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 a...
Dec 27, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 1
It's always the greatest joy to spend the last few episodes of a phenomenally busy season just chatting about movies hangout-style with some of my closest friends & this year was no exception. I'm so lucky that in the middle of award-season deadlines, one of my funniest cinephile pals, the great Sean Burns joined me for two evenings after Thanksgiving, first to discuss CARLITO'S WAY alongside S.A. Cosby & William Boyle, & then logging back onto Zoom the next night for his latest solo...
Dec 22, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 44
My holiday gift to you is the early upload of what is easily one of the five funniest episodes of Watch With Jen that I've released so far. Joining me for another chat-a-thon is one of my wisest & wittiest besties, Priscilla Page, who tackles the legendary, iconoclastic 20th-century filmmaker John Frankenheimer with me in her rollicking, rowdy, & incredibly articulate return. Needing to check that explicit language box almost immediately, as one does with Frankenheimer, we celebrate the ...
Dec 18, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Season 4Ep. 43
This week, I was honored to bring one of my dearest friends & fellow "Brunette Dad with Bangs" aboard Watch With Jen for her first-ever podcast appearance. A long-in-the-works collaboration that Priscilla Page & I began planning in the summer of '22, the very first time we hung out as we cruised around to chat & see the lights of L.A. on a summer night, it's only fitting that we made her debut a hangout episode about cars. More leisurely paced than your typical release, at the start ...
Dec 15, 2023•1 hr 54 min•Season 4Ep. 42
Note: We're doing something new this season on Watch With Jen. Usually, I release our end-of-the-year Physical Media conversations across multiple episodes. But in '22, some listeners said they found it slightly confusing to see similar titles a few times in a row & they'd rather have a marathon installment instead so we're trying it in '23 with a supersized, superstar-filled episode. Additionally, rather than ending the season on Physical Media as we've done in the past, this year, you'll s...
Dec 04, 2023•2 hr 44 min•Season 4Ep. 41
This week, I was so pleased to welcome back to the pod one of my crime writer friends' favorite crime writers & a man whose taste in film, literature, & poetry is an endless source of delight on Twitter. Adrian McKinty was born & raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland, & then studied philosophy at Oxford University before he moved to Australia & New York. He is the author of more than a dozen crime novels, including his Dagger & Edgar nominated debut DEAD I WELL MAY BE, the ...
Nov 18, 2023•1 hr 25 min•Season 4Ep. 40
This week, I was so pleased to welcome back two friends & the hosts of The Film Stage's excellent podcast The B-Side, which covers movie stars in a fascinating way by focusing not on the films that made or kept them famous but the ones that actors made in between. A producer & filmmaker living in Pittsburgh, Dan Mecca started The Film Stage with Jordan Raup in college at Buffalo & Conor O'Donnell is a post-production supervisor based in New York City & also serves as a critic for...
Nov 13, 2023•1 hr 39 min•Season 4Ep. 39
Returning to Watch With Jen this week, we have my very talented friend and an official (and very popular) friend of the show. William Boyle is the acclaimed novelist behind such titles as Gravesend , The Lonely Witness , A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself , City of Margins , and Shoot the Moonlight Out . In addition to crafting these wonderfully humanistic Lumet-like character-driven ensemble crime epics, Bill is quite the pop culture buff and one hell of a good movie trivia game player. In th...
Nov 07, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 4Ep. 38
Peckerwood novelist and Hardboiled Wonderland blogger Jed Ayres returns to the podcast this week for a two-hour extravaganza devoted to the man famously dubbed "the poet laureate of wild assholes with revolvers," Mr. Elmore Leonard. One of the godfathers of contemporary crime fiction and an influence on every single writer working in the genre today (whether they realize it or not), Jed and I investigate the western genre that launched the Navy vet lovingly nicknamed Dutch. Revisiting a few film...
Oct 30, 2023•1 hr 58 min•Season 4Ep. 37
Returning to the podcast this week, we have the witty and wonderful writer-director Jessica Ellis. A graduate of UCLA and the American Film Institute who made her feature filmmaking debut with the acclaimed coming-of-age movie What Lies West , Jessica is one of the brightest lights on Twitter and never fails to make me smile. In this thoughtful, charming, and nostalgia-filled conversation that's perfect for Halloween, we share amusing stories from our lives and explore the way that magic has bee...
Oct 23, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 36
"Because there was once a god who walked the Earth named Warren Oates." - Richard Linklater Friendly, feisty, fresh, and so-very funny, Bright Wall/Dark Room staff writer & contributing editor Travis Woods is as passionate about film as he is endearingly supportive of all who love it. The host & creator of producer Blake Howard's podcast Increment Vice (which took a look at Paul Thomas Anderson's INHERENT VICE one scene at a time), Travis has also contributed physical media commentary tr...
Oct 14, 2023•1 hr 38 min•Season 4Ep. 35
This week, I was so pleased to welcome one of the best film writers currently working today - the wonderful Sheila O'Malley - back to the podcast. A regular film critic for RogerEbert.com and a member of the prestigious New York Film Critics Circle, Sheila's work has also appeared in Film Comment , The New York Times , The L.A. Times , Criterion Collection, Sight & Sound , and other outlets. Additionally, a scene from her full-length script JULY AND HALF OF AUGUST was turned into a short fil...
Sep 24, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Season 4Ep. 34
This week, I'm honored to be joined by not one but two brilliant screenwriters, Larry Karaszewski & Daniel Waters. Larry Karaszewski & his writing/directing/producing partner Scott Alexander are best known for writing unusual true stories such as the films ED WOOD, THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT, MAN ON THE MOON, AUTO FOCUS, BIG EYES, DOLEMITE IS MY NAME, & the hit television miniseries THE PEOPLE VS. OJ SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY. The team has won Emmys, Golden Globes, Producers, &am...
Sep 18, 2023•1 hr 32 min•Season 4Ep. 33
Following up on our great Brian De Palma episode with Megan Abbott & Alison Gaylin that was released last week, we have our second of three installments this month featuring two tremendous guests. Centered on one of our greatest film stars in the form of Robert Mitchum, you'll hear two different conversations with two brilliant women, recorded over the course of the summer to clock in at a combined total of two hours. If anyone deserves that much time & attention, it's Robert Mitchum! Fi...
Sep 13, 2023•2 hr•Season 4Ep. 32
This week, I am honored to welcome a dynamic duo of acclaimed bestselling crime writers to the podcast & two women who've both won the Edgar and numerous other awards. Additionally, good friends who've also collaborated on the graphic novel NORMANDY GOLD, it's the wonderful partnership of Megan Abbott & Alison Gaylin. Author of such must-reads as DARE ME, THE TURNOUT, & GIVE ME YOUR HAND, Megan Abbott's latest novel BEWARE THE WOMAN is a modern gothic nightmare that you won't be able...
Sep 07, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 4Ep. 31
Welcome to the 200th episode of the podcast Watch With Jen. It's a milestone I never anticipated reaching when I launched the show in early 2020. Back then, I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested in listening to me talk about the movies I love. I am so grateful for your listenership & support & hope you'll stay tuned in the future as I continue to celebrate cinema with my knowledgeable, passionate guests. Returning to the podcast this week, we have the impressive critic, in-demand l...
Aug 27, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 4Ep. 30
It's an honor to welcome a good friend & frequent guest back to the podcast. S.A. Cosby (or Shawn as he's known to his pals) is the multi-award-winning NEW YORK TIMES bestselling crime writer of such remarkable novels as BLACKTOP WASTELAND, RAZORBLADE TEARS, & ALL THE SINNERS BLEED. This week, he joins me to celebrate the films of Alan J. Pakula, a great truth teller & director of actors whose career should be discussed far more than it is. In this contemplative, wide-ranging convers...
Aug 22, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Season 4Ep. 29
I have a pretty busy week lined up so you're getting this new episode early! Returning to the podcast today, we have a fan favorite in the form of Mr. Jordan Harper. One of my dearest friends, this podcast's very first guest, and my Pandemic Movie Club, and Game Night crew buddy, Jordan is the Edgar award-winning author of She Rides Shotgun , Love & Other Wounds , The Last King of California , & Everybody Knows . Additionally, a screenwriter and producer of such shows as The Mentalist , ...
Aug 13, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Season 4Ep. 28
This week, I'm thrilled to bring back my friend Dr. Sabina Stent. A freelance writer & speaker from Birmingham, UK, who specializes in women artists, surrealism, & visual culture, Sabina's interests include the feminist surrealist avant-garde, artists' lives & legacies, cinematic subversion, historical true crime, & surrealism in Los Angeles. She has lectured online & in person for the Philosophical Research Society, Morbid Anatomy Museum, The Last Tuesday Society, & The ...
Aug 09, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 4Ep. 27
This week, 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," "P...
Jul 27, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Season 4Ep. 26
A film critic for publications such as LA Weekly , New York Magazine , Vulture , The New York Times , and formerly, The Village Voice , the brilliant Bilge Ebiri is one of my favorite journalists working today. Although we've discussed some of his favorite directors like Terrence Malick & Neil Jordan tangentially in the past, I was thrilled to bring him back to the podcast this time to focus on the filmmaker who helmed his favorite movie of all time Barry Lyndon . An engaging and insightful ...
