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 & Watch With Jen podcast feeds.For the penultimate finale of MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH, Blake & I were joined by two of our dearest & most hilarious friends whose voices longtime listeners of both Watch With Jen & One Heat Minute Productions undoubtedly know very well by now. Returning to the airwaves after he joined me late in '23 to cover some of Robert Altman's most under-discussed movies, we have the Boston-based WBUR film critic Sean Burns & the very funny impressionist, cinephile actor-writer-producer Rob Belushi. It's the kind of sprawling, at times stream-of-consciousness inspired chat that you can only have with people with whom you're close. Press play & you'll hear ex-smokers Rob, Sean, & Blake celebrate Robert De Niro's screen love affair with cigarettes (& the '80s as a smoke-filled decade in general), express wonderment at the way that nobody does phone acting better than Bobby, relish in the reaction shots of Charles Grodin, & laugh as Rob slides into his Chicago accent to give us a little bit of Dennis Farina. This episode is a good one! Enjoy.Originally Posted on Patreon (3/7/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/99926294

Earlier in the year, I was thrilled to meet longtime Twitter acquaintance Duane Swierczynski when he arrived in Scottsdale on his book tour for his terrific new crime novel CALIFORNIA BEAR. Co-hosting an event with Patrick Milliken at the beloved local bookstore Poisoned Pen, we spent an hour chatting with the Philadelphia native about his life, work, new novel, & love for his adopted state of California, especially in the world of books & film. A knowledgeable cinephile, we made plans for Duane to become a guest on the show & he came up with an ingenious topic that fits right in with California Bear & the films he loves to watch by exploring a trio of SoCal Amateur Detectives movies from the late '70s through the early '80s, including THE LATE SHOW, CUTTER'S WAY, & MIKE'S MURDER. And it's the 4th episode of 2024, which is incidentally releasing on the weekend this show turns 4, so grab your headphones, notepads, & sunglasses for a little trip to the sunny, deadly beaches of Southern California, where people escape to reinvent themselves, try again, & maybe solve a crime... or 4.Duane's Bio: Duane Swierczynski is the New York Times bestselling & two-time Edgar-nominated author of ten novels, including Revolver & Canary - many of which are in development for film and TV - as well as the graphic novel Breakneck. Most recently, Duane released the novel California Bear, co-authored Lion & Lamb with James Patterson, and co-scripted James Patterson's The Guilty, an Audible Original starring John Lithgow and Bryce Dallas Howard. He lives in Southern California with his family.Originally Posted on Patreon (3/2/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/watch-with-jen-99599827Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive Shop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless Shop

Welcome to our podcast miniseries devoted to celebrating the 1988 contemporary classic, action buddy comedy MIDNIGHT RUN, written by George Gallo & directed by Martin Brest. Produced & hosted by Blake Howard & Jen Johans of One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen, respectively, each week, we’ll explore the film we first bonded over when we became friends in 2019 by surfing through an incredible roster of guests from journalists to novelists & beyond who love it as much as we do. Now available wherever you get your pods, each week, you'll find a new installment here & in both the One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen podcast feeds.As this series starts nearing its conclusion, like Jack & the Duke getting to L.A. by midnight, we want to make sure we have a Happy Ending ahead & this week, we definitely did, thanks to our amazing guests, filmmaker & Light the Fuse co-podcaster Charles Hood & HAPPY ENDINGS star Adam Pally. Both major fans of the film, it was a pleasure to chat with the pair for close to an hour about everything from the video store & HBO era of yesteryear to the alchemy of the actors. Also, Adam Pally gave me the thinnest excuse imaginable to riff about BLACK RAIN, which, if you know anything about me, you know was a total blast. Buckle up, you'll dig it.Originally Posted on Patreon (2/28/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/99382828

Surprise! Since next week marks the anniversary of when I started this podcast, I'm dropping this episode a few days early as a thank you for your support & listenership over the years. (Note: I haven't decided how to celebrate the date yet, but I think a good start would be not forgetting it like I usually do, haha.) Season 5 has kicked things off in a wonderfully nostalgic mode so far with several installments I've recorded about films of the '80s & '90s, which I'm hoping casts the same sort of warm, glowy, Gen X memory-filled spell on you that it did on me as I researched & prepped for these episodes. And who better to focus on for a look back at this era than John Cusack whose onscreen alter-ego so many of us grew up alongside? Returning to the podcast to investigate is filmmaker & author Duncan Birmingham, who started revisiting Cusack's films towards the end of '23 & pitched this terrific idea to zero in on the Quintessential Cusack era from SAY ANYTHING...(1989) to HIGH FIDELITY (2000).  Citing multiple other films along the way, in this appreciative, analytical look back, we focus on his work in three other tremendous films including THE GRIFTERS, GROSSE POINTE BLANK, & BEING JOHN MALKOVICH. Giving plenty of love to his outstanding collaborators & including stories from our own lives & the way our relationships with these characters & films change with age, this is just the thing to queue up & maybe blast from your boombox in some sort of grand romantic declaration as you head into your weekend.Duncan's Bio: A writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, today's guest Duncan Birmingham was an executive producer and screenwriter for IFC's MARON and also served as a co-executive producer and writer on the Starz series BLUNT TALK. Additionally, Duncan's short films have premiered at festivals like Sundance and AFI, and his screenplay SWINGLES, which Paramount purchased, was also on The Black List. Recently, his lively, irreverent short-story collection THE CULT IN MY GARAGE was published by Maudlin House in 2021, & in '22, he wrapped & released his excellent first feature-length film as a writer-director called WHO INVITED THEM.Originally Posted on Patreon (2/23/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/99081183

