Shows
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S6: E14 - Physical Media: Part 2 - THE GRIFTERS with S.A. Cosby & Jordan Harper & THIEF & NIGHT MOVES with Priscilla PageWe're back with part two of our ongoing summer series devoted to the newest physical media releases from The Criterion Collection & today's episode is a must for neo-noir fans everywhere. First up, you'll hear from bestselling award-winning authors S.A. Cosby (whose newest novel KING OF ASHES just hit shelves last week) & Jordan Harper (SHE RIDES SHOTGUN & EVERYBODY KNOWS) on director Stephen Frears' outstanding adaptation of author Jim Thompson's THE GRIFTERS. Then we leave the '90s behind & go further back in time to catch up with the brilliant film essayist & historian Priscilla Page on two of her all-time...2025-06-221h 14
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S6: E13 - Physical Media: Part 1 - WINCHESTER '73 with Christa Faust & THE WAGES OF FEAR, YOJIMBO, & SANJURO with Dan Mecca & Conor O'DonnellIt's cowboys, & truckers, & samurai, oh my! In the first part of a summer suite of Season 6 episodes devoted to Physical Media released this year by The Criterion Collection, you'll hear conversations with some of my dearest friends (& your favorite guests). Just in time for Father's Day, we're embracing Dudes Rock (or at times, ironically, "Dudes Don't Rock") Energy for the first quartet of classic film favorites. I kick things off here in the West with THE GET-OFF author Christa Faust on WINCHESTER '73, & then check in with my B-Side Podcast buddies Dan Mecca & Conor O'Donnell out in the East...2025-06-151h 05
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S6: E12 - James Gandolfini with Jason BaileyWelcome to the unofficial second half of a delightful extended conversation about actor James Gandolfini that started at the end of April with me interviewing film critic, historian, & author Jason Bailey about his new outstanding biography GANDOLFINI: JIM, TONY, & THE LIFE OF A LEGEND for Poisoned Pen Bookstore. While I highly recommend you check out that earlier discussion on the Poisoned Pen's YouTube or FB Live channels (&/or wherever you get your podcasts), this episode of Watch With Jen works just as well on its own. Celebrating the beloved performer's diverse filmography & decades-spanning career as a character actor, in...2025-06-081h 04
Watch With Jen™Bonus Pod Episode: One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen Present Criterion Sessions - IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHTSince the kind souls at The Criterion Collection generously sent both myself & my dear friend (& kid brother from an Oz mother) Blake Howard the same brand new pristine 4K edition of director Norman Jewison's Academy Award winning 1967 masterpiece IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, we decided to team up to cover it together. Although you'll still hear several traditional Watch With Jen: Physical Media episodes in the future as Season 6 of my podcast continues, this time, we felt like kicking off the summer with a little HEAT c/o an episode of Blake's One Heat Minute Productions' Criterion Sessions...2025-06-0520 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S6: E10 - Ensemble Mysteries with Erica Ruth NeubauerEarlier in the year, I met the terrific & very prolific author Erica Ruth Neubauer at Poisoned Pen Bookstore when she was in town to promote her newest Jane Wunderly mystery series novel HOMICIDE IN THE INDIAN HILLS. From the moment that I discovered that she had a very cool, intricate tattoo of the game board & weapons from CLUE, I knew she'd be a great guest on Watch With Jen & I was delighted that she said yes. Delving not only into her background falling in love with old movies & books as a child, but also the path that led her...2025-05-1757 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S6: E6 - A Conversation on Creativity with Jack Pendarvis (on THE GLENN MILLER STORY & PAIN AND GLORY)And now for something completely different... featuring one of past guests & fellow authors Ace Atkins, Megan Abbott, & William Boyle's dearest friends. The first half of this week's episode with Oxford, Mississippi based ADVENTURE TIME & SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS screenwriter, voice actor, & author Jack Pendarvis is a freewheeling anything goes conversation about writing, shovels, William Faulkner cosplay, hitchhiking with butter knives, Saint Augustine, showers, & anything else that popped into our heads. Taking a look at two films about the creative process in the more classically Watch With Jen formatted second half of this discussion, we investigate two of Jack's favorite movies in...2025-04-0755 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S6: E5 - Doris Day with Megan AbbottBrilliant DARE ME, THE TURNOUT, & BEWARE THE WOMAN author & Criterion Collection cinephile Megan Abbott returns once again to Watch With Jen for a thoughtful, well-researched, & intriguing conversation about one of twentieth century cinema's most misunderstood and beloved screen icons, Doris Day. Investigating the subversive ways that Day's work raised questions about the evolving attitudes regarding sex, gender, desire, courtship, marriage, & male-female dynamics in particular, we walk you through 6 films in her diverse filmography, including CALAMITY JANE, LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME, THE PAJAMA GAME, PILLOW TALK, MIDNIGHT LACE, & THAT TOUCH OF MINK. Along the way, we cite other favorite...2025-03-311h 03
