Watch With Jen™

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/65951851Logo: Kate Gabrielle (KateGabrielle.com)Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

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.Logo: Kate Gabrielle (KateGabrielle.com)Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

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/65296760Logo: Kate Gabrielle (KateGabrielle.com)Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

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.Logo: Kate Gabrielle (KateGabrielle.com) 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/64664011Logo: Kate Gabrielle (KateGabrielle.com)Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

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/64378129Logo: 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/64078584Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music ArchiveLogo: 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/63839960Logo: Kate Gabrielle (KateGabrielle.com)Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

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/63666474Logo: KateGabrielle.comTheme 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/63509809Logo: KateGabrielle.comTheme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive