Watch With Jen™

<p>CITY OF MARGINS, SHOOT THE MOONLIGHT OUT, &amp; SAINT OF THE NARROWS STREET author William Boyle returns to the show to discuss Old Hollywood icon Joan Crawford's incredible career from silent movies through the 1970s. Digging deep to share biographical insights and shout out films that are often overlooked, in this fast-paced chat, we cover HUMORESQUE (1946), SUDDEN FEAR (1952), and JOHNNY GUITAR (1954).</p><p>Originally Posted on Patreon (5/23/26) <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/159040535">here</a>: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/159040535">https://www.patreon.com/posts/159040535</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://ko-fi.com/filmintuition"><strong>Donate to the Pod via Ko-fi</strong></a><strong> &amp; </strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jenjohans"><strong>PayPal</strong></a> </p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bit.ly/3v0Jvqq"><strong>Shop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless Shop</strong></a></p><p><strong>Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive</strong></p>

<p>Hot off the news that he's just sold one million copies of his books, my wonderfully talented friend, KING OF ASHES and ALL THE SINNERS BLEED novelist S.A. Cosby returns to the pod this week for a delightful episode Gen Xers in particular will love. Listen in as we wax nostalgic, nerdy, &amp; philosophical about the American independent film scene, video stores, actors with faces, Sundance, the New Queer Cinema movement, &amp; iconoclastic filmmakers of the 1990s. We started with groundbreaking director Gregg Araki's TEEN APOCALYPSE TRILOGY, then went everywhere, &amp; obviously, fittingly, NOWHERE. The three main films in the trilogy that we discuss are TOTALLY F***ED UP, THE DOOM GENERATION, and NOWHERE, but we bring in myriad other films, directors, and actors from this terrific era that valued original voices and stories that no one else could tell.</p><p>Orginally Posted on Patreon (5/14/26) <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/158267662"><strong>here</strong></a>: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/158267662">https://www.patreon.com/posts/158267662</a></p><p></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://ko-fi.com/filmintuition"><strong>Donate to the Pod via Ko-fi</strong></a><strong> &amp; </strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jenjohans"><strong>PayPal</strong></a> </p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bit.ly/3v0Jvqq"><strong>Shop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless Shop</strong></a></p><p><strong>Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive</strong></p>

<p>The charming and inventive B-Side pod boys return to the show to discuss a trio of films that seem like they could be unofficial sequels to other movies telling the same story or starring the same lead. Films discussed include MY BLUE HEAVEN (after GOODFELLAS), AIR FORCE ONE (which plays like a continuation of Jack Ryan's adventures), and ENEMY OF THE STATE (which acknowledges its debt to THE CONVERSATION).</p><p>Originally Posted on Patreon (5/3/26) <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/157259020"><strong>here</strong></a>: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/157259020">https://www.patreon.com/posts/157259020</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://ko-fi.com/filmintuition"><strong>Donate to the Pod via Ko-fi</strong></a><strong> &amp; </strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jenjohans"><strong>PayPal</strong></a> </p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bit.ly/3v0Jvqq"><strong>Shop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless Shop</strong></a></p><p><strong>Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive</strong></p>

<p>Straight from the pages of today's <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/books/review/jordan-harper-hollywood-violent-masterpiece.html">New York Times</a>, Watch With Jen's first podcast guest, author Jordan Harper, returns ahead of the release of his fittingly titled new thriller, A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE. A devotee of Japanese cinema, food, and culture, Jordan gives me a crash course in the cinema of director Juzo Itami. </p><p>An all-time "wife guy," who began making movies in his early fifties and made 11, which starred his incredibly expressive wife, Nobuko Miyamoto, Juzo Itami's life and career are discussed, along with the movies SUPERMARKET WOMAN, TAMPOPO, and MINBO: THE GENTLE ART OF JAPANESE EXTORTION.</p><p>Be sure to pick up A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE in your favorite indie bookstore, and if you're interested in learning more, you can tune in to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://calendar.time.ly/9plshfqx/posterboard;event=78288775;instance=20260429170000?lang=en-US">watch me interview Jordan on Wednesday, April 29, at 5:00 PM PST on behalf of Poisoned Pen Bookstore</a>.</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://ko-fi.com/filmintuition"><strong>Donate to the Pod via Ko-fi</strong></a><strong> &amp; </strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jenjohans"><strong>PayPal</strong></a> </p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bit.ly/3v0Jvqq"><strong>Shop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless Shop</strong></a></p><p><strong>Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive</strong></p><p><strong>Originally Posted on Patreon (4/26/26) </strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/156607489"><strong>here</strong></a><strong>: </strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/156607489">https://www.patreon.com/posts/156607489</a></p>

<p>Current and aspiring writers of all backgrounds will love this episode, devoted to storytelling, humanism, empathy, and creativity. Horror author Laurel Hightower makes her Watch With Jen pod debut, exploring some of Disney's magic-minded movies of the past few decades, particularly ENCHANTED, ENCANTO, and WISH. A sprawling, soulful chat with a woman who instantly felt like an old friend, I can't recommend this conversation enough.</p><p><strong>Bio:</strong> Laurel Hightower is a bourbon-loving, pitbull-snuggling native of Lexington, Kentucky. She is the Bram Stoker-nominated author of WHISPERS IN THE DARK, CROSSROADS, BELOW, EVERY WOMAN KNOWS THIS, SILENT KEY, SPIRIT COVEN, THE DAY OF THE DOOR, and THE LONG LOW WHISTLE, and has more than a dozen short fiction stories in print.</p><p>Originally Posted on Patreon (4/18/26) <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/155953536"><strong>here</strong></a>: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/155953536">https://www.patreon.com/posts/155953536</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://ko-fi.com/filmintuition"><strong>Donate to the Pod via Ko-fi</strong></a><strong> &amp; </strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jenjohans"><strong>PayPal</strong></a> </p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bit.ly/3v0Jvqq"><strong>Shop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless Shop</strong></a></p><p><strong>Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive</strong></p>