Watch With Jen™

A multiple award-nominated crime writer and Emmy nominated professional editor who lives and works in Los Angeles, Eric Beetner is a creative jack-of-all-trades with an impressively encyclopedic knowledge of vintage Film Noir. Selecting four movies directed by another jack-of-all-trades, Mr. Anthony Mann, in this entertaining discussion, Eric and I take a closer look at Desperate , T-Men , Raw Dea...

One of the most prestigious and well-respected film journals on the web, Bright Wall/Dark Room is dedicated "to exploring the relationship between movies and the business of being alive." Over the past month, I was fortunate enough to speak with seven members of its editorial staff (including Bright Wall founder and editor-in-chief Chad Perman) about their favorite comfort movies and why they pers...

A Brit with a lovely accent who's currently living in La La Land, the articulate and supportive Jumpcut Online Editor-in-chief Fiona Underhill joins me to discuss a man we both love - Mr. Paul Newman. Dissecting four of his more overlooked, unchampioned, or forgotten films that have gotten lost in the shuffle of his legendary career, Fiona takes us through four decades of his work. Along the way,...

Continuing the David Morse appreciation that I began with my recent long article for DVD Netflix, talented veteran film critic Nell Minow and acclaimed novelist William Boyle return to the podcast to dissect five great performances by the remarkable character actor. Selecting a handful of diverse films that flew under-the-radar (which are all currently available to stream), we discuss recurring th...

As kind and humble as he is knowledgeable and articulate, Blacktop Wasteland author Shawn Cosby (aka S.A. Cosby) returns to the podcast to dissect the aesthetics of Neon Noir in the movies Thief , Drive , and Good Time . Not just an award-winning writer, Shawn is also a fellow major film buff. In fact, what I loved most about this long analytical conversation is that even though we went into it as...

My dear friend - insightful and humanistic Film Freak Central senior critic and scholar Walter Chaw - returns to the podcast for a nice long soulful chat about five fascinating depictions of writers on film. In this episode, we mentally return to college English class before we escape with our favorite mentors for a deep, feature-film length evaluation of the compulsive nature of writing, film, an...

This week, my good friend (and official friend of the show), the talented screenwriter and Edgar award-winning author Jordan Harper returns to the podcast to share his wit and wisdom with us once again. In this episode, which runs roughly the length of STATE & MAIN and SPARTAN, we discuss the enviable filmography and singular critical theories of the Pulitzer Prize winning raconteur David Mamet. (...

Breaking down four of his roles that don't often get discussed, talented artist Kate Gabrielle returns to the podcast to celebrate the incredibly versatile chameleon-like character actor Ed Harris. Note: This episode does contain spoilers, particularly when we start dissecting the unsung early '90s neo-noir CHINA MOON, so please proceed with caution. Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw...

A talented film critic and podcaster based in England, Leslie Byron Pitt is a writer for Set the Tape and Vodzilla and has also been published on Film Stories and Little White Lies. Additionally featured on Inside Cinema for the BBC iPlayer, when he isn't writing or creating new pieces for print, Leslie can be found on Hustlers of Culture, a film podcast from a minority perspective, and the erotic...

Anthony, Edgar, Barry, and International Thriller Writers award-winner Megan Abbott is one of my favorite writers working today. Not only the prolific author of acclaimed short stories and novels, including Queenpin , You Will Know Me , and Give Me Your Hand , she has also written White Masculinity in Hardboiled Fiction & Film Noir . Formerly a staff writer on David Simon's HBO original series, Th...

Peckerwood novelist and Hardboiled Wonderland blogger Jed Ayres returns to the podcast to dissect classic crime movies with me along with their many remakes. Covering a total of 11 films, this episode is packed with information and great conversation, care of my intelligent, passionate friend Jed. Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive Originally Posted on Patreon here...

Talented freelance writer and notable film critic Candice Frederick returns to the podcast to discuss some of her favorite holiday movies in this engaging, laugh-filled conversation that takes listeners chronologically from classic Hollywood films of the '30s through the animated smash How the Grinch Stole Christmas and all the way up to Elf . Originally Posted on Patreon on 12/16/20 here : https:...

