Watch With Jen™

A knowledgeable classic movie blogger and devotee of all things film, it was such a delight to chat with the talented writer Raquel Stecher about growing up in the '90s with strong female screen role models, her annual summer reading challenge and love of books, and more. Listen in as she shares some of her favorite cinematic discoveries, introduces the world to the charming Ginger Rogers vehicle...

A friendly, passionate, and impressive Indiana based classic film lover, Julia Ricci is an Emmy nominated documentary researcher and a senior programmer at Heartland Film, which hosts two well-respected film festivals every year. From a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to run a film festival known for showcasing short films that go on to receive Oscar nominations (and wins!) to her experie...

One of the leading early voices of online film criticism in the days of Ain't It Cool News and HitFix, the friendly and knowledgeable Drew McWeeny shares his insights on his liberating evolution of writing about cinema out of passion instead of publicity, which he does in his popular subscription newsletter Formerly Dangerous. In an episode that's sure to delight movie lovers everywhere, he discus...

Jen first encountered talented writer-director Paul Osborne while reviewing his 2009 documentary Official Rejection , which explored the wild world of film festivals as experienced by independent filmmakers & we soon became friends. Particularly skilled at crafting twisty low-budget character-driven thrillers like her personal favorite Favor , she'd been looking forward to bringing him on Watch Wi...

Shrewd, witty, and wise, Atlanta based film researcher and writer Jill Blake is one of Jen's favorite people to interact with on Twitter (@BiscuitKitten) so it was such a treat to sit down and have a virtual conversation with her for this episode. They talked about pandemic life as two blue women in two red states (sadly, just days before Georgia's governor actually did sue the city of Atlanta abo...

A journalist turned Hollywood screenwriter turned Edgar award-winning novelist, when it comes to writing, David Handler has pretty much done it all. A man Jen Johans first encountered on Twitter sharing his intricate thoughts about old movies (as an avowed fan of Turner Classic Movies), in this fascinating, nearly hour-long discussion, David moves back and forth between storytelling and analysis t...

An ardent film lover and unwavering champion of physical media, the articulate, supportive, and always entertaining Brian Saur has run the well-respected film blog Rupert Pupkin Speaks since 2009. Dedicated to shining a light on forgotten or overlooked movies from decades past, in addition to his blog, Brian co-hosts the acclaimed Pure Cinema Podcast for the New Beverly Cinema and also hosts the B...

An award-winning author from southeastern Virginia, Jen was thrilled and honored that Shawn Cosby - who writes professionally as S.A. Cosby - took the time to chat with her via Skype during what is an insanely busy week for the writer as his critically acclaimed upcoming novel Blacktop Wasteland is scheduled to drop on July 14. A man who's passionate about the arts, during this wide-ranging interv...

Friendly, feisty, fresh, and oh, so very funny, Bright Wall/Dark Room staff writer and contributing editor Travis Woods is as passionate about film as he is endearingly supportive of all who love it. The host of the podcast Increment Vice (which takes a look at Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice one scene at a time), host Jen Johans chats with her friend about his obsession with "toxic masculini...

A gifted artist, Brianna Ashby's richly humanistic paintings of some of cinema's most memorable moments & famous figures dazzle the pages of the highly regarded online film journal BWDR (which she co-founded). A joy on social media for her funny, passionate takes on pop culture - including the great records she's adding to her collection - in this episode, Brianna & Jen take on dad rock, Wes Ander...

Friendly, genuine, and laid-back, Courtney Howard is as easy to talk to in real life as she is on Twitter. Recorded in the last week of May (and before the vital protests and current events began), in this wide-ranging exchange, Courtney discusses her background in film and the interesting road that led her to write about movies as well as some of the films she's currently watching in quarantine....

A talented, thoughtful writer, Peter Avellino's long-form essays on the movies that fascinate and frustrate him make his blog Mr. Peel's Sardine Liqueur a must-read for cinephiles. One of Jen's first friends on Twitter, it was such a pleasure for her to talk to Peter live and in-person through the magic of Skype and she knows you'll enjoy this chat about Peter's quest to hunt for buried treasure a...

From her early days learning how to keep readers interested with creative letter writing to what life is really like for critics when they show up for a film festival, Jen Johans greatly enjoyed her wide-ranging conversation with the talented and always friendly New York based freelance writer Tomris Laffly. A fellow fan of Steven Spielberg's often overlooked film The Terminal , in this episode, T...

