Watch With Jen™

As promised, Watch With Jen is back with your second brand-new time-sensitive episode of the week! And my goodness, it's a stellar conversation that writers, book lovers, WWII history buffs, & fans of awesome heroines will love.Returning to the podcast today, we have the terrific Susan Elia MacNeal. The NY Times bestselling author of the Maggie Hope mystery series and the standalone MOTHER, DAUGHTER, TRAITOR, SPY, Susan Elia MacNeal has won the Barry Award & has also been nominated for the Edgar, Macavity, Agatha, Left Coast Crime, Dilys, ITW Thriller, & other awards. A Brooklyn resident, where she lives with her husband & son, Susan is back to talk about kickass women & especially her intrepid spy Maggie Hope, since the wonderful final installment of that series, THE LAST HOPE, releases on May 21 (today!).Consider this the sequel to our lovely, wide-ranging Season 3 conversation about Spy Movies, since it ties in with our topic. Sharing some behind-the-scenes information about researching & writing her beloved WWII Maggie Hope series, Susan also drops some incredible news about an upcoming series that I can't wait to get to dig into, & celebrates three great films about Kickass Women working together - FEMALE AGENTS, WIDOWS, & OCEAN'S EIGHT.Originally Posted on Patreon (5/21/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/104666818Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive Shop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless Shop Donate to the Pod via Ko-fi

We're back from our short spring hiatus this week with a very special conversation featuring my friend & occasional co-host, the wonderful Senior Vice President of The Black List, Kate Hagen. Joining us today are two of our favorite women & returning guests, the fabulous writer-director, cinephile, & retired professor Allison Anders, & her incredibly in-demand music supervisor daughter Tiffany Anders. Allison, of course, is the great filmmaker behind such contemporary classics as GAS FOOD LODGING, MI VIDA LOCA, GRACE OF MY HEART, & THINGS BEHIND THE SUN, & Tiffany Anders is the tastemaker & music supervisor behind RESERVATION DOGS, PEN15, & BEEF. Passionate about music - especially rock & its intersection with film - they're here today to tell us all about the upcoming triumphant return of their beloved early aught Los Angeles-based film festival Don't Knock the Rock (aka DKTR), which showcases hard-to-see & overlooked music documentaries & rock classics & boasts Master Classes, Special Guests, discussions with filmmakers, & more. This year's festival is particularly exciting because it has both an in-person component at the American Cinematheque Los Feliz 3, which runs from May 23-27, & a streaming festival hosted by Cineville from May 23-July 31 that everyone can access. Filled with stories about music, movies, records, LA, & more, this breezy, infectiously delightful discussion is a perfect summery weekend listen! Originally Posted on Patreon (5/18/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/104487153Theme 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 first Physical Media episode of 2024. Joining me today, we have a terrific quartet of movie minds discussing a handful of titles newly released on disc, including novelist Alison Gaylin on TO DIE FOR, podcaster-critic Blake Howard on CONTAGION, filmmaker Chris McKay on THE SHOOTIST & THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, & podcaster-critic Rachel Wagner on FOOTLOOSE (1984). Additionally, you'll hear me cover the new Criterion box set of Eric Rohmer's TALES OF THE FOUR SEASONS & the new Blu-ray edition of the Anthony Mann western THE TIN STAR solo. A wonderful compilation episode that provides lively commentary, excellent film references, & double feature ideas, plus hilarity & tangents galore, I hope you have as much fun listening to this series of conversations as I did having them. Note: This is the last new episode of Watch With Jen before a brief April hiatus but rest assured, we have so much more in store for you this season when we return in May. Also, Patreon subscribers will begin finding more writing & other surprises waiting for them shortly. Originally Posted on Patreon (4/10/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/102095895Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music ArchiveShop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless Shop