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S6: E3 - The Pink Panther Franchise with Peter Avellino (Episode 250)It's here! Recording my 250th episode introduction was tougher than I thought it'd be for a few reasons. The first is, of course, because I'm a total cheeseball & much too earnest, which is a curse both Midwestern & Italian-American since I tend to treat everyone like family and am much too passionate about what interests me. But the second reason is because right now it's such a rough time in our history (& most of our lives) that celebrating this accomplishment feels silly & self-indulgent. Then I realized, however, that this milestone is everyone's accomplishment who's ever listened to or guested on...2025-03-171h 17
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S6: E2 - L.A. Movies - Part 2 with William Boyle, Courtney Howard, & Nikki DolsonLast week's launch of Season 6: Episode 1 generated more downloads than we'd received for quite some time & I want to thank you so much for warmly welcoming back the podcast in 2025 in the same week we celebrated its fifth anniversary. A few days ago, I uploaded a new film recommendation video in a supplemental series for patrons that I'm calling Watch With Jen: Bonus Recs & I'm keeping them unlocked to the public for a few months before they'll become strict subscriber exclusives. We've had a huge increase in subscribers to our Patreon at the free level & I hope that will...2025-03-101h 32
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S6: E1 - L.A. Movies - Part 1 with Duane Swierczynski, Kate Hagen, Walter Chaw, & Duncan BirminghamWelcome back to Watch With Jen. Just in time for the fifth anniversary of the podcast (which officially began on March 3, 2020), I'm releasing the first of at least a two-part episode devoted to L.A. Movies. Like everyone else, I watched in horror as the Santa Ana wind wildfires ripped through a city that I dearly love at the start of 2025. Unable to contribute financially to the many worthy charities and Go Fund Me accounts that were launched in its wake, nor volunteer on the ground from where I live in Phoenix, I figured the next best thing that...2025-03-031h 42
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S5: E33 - Physical Media - Winter '24 with S.A. Cosby, Sean Burns, Jed Ayres, & William BoyleIt's finally here! Behold our Season 5 finale episode, which, in true Watch With Jen form is a group chat extravaganza celebrating the best new physical media releases in recent months. In this feature-length compilation, you'll hear thoughtful, articulate, occasionally personally revealing, funny, & fresh spins on NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (with novelist S.A. Cosby), Scarface - 1932 (with critic Sean Burns), THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY & GALAXY QUEST (with novelist Jed Ayres), myself on PAPER MOON, PULP FICTION, & THE SHAPE OF WATER, & A SIMPLE PLAN & PARIS, TEXAS (with novelist William Boyle). Afterward, I've included a special bonus section featuring the...2024-12-282h 02
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S5: E28 - Paul Rudd with Jen ChaneyIt’s Jen x2! In easily the most stressful week of an incredibly fraught fall, I know we could all benefit from a little extra kindness and positivity, which just so happen to be two of the qualities most filmgoers associate with actor Paul Rudd. Chatting with Vulture's delightful TV critic Jen Chaney, who literally wrote the book on writer-director Amy Heckerling's masterful 1995 romcom CLUELESS, the two of us spent a breezy hour celebrating some of Rudd's most iconic & intriguing roles, including the films CLUELESS, WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER, ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY, I LOVE YOU MAN, OU...2024-11-031h 00
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S5: E26 - Netflix's MINDHUNTER with Rob Belushi & Blake HowardWe don't cover TV very often on Watch With Jen so you know that when my guests & I dedicate an entire episode to a television series, it's something we wholeheartedly recommend you seek out. (In fact, THE AMERICANS, COLUMBO, TERRIERS, HALT & CATCH FIRE, MR. INBETWEEN, & SUCCESSION are among the few exceptions to this film-centric show in over 200 podcast installments.)As the opposite of a true crime buff who usually avoids serial killer stories in entertainment (except ZODIAC), this season, my good buddies, actor-producer Rob Belushi & the prolific podcaster Blake Howard challenged me to watch & discuss Netflix's critically...2024-10-151h 29
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S5: E25 - Edward Norton with Roxana HadadiOne of my most soulful & philosophical guests, my good friend, Vulture TV critic Roxana Hadadi returns to Watch With Jen to discuss character actor Edward Norton's career. Paying particular attention to his '90s & early aught heyday, in this thoughtful conversation, we discuss his films & performances in PRIMAL FEAR, AMERICAN HISTORY X, FIGHT CLUB, 25TH HOUR, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, & more. Along the way, we share our connections to & memories of some of these generation &/or decade-defining works.Roxana's Bio:A TV critic with Vulture, who also writes about film & pop culture, previously Roxana was the...2024-10-081h 13
