollywood stopped making them, whether or not audiences would enjoy the genre today, and the writers, directors, and stars that brought these works to life.

Originally Posted on Patreon (4/14/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/50038940

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As witty as she is articulate, Diana Drumm is a critic, historian, researcher, and self-described "full-time nerd." An assistant editor at Cineaste Magazine, which is America's leading magazine on the art and politics of cinema, Diana is also the marketing coordinator at Quad Cinema, New York's first small four-screen multiplex theater. Additionally, she is assisting in the production of the upcoming memoir of the late movie theater owner and film distributor Dan Talbot of New Yorker Films and Lincoln Plaza Cinemas. She also runs the Female Film Critics Twitter account, amplifying women and gender nonbinary voices in film on social media.

Particularly knowledgeable when it comes to classic British cinema and the filmography of James Mason, in a lively two-hour conversation, Diana and I dissect the Sinister Men of The Wicked Lady, Marnie, Inside Daisy Clover, Smooth Talk, and Baby Driver. From Face/Off to the psychology of Hitchcock to our own misadventures in the dating world and beyond, this is one often hilarious, wide-ranging discussion you won't want to miss.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (4/9/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/49837807

BenDavid Grabinski is a television and film writer, director, and producer based out of Los Angeles. His 2010 short film Cost of Living played at festivals around the world and then his first screenwriting credit came with Skiptrace, which starred Jackie Chan and Johnny Knoxville, and was directed by the great Renny Harlin.

In 2019, he served as the writer, executive producer, and showrunner of the Are You Afraid of the Dark? series reboot, and most recently, he made his feature filmmaking debut with the inventive Happily, which is now playing in theaters, on digital and demand, or any place you can rent or buy a movie on the internet. It will also be released to DVD in May so if you're a physical media fan - and you should be - pre-order yours today!

A film with a remarkable cast (including Kerry Bishé, Joel McHale, Stephen Root, and beyond), Happily is a work that was influenced by many of Grabinski's favorite films and directors. Chief among his inspirations is director Robert Altman.

Altman not only specialized in epic casts, but he also made three incredibly trippy, experimental, female-centric works in the late '60s to the late '70s, which reveal that he could've had quite a career in horror if he would've been so inclined.

In this episode, we take a closer look at Robert Altman's That Cold Day in the Park, Images, and 3 Women. Titles that just don't get discussed enough compared to his universally acclaimed masterpieces from the same era, although they're three distinctly separate works, the movies form something of a thematic trilogy. So pull up a chair, try not to look over your shoulder, and join us as we Happily lead you on an exploration into the scary side of Robert Altman.

Originally Posted on Patreon (4/3/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/49584884

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A singular and passionate writer, Kate Hagen's work has appeared in Playboy, The Hollywood Reporter, 538, Seed & Spark, and more. In 2019, she brought her essay "The Last Great Video Store" to TedX and she also appears in the new documentary The Last Blockbuster to discuss the importance of video stores in our lives.

Since 2014, Kate has served as the Director of Community at The Black List where she's an executive and producer, edits, curates, and writes for the Black List Blog, manages the entire Black List online community, is the point person on all website partnerships, and oversees their social media ecosystem with over 250,000 followers as well.

Kate is also well-known on Twitter for her love of erotic movies and actor James Spader - two subjects we initially bonded over on the social media platform years ago! And although I usually let each guest choose a unique theme for their episode, when it came time to bring Kate Hagen on the podcast, I straight up insisted that she chat with me about sexy James Spader movies today. (Don't worry, Kate, next time, you can totally choose the topic!)

This brings me to an important note. If you're listening to this episode on a podcast platform (Spotify, Apple, etc), you might have noticed that I checked the box for explicit content on this episode. Rest assured, it isn't overly graphic but because of the mature sexual themes within James Spader's filmography (re: sex, lies, & videotape, Bad Influence, and Crash), I thought that sensitive listeners and those with children might appreciate a warning. So sit back and get in the mood for sex, James Spader, and James Spader sex in film.

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Originally Posted with links to items discussed (3/28/21) here on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/49312644

I'm so delighted to welcome one of my oldest Twitter friends - Marya E. Gates - to the podcast for what I hope will be the first of several episodes.

A writer, film lover, and former editorial manager for Netflix, Marya was also the social media manager for Rotten Tomatoes and Film Struck. Additionally, she created such viral film movements as A Year with Women, where she spent a year watching and logging films made by female directors, and Noirvember, where movie buffs spend the month of November watching and learning about the noir genre.

Now a freelance writer for such outlets as MovieFone and RogerEbert.com, Marya is also a podcaster currently working on getting her new show Prog Save America (about progressive rock) out to listeners soon. As a fellow Dylan and Springsteen fan, I can't wait to tune in because - with her passion behind it - I know it'll be awesome.