Welcome to our podcast miniseries devoted to celebrating the 1988 contemporary classic, action buddy comedy MIDNIGHT RUN, written by George Gallo & directed by Martin Brest. Produced & hosted by Blake Howard & Jen Johans of One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen, respectively, each week, we’ll explore the film we first bonded over when we became friends in 2019 by surfing through an incredible roster of guests from journalists to novelists & beyond who love it as much as we do. Now available wherever you get your pods, each week, you'll find a new installment here & in both the One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen podcast feeds. It's duos on duos this week on Midnight Run-Through as Blake & I are joined by two of our favorite fellow podcasters from The B-Side in the form of Conor O'Donnell & Dan Mecca, who join us to discuss our favorite duo of Grodin & De Niro in MIDNIGHT RUN. Similar to their past appearances on Watch With Jen, their enthusiasm & passion for filmmaking shines through in this sparkling, briskly-paced conversation.Originally Posted on Patreon (2/21/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/98938487

Although we had an early kickoff to our 2024 season with our episode dedicated to the work of Tom Wilkinson early in January, Watch With Jen listeners can consider this the official start of Season 5. Reuniting with my good friend & the senior editor of Letterboxd, the intelligent & highly articulate Mitchell Beaupre, in this delightful, research-filled feature-length conversation, we take a look at director Francis Ford Coppola's ambitious, messy, underrated, & often misunderstood '80s period, with emphasis on the films RUMBLE FISH, THE COTTON CLUB, ONE FROM THE HEART, & PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED. Mitchell Beaupre's Bio: I'm so pleased to welcome back to the podcast a talented, supportive, and funny friend. Currently based in Newark, Delaware, Mitchell Beaupre is not only the Senior Editor at one of my favorite services (via Letterboxd), but they're also the co-host of the Weekend Watchlist and Four Favorites podcasts, which you can find in the stream for The Letterboxd Show. Additionally, a prolific freelance film journalist and stellar interviewer for prestigious outlets such as "The Film Stage," "Paste Magazine," "The Playlist," and "Little White Lies," you can keep up with all of their impressive work on Twitter @ItIsMitchell. Originally Posted on Patreon (2/18/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/98710804 Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive Shop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless Shop

Welcome to our podcast miniseries devoted to celebrating the 1988 contemporary classic, action buddy comedy MIDNIGHT RUN, written by George Gallo & directed by Martin Brest. Produced & hosted by Blake Howard & Jen Johans of One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen, respectively, each week, we’ll explore the film we first bonded over when we became friends in 2019 by surfing through an incredible roster of guests from journalists to novelists & beyond who love it as much as we do. Now available wherever you get your pods, each week, you'll find a new installment here & in both the One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen podcast feeds. Roses are red, violets are blue, & on Valentine's Day, you'll hear writer-producer Bryan Cogman & Screen Drafts podcaster Clay Keller on Midnight Run-Through. An engaging, wide-ranging celebration of a movie we love, settle in for a conversation that could've easily lasted twice as long.Originally Posted on Patreon (2/14/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/98475143

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

Welcome to our podcast miniseries devoted to celebrating the 1988 contemporary classic, action buddy comedy MIDNIGHT RUN, written by George Gallo & directed by Martin Brest. Produced & hosted by Blake Howard & Jen Johans of One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen, respectively, each week, we’ll explore the film we first bonded over when we became friends in 2019 by surfing through an incredible roster of guests from journalists to novelists & beyond who love it as much as we do. Now available wherever you get your pods, each week, you'll find a new installment here & in both the One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen podcast feeds. Episode 5 brings two dear friends, brilliant authors, & frequent Watch With Jen guests in the form of BEWARE THE WOMAN novelist Megan Abbott & SHOOT THE MOONLIGHT OUT author William Boyle onto the podcast. In this lightning-fast conversation where two duos from two Pandemic Movie Clubs come together, you'll hear Abbott & Boyle celebrate the heyday of HBO & also dissect the film as a screwball romcom.Originally Posted on Patreon (1/31/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/97569122

A podcast miniseries devoted to celebrating the 1988 contemporary classic, action buddy comedy MIDNIGHT RUN, written by George Gallo & directed by Martin Brest. Produced & hosted by Blake Howard & Jen Johans of One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen, respectively, each week, we’ll explore the film we first bonded over when we became friends in 2019 by surfing through an incredible roster of guests from journalists to novelists & beyond who love it as much as we do. Now available wherever you get your pods, each week, you'll find a new installment here & in both the One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen podcast feeds. In the fifth episode, we finally bring MIDNIGHT RUN superfan & BOOGIE NIGHTS director Paul Thomas Anderson fully into the mix with our terrifically knowledgeable guests, author & Cinephile Game creator Cory Everett & the man who wrote the book on PTA via author Ethan Warren.Originally Posted on Patreon (1/24/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/97117158