Criterion Channel Diary: June
By Austin Johnson
This is my third entry covering films I watch on the Criterion Channel streaming service, which has become a serious staple in my life since I signed up in mid March. I’ve been able to dive into film history in ways that just aren’t available anywhere else. Here are the films I watched in June:
Growing Up Female (1971)
Contempt (1963) - 8
Two Knights of Vaudeville (1915)
Janine (1990)
Vanilla Sex (1992)
An Untitled Portrait (1993)
Greetings from Africa (1996)
The Watermelon Woman (1996) - 9
My Brother’s Wedding (1983) - 9
Quiet as Kept (2007)
Sabotage (1936) - 8
Next Floor (2007)
Mikey and Nicky (1976) - 8
Tuesday, After Christmas (2010) - 9
The Living End (1992) - 7
Totally F***ed Up (1993) - 9
Mysterious Skin (2004) - 10
Variety (1983) - 8
My Own Private Idaho (1991) - 8
My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) - 8
God Told Me To (1976) - 8
I have a daughter who is almost 18 months old and she has become the most important being in my life along with her mother. They have both changed my life and opened me up to learning about people more than ever. We have a lot of work to do before there is actual equality amongst all people and I believe it is our duty to unlearn some things and start educating ourselves on how to treat everyone fairly. Films can be an easy way to hear people’s stories and I decided to start June off by checking out the documentary directed by Julia Reichert and Jim Klein, Growing Up Female from the “Tell Me: Women Filmmakers, Women’s Stories” collection. It’s 45 minutes of breathtaking content that revolves around six women and their stories. It focuses on the socialization of American women and the stereotypes that young girls are led to believe in our country.
After watching that extremely impactful doc, I decided to check out a Jean-Luc Godard film. Back in April, I watched Breathless, A Woman is a Woman, and Vivre Sa Vie. All of them had something to offer but Vivre Sa Vie blew me away and got me totally on board with Godard. Contempt is one of his most popular films and I totally understand why. It’s absolutely gorgeous and contains some awesome performances. Godard and Raoul Coutard are one of the best combinations when it comes to a director/cinematographer duo and what they accomplish in Contempt is totally worth checking out.
After the horrific murder of George Floyd in late May, we saw mass protests across the country. I already mentioned films being a great way to learn and Criterion Channel decided to give folks an opportunity to learn about African American history by adding a collection called, “Pioneers of African American Cinema” which features a bunch of films and short films from the 20’s to the 40’s all directed by African Americans. This is the kind of thing a streaming service should already have because watching and learning can go hand in hand. I jumped right in and checked out the awesome introduction featuring film scholars, Jaqueline Najuma Stewart and Charles Musser. Everything is divided into three different sections titled Feature Films, Shorts and Rarities, and Supplements. I headed straight for the short section and checked out Two Knights of Vaudeville which came out in 1915 and has no record of who actually directed it. It’s literally a hidden gem. The Pioneers of African American Cinema section is something I’m going to continue to use for educational purposes as the process of learning about other cultures never ends.
The Criterion Channel also added a collection of two films and six shorts directed by Cheryl Dunye who is someone that deserves icon status because of her tenacity and relentless desire to represent black women in her work. I dove in and watched four shorts directed by her called Janine, Vanilla Sex, An Untitled Portrait, and Greetings from Africa. Dunye is someone I have been researching now and I find her to be extremely enlightening and authentic. I followed those four shorts up with Dunye’s feature length debut called The Watermelon Woman. She is one of the most badass female filmmakers and the first black lesbian to ever direct a film. I highly suggest checking her stuff out because she has a perspective that is informative and liberating.
Last month, I watched Bless Their Little Hearts from the Safdie brothers “Adventures in Moviegoing” collection and I was blown away. Charles Burnett wrote and shot that film, so I searched his name on the app and it turns out they have a collection titled, “Meet the Filmmakers: Charles Burnett” which has four shorts, two films, and an hour long interview with the genius himself. I decided to watch My Brother’s Wedding which came out just a year before Bless Their Little Hearts and both of them are a gut punch. I also checked out his short from 2007, Quiet as Kept. It’s poignant and comical which is a trademark for Burnett. Charles Burnett is so important to the black independent film movement and I will absolutely be watching more of his stuff in the future.
After watching some Burnett content, I stumbled upon the “Spy Games” collection which contains nine films that are centered around spy stories. The oldest one is Sabotage from 1936, so I started with that. Mostly because it’s a Hitchcock film and I’m not very well versed in his career but also because it’s the first one in the collection. Sabotage is a textbook espionage thriller with an intriguing set up and brilliant execution.
