Watch With Jen™

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

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.comTheme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music ArchiveOriginally 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/62971521Logo: KateGabrielle.comTheme 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/62775976Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music ArchiveLogo: 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/62644819Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music ArchiveLogo: 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/62429171Theme 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 ArchiveOriginally 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/61911795Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

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/59921295Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

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/59911369Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive