Watch With Jen™

Earlier 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 to publishing & her creative process, in this lively, fast-paced conversation, we move back & forth from writing to discussing a trio of great ensemble mysteries that we both love including THE THIN MAN, DEATH ON THE NILE (1978), & CLUE. It's a whole lot of fun! Guest Bio: Erica Ruth Neubauer is the Agatha Award winning author of the Jane Wunderly Mysteries. She spent eleven years in the military, nearly two as a Maryland police officer, & one as a high school English teacher, before finding her way as a writer. She has been a reviewer of mysteries & crime fiction for publications such as Publishers Weekly & Mystery Scene magazine for several years, & she's a member of Sisters in Crime & Mystery Writers of America.Originally Posted on Patreon (5/17/25) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/129202166Shop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless ShopDonate to the Pod via Ko-fi Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

I always learn so much in my conversations with Canadian cinephile, critic, & author Adam Nayman & this episode - devoted to a quartet of big screen adaptations of Ira Levin's buzzy bestselling novels that captivated a generation of readers - is no exception. Listen in as we take you through his career as a master storyteller of what Stephen King deemed "Swiss watch" worthy plots while exploring the films A KISS BEFORE DYING (1956), ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968), THE STEPFORD WIVES (1975), & THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL (1978).Bio: Adam Nayman is a critic, lecturer, and author based in Toronto. He writes for the Ringer, Criterion, Reverse Shot, the New Yorker, & Sight and Sound, and teaches cinema studies at the University of Toronto. He has written several books on film, including titles on SHOWGIRLS & the movies of the Coen Brothers, Paul Thomas Anderson, & David Fincher for Abrams.Originally Posted on Patreon (5/1/25) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/127934077Shop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless ShopDonate to the Pod via Ko-fi Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

It was such a pleasure to reunite with WHAT LIES WEST writer-director Jessica Ellis for this thoughtful, breezy, good-hearted celebration of three films about women's sexuality onscreen. Diving into two very different, boldly inquisitive bright lights of '90s cinema in CHASING AMY & ANTONIA'S LINE, which bookend this conversation, we also explore 2024's lovely, compassionate, surprisingly bittersweet, highly recommended indie MY OLD ASS, which feels like a throwback to the coming-of-age indie films made in that same era.Originally Posted on Patreon (4/21/25) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/127082687Shop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless ShopDonate to the Pod via Ko-fi Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

It was wonderful to welcome back poet, teacher, writer, & scholar Elizabeth Cantwell this week to explore haunted houses both in film & real life, plus the existential, psychosexual, guilt-filled, Freudian, & supernatural realms of THE HAUNTING (1963), THE CHANGELING (1980), POLTERGEIST (1982), STIR OF ECHOES (1999), & more. I always learn so much when I talk to Elizabeth & we laughed far more than one would think going in given the topic, so this episode instantly became one of my favorites. Grab a flashlight & meet us at the top of the staircase, gang, we've got this!Originally Posted on Patreon (4/13/25) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/126578705Shop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless ShopDonate to the Pod via Ko-fiTheme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

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 director Anthony Mann's classic musical biopic THE GLENN MILLER STORY & one of Pedro Almodovar's greatest masterworks, PAIN AND GLORY. This season, I'm aiming to sprinkle in some more casual conversations with artists of all backgrounds into our traditional friendly analytic approach because right now, it feels like we're all so isolated, stressed, & wary that I'm hoping these occasional offbeat episodes might spark a little joy, discovery, & creativity for you along the way as well.Originally Posted on Patreon (4/7/25) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/126066237Shop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless ShopDonate to the Pod via Ko-fiTheme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

Brilliant 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 pictures in her prolific oeuvre, reference aspects of her offscreen life that may have impacted or enriched certain performances, & also give listeners a sneak preview of Abbott's upcoming new novel EL DORADO DRIVE, that's soon to be a TV series from A24 (written by the author as well!).Originally Posted on Patreon (3/31/25) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/125457268 Shop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless ShopDonate to the Pod via Ko-fi Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

Spring into romance with this lovely, jubilant celebration of a trio of knowledgeable RogerEbert.com critic & editor Nell Minow's favorite underrated classic romcoms: THEODORA GOES WILD, I LOVE YOU AGAIN, & BALL OF FIRE.Shop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless Shop (+ Direct Link to the Mug)Donate to the Pod via Ko-fiTheme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music ArchiveOriginally Posted on Patreon (3/24/25) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/124995380