Jul 22, 2023•1 hr 57 min•Season 4Ep. 25
The director behind the hilarious LEGO BATMAN MOVIE, the popular series ROBOT CHICKEN, as well as the films THE TOMORROW WAR starring Chris Pratt for Prime, & the brand new RENFIELD with Nicholas Hoult & Nicolas Cage, this week, I was so pleased to welcome filmmaker Chris McKay to the podcast. A huge film buff who fell in love with the films of Alfred Hitchcock early, thanks to his cinephile mom, Chris McKay is such an enormous fan of B-movie director Budd Boetticher that his Twitter han...
Jul 17, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 4Ep. 24
In Season 3 of the podcast, my good friend Kate Hagen - a talented writer & Senior Vice President at The Black List - joined me to kick off a fascinating new series of conversations with the people behind the movies we love. We launched it with what is still one of my all-time favorite episodes: a long, career-spanning discussion with the great filmmaker Allison Anders & then a few months later, we reunited to chat with Allison's daughter, the hard-working & acclaimed music superviso...
Jul 14, 2023•1 hr 33 min•Season 4Ep. 23
Returning to Watch With Jen this week, we have my very talented friend and an official (and very popular) friend of the show. William Boyle is the acclaimed novelist behind such titles as Gravesend , The Lonely Witness , A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself , City of Margins , and Shoot the Moonlight Out . In addition to crafting these wonderfully humanistic Lumet-like character-driven ensemble crime epics, Bill is quite the pop culture buff and one hell of a good movie trivia game player too. A...
Jul 05, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Season 4Ep. 22
Whether you're embarking on an exotic vacation or staying close to home, we're back from our month-long hiatus a few days early to give you something you can escape into your headphones & enjoy over the long holiday weekend. Delivering a month of hotly anticipated episodes featuring a killer lineup of guests & themes, we begin with the return of the brilliantly insightful Roxana Hadadi on HBO's remarkable "Succession," which is one of the most popular watercooler shows of the twenty-firs...
Jun 29, 2023•1 hr 42 min•Season 4Ep. 21
Returning to the podcast this week for the first time since I chatted with him and other wonderful writer-editors of the online film journal BW/DR (Bright Wall/Dark Room) about their favorite comfort movies a few seasons back, we have Ethan Warren.A member of the Boston Society of Film Critics who holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of North Carolina - Wilmington, plus the writer-director of the film WEST OF HER, Ethan stopped by to give us the inside scoop on his rich, fascinat...
May 27, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 20
This week, it was so great to welcome Peter Avellino back to the podcast. A talented and thoughtful writer (& Film Twitter royalty), Peter Avellino's long-form essays on the movies that fascinate & frustrate him in equal measure have long made his blog Mr. Peel's Sardine Liqueur a must-read for cinephiles. Just in time for the Memorial Day kickoff of Summer Movie Season in 2023, Peter & I go back in time thirty years in order to highlight three intelligent thrillers for grown-ups rel...
May 22, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 4Ep. 19
Welcome to Dennis Hopper in the 1990s aka Watch With Jen's third & final installment in our first spotlight series devoted to the careers of iconic character actors that we love to see onscreen. Timed to be running the same week as his birthday, we kick off our Hopper finale with an extended appreciation of his return to the director's chair for the 1990 film THE HOT SPOT c/o its biggest fan, my Pandemic Movie Club buddy & fellow erotic thriller devotee Travis Woods. Then we take you on ...
May 18, 2023•1 hr 25 min•Season 4Ep. 18
Between the fact that I'm a bit overscheduled next week & I've loved hearing from listeners who enjoyed the first installment in this series, I decided to take advantage of a free morning to edit & upload this episode early! Releasing just in time for Dennis Hopper's birthday on the 17th (& mine a couple of days later), welcome to the second installment of our three-part series devoted to the actor. Filled with analysis & appreciation of some of his most popular films & perfo...
May 14, 2023•1 hr 30 min•Season 4Ep. 17
Around the time that the very first episode of Season 4 was uploaded, I embarked on a months-long journey to prepare & record the podcast's first entry in a new spotlight series devoted to some of the greatest character actors in screen history. Reaching out to good friends & past guests who I knew had a special interest in the life, films, characters, & performances of our first subject, Dennis Hopper, over the course of two months, I interviewed every participant one by one. Kickin...
May 10, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Season 4Ep. 16