One of the hardest working women behind-the-scenes of a major brand, Annie Jung is the marketing manager of DVD Netflix (which amazingly, is a team of one) and is constantly coming up with great ideas for engagement both for the site's official blog as well as through a variety of fun DVD Chats on Twitter. Additionally, a lover of good books, with - under normal circumstances - a passion for trave...

Just in time for the holidays, here's a new episode of Watch With Jen where I'm recommending not just five but - thanks to one trilogy - seven fun ensemble films for you to track down. From a foreign comedy to a globe-trotting screwball romantic comedy action movie to two modern adaptations of a classic play to an epic '70s puzzle, there's bound to be something here for every type of film fan. Ori...

Witty, singular, and iconoclastic, Iranian-American feminist pop culture writer Roxana Zivar Hadadi is a film and television critic who's been published by RogerEbert.com , The A.V. Club, Crooked Marquee, Vulture, The Playlist, and Bright Wall/Dark Room. A bright light on Twitter with her fresh perspective and bold humor, the Baltimore based Roxana – who holds a Masters in Literature – is a member...

Award-winning novelist and cinephile William Boyle returns to the podcast for a terrific hour dedicated to some of the most overlooked films and performances of gifted, tough but tender character actor Mickey Rourke, including Rumble Fish , Homeboy , Year of the Dragon , Johnny Handsome , among others. Yet while a bulk of the episode is dedicated to Rourke, the wide-ranging conversation eventually...

I'm joined once again by the highly entertaining, encyclopedic film critic and lawyer Nell Minow of MovieMom.com and RogerEbert.com for a timely episode on fall and Halloween movies you're sure to enjoy. Fast-paced and fresh, whether she's discussing the vacations taken by Alan Alda and Carol Burnett in The Four Seasons , Haynes at his most Sirkian in Far From Heaven , the nonsensical joys of Hitc...

The founder and editor-in-chief of the prestigious online film journal Bright Wall/Dark Room , Chad Perman first started the site on Tumblr in his living room in 2009 after years spent wondering if there was a way to talk differently - more emotionally, more humanly - about movies. Almost four years (and 220,000 followers) later, he decided to expand things and launched a magazine/journal version...

This week's films explore the joy of puzzles, Elijah Wood with throwing stars, the British invasion, a Dickensian fairy tale, & marriage at first sight. Theme Music: The Guitarist by Jahzzar, Free Music Archive

This episode's 5 streaming recommendations bring you a moving family drama, a Hitchcockian thriller, an acclaimed concert film, the statistics side of baseball, and a '90s comedic mystery that's a throwback to classic noir. Originally Posted on Patreon (on 8/7/20) here : https://www.patreon.com/posts/40222139 Theme Music: The Guitarist by Jahzzar, Free Music Archive

This week's 5 film recommendations deliver a revisionist western, a Thomas Hardy romance, a twisty French thriller, a dystopian romcom, & a hitman's high school reunion. Originally Posted on Patreon (7/24/20) here : https://www.patreon.com/posts/39680144 Theme Music: The Guitarist by Jahzzar, Free Music Archive

This week's 5 streaming recommendations include Jen's favorite films from Whit Stillman & Lynn Shelton, a French psychological thriller, plus a little Robert Altman in the '70s, & Alan Rickman starring in a period movie set in the '70s. Originally Posted on Patreon on 7/9/20 here : https://www.patreon.com/posts/39159624 Theme Music: The Guitarist by Jahzzar, Free Music Archive

Let's get lost. Specifically, let's get the hell out of 2020. While we're waiting for the technology that lets us do just that, we can live vicariously through a great group of time travel movies in this special topics episode, inspired by Jacob Rivera, a $10 patron on "The Right Stuff" tier who sent Jen 5 excellent ideas that led her to create this week's installment. Touching on several movies -...

It's heating up out there and the same can be said of this week's five streaming recommendations. This week Jen's serving up a tense road thriller, a Hollywood comedy, a movie that will make you crave Italian food, a laidback Santa Fe set romcom, and Spike Lee's best popcorn picture. Hindered by deadlines and bad allergies, this is a shorter than usual episode of Watch With Jen, but these movies d...

Returning once again with 5 outstanding recommendations of great movies that you can stream right now. Originally Posted on Patreon (6/5/20) here : https://www.patreon.com/posts/37936381 Theme Music: The Guitarist by Jahzzar, Free Music Archive