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S5: E21 - Carol Reed: Man of War Noir with Jed AyresIt's the season five return of my good friend & longtime Watch With Jen fan-favorite guest, cinephile, Hardboiled Wonderland blogger, & author Jed Ayres. This time, Jed & I journey into stealthy mid-twentieth-century international spy terrain via four noir war films from the masterful British director Carol Reed. Kicking things off with the incredible classic THE THIRD MAN, we then join the pursuit of James Mason in Reed's expressionistic ODD MAN OUT & THE MAN BETWEEN before we let Graham Greene show us the ridiculous side of espionage in the humorous yet darkly clever OUR MAN IN HAVANA. A...2024-09-041h 22
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S5: E20 - Jan-Michael Vincent with Larry Karaszewski & Daniel WatersThis 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...2024-08-201h 23
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S5: E13 - Thandiwe Newton with Nikki DolsonIt's always a blast to chat about movies with a friend & the best thing about having a podcast is that I get to share these fun conversations with all of you. Returning to the podcast this week, we have the gifted crime writer Nikki Dolson who's covered everything from heist movies to westerns with me on Watch With Jen in the past. In this funny, feisty, & fast-paced hour, we celebrate the filmography & career of actress Thandiwe Newton & discuss men, women, sex, love, jealousy, actors, writing, gangsters, & more in the films M:I 2, THE LEADING MAN, ROCKNROLLA, & beyond. ...2024-06-1259 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S5: E10 - Kickass Women with Susan Elia MacNealAs 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...2024-05-2148 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S5: E9 - Don't Knock the Rock Fest: Allison & Tiffany Anders in Conversation with Kate Hagen & Jen JohansWe'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...2024-05-181h 13
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S5: E8 - Physical Media: Spring '24 with Alison Gaylin, Blake Howard, Chris McKay, & Rachel WagnerWelcome 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...2024-04-101h 35
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S5: E6 - Nancy Savoca & Richard Guay in conversation with Kate Hagen & Jen JohansThis 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...2024-03-201h 24
Watch With Jen™MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH - Episode 12 (The Finale) - George Gallo & James Urbaniak (From One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen)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...2024-03-1459 min
Watch With Jen™MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH - Episode 11 - Rob Belushi & Sean Burns (From One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen)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 & Wa...2024-03-0748 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S5: E4 - SoCal Amateur Detectives with Duane SwierczynskiEarlier 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...2024-03-0257 min
Watch With Jen™MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH - Episode 10 - Charles Hood & Adam Pally (From One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen)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 & Wa...2024-02-2856 min
Watch With Jen™MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH - Episode 9 with Dan Mecca & Conor O'Donnell (From One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen)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 & Wa...2024-02-2140 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S5: E2 - Francis Ford Coppola in the '80s with Mitchell BeaupreAlthough 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...2024-02-181h 37
Watch With Jen™MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH - Episode 8 with Bryan Cogman & Clay Keller (From One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen)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 & Wa...2024-02-141h 06
Watch With Jen™MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH - Episode 7 with Adrian McKinty (From One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen)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 & Wa...2024-02-0742 min
Watch With Jen™MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH - Episode 6 with Megan Abbott & William Boyle (From One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen)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 & Wa...2024-01-3139 min
Watch With Jen™MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH - Episode 5 with Cory Everett & Ethan Warren (From One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen)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 Je...2024-01-2437 min
Watch With Jen™MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH - Episode 4 with Jedidiah Ayres & Nikki Dolson (From One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen)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 & Wa...2024-01-1730 min
Watch With Jen™MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH - Episode 3 with Ben Mankiewicz & Alan Sepinwall MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH - Episode 3 with Ben Mankiewicz & Alan Sepinwall (From One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen)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 & Wa...2024-01-1056 min
Watch With Jen™MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH - Episode 2 with Peter Avellino & Nell Minow (From One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen)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 Pe...2024-01-0337 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S5: E1 - Remembering Tom Wilkinson with Roxana HadadiAlthough 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...2024-01-0259 min
Watch With Jen™MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH - Episode 1 with BenDavid Grabinski & Drew McWeeny (From One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen)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 we...2023-12-271h 01
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S4: E44 - Under-discussed Altman Movies with Sean BurnsIt'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...2023-12-221h 02
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S4: E43 - Car Movies: Part 2 - Frankenheimer with Priscilla Page (+ Donal Logue & Blake Howard)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...2023-12-181h 25
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S4: E42 - Car Movies: Part 1 - McQuarrie with Priscilla PageThis 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...2023-12-151h 53
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S4: E41 - Physical Media: Winter '23 with Walter Chaw, Bilge Ebiri, William Boyle, S.A. Cosby, Sean Burns, & Nikki DolsonNote: 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...2023-12-042h 44
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S4: E38 - French Crime Movies: Part 2 with William BoyleReturning 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...2023-11-071h 08
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S4: E37 - Elmore Leonard's Westerns with Jed AyresPeckerwood 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...2023-10-301h 58
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S4: E18 - Dennis Hopper - Part 3Welcome to Dennis Hopper in the 1990s aka Watch With Jen's third & final installment in our first spotlight series devoted to the careers of iconic character actors that we love to see onscreen. Timed to be running the same week as his birthday, we kick off our Hopper finale with an extended appreciation of his return to the director's chair for the 1990 film THE HOT SPOT c/o its biggest fan, my Pandemic Movie Club buddy & fellow erotic thriller devotee Travis Woods. Then we take you on a tour of Hopper's prolific & diverse '90s period of memorable performances in...2023-05-181h 24
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S4: E13 - Early Richard Gere with Leslie Byron PittA talented film critic, photographer, & podcaster based in England, Leslie Byron Pitt has written for Set the Tape & Empire Magazine, & has also been published on Vodzilla, Film Stories, & Little White Lies online. Additionally featured on Inside Cinema for the BBCi Player, when he isn't writing, doing expressive photography, or creating new pieces for print, Leslie can be found on the erotic thriller podcast Fatal Attractions. A returning guest from early in Season 2, when we did a really thoughtful episode devoted to three unique tales of human connection onscreen, in this terrific, fascinating conversation that's filled with research & rich insights, Watch...2023-04-261h 19
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S3: E48 - Physical Media: Classic Movies (with William Boyle & Sheila O'Malley)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...2022-12-2851 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S3: E47 - Physical Media: Foreign & Art (with Walter Chaw, Jed Ayres, & Jordan Harper)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...2022-12-281h 21
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S3: E45 - Peter Weir with Blake HowardFor 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...2022-12-051h 19
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S3: E44 - Willem Dafoe with Mitchell BeaupreThis 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...2022-11-301h 50
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S3: E24 - Obscure Music Docs with Music Supervisor Tiffany Anders in Conversation with Kate Hagen & Jen JohansThis 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...2022-06-211h 15
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S3: E8 - Allison Anders in Conversation with Kate Hagen & Jen JohansIn 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...2022-03-041h 21
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S2: E55 - Adventures in Physical Media: Part 3 (With William Boyle + Rob & Sandi Belushi)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...2021-12-151h 52