In this breezy, spirited chat, we dissect Daisies, Foxfire (1996), and Skate Kitchen - three films about rebellious girls made in three different eras by three different female filmmakers. Sharing our own funny stories about getting in fights, teen medical drama, coming-of-age in the '90s and '00s, and finding our tribe, we follow the conversation wherever it leads, including a cool digression about Surfer Zen and the wisdom of Ethan Hawke. If any of that appeals (and how could it not?), you're bound to dig this one.

Originally Posted on Patreon (3/22/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/49067826

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A multiple award-nominated crime writer and Emmy nominated professional editor who lives and works in Los Angeles, Eric Beetner is a creative jack-of-all-trades with an impressively encyclopedic knowledge of vintage Film Noir. Selecting four movies directed by another jack-of-all-trades, Mr. Anthony Mann, in this entertaining discussion, Eric and I take a closer look at Desperate, T-Men, Raw Deal, and Side Street, and briefly touch on Mann's post-noir career helming westerns.

Although I was occasionally (and embarrassingly!) distracted by the sounds of roofers stomping around above me, thankfully, whenever I lost my train of thought, the kind and articulate veteran podcaster Eric dove in to take the reins, which helped keep the conversation flowing throughout.

Originally Posted on Patreon with Links (3/15/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/48599293

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One of the most prestigious and well-respected film journals on the web, Bright Wall/Dark Room is dedicated "to exploring the relationship between movies and the business of being alive." Over the past month, I was fortunate enough to speak with seven members of its editorial staff (including Bright Wall founder and editor-in-chief Chad Perman) about their favorite comfort movies and why they personally relate to and endorse each one.

Comprised of seven separate conversations that play surprisingly well together, this super-sized, feature-length episode gives you the chance to hear from the passionate, articulate people who've written and/or edited some of the magazine's most moving pieces. I want to thank Chad Perman, Kelsey Ford, Ethan Warren, Carrie Courogen, Elizabeth Cantwell, Spencer Williams, and Travis Woods for their time, insight, and for trusting me enough to bring Bright Wall/Dark Room to the pod waves. Enjoy!

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Originally Posted on Patreon (3/8/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/48499124

A Brit with a lovely accent who's currently living in La La Land, the articulate and supportive Jumpcut Online Editor-in-chief Fiona Underhill joins me to discuss a man we both love - Mr. Paul Newman. Dissecting four of his more overlooked, unchampioned, or forgotten films that have gotten lost in the shuffle of his legendary career, Fiona takes us through four decades of his work. Along the way, we zero in on The Rack (1956), What a Way to Go! (1964), Absence of Malice (1981), and Nobody's Fool (1994) in this fast-paced, roughly hour-long episode.

Originally Posted on Patreon (3/3/21) with links to items discussed here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/48286977

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Continuing the David Morse appreciation that I began with my recent long article for DVD Netflix, talented veteran film critic Nell Minow and acclaimed novelist William Boyle return to the podcast to dissect five great performances by the remarkable character actor. Selecting a handful of diverse films that flew under-the-radar (which are all currently available to stream), we discuss recurring themes and what Morse manages to bring to each role in this entertaining episode.

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Originally posted on Patreon (2/27/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/48089095

As kind and humble as he is knowledgeable and articulate, Blacktop Wasteland author Shawn Cosby (aka S.A. Cosby) returns to the podcast to dissect the aesthetics of Neon Noir in the movies Thief, Drive, and Good Time.

Not just an award-winning writer, Shawn is also a fellow major film buff. In fact, what I loved most about this long analytical conversation is that even though we went into it assuming we'd chat about 3 movies for roughly an hour, we quickly found ourselves referencing dozens more in what soon became a feature-length conversation. (In a fitting tribute, the episode clocks in at a length that's only a few minutes longer than Drive and a few minutes shorter than Good Time.)

Needless to say, if you're as nerdy as we are, you might want to listen to this episode with a notebook and pen so you can write down some of the films we excitedly fired off as we wax philosophically about all things neon and noir throughout. Hope you enjoy it!

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Originally Posted on Patreon (2/19/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/47755256

My dear friend - insightful and humanistic Film Freak Central senior critic and scholar Walter Chaw - returns to the podcast for a nice long soulful chat about five fascinating depictions of writers on film. In this episode, we mentally return to college English class before we escape with our favorite mentors for a deep, feature-film length evaluation of the compulsive nature of writing, film, and why we're so passionately drawn to the arts. Join us.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (2/6/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/47205190

This week, my good friend (and official friend of the show), the talented screenwriter and Edgar award-winning author Jordan Harper returns to the podcast to share his wit and wisdom with us once again. In this episode, which runs roughly the length of STATE & MAIN and SPARTAN, we discuss the enviable filmography and singular critical theories of the Pulitzer Prize winning raconteur David Mamet. (Note: this episode contains spoilers, especially with regard to THE SPANISH PRISONER, HEIST, and SPARTAN, so please proceed with caution).