Denis Villeneuve has a case to be the most interesting director from this past decade. Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario, Arrival, and Blade Runner 2049 are all really strong films in my opinion and Dune is supposed to come out later this year and is also directed by Villeneuve. I searched his name on Criterion for shits and giggles and the short Next Floor caught my eye. I really do want to see everything he’s ever done because the atmosphere alone is always worth it. Next Floor is fucking awesome.
If you read my entry for last month at all, then you know I took serious time to watch some content made by and recommended by the Safdie brothers. Their “Adventures in Moviegoing” collection is absurdly good so I decided to just keep rolling with those and watched a really gritty film called Mikey and Nicky from 1976. The 70’s are probably my favorite decade to go back to because there’s so much change happening in Hollywood and in film in general. Mikey and Nicky is a sort of hidden gem from that era that features an unbelievable performance from John Cassavetes as Nicky.
When I was younger, I lived in Romania for about a year in a small town that actually didn’t have a theater. I would visit a bigger city every now and again and they had this big theater in one of the malls there, but Skyfall was the only one I got to see while I was visiting. Pretty solid choice if you only have one. I was mostly watching TV on my laptop and reading novels. Sometimes, I’ll type a random word in the search engine on the Criterion Channel app but after watching Mikey and Nicky, I searched “Romania” which isn’t very random at all. A few films came up and I’ll eventually watch all of them but Tuesday, After Christmas jumped out right away for whatever reason. It’s a devastating film that reminded me of a place I miss at times.
The Criterion Channel added a bunch of films with LGBTQ representation throughout the month along with a bunch of stuff written and directed by Black people. One of the additions that caught my eye is the “3 Films by Gregg Araki” collection. I went ahead and watched all three of them which are The Living End, Totally F***ed Up, and Mysterious Skin. Araki has directed 11 films and I want to see them all after checking those out. I really like diving into writers/directors careers but it can get heavy sometimes and Araki doesn’t ever shy away from the real and dark truths of life. I like being hit by a film like it’s some sort of wave and I got what I wanted from aspects of the first two and all of Mysterious Skin. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the main character in Mysterious Skin and gives the best performance of his whole career in my mind. Araki’s stuff isn’t necessarily for everyone due to its sexual content but I find it to be an informative and mind blowing style of filmmaking.
There’s always films at the very top of the home page being advertised and I decided to check out Variety from 1983 because it has a killer poster with beautiful colors oozing out of it. It’s also a solid film centered around pornography and that’s not for everyone but I enjoyed it. Bette Gordon is a really cool voice for all women and I know we could all listen to women quite a bit more.
I’ve obviously been watching a decent amount of LGBTQ content during June and I don’t really plan on stopping because it’s a good way for me to learn. Criterion Channel added a collection called “Queersighted: Turn the Gaze Around” which contains seven films and I actually watched one of them earlier this month (The Watermelon Woman) and one of them in April (Water Lilies). My Own Private Idaho and My Beautiful Laundrette caught my eye so I watched them both. Gus Van Sant is a captivating director and I’ve been meaning to check out My Own Private Idaho because River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves play the main characters. They’re both fucking spectacular in it but Daniel Day-Lewis might be even better in My Beautiful Laundrette which Stephen Frears directed. I watched a film in April called The Grifters from 1990 that was also directed by Frears and I will keep trying to check his older stuff out.
The last film I watched on Criterion Channel in June was God Told Me To from 1976 which I put on because it was in the “Leaving June 30” section and has a very intriguing title. I also adore the 70’s and I’ve read great things about Larry Cohen as a filmmaker so it was a pretty normal night to end the month on.
For the first entry, I was able to get to 29 films because I wasn’t working at all and the pure excitement of signing up for the service gave me an extra boost. In May, I went back to work but did branch out and watched 18 films, 16 shorts, and a really cool interview with Wes Anderson from 2000. In June, I went back to work full time and slowed down a decent amount with 13 films and 8 shorts. I will continue to write these no matter how many films I am able to watch, but keep in mind that I don’t just use Criterion. We use a bunch of them in our household, but this one is my favorite. Speaking of favorites, I end every entry by listing my personal favorite films from this past month and then I list some films that I believe are must see for every film buff.