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - S2: E25 - Creative Women Onscreen with The Classic Film CollectiveSince 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...2021-06-252h 08
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen: Episode 20Just 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/44310048Theme Music: The Guitarist by Jahzzar, Free Music Archive2020-11-2643 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 44 - Sofia Coppola with Roxana HadadiWitty, 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...2020-11-121h 49
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 41 - Chad PermanThe 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...2020-10-121h 01
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - Episode 15This 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/39159624Theme Music: The Guitarist by Jahzzar, Free Music Archive2020-10-0544 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - Episode 14Let'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...2020-10-0532 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - Episode 13It'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...2020-10-0534 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - Episode 11Though 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...2020-10-0551 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - Episode 8Jen 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...2020-10-0557 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - Episode 19From 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/42030767Theme Music: The Guitarist by Jahzzar, Free Music Archive2020-10-0553 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - Episode 5Jen 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...2020-10-0549 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen - Episode 4Pull 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...2020-10-0541 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen - Episode 2The 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...2020-10-0540 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen - Episode 1After 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/34563654Theme Music: The Guitarist by Jahzzar, Free Music Archive2020-10-0523 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 39 - Sean BurnsA 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...2020-10-0547 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 37 - Danielle SolzmanFresh, 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...2020-10-0539 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 36 - Heist Flicks with Nikki DolsonA 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...2020-10-0549 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 34 - Grant OldingA 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...2020-10-0545 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 32 - Jason BaileyA 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...2020-10-0543 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 31 - Christina LaneAn 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...2020-10-0531 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 40 - Maria LewisDelightful, 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? wa...2020-10-051h 03Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 25 - Robert DanielsAs 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...2020-10-0531 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 30 - Jordan Harper RecommendsBack in the '90s, one of Jen's favorite things to do on a Friday night was visit her local mom and pop video store and cruise the shelves, particularly the Staff Recommends section, which more often than not consisted of clever, buried treasure you might've missed on a casual walkthrough.A crime movie buff with a specific interest in the trashy, low-budget indies we both came of age watching in the '90s, Jen's friend, Edgar award-winning novelist and screenwriter Jordan Harper is someone who you just know would've put together a killer shelf of movie...2020-10-0559 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 29 - Kristen Lopez: Kristen's CrushesThe always adorable entertainment writer Kristen Lopez returns to Watch With Jen & Friends for the first time since Episode 3 to talk gorgeous men, formative crushes, the embarrassment that comes with working in a field that puts you in direct contact with the objects of your affection, her fruitless search for hot English majors, and other things that together she and Jen probably shouldn't admit to on air. It's a fun, breezy episode that's guaranteed to make you laugh (and them blush) and the perfect way to turn your Monday around. Enjoy!Originally Posted on Patreon (8/24/20) with links...2020-10-0544 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 27 - Chris HewittOne of the first film critics that Jen remembers reading religiously as a girl growing up in Minnesota in the 1990s, Chris Hewitt has the unique distinction of having been hired to review movies for both of the primary newspapers in her home state.Originally working at "The St. Paul Pioneer Press," thirty years later, Chris is now covering film for "The Minneapolis Star Tribune." Friendly, engaging, and articulate, in addition to movies, Chris is a noted lover of Agatha Christie and fun novelty