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Originally Posted on Patreon (1/29/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/46830352

Breaking down four of his roles that don't often get discussed, talented artist Kate Gabrielle returns to the podcast to celebrate the incredibly versatile chameleon-like character actor Ed Harris. Note: This episode does contain spoilers, particularly when we start dissecting the unsung early '90s neo-noir CHINA MOON, so please proceed with caution.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (1/25/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/46659886

A talented film critic and podcaster based in England, Leslie Byron Pitt is a writer for Set the Tape and Vodzilla and has also been published on Film Stories and Little White Lies. Additionally featured on Inside Cinema for the BBC iPlayer, when he isn't writing or creating new pieces for print, Leslie can be found on Hustlers of Culture, a film podcast from a minority perspective, and the erotic thriller podcast Fatal Attractions.

A man with terrific taste who's routinely supportive and kind to others on Film Twitter, it was a joy speaking to Leslie about three unique tales of human connection in the form of California Split, Before Sunrise, and In the Mood for Love.

An engrossing and thoughtful conversation that initially raises some vital questions about contemporary cinema and social media discourse before we venture into the films just before the half-hour mark, this is a wide-ranging chat that runs the length of a feature film! So escape from the news and curl up with some great film geek speak, made even more palatable thanks to Leslie's mellifluous British accent.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (on 1/13/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/46172484

Anthony, Edgar, Barry, and International Thriller Writers award-winner Megan Abbott is one of my favorite writers working today. Not only the prolific author of acclaimed short stories and novels, including Queenpin, You Will Know Me, and Give Me Your Hand, she has also written White Masculinity in Hardboiled Fiction & Film Noir.

Formerly a staff writer on David Simon's HBO original series, The Deuce, as a screenwriter, Megan Abbott recently adapted her gorgeous novel Dare Me for the USA Network and served as a co-creator, executive producer, and showrunner of the series, which was repeatedly named one of the best TV shows of 2020 and has also just been made available to stream on Netflix as well.

A Grosse Pointe Michigan native who fell in love with old movies as a child and is still a highly respected film buff, she's also been a contributor to and essayist for The Criterion Collection. Megan, who received her PhD in English and American Literature from New York University, has worked as a professor at NYU, the State University of New York, as well as the New School University, and in 2013-2014, she served as the John Grisham writer-in-residence at Ole Miss.

Well known for her rich prose and female-centric spin on the crime genre, in the past, Megan edited the anthology A Hell of a Woman, which was devoted to female crime fiction, and her work has appeared in The New York Times, Salon, The Wall Street Journal, The L.A. Times Magazine, The Guardian, and more. Megan's hotly-anticipated tenth novel, The Turnout, is due to be released this summer on July 6, 2021.

It was both an honor and a privilege to speak to Megan about the underrated or overlooked films of Martin Scorsese - one of her favorite filmmakers as well as mine - in this enlightening and engaging episode, which fans of her work and Scorsese's are sure to love.

Note: Be sure to stay tuned after our conversation for a postscript, where I fill listeners in on the changes to the podcast this "season" in 2021.

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Originally Posted on Patreon (1/1/21) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/45644845

Peckerwood novelist and Hardboiled Wonderland blogger Jed Ayres returns to the podcast to dissect classic crime movies with me along with their many remakes. Covering a total of 11 films, this episode is packed with information and great conversation, care of my intelligent, passionate friend Jed.

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Originally Posted on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/45254657

Talented freelance writer and notable film critic Candice Frederick returns to the podcast to discuss some of her favorite holiday movies in this engaging, laugh-filled conversation that takes listeners chronologically from classic Hollywood films of the '30s through the animated smash How the Grinch Stole Christmas and all the way up to Elf.

Originally Posted on Patreon on 12/16/20 here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/45120600

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One of the hardest working women behind-the-scenes of a major brand, Annie Jung is the marketing manager of DVD Netflix (which amazingly, is a team of one) and is constantly coming up with great ideas for engagement both for the site's official blog as well as through a variety of fun DVD Chats on Twitter. Additionally, a lover of good books, with - under normal circumstances - a passion for travel, Annie enjoys quality scotch, fine cheese, and finding new films to add to her DVD Netflix queue.

Eager to explore her great affection for period pictures, in this entertaining overview of five of her favorites, we discuss everything from American Girl Dolls and the treasures waiting for you at Goodwill to memorable film scores and the surprising amount of agency women have in period vs. modern fare.

Originally Posted on Patreon on 12/7/20 here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/44775370

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Just in time for the holidays, here's a new episode of Watch With Jen where I'm recommending not just five but - thanks to one trilogy - seven fun ensemble films for you to track down. From a foreign comedy to a globe-trotting screwball romantic comedy action movie to two modern adaptations of a classic play to an epic '70s puzzle, there's bound to be something here for every type of film fan.

Originally Posted on Patreon on 11/25/20 here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/44310048

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Witty, singular, and iconoclastic, Iranian-American feminist pop culture writer Roxana Zivar Hadadi is a film and television critic who's been published by RogerEbert.com, The A.V. Club, Crooked Marquee, Vulture, The Playlist, and Bright Wall/Dark Room. A bright light on Twitter with her fresh perspective and bold humor, the Baltimore based Roxana – who holds a Masters in Literature – is a member of the D.C. Area Film Critics Association, the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, the Online Film Critics Society, and is a contributing, approved critic to Rotten Tomatoes.