In this ambitious research-filled exploration of one of Italian cinema's most fascinating & influential figures, Canadian actor-writer-podcaster Robert Bellissimo returns to the podcast to discuss the singularly daring maestro Luchino Visconti. An aristocratic count turned Socialist who fought the Nazis as a member of the Italian Resistance & was sentenced to death before fate & history intervened & he was eventually able to testify & help sentence to death the man who tortured him during WWII, Luchino Visconti is a man who lived a thousand lifetimes before he became one of the most acclaimed & groundbreaking directors of the twentieth century.The man behind arguably the first Neorealist feature, the film noir OSSESSIONE (which was made before Hollywood adapted the same James M. Cain novel as THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE), in this rich episode, we discuss three of his towering, staggeringly beautiful, & emotionally devastating works, including ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS (which inspired both THE GODFATHER & RAGING BULL), THE LEOPARD, & DEATH IN VENICE. Delving into the history, significance, analysis, text, & subtext of these remarkable movies, this is a conversation to listen to with a notebook as it might send you on the hunt for more incredible features.Robert's Bio: Robert Bellissimo is an actor, acting teacher, and YouTube video podcaster. He is also an ongoing contributor to two Toronto film critics' websites, IN THE SEATS and SCREENFISH. Robert's YouTube channel - Robert Bellissimo at the Movies - is an exploration of all things cinema, which includes reviews and in-depth interviews with guests who work in film.Originally Posted on Patreon (3/26/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/101108059Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music ArchiveShop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless Shop

This week, I'm delighted to be joined once again by my good friend Kate Hagen, who is the Senior Vice President of The Black List. Returning to the show for another conversation with some of our favorite independent filmmaking heroes, in the past, we've spoken to such greats as writer-director Allison Anders and actors turned producers Amy Robinson & Griffin Dunne. Today, we're honored to be chatting with the woman who received an award naming her a New York trailblazer, writer-director Nancy Savoca, who, along with her frequent co-writer, producer, and husband Richard Guay have made such groundbreaking & beloved award-winning & critically acclaimed indies as TRUE LOVE, DOGFIGHT, HOUSEHOLD SAINTS, THE 24 HOUR WOMAN, and more. A must for fans of independent filmmaking of the '80s & '90s, in this illuminating discussion, Nancy & Rich chronicle not only their journey as filmmakers but more recently, their incredibly vital work on behalf of MissingMovies.org to try to locate, preserve, and safeguard indies for future generations. Originally Posted on Patreon (3/20/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/100694293 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 the finale of 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, over the past 12 weeks, you've heard us 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. If you've missed previous discussions or are just discovering the show today, you'll find all 12 installments available wherever you get your pods in the One Heat Minute Productions & Watch With Jen podcast feeds. All good things must come to an end & this episode, lovingly edited by Blake Howard sends the show off on a beautiful note with a thoughtful & candid conversation with MIDNIGHT RUN screenwriter George Gallo that's inter-spliced with select excerpts from Charles Grodin's memoirs, performed by the incredible character & voice acting legend, Mr. James Urbaniak. Whether you're listening on a plane, train, bus, car, or running or walking, this is the perfect spring travel partner for you & we want to thank you so much for taking us along with you on your journey. See you in the next life (....or maybe in a future bonus episode). Note: Since this is our finale, you'll hear the next new episode of Watch With Jen next week! Originally Posted on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/100356852

Twisty, engaging, & filled with colorful performances, the Soviet paranoia of the Cold War '80s fueled the plotlines of so many first-rate films that New York Times bestselling author Ace Atkins & I vividly remember from the Reagan/Bush era. And with the next two books that Atkins is set to release revolving around spies &/or the '80s, it's the perfect time to revisit a quartet of spy-centric releases, including THE FALCON AND THE SNOWMAN, TARGET, JUMPIN' JACK FLASH, & NO WAY OUT in this inquisitive & nostalgic episode. Touching on several other films along the way & offering great insights into the evolution of both the spy genre & the way that attitudes shifted in audiences & Hollywood from the '60s through the '80s, Atkins fans, Gen Xers, & film lovers will find much to dig into in this sparkling conversation. Ace's Bio: Ace Atkins is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author who started his writing career as a crime-beat reporter in Florida. Don’t Let the Devil Ride is his thirtieth novel. His previous novels include eleven books in the Quinn Colson series and multiple true-crime novels based on infamous crooks and killers. In 2010, he was chosen by Robert B. Parker’s family to continue the iconic Spenser series, adding ten novels to the franchise. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi with his family. (From AceAtkins.com) Originally Posted on Patreon (3/8/24) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/99999786 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.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