Watch With Jen - S4: E1 - Curtis Hanson's Thrillers with Ted Griffin

We are back in 2023 with the first episode of the fourth season of Watch With Jen & it's a nice long, chatty, analytical one that's as surprisingly moving as it is filled with great Hollywood stories. RAVENOUS, OCEAN'S ELEVEN, & MATCHSTICK MEN screenwriter Ted Griffin (who also created FX's TERRIERS & produced THE WOLF OF WALL STREET) returns to the podcast to pay tribute to his old late mentor, the beloved yet still widely unsung writer-director Curtis Hanson.

A man who began his career as a film critic, journalist, & photographer for "Cinema" magazine before he cut his teeth at Roger Corman's American International Pictures, Hanson went on to become a terrific director of crackerjack Hitchcockian thrillers before directing his masterpiece LA CONFIDENTIAL, & delving into more character-driven work like WONDER BOYS & IN HER SHOES.

Focusing on the start of his career & rise to become a master of genre filmmaking, in this roughly ninety-minute conversation, we discuss the works THE SILENT PARTNER (adapted from a Danish crime novel by Hanson for director Daryl Duke), THE BEDROOM WINDOW, BAD INFLUENCE, THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, & THE RIVER WILD.

A heartfelt ode to Hanson - the man as well as the filmmaker - this was such a wonderful discussion & Ted Griffin went above & beyond in calling the director's old friends, family, & collaborators, including the incredible cinematographer Robert Elswit, in order to paint the most accurate portrait of Hanson. I'm so honored to be in a position to not only hear all of these stories but share them with all of you as well, & I know you'll enjoy our celebration of the life & career of the great Curtis Hanson.

Originally Posted on Patreon (2/27/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/79288476

Logo: KateGabrielle.com

Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive