Second Breakfast: February 2024
By Austin Johnson
Welcome back to Second Breakfast! February was a bit slow for me when it comes to watching films because I had some family come visit for nearly a week and because I have a new addiction to watching old baseball games on YouTube. Seriously, it’s out of control. During February, I watched every World Series clinching game from 1980 to 2000. These aren’t just highlights, it’s the full fucking games which are close to three hours usually. I’m so fucking excited for baseball to be fully back at the end of March. I’m totally in love with the sport, but it doesn’t beat my love for films. I still carved some time out to watch 25 films throughout February and I’m really fucking satisfied with the choices I made.
I’ve broken down the films I watched into categories because I was pretty methodical with what I decided to watch. Here we go!
47th Academy Awards - Best Picture Showdown Episode
The Godfather (1972)
Chinatown (1974)
The Conversation (1974)
The Godfather: Part II (1974)
Lenny (1974)
The Towering Inferno (1974)
We have done a really cool run of Oscar-related bonus episodes from February to the beginning of March and one of them was a Best Picture Showdown with the films from the 47th Academy Awards. We used to do showdowns all the time on our Oscar Sunday podcast, so it was really cool to revisit that structure. 1974 is a great group and I had already seen them, but I did a full rewatch because we ranked them from 5 to 1 on the episode and then talked about the winner, The Godfather: Part II for a long ass time. I also watched the first Godfather because it doesn’t feel right to watch Part II on its own. Both damn near perfect films. Check out that episode if you want to hear mine and Connor’s rankings of the nominees and a passionate conversation on what is widely seen as the best sequel ever made.
Best Animated Feature Cup Episode
Spirited Away (2001)
Ratatouille (2007)
Rango (2011)
Another one of our Oscar-related bonus episodes was all about Best Animated Winners. We set up a World Cup style tournament for all 22 films that have taken that prize, so I rewatched the 3 films listed above just for the hell of it. Rango is my favorite animated film of all time, Spirited Away is literally a spiritual experience, and Ratatouille might be Pixar’s most underrated film.
Best Original Song Playlist Episode
Hustle & Flow (2005)
The Muppets (2011)
We also did an Oscar-related bonus episode where we both picked five Best Original Song Winners to build a little playlist. I hadn’t ever seen the two films listed above and they wound up both making the cut on our list. "It’s Hard out Here for a Pimp" and "Man or Muppet" are both great tracks for very different reasons. Shoutout to Three 6 Mafia and Bret McKenzie!
5 by Ken Russell
The Devils (1971)
Altered States (1980)
Gothic (1986)
The Lair of the White Worm (1988)
Whore (1991)
Ahh yes, the deranged filmography of Ken Russell is something I’ve been wanting to visit for a long time. These were all first time watches and my god I love his style. The Devils is definitely my favorite and is a film that I see as an absolute must watch for fans of genre filmmaking. The other four are going to have mixed reviews for sure, but I’m all in on Russell. The only one I didn’t really respond to is Whore, but even then it’s worth giving a go because it’s so fucking audacious.
3 Criterion Channel Picks
L’Argent (1983)
Where Is the Friend’s House? (1987)
Your Name. (2016)
I’m always trying to knock out all timers and I did just that with these three films that are available on Criterion Channel. Your Name. blew me away with its style and love story that will bring anyone with a pulse to tears by the end. Where Is the Friend’s House? has so many lovely moments and an ending that had me smiling ear to ear. I can see some modern filmmakers that I love being inspired by that Iranian gem. L’Argent has an argument for being Robert Bresson’s finest film and that’s saying a lot because he was an incredible filmmaker that made filmmaking feel as important as it’s ever felt. A true titan of the craft.