floaty pens, and in this fast-paced chat, he discusses not only those hobbies...2020-10-0530 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 26 - Raquel StecherA knowledgeable classic movie blogger and devotee of all things film, it was such a delight to chat with the talented writer Raquel Stecher about growing up in the '90s with strong female screen role models, her annual summer reading challenge and love of books, and more.Listen in as she shares some of her favorite cinematic discoveries, introduces the world to the charming Ginger Rogers vehicle Bachelor Mother (a Watch With Jen recommendation as well), and comes up with some terrifically obscure recommendations of films and stars we should try to seek out if we...2020-10-0534 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 21 - Paul OsborneJen first encountered talented writer-director Paul Osborne while reviewing his 2009 documentary Official Rejection, which explored the wild world of film festivals as experienced by independent filmmakers & we soon became friends. Particularly skilled at crafting twisty low-budget character-driven thrillers like her personal favorite Favor, she'd been looking forward to bringing him on Watch With Jen & Friends from the very beginning and just minutes into this chat - which finds Paul telling one intuitive, funny, and analytical story after another - it becomes clear why. So pull up a chair, listen, and have no fear: Paul's brother from another mother, Blayne...2020-10-0553 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 20 - Jill BlakeShrewd, witty, and wise, Atlanta based film researcher and writer Jill Blake is one of Jen's favorite people to interact with on Twitter (@BiscuitKitten) so it was such a treat to sit down and have a virtual conversation with her for this episode.They talked about pandemic life as two blue women in two red states (sadly, just days before Georgia's governor actually did sue the city of Atlanta about the mask mandate), her website The Retro Set and podcast DWT: Drinking While Talking, as well as Marvel movies, TCM, Waiting for Guffman, Fredric March, and more.2020-10-0542 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 19 - David HandlerA journalist turned Hollywood screenwriter turned Edgar award-winning novelist, when it comes to writing, David Handler has pretty much done it all. A man Jen Johans first encountered on Twitter sharing his intricate thoughts about old movies (as an avowed fan of Turner Classic Movies), in this fascinating, nearly hour-long discussion, David moves back and forth between storytelling and analysis to deliver great insights about some of Hollywood's most famous legends including his mentor William Goldman, Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Humphrey Bogart, and more.Originally Posted on Patreon (7/17/20) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/39426342Theme...2020-10-0555 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 18 - Brian SaurAn ardent film lover and unwavering champion of physical media, the articulate, supportive, and always entertaining Brian Saur has run the well-respected film blog Rupert Pupkin Speaks since 2009. Dedicated to shining a light on forgotten or overlooked movies from decades past, in addition to his blog, Brian co-hosts the acclaimed Pure Cinema Podcast for the New Beverly Cinema and also hosts the Blu-ray centric Just the Discs Podcast as well.Having been honored to contribute to Rupert Pupkin Speaks a handful of times over the years, Jen was so excited to talk to him about podcast editing...2020-10-0537 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 17 - S.A. CosbyAn award-winning author from southeastern Virginia, Jen was thrilled and honored that Shawn Cosby - who writes professionally as S.A. Cosby - took the time to chat with her via Skype during what is an insanely busy week for the writer as his critically acclaimed upcoming novel Blacktop Wasteland is scheduled to drop on July 14.A man who's passionate about the arts, during this wide-ranging interview, Jen talks to Shawn about the music he listens to and the actors he imagines when he writes, the essential crime books he recommends to new genre readers, his Top 10...2020-10-0538 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 16 - Travis WoodsFriendly, feisty, fresh, and oh, so very funny, Bright Wall/Dark Room staff writer and contributing editor Travis Woods is as passionate about film as he is endearingly supportive of all who love it. The host of the podcast Increment Vice (which takes a look at Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice one scene at a time), host Jen Johans chats with her friend about his obsession with "toxic masculinity in need of redemption" plotlines, devotion to L.A. topography on film, and notorious hatred of writing.Wrapping up the first round of her Missouri Boys Trio, which...2020-10-0555 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 15 - Brianna AshbyA gifted artist, Brianna Ashby's richly humanistic paintings of some of cinema's most memorable moments & famous figures dazzle the pages of the highly regarded online film journal BWDR (which she co-founded).A joy on social media for her funny, passionate takes on pop culture - including the great records she's adding to her