I couldn't have been more excited when Roxana suggested Sofia Coppola's filmography as the topic of this episode. Coppola is not only one of my very favorite directors and someone whose work I've written about multiple times, but oddly enough, she also inspired my film school nickname of "Sof," which was bestowed upon me by a guy who insisted I looked like the gorgeous filmmaker, despite my arguments to the contrary.

In this super-sized episode, which runs the length of Lost in Translation, Roxana and I embark on a chronological journey through each one of Coppola's seven feature films. Offering an insightful, entertaining, and in-depth analysis of what these movies mean to us, we discuss recurring themes in Coppola's work and the way that her films reflect both the female experience as well as her own unique point-of-view.

A must-listen for Sofia Coppola fans and/or a conversation that will hopefully inspire you to take a closer look at her filmography, it was a joy and a privilege to chat with Roxana in what is easily one of my favorite episodes of Watch With Jen & Friends so far.

Originally Posted on Patreon (11/12/20) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/43828132

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Award-winning novelist and cinephile William Boyle returns to the podcast for a terrific hour dedicated to some of the most overlooked films and performances of gifted, tough but tender character actor Mickey Rourke, including Rumble Fish, Homeboy, Year of the Dragon, Johnny Handsome, among others.

Yet while a bulk of the episode is dedicated to Rourke, the wide-ranging conversation eventually veers into musical territory as they chat about their mutual love of Tori Amos, before closing things out by discussing the Halloween (and everyday) horrors that await viewers in the work of David Lynch.

Originally Posted on Patreon (10/30/20) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/43334046

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I'm joined once again by the highly entertaining, encyclopedic film critic and lawyer Nell Minow of MovieMom.com and RogerEbert.com for a timely episode on fall and Halloween movies you're sure to enjoy.

Fast-paced and fresh, whether she's discussing the vacations taken by Alan Alda and Carol Burnett in The Four Seasons, Haynes at his most Sirkian in Far From Heaven, the nonsensical joys of Hitchcock's The Trouble With Harry, or those geniuses at Laika studios, Nell delivers great film insights with a friendliness that makes her both a must-listen and a must-read.

Originally Posted on Patreon (10/24/20) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/43110692

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The founder and editor-in-chief of the prestigious online film journal Bright Wall/Dark Room, Chad Perman first started the site on Tumblr in his living room in 2009 after years spent wondering if there was a way to talk differently - more emotionally, more humanly - about movies.

Almost four years (and 220,000 followers) later, he decided to expand things and launched a magazine/journal version of BW/DR in June 2013 with a small staff of friends and collaborators devoted to looking at movies in unique ways. Together, they've put out a new issue every single month for the past 7 years and worked to create a vibrant and inclusive community of writers, readers, and supporters.

Having earned a B.A. in English and Cinema Studies from the University of Washington, Chad received a Master's Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from PLU. Additionally, a practicing mental health therapist, Chad has worked in the field for over 15 years. Currently in private practice and working with both individuals and couples, he specializes in treating writers, artists, and other creatives.

In this rich, fascinating episode, I was honored to talk to the friendly, contemplative Chad Perman about not only the start of BW/DR (and the talented collaborators that helped him get it up and running) but also his own background with and relationship to film.

Featuring multiple shout-outs to colleagues and friends (especially past guests Brianna Ashby and Travis Woods) as well as a celebration of late '80s fare, this hour-long discussion touches on everything from Scarecrow Video to Chad's advice for creatives working in a pandemic. Available to listen to in this post, you can also find Watch With Jen wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify, Apple, Google, and Stitcher.

Originally Posted on Patreon (10/12/20) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/42674486

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This week's films explore the joy of puzzles, Elijah Wood with throwing stars, the British invasion, a Dickensian fairy tale, & marriage at first sight.

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This episode's 5 streaming recommendations bring you a moving family drama, a Hitchcockian thriller, an acclaimed concert film, the statistics side of baseball, and a '90s comedic mystery that's a throwback to classic noir.

Originally Posted on Patreon (on 8/7/20) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/40222139

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This week's 5 film recommendations deliver a revisionist western, a Thomas Hardy romance, a twisty French thriller, a dystopian romcom, & a hitman's high school reunion.

Originally Posted on Patreon (7/24/20) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/39680144

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This week's 5 streaming recommendations include Jen's favorite films from Whit Stillman & Lynn Shelton, a French psychological thriller, plus a little Robert Altman in the '70s, & Alan Rickman starring in a period movie set in the '70s.

Originally Posted on Patreon on 7/9/20 here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/39159624

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Let's get lost. Specifically, let's get the hell out of 2020. While we're waiting for the technology that lets us do just that, we can live vicariously through a great group of time travel movies in this special topics episode, inspired by Jacob Rivera, a $10 patron on "The Right Stuff" tier who sent Jen 5 excellent ideas that led her to create this week's installment.