Personals
4. Totally F***ed Up
3. The Watermelon Woman
2. Tuesday, After Christmas
1. Mysterious Skin
Recommendations
4. Sabotage
3. Contempt
2. My Brothers Wedding
1. Growing Up Female
Growing Up Female (1971)
Contempt (1963) - 8
Two Knights of Vaudeville (1915)
Janine (1990)
Vanilla Sex (1992)
An Untitled Portrait (1993)
Greetings from Africa (1996)
The Watermelon Woman (1996) - 9
My Brother’s Wedding (1983) - 9
Quiet as Kept (2007)
Sabotage (1936) - 8
Next Floor (2007)
Mikey and Nicky (1976) - 8
Tuesday, After Christmas (2010) - 9
The Living End (1992) - 7
Totally F***ed Up (1993) - 9
Mysterious Skin (2004) - 10
Variety (1983) - 8
My Own Private Idaho (1991) - 8
My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) - 8
God Told Me To (1976) - 8
I have a daughter who is almost 18 months old and she has become the most important being in my life along with her mother. They have both changed my life and opened me up to learning about people more than ever. We have a lot of work to do before there is actual equality amongst all people and I believe it is our duty to unlearn some things and start educating ourselves on how to treat everyone fairly. Films can be an easy way to hear people’s stories and I decided to start June off by checking out the documentary directed by Julia Reichert and Jim Klein, Growing Up Female from the “Tell Me: Women Filmmakers, Women’s Stories” collection. It’s 45 minutes of breathtaking content that revolves around six women and their stories. It focuses on the socialization of American women and the stereotypes that young girls are led to believe in our country.
After watching that extremely impactful doc, I decided to check out a Jean-Luc Godard film. Back in April, I watched Breathless, A Woman is a Woman, and Vivre Sa Vie. All of them had something to offer but Vivre Sa Vie blew me away and got me totally on board with Godard. Contempt is one of his most popular films and I totally understand why. It’s absolutely gorgeous and contains some awesome performances. Godard and Raoul Coutard are one of the best combinations when it comes to a director/cinematographer duo and what they accomplish in Contempt is totally worth checking out.
After the horrific murder of George Floyd in late May, we saw mass protests across the country. I already mentioned films being a great way to learn and Criterion Channel decided to give folks an opportunity to learn about African American history by adding a collection called, “Pioneers of African American Cinema” which features a bunch of films and short films from the 20’s to the 40’s all directed by African Americans. This is the kind of thing a streaming service should already have because watching and learning can go hand in hand. I jumped right in and checked out the awesome introduction featuring film scholars, Jaqueline Najuma Stewart and Charles Musser. Everything is divided into three different sections titled Feature Films, Shorts and Rarities, and Supplements. I headed straight for the short section and checked out Two Knights of Vaudeville which came out in 1915 and has no record of who actually directed it. It’s literally a hidden gem. The Pioneers of African American Cinema section is something I’m going to continue to use for educational purposes as the process of learning about other cultures never ends.
The Criterion Channel also added a collection of two films and six shorts directed by Cheryl Dunye who is someone that deserves icon status because of her tenacity and relentless desire to represent black women in her work. I dove in and watched four shorts directed by her called Janine, Vanilla Sex, An Untitled Portrait, and Greetings from Africa. Dunye is someone I have been researching now and I find her to be extremely enlightening and authentic. I followed those four shorts up with Dunye’s feature length debut called The Watermelon Woman. She is one of the most badass female filmmakers and the first black lesbian to ever direct a film. I highly suggest checking her stuff out because she has a perspective that is informative and liberating.
Last month, I watched Bless Their Little Hearts from the Safdie brothers “Adventures in Moviegoing” collection and I was blown away. Charles Burnett wrote and shot that film, so I searched his name on the app and it turns out they have a collection titled, “Meet the Filmmakers: Charles Burnett” which has four shorts, two films, and an hour long interview with the genius himself. I decided to watch My Brother’s Wedding which came out just a year before Bless Their Little Hearts and both of them are a gut punch. I also checked out his short from 2007, Quiet as Kept. It’s poignant and comical which is a trademark for Burnett. Charles Burnett is so important to the black independent film movement and I will absolutely be watching more of his stuff in the future.
After watching some Burnett content, I stumbled upon the “Spy Games” collection which contains nine films that are centered around spy stories. The oldest one is Sabotage from 1936, so I started with that. Mostly because it’s a Hitchcock film and I’m not very well versed in his career but also because it’s the first one in the collection. Sabotage is a textbook espionage thriller with an intriguing set up and brilliant execution.