collection - in this episode, Brianna & Jen take on dad rock, Wes Anderson, their love of nostalgia (& especially the '90s), Gilmore Girls, and the soul of art and vintage clothes.Originally Posted on Patreon (6/30/20) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/388002262020-10-0540 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 14 - Courtney HowardFriendly, genuine, and laid-back, Courtney Howard is as easy to talk to in real life as she is on Twitter. Recorded in the last week of May (and before the vital protests and current events began), in this wide-ranging exchange, Courtney discusses her background in film and the interesting road that led her to write about movies as well as some of the films she's currently watching in quarantine.Veering off-topic for a terrifically fun segment about '80s music, at the end of the episode, Jen took the opportunity to ask the devoted nail polish collector...2020-10-0546 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 13 - Peter AvellinoA talented, thoughtful writer, 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. One of Jen's first friends on Twitter, it was such a pleasure for her to talk to Peter live and in-person through the magic of Skype and she knows you'll enjoy this chat about Peter's quest to hunt for buried treasure as he unearths great streaming library finds, how and why certain films compel him to write about them, and movies in general. This is Jen's first time including an epilogue or...2020-10-0536 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 12 - Tomris LafflyFrom her early days learning how to keep readers interested with creative letter writing to what life is really like for critics when they show up for a film festival, Jen Johans greatly enjoyed her wide-ranging conversation with the talented and always friendly New York based freelance writer Tomris Laffly.A fellow fan of Steven Spielberg's often overlooked film The Terminal, in this episode, Tomris not only shares some great ideas for art and classic movies to watch but also two apps that will give us the opportunity to watch with friends long-distance that you just might...2020-10-0537 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 6 - Nell MinowThe kind, wise, quick-witted, and talented critic Nell Minow of MovieMom.com clicks so quickly with Jen in this episode that this half-hour flies right by. In fact, Jen agreed with her taste so often that she's sure she said the phrase "I love that" or "love it" at least thirty times. From Turner Classic Movies and outstanding film recommendations for families to a thoughtful discussion about writing reviews online and her adventures seeing movies reel-to-reel at the Library of Congress, Episode 6 is sure to delight film lovers.Originally Posted on Patreon (4/30/20) with links to topics & films...2020-10-0531 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 5 - Kate GabrielleThe human embodiment of sunshine, Jen joins freelance illustrator, blogger, and film fan Kate Gabrielle for a fun conversation covering a wide variety of topics including Target, the power of perfume, Kate's new classic movie game show Box Office Draw on YouTube, the creative ideas you have in the shower, Dante's Peak, Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin movies, the little details you'll find in the films of Truffaut, fan letters, and what Alain Delon has in common with Arnold Schwarzenegger.Note: There were technical difficulties with the recording so format the finished audio isn't quite as polished...2020-10-0531 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 4 - Rob BelushiJen joins her brother from another Illinois mother - actor, writer, Second City teacher, and Game Show Network Get a Clue & Daily Draw host Rob Belushi - for a fun Heat, Tombstone, and Scorsese movie quote filled wide ranging discussion about their mutual film obsessions, unputdownable books and the authors who wrote them, the great Joe Pesci, creative friends, Kurt Russell, and Rachel Maddow.Note: Originally posted on Patreon (4/16/20) with links here.Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive2020-10-0550 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 3 - Kristen LopezIn this episode, host Jen Johans joins one of her oldest Twitter friends, the incredibly talented and delightful podcaster, Indiewire TV editor, and freelance entertainment writer Kristen Lopez for a lively chat about Turner Classic Movies, disability representation onscreen, film books, her podcast Ticklish Business, as well as her work fostering kittens until they're ready for adoption.Originally Posted on Patreon (4/14/20): https://www.patreon.com/posts/36015522Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive2020-10-0529 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 1 - Jordan HarperIf her main podcast Watch With Jen is the studio track with lots of research and a dozen takes to get the right sound, then Jen's sister podcast Watch With Jen & Friends is the fun, live acoustic version where each week, she calls up a friend and they just talk movies and riff.Today's guest is Jordan Harper. A brilliant author with a quick, fresh wit, really cool taste, and a laid back conversationalist, it's inspiring to hear him wax about everything from MTV's The Challenge to Japanese women in prison films with the reverence most would...2020-10-0537 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 23 - Blayne WeaverA talented actor turned writer-director, from shooting a TV movie in his teens alongside Oscar winners to voicing Disney's Peter Pan to writing a film for actors Don Cheadle and Joseph Gordon-Levitt to helming his own well-respected indies, Blayne Weaver has had an extraordinary career.Jen first befriended Blayne roughly ten years ago, after she saw, loved, and reviewed his romantic comedy Weather Girl and then watched him have the most polite (and justified) freakout known to man in Paul Osborne's film festival documentary Official Rejection. She's been looking forward to having him on the show since...2020-07-3143 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 11 - Blake HowardThoughtful, kind, and ambitious, Blake Howard is a podcaster, critic, and the man behind the acclaimed podcast One Heat Minute, who spun off his success with that show into a whole collection of great new film obsessive podcasts under the One Heat Minute Productions umbrella.Relishing the chance to have another fun discussion with Jen's favorite Australian, in this fast-paced episode, Blake shares his advice for podcasters, generously gives a number of shout-outs to their mutual friends and faves, and reveals what he's been watching lately.Knowing that his fans would be as curious as...2020-05-2643 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 10 - Stephanie CrawfordA talented film writer and podcaster with an infectious love of cinema & physical media, Stephanie Crawford's passion for film shines through on her popular Twitter account and also in real life, as Jen Johans quickly discovered when she chatted with her last week.In a freewheeling, wide-ranging discussion, the two discuss DVD commentary tracks, what not to use for an online password, director Ken Russell's work, the perils and pleasures of organizing one's movie collection, and agreed that it's about time to give Kirsten Dunst's filmography and Donald O'Connor's contribution to Singin' in the Rain the reverence...2020-05-2232 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - Episode 10We've reached the 10th episode of Watch With Jen, which means that this installment brings the number of films that host Jen Johans has recommended to 50! From journalism movies to a 19-year-old summer comedy, as well as Hitchcockian train fare, a foodie film, & a contemporary classic from Argentina, here's hoping you'll find something you can't wait to check out in these wide-ranging picks.Originally Posted on Patreon (5/18/20) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/37270109.Theme Music: The Guitarist by Jahzzar, Free Music Archive2020-05-1843 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 9 - Walter ChawWhen you ask Film Freak Central senior critic and former University of Denver film professor Walter Chaw a question, you're going to get an answer that's as articulate as it is profound. Friendly and contemplative, for Jen Johans, it was both an honor and a delight to speak with the former VP of Operations at Denver's Alamo Drafthouse about life during quarantine for introverts, advice he has for aspiring critics, his philosophy of film writing as personal excavation, the many rich and varied experiences he's had hosting movies and watching them with filmmakers, as well as his recent movie...2020-05-1544 min
Watch With Jen™Watch With Jen - Episode 9Taking you around the world for 4 of the 5 features, we go from the underworld of contemporary Northern Ireland to Guernsey island in WWII, then travel to the American south in the 1990s, the beaches of southern France in the early '00s, before we meet a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders in modern day Denmark.A lively episode, E9 is filled with observations about hammers as weapons, letter writing as the perfect way to get to know someone, why Francis Ford Coppola is too hard on himself, sexless sex comedies, how stressful...2020-05-1145 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 8 - Jedidiah AyresWarm, witty, and a wonderfully fun conversationalist, Peckerwood author and Hardboiled Wonderland blogger Jedidiah Ayres and Jen Johans dove right into a free-flowing discussion about blogging, the perils and pleasures of adapting books to film, great double feature ideas, and mutual pals on Twitter and the result is this fast-paced episode.Originally Posted on Patreon (5/6/20) with links to people, films, and sites mentioned here.Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive2020-05-0637 minWatch With Jen™Watch With Jen & Friends: Episode 7 - William BoyleIntelligent, thoughtful, and kind, when you speak to author William Boyle (whose new critically acclaimed novel City of Margins has just been released), he takes you on a trip through his influences and current filmic obsessions. Digging for new treasure, whether it's in the stacks of physical media that both he and Jen have in common or through the many streaming services he scours when he's pursuing a certain thread of titles, this 45-minute conversation spans everything from his work guest editing the newest volume of ByNWR to a cool overview of the movies of Tony Scott. And while...2020-05-0445 min