Touching on several movies - including a few that might not be perfect but are well worth the watch - Jen gives you a brief overview of each title but doesn't spend too much time on them since this genre is Spoiler City & she'd hate to hinder your enjoyment of any of the films. With that in mind, buckle up, & let's take off. Next stop: anywhere but here!

Originally Posted on Patreon (6/26/20) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/38659753

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It's heating up out there and the same can be said of this week's five streaming recommendations. This week Jen's serving up a tense road thriller, a Hollywood comedy, a movie that will make you crave Italian food, a laidback Santa Fe set romcom, and Spike Lee's best popcorn picture.

Hindered by deadlines and bad allergies, this is a shorter than usual episode of Watch With Jen, but these movies deserve a closer (and/or second) look so we hope you'll enjoy it all the same. Additionally, Jen's announcing a few new changes to the podcast schedule, which are explained in this episode. Namely? With five films to tide you over, she's planning on releasing these shows every other week, keep sprinkling in the super popular conversational episodes of Watch With Jen & Friends, and then every so often, deliver some shorter theme and surprise episodes to keep you entertained.

Originally Posted on Patreon (6/12/20) at https://www.patreon.com/posts/38178025

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Returning once again with 5 outstanding recommendations of great movies that you can stream right now.

Originally Posted on Patreon (6/5/20) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/37936381

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Though they've started opening bigger tentpole movies earlier and earlier with each passing year, Memorial Day weekend has traditionally been the time when the summer movie season really gets underway as top titles begin raking in huge box office returns. Of course, 2020 is the exception to that rule so for this week's Watch With Jen film recommendations bring that feeling of summer back with a handful of movies that will mentally transport you back to the theater . . . at least for a little while.

Selecting an '80s female driven comedy, a film that's set in the heat of summer, and a big action movie that seems like precisely the kind of sophisticated cinematic escape we could use right now, this week's titles might be more familiar and accessible than some of the ones you've encountered in the past but host Jen Johans wanted to bring a little retro summer movie season fun back to you.

Originally Posted on Patreon (5/29/20) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/37665684

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Jen Johans recommends 5 great films for you to stream this week.

Topics discussed: What Jack Kerouac and Nick Hornby characters have in common; rock star professors; Ethan Hawke as philosophizing preacher or shaggy dog; three Frenchmen who really know how to scare; the female battle with politeness; empowering women in horror; the power of female sexual fantasies; women without men and how that dynamic changes both genders; sex, drugs, and Martin Scorsese directed rock 'n roll; the whole Robbie Robertson controversy; Jen drops the F-bomb twice while quoting Levon Helm; Van Morrison as a high kicking, velvet wearing, scatting god; Anne Tyler novels; William Hurt & Kathleen Turner after Body Heat; how in an ensemble film like The Big Chill, of course Jen's falling for the messed up impotent guy; Lawrence Kasdan's underrated movies; the quarantine impact on The Sower and The Accidental Tourist; and quirky characters.

Originally Posted on Patreon here with links: https://bit.ly/3cueTnK

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In addition to 5 excellent streaming recommendations, topics this week include: new Patreon tiers and rewards, winning or losing the pronunciation battle, literary adaptations and the stars and directors who love them, nice Bobby vs. scary Bobby, an embarrassing Jen anecdote involving Uma Thurman, crushing on shorter boys, cell phone addiction, Captain America getting Fast and Furious while saving the day, anesthesia side effects, singing country music, Ben Affleck the filmmaker, theatrical vs. extended cuts, and classic noir set-ups.

Originally published on Patreon (4/13/20): https://www.patreon.com/posts/35952898

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From the mean streets of Brazil to life in Witsec in San Diego to a hangout picture from a pissed off Howard Hawks to Janis Joplin almost jumping out of her shoes onstage to a thirteen-year-old witch coming into her own in a Studio Ghibli classic, Jen serves up 5 great films from the HBO Max streaming library for your viewing pleasure.

Originally Posted on Patreon on 9/25/20 here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/42030767

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Episode 6 might be an all-timer in illustrating just how much Jen's cinematic tastes and interests run the absolute gamut.

Topics discussed include: Hugh Grant, relationships from brother filmmakers to brotherhood, The Godfather, Cain & Abel, MMA, Beethoven, Jerry Maguire, cool girls, '60s French pop music, Pixie Mary Poppins, buying too many books on Kindle, the facade of perfection, women with canes, Billy Wilder, actresses who dish on screen kisses, age difference on film, new millennium existential angst, and stealing rare books.