Denis Villeneuve has a case to be the most interesting director from this past decade. Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario, Arrival, and Blade Runner 2049 are all really strong films in my opinion and Dune is supposed to come out later this year and is also directed by Villeneuve. I searched his name on Criterion for shits and giggles and the short Next Floor caught my eye. I really do want to see everything he’s ever done because the atmosphere alone is always worth it. Next Floor is fucking awesome.
If you read my entry for last month at all, then you know I took serious time to watch some content made by and recommended by the Safdie brothers. Their “Adventures in Moviegoing” collection is absurdly good so I decided to just keep rolling with those and watched a really gritty film called Mikey and Nicky from 1976. The 70’s are probably my favorite decade to go back to because there’s so much change happening in Hollywood and in film in general. Mikey and Nicky is a sort of hidden gem from that era that features an unbelievable performance from John Cassavetes as Nicky.
When I was younger, I lived in Romania for about a year in a small town that actually didn’t have a theater. I would visit a bigger city every now and again and they had this big theater in one of the malls there, but Skyfall was the only one I got to see while I was visiting. Pretty solid choice if you only have one. I was mostly watching TV on my laptop and reading novels. Sometimes, I’ll type a random word in the search engine on the Criterion Channel app but after watching Mikey and Nicky, I searched “Romania” which isn’t very random at all. A few films came up and I’ll eventually watch all of them but Tuesday, After Christmas jumped out right away for whatever reason. It’s a devastating film that reminded me of a place I miss at times.
The Criterion Channel added a bunch of films with LGBTQ representation throughout the month along with a bunch of stuff written and directed by Black people. One of the additions that caught my eye is the “3 Films by Gregg Araki” collection. I went ahead and watched all three of them which are The Living End, Totally F***ed Up, and Mysterious Skin. Araki has directed 11 films and I want to see them all after checking those out. I really like diving into writers/directors careers but it can get heavy sometimes and Araki doesn’t ever shy away from the real and dark truths of life. I like being hit by a film like it’s some sort of wave and I got what I wanted from aspects of the first two and all of Mysterious Skin. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the main character in Mysterious Skin and gives the best performance of his whole career in my mind. Araki’s stuff isn’t necessarily for everyone due to its sexual content but I find it to be an informative and mind blowing style of filmmaking.
There’s always films at the very top of the home page being advertised and I decided to check out Variety from 1983 because it has a killer poster with beautiful colors oozing out of it. It’s also a solid film centered around pornography and that’s not for everyone but I enjoyed it. Bette Gordon is a really cool voice for all women and I know we could all listen to women quite a bit more.
I’ve obviously been watching a decent amount of LGBTQ content during June and I don’t really plan on stopping because it’s a good way for me to learn. Criterion Channel added a collection called “Queersighted: Turn the Gaze Around” which contains seven films and I actually watched one of them earlier this month (The Watermelon Woman) and one of them in April (Water Lilies). My Own Private Idaho and My Beautiful Laundrette caught my eye so I watched them both. Gus Van Sant is a captivating director and I’ve been meaning to check out My Own Private Idaho because River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves play the main characters. They’re both fucking spectacular in it but Daniel Day-Lewis might be even better in My Beautiful Laundrette which Stephen Frears directed. I watched a film in April called The Grifters from 1990 that was also directed by Frears and I will keep trying to check his older stuff out.
The last film I watched on Criterion Channel in June was God Told Me To from 1976 which I put on because it was in the “Leaving June 30” section and has a very intriguing title. I also adore the 70’s and I’ve read great things about Larry Cohen as a filmmaker so it was a pretty normal night to end the month on.
For the first entry, I was able to get to 29 films because I wasn’t working at all and the pure excitement of signing up for the service gave me an extra boost. In May, I went back to work but did branch out and watched 18 films, 16 shorts, and a really cool interview with Wes Anderson from 2000. In June, I went back to work full time and slowed down a decent amount with 13 films and 8 shorts. I will continue to write these no matter how many films I am able to watch, but keep in mind that I don’t just use Criterion. We use a bunch of them in our household, but this one is my favorite. Speaking of favorites, I end every entry by listing my personal favorite films from this past month and then I list some films that I believe are must see for every film buff.
Personals
4. Totally F***ed Up
3. The Watermelon Woman
2. Tuesday, After Christmas
1. Mysterious Skin
Recommendations
4. Sabotage
3. Contempt
2. My Brothers Wedding
1. Growing Up Female