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 the podcast, as well as the people in my life who've supported me from the moment I first started Watch With Jen as a humble little film recommendation show five years ago & I'm so incredibly grateful for those souls so I hope it makes them proud. I know I'm the woman running the podcast behind the scenes (which is why it's not as technologically advanced as others, I fear) but I'm not being disingenuous when I say that it really is our show overall.And with this in mind, I wanted to feature a film franchise that has brought so much joy and laughter to the lives of moviegoers around the world since it first started in the early 1960s. So sit back and listen to my knowledgeable friend & fellow film historian & essayist Peter Avellino & I explore the world of Blake Edwards & Peter Sellers' THE PINK PANTHER.Originally Posted on Patreon (3/17/25) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/124502377Shop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless Shop (+ Direct Link to the Mug)Donate to the Pod via Ko-fiTheme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

Last 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 continue & you'll consider supporting the show for as little as $1 per month, which covers our RSS hosting fees, research, equipment, & more. In this week's brand new installment, we're continuing the conversation we began last week that's devoted to the films of Los Angeles. Paying tribute to a beautiful city that I love & its wonderful spirited people, I'm hoping that these lively, funny, thoughtful chats about some of our favorite films that were shot & set within the city limits will bring a little joy after the devastating fires of early January. Clocking in at a little over 90 minutes, you will hear SAINT OF THE NARROWS STREET author William Boyle on MULHOLLAND DR., film critic Courtney Howard on TROOP BEVERLY HILLS & SPEED, & author Nikki Dolson on TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. (Note: previously announced guest, author S.A. Cosby had a scheduling conflict & will be appearing on another installment soon instead.) I enjoyed all of these discussions immensely & tend to get a little rowdy with my friends (as longtime listeners have noticed) so we go everywhere from recalling our early David Lynch experiences to giving Shelley Long her due to wondering why I find the sequence in TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. where Willem Dafoe makes funny money so intensely erotic. It's a lot... in a good way (& please be aware that there are spoilers galore in that chat).It's wild, I lost track of how many episodes I uploaded by the end of 2024 because it was a very overwhelming time & in my head, I assumed that we'd be hitting the 250th episode of the podcast closer to summer. This week, I decided to sit down & do the math (twice) & realized that I was completely mistaken. I will actually be hitting the 250th episode of the show next week, which blows my mind. There would be no point in doing this if my generous, talented guests didn't share their time with me & people didn't listen so while this is a one-woman endeavor behind the scenes, its success is a group effort. Your support, enthusiasm, & involvement has kept it going so you're all vital & valued & I hope you'll stay tuned. Originally Posted on Patreon (3/10/25) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/124000003Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive Shop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless Shop (+ Direct Link to the Mug) Donate to the Pod via Ko-fi

Welcome 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 I could do was to pay tribute to some of the wonderfully rich, diverse, & creatively inspiring films that have been made in the city. My earnest hope is that it might inspire more productions to shoot there in the future (which would bring necessary jobs back to L.A.) and also to give listeners a nice little reprieve from the stresses of this impossibly difficult year. Each week has felt like its own horror movie for so many people in my orbit, including myself. Our inaugural episode for season six features a staggeringly great lineup of artists & film minds. You'll hear from CALIFORNIA BEAR author Duane Swierczynski on JACKIE BROWN, Senior Vice President of The Black List Kate Hagen on MIRACLE MILE, film critic and UC Denver professor Walter Chaw on THE DRIVER & HICKEY & BOGGS, and WHO INVITED THEM filmmaker and author Duncan Birmingham on SWINGERS. A feature length tour of Los Angeles in the movies, I hope you enjoy the launch of Season 6. And as we head into my favorite season, perhaps it'll inspire you to get ready to visit the City of Angels again or at the very least, eagerly anticipate the second part of these talks which wander into Lynchian and Friedkin territory. Thank you so much for joining me these past five years; we'll be hitting the 250th episode of the podcast this season which is mind-boggling to me & I couldn't do it without your support.Originally Posted on Patreon (3/3/25) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/123479696Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive Shop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless Shop (+ Direct Link to the Mug) Donate to the Pod via Ko-fi