Originally Published on Patreon (4/6/20): https://www.patreon.com/posts/35716740

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Jen Johans jumps as far back as 1939 for her first film recommendation today & then jumped back into the 21st century with 4 others that she hopes you'll love. Topics discussed include: Netflix over-choice, Ginger Rogers, Bill Pullman and Rufus Sewell's onscreen luck with the ladies, that sometimes it's okay to just say no to Christopher Nolan movies, Alfonso Cuaron can tackle Dickens (damn it!), what Brian Wilson and the Minnesota Twins have in common, that time when Hannibal scared Jen's brother into hanging up drapes, Drew's Script-o-Rama, why Grady Tripp is her spirit animal, sometimes you need over a dozen drafts to get it right, her fear of cruise ships, why workaholics are not the enemy (& no, not every woman in a movie needs love), and a reminder that there is no crazier place than the diary entries of Jen's Letterboxd account.

Originally Posted on Patreon (3/30/20): https://www.patreon.com/posts/35441910

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Pull up a chair, plug in your headphones & settle in for 5 film recommendations & 40 minutes of quarantine fun. Topics discussed this week include: the wisdom of Martin Scorsese & Roger Ebert, writer-directors Jay & Mark Duplass, hospital in-room movie selections, women kicking ass on film (whether people buy tickets or not), action movie franchises, Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, why you should never trust Billy Zane in the water, Robert Elswit's relationship with Paul Thomas Anderson, paranoid thrillers, driving through southern Minnesota & winding up at Winona Ryder's place of birth, Kevin Bacon: good at being bad, collecting screenplays as a teen, the ever-evolving musical genre, & that time Jen Johans accidentally hung up on Rachael Leigh Cook.

Originally Published on Patreon (3/23/20): https://www.patreon.com/posts/35204345

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In addition to sharing 5 new titles that just might help liven things up around your house, topics discussed this week include: The Cadillac of microphones, Michelle Pfeiffer using & fighting against her beauty, Neil Simon, an imaginary Michael Haneke film festival, Howard Hawks: Hawksian Women & Men in Love, & digging the flawed side of Denzel Washington. Stay safe and stream on!

Originally published on Patreon (3/16/20): https://www.patreon.com/posts/34958634

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The training wheels have started to come off in the second episode of Watch With Jen & our host begins to talk. After news and notes on Episode 1, you'll find 5 stellar film streaming picks that Jen Johans would undoubtedly make you watch if you were hanging out in real life.

She serves up spicy anecdotes about how Scorsese's lasagna ruined Quentin Tarantino's dating life, why dating fellow creatives is tough in general, Bon Jovi and 1960s records, plays filmography detective, chats about eastern westerns, fesses up about that time she accidentally snubbed Bobby Cannavale, gives a couple of shout-outs to friends, and talks about Stockholm Noir and Swedish crime.

Originally published on Patreon (3/10/20): https://www.patreon.com/posts/watch-with-jen-2-34770104

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After 14 years and 2,500 reviews published on FilmIntuition.com (and thousands of odes to movies on Twitter @FilmIntuition), Jen Johans has kicks off her first podcast - Watch With Jen - where she recommends 5 great streaming movie recommendations each week for you to enjoy.

Originally uploaded on Patreon (3/3/20): https://www.patreon.com/posts/34563654

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A staff writer at WBUR's The ARTery and a contributing writer at North Shore Movies, Sean Burns was Philadelphia Weekly's lead film critic from 1999-2013 and worked as the movie section contributing editor at The Improper Bostonian from 2006-2014.

Having graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and received an award for excellence in criticism from The Greater Philadelphia Society of Professional Journalists in 2002, Sean's reviews, interviews, and essays have also appeared in Metro, The Village Voice, The Boston Herald, Nashville Scene, Time Out New York, Philadelphia City Paper, Movie Mezzanine, The House Next Door, and RogerEbert.com. Sean's writing has been called "jocular but serious, more like a 1940's daily reporter pounding out columns on a manual typewriter than a typical 21st-century novel gazing critic," but if you ask Sean's sisters, they'll just tell you that he swears too much and drives like an old lady.

Very funny and imaginative, Jen once had the misfortune of sharing a podcast episode of Blake Howard's THE LAST (12 Minutes) OF THE MOHICANS with Sean and it's safe to say that everyone that had been laughing and marveling along with Sean was undoubtedly disappointed by the time they reached her half of the conversation.

Today's episode starts out pretty traditionally as she asked Sean questions about his life and career but after about fifteen minutes or so, they loosened up, latched onto some tangents, and just went with it. Riffing on the most random of topics (apologies to Michael Douglas!), the last thirty minutes flew by in a fit of laughter.

Originally Posted on Patreon (9/28/20) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/42116374

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A positive, sunny, and earnest spirit on social media, where she's known as The Film Bee (or @TheFilmB on Twitter), Bee Garner is the founder and editor of the website In Their Own League, which is dedicated to promoting diversity on film and shining a light on the roles that women have played in cinema throughout history.

Additionally, a freelance writer who contributes to such outlets as Next Big Picture, InSession Film, Vodzilla, All the Right Movies, Zavvi, and more, Bee is a film studies program graduate whose favorite movies include American Psycho, Phantom Thread, Days of Heaven, The Piano, and Shoplifters.