The kind, wise, quick-witted, and talented critic Nell Minow of MovieMom.com clicks so quickly with Jen in this episode that this half-hour flies right by. In fact, Jen agreed with her taste so often that she's sure she said the phrase "I love that" or "love it" at least thirty times. From Turner Classic Movies and outstanding film recommendations for families to a thoughtful discussion about writ...

The human embodiment of sunshine, Jen joins freelance illustrator, blogger, and film fan Kate Gabrielle for a fun conversation covering a wide variety of topics including Target, the power of perfume, Kate's new classic movie game show Box Office Draw on YouTube, the creative ideas you have in the shower, Dante's Peak , Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin movies, the little details you'll find in the films...

Jen joins her brother from another Illinois mother - actor, writer, Second City teacher, and Game Show Network Get a Clue & Daily Draw host Rob Belushi - for a fun Heat , Tombstone , and Scorsese movie quote filled wide ranging discussion about their mutual film obsessions, unputdownable books and the authors who wrote them, the great Joe Pesci, creative friends, Kurt Russell, and Rachel Maddow. N...

In this episode, host Jen Johans joins one of her oldest Twitter friends, the incredibly talented and delightful podcaster, Indiewire TV editor, and freelance entertainment writer Kristen Lopez for a lively chat about Turner Classic Movies, disability representation onscreen, film books, her podcast Ticklish Business, as well as her work fostering kittens until they're ready for adoption. Original...

Enjoy a thoughtful conversation with the always entertaining, warm, passionate, and talented freelance film and TV journalist Candice Frederick. A writer who's contributed to numerous publications including Harper's Bazaar & The New York Times, Candice discusses everything from therapeutic cooking to the joy of comfort movies like Pretty in Pink as well as how she's adapting to quarantine life. Or...

If her main podcast Watch With Jen is the studio track with lots of research and a dozen takes to get the right sound, then Jen's sister podcast Watch With Jen & Friends is the fun, live acoustic version where each week, she calls up a friend and they just talk movies and riff. Today's guest is Jordan Harper. A brilliant author with a quick, fresh wit, really cool taste, and a laid back conversati...

A talented actor turned writer-director, from shooting a TV movie in his teens alongside Oscar winners to voicing Disney's Peter Pan to writing a film for actors Don Cheadle and Joseph Gordon-Levitt to helming his own well-respected indies, Blayne Weaver has had an extraordinary career. Jen first befriended Blayne roughly ten years ago, after she saw, loved, and reviewed his romantic comedy Weathe...

Thoughtful, kind, and ambitious, Blake Howard is a podcaster, critic, and the man behind the acclaimed podcast One Heat Minute, who spun off his success with that show into a whole collection of great new film obsessive podcasts under the One Heat Minute Productions umbrella. Relishing the chance to have another fun discussion with Jen's favorite Australian, in this fast-paced episode, Blake share...

A talented film writer and podcaster with an infectious love of cinema & physical media, Stephanie Crawford's passion for film shines through on her popular Twitter account and also in real life, as Jen Johans quickly discovered when she chatted with her last week. In a freewheeling, wide-ranging discussion, the two discuss DVD commentary tracks, what not to use for an online password, director Ke...

We've reached the 10th episode of Watch With Jen, which means that this installment brings the number of films that host Jen Johans has recommended to 50! From journalism movies to a 19-year-old summer comedy, as well as Hitchcockian train fare, a foodie film, & a contemporary classic from Argentina, here's hoping you'll find something you can't wait to check out in these wide-ranging picks. Origi...

When you ask Film Freak Central senior critic and former University of Denver film professor Walter Chaw a question, you're going to get an answer that's as articulate as it is profound. Friendly and contemplative, for Jen Johans, it was both an honor and a delight to speak with the former VP of Operations at Denver's Alamo Drafthouse about life during quarantine for introverts, advice he has for...

Taking you around the world for 4 of the 5 features, we go from the underworld of contemporary Northern Ireland to Guernsey island in WWII, then travel to the American south in the 1990s, the beaches of southern France in the early '00s, before we meet a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders in modern day Denmark. A lively episode, E9 is filled with observations about hammers as weapon...