Watch With Jen - S3: E5 - Hal Ashby with Duncan Birmingham

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/62775976

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

Logo: Kate Gabrielle (KateGabrielle.com)