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Fresh, knowledgeable, and funny, film critic Danielle Solzman remembers not only the first movie she saw on the big screen - which was The Land Before Time - but also recalls falling in love with film while watching Jurassic Park and Star Wars in the mid-1990s.

A Kentucky native, Danielle initially relocated to Chicago to study improv and sketch comedy and although instead, she transitioned to becoming a film critic, she has never given up her love of comedy and tries her best to inject humor in film reviews when possible. Since 2018, she has traveled across the U.S. and Canada to cover Sundance, South By Southwest, Tribeca, and The Toronto International Film Festival.

With quarantine keeping her stuck at home, she shifted from the feature film screenplay she'd been working on to write a short film instead. The first project that Danielle has made since she came out as transgender in 2015, Pandemic Therapy, which she not only wrote but also directed and starred in, made its online debut on September 15.

In this freewheeling discussion, Danielle and Jen discuss her love of classic film books, plan an epic day of movies at Chicago's Music Box Theatre, discuss the epiphanies you get in the shower, lament the technical woes that come with screener trouble, and more.

Originally Posted on Patreon (9/20/20) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/41822548

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A prolific crime writer, Nikki Dolson's work has been published in such well-respected places as Shotgun Honey, Tough, Thuglit, and Bartleby Snopes. Additionally, the author of what she affectionately describes as "a novelish thing" called All Things Violent, Nikki has also released a short story collection entitled Love and Other Criminal Behavior.

With outstanding taste in not only crime movies but all film, Jen's greatly enjoyed following her on Twitter and couldn't wait to bring her on the pod to discuss some of her favorite underrated heist movies.

In this all-encompassing chat, they discuss the weird noises you hear in old desert homes, the polite British murderers of Hitchcock, three stellar heist movies where the real draw is everything besides the heist, finding movie treasure in clearance bins, & their love of Sam Rockwell as a dancer. In fact, Nikki and Jen were so in sync throughout that if you took a shot for every time Jen exclaimed, "I know" you'd be dead in roughly five minutes flat. (So maybe don't do that!) Just be sure to listen with a notepad as this episode feels like it doubles as a new installment of her solo film recommendation pod Watch With Jen.

Originally Posted on Patreon on 9/17/20 here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/41714366

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A well-respected veteran critic who is based in New York, Glenn Kenny has written for publications such as Premiere Magazine - which is where I first read his byline in the '90s - as well as Film Comment, The Village Voice, and Rolling Stone. He also contributes reviews to The New York Times and RogerEbert.com.

Additionally, a film professor at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Glenn is the author of the books Robert De Niro: Anatomy of an Actor, along with today's brand new release Made Men: The Story of Goodfellas, and has appeared in such films as Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience and Ricky D'Angelo's The Sky is Clear and Blue Today.

Looking back on his career writing about film, music, and video components, in this highly entertaining chat, Glenn shares his evolution as an entertainment writer and also gives us an amazing behind-the-scenes look at Scorsese, De Niro, Pileggi, Goodfellas, and what class is like with Professor Kenny at NYU.

Originally Posted on Patreon (9/15/20) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/41636882

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A gifted, in-demand composer of film, television, theater, and dance scores, Tony-nominated and Drama Desk award-winner Grant Olding is often brought onboard projects early on to help shape the narrative as well as craft the music.

Impressed with his musical contributions to the animated 2013 musical Saving Santa with Tim Conway and Tim Curry, I first met Grant on Twitter after I reviewed the film and learned that he actually started his career as a child actor and dancer in the 1980s.

Cast in Jim Henson and Frank Oz's The Dark Crystal at the age of seven, which was the same year that he appeared onstage in Danton's Death at the National Theatre in London, Grant continued acting and played a number of roles in high-profile West End productions, opposite such co-stars as Daniel Day-Lewis, Brian Cox, and Judi Dench. Leaving school at sixteen, he performed in the original West End production of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods and went on to study acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Always playing, writing, and working on music in the background (whether with a band or solo as a singer-songwriter), when he performed in his now frequent collaborator Nicholas Hytner's original production of Miss Saigon, he wrote his first musical and stopped acting to concentrate on composing full time.

Most famous for the smash hit One Man, Two Guvnors - for director Nicholas Hytner and starring James Corden - that ran for over three years in the West End, on Broadway, and played internationally, Grant has written dozens of scores since for The Royal Shakespeare Company, the BBC, and others.

As funny and personable as he is sincere, it was a joy and a privilege to speak with Grant about all of this and more - including some of his favorite composers and film scores - in this fascinating episode.

Note: As September has proven to be exceptionally busy, I've had to delay new episodes of my solo film recommendation pod Watch With Jen for a moment but with such engaging and diverse guests, I know you'll enjoy these conversations on Watch With Jen & Friends as much as I have.

Originally Posted on Patreon (9/12/20) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/41534060

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A Los Angeles based film critic, journalist, podcast host, and event moderator, the witty and wonderful Katie Walsh reviews weekly film releases for the Tribune News Service and The Los Angeles Times.

Additionally, a frequent guest host of the Maximum Fun podcast Switchblade Sisters and one half of Miami Nice (which is the video podcast she hosts alongside our friend Blake Howard), Katie's work has been published by Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Playboy, The Playlist, Slate, Indiewire, Women & Hollywood, Town & Country, and more.

In this lively exchange, she serves up some of the pearls of wisdom she shares with her students at Chapman University, where she works as a part-time lecturer teaching the Film Studies course Practices of Writing About Film. And whether she's championing some of her favorite female filmmakers (shout-out to Allison Anders, Kathryn Bigelow, & Karyn Kusama, among others) or talking about RuPaul's Drag Race, Katie is a woman who always entertains.

Originally Posted on Patreon (9/8/20) with links to items & people mentioned here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/41387832

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A gifted film writer, critic, and historian with an engaging, inquisitive voice and bylines at such prestigious outlets as The New York Times, Vulture, The Playlist, and others, Jason Bailey is the editor-in-chief of the site Crooked Marquee. Additionally, the author of four books on film on such wide-ranging topics as Pulp Fiction and Richard Pryor, Jason's fifth book, on one hundred years of New York in the movies - entitled Fun City Cinema - is slated to be released in the Fall of 2021 from Abrams.

Having recently kicked off his entertainingly informative companion podcast (also called Fun City Cinema), I was so excited to talk to my longtime Twitter friend about all of this and more. From our mutual childhoods spending time raiding the film section of B. Dalton's and Walden Books in the '80s and '90s to his move to New York City and evolution as an eventual film writer, this all-encompassing chat is sure to delight.

Note: While you'd normally have a new episode of my solo film podcast Watch With Jen today, between deadlines and recording several episodes of Watch With Jen & Friends this week ahead of the long weekend, I've pushed the solo pod out one week so you get another awesome conversation instead!

Originally Posted on Patreon (on 9/4/20) with links to items mentioned here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/41243131

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An eye-opening and thoughtful writer with a special focus on film criticism and history, Christina Lane has written the books Magnolia, Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break, and the critically acclaimed new title Phantom Lady: Hollywood Producer Joan Harrison, the Forgotten Woman Behind Hitchcock.

The Chair of the Department of Cinematic Arts at the University of Miami, Christina's writing and commentary has also been featured in numerous outlets including "The Daily Mail" and "NPR."

In this episode of Watch With Jen & Friends, Jen was honored to talk to Christina about motion picture history, her books, and the film program where she teaches courses in media history, gender representation, film studies, and more.

Originally Posted on Patreon (8/31/20) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/41070924

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Delightful, irreverent, and incredibly funny, Maria Lewis is an author, screenwriter, and journalist based in Australia. After first getting her start as a police reporter, Maria's writing on pop culture has appeared in publications such as the New York Post, The Guardian, Penthouse, The Daily Mail, Empire Magazine, Gizmodo, Huffington Post, The Daily and Sunday Telegraph, i09, Junkee and many more. Previously seen as a presenter on SBS Viceland’s nightly news program The Feed and as the host of Cleverfan on ABC, she has been a journalist for over 16 years.

Maria's best-selling debut novel Who's Afraid? was published in 2016, followed by its sequel Who’s Afraid Too? in 2017, which was nominated for Best Horror Novel at the Aurealis Awards in 2018. Who’s Afraid? is being developed for television by the Emmy and BAFTA award-winning Hoodlum Entertainment. Her Young Adult debut, It Came From The Deep, was released globally on October 31, Halloween, 2017 and is a twist on The Little Mermaid meets Creature From The Black Lagoon.

Maria's fourth book, The Witch Who Courted Death, was released on Halloween, 2018, and won Best Fantasy Novel at the Aurealis Awards in 2019. And her fifth novel set within the shared supernatural universe - The Wailing Woman - was nominated for Best Fantasy Novel at the Aurealis Awards in 2020.

Maria, who Jen first met on Twitter through her best friend Blake Howard, was the host of the limited One Heat Minute Productions podcast series, Josie and the Podcats, about the 2001 cult film. In this chatty, free-spirited episode, the incredibly charming Maria regales us with lively tales about her career, podcasting, Blake Howard, Josie and The Pussycats, and, oh yeah, that time she almost ran down Gerard Butler with her car.

Originally Posted on Patreon (10/5/20) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/42405274

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As friendly as he is thoughtful, host Jen Johans greatly enjoyed her chat with Rotten Tomatoes certified, Chicago based film critic Robert Daniels. Chronicling his interest in writing about film from his time in college when he launched a film site and also took a life-changing film course with a terrific professor and local filmmaker, Robert gives us the scoop on the Chicago critic scene and provides some great advice to aspiring critics. From daring to love Cats to the unsung movies he wishes we discussed more, Robert's love of film is infectious in this episode.

Originally Posted on Patreon (8/5/20) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/40140177

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