Random and Wonderful
Magnolia (1999)
Animal Factory (2000)
The Batman (2022)
Magnolia is my favorite film of all time and I had the honor of seeing it on the big screen because Connor bought tickets for my birthday. What a fuckin' beautiful experience. The audience knew when to laugh, when to shut the hell up, and when to applaud as Paul Thomas Anderson’s name hit the screen at the end of the film. I’ll never forget that day. Animal Factory is a hidden gem that my older brother suggested I watch and I’m glad he did because it’s another Willem Dafoe performance that proves why he is one of my favorites. Great prison film that needs more love. The Batman is a film I have revisited more than any other from 2022. It’s the best live action Batman film in my eyes. The vibes are on a different level in Matt Reeves’ Gotham.
Newer Shit
Rustin (2023)
The Zone of Interest (2023)
The Greatest Night in Pop (2024)
I adore Colman Domingo, so it was essential to watch his Oscar nominated performance in Rustin. The film itself didn’t totally work on me but he’s fantastic. Pretty late into February, I went by myself to the theater to see The Zone of Interest. What a daunting film that is technically masterful. The sound design and production design is fucking unreal and I’m totally okay with it landing some Oscar wins because it’s a theater experience I won’t be shaking off anytime soon. Last but not least is The Greatest Night in Pop, which feels like something that actually had a pop culture moment where I was hearing other people talk about how much they enjoyed watching all these mega stars gather for one night/morning to record a song with real depth behind it. As a huge Bob Dylan fan, I thoroughly enjoyed watching him stick out as an artist who is so fucking unique. Everyone in that song is wicked talented, but he had my favorite moments.
I’ve broken down the films I watched into categories because I was pretty methodical with what I decided to watch. Here we go!
47th Academy Awards - Best Picture Showdown Episode
The Godfather (1972)
Chinatown (1974)
The Conversation (1974)
The Godfather: Part II (1974)
Lenny (1974)
The Towering Inferno (1974)
We have done a really cool run of Oscar-related bonus episodes from February to the beginning of March and one of them was a Best Picture Showdown with the films from the 47th Academy Awards. We used to do showdowns all the time on our Oscar Sunday podcast, so it was really cool to revisit that structure. 1974 is a great group and I had already seen them, but I did a full rewatch because we ranked them from 5 to 1 on the episode and then talked about the winner, The Godfather: Part II for a long ass time. I also watched the first Godfather because it doesn’t feel right to watch Part II on its own. Both damn near perfect films. Check out that episode if you want to hear mine and Connor’s rankings of the nominees and a passionate conversation on what is widely seen as the best sequel ever made.
Best Animated Feature Cup Episode
Spirited Away (2001)
Ratatouille (2007)
Rango (2011)
Another one of our Oscar-related bonus episodes was all about Best Animated Winners. We set up a World Cup style tournament for all 22 films that have taken that prize, so I rewatched the 3 films listed above just for the hell of it. Rango is my favorite animated film of all time, Spirited Away is literally a spiritual experience, and Ratatouille might be Pixar’s most underrated film.
Best Original Song Playlist Episode
Hustle & Flow (2005)
The Muppets (2011)
We also did an Oscar-related bonus episode where we both picked five Best Original Song Winners to build a little playlist. I hadn’t ever seen the two films listed above and they wound up both making the cut on our list. "It’s Hard out Here for a Pimp" and "Man or Muppet" are both great tracks for very different reasons. Shoutout to Three 6 Mafia and Bret McKenzie!
5 by Ken Russell
The Devils (1971)
Altered States (1980)
Gothic (1986)
The Lair of the White Worm (1988)
Whore (1991)
Ahh yes, the deranged filmography of Ken Russell is something I’ve been wanting to visit for a long time. These were all first time watches and my god I love his style. The Devils is definitely my favorite and is a film that I see as an absolute must watch for fans of genre filmmaking. The other four are going to have mixed reviews for sure, but I’m all in on Russell. The only one I didn’t really respond to is Whore, but even then it’s worth giving a go because it’s so fucking audacious.
3 Criterion Channel Picks
L’Argent (1983)
Where Is the Friend’s House? (1987)
Your Name. (2016)
I’m always trying to knock out all timers and I did just that with these three films that are available on Criterion Channel. Your Name. blew me away with its style and love story that will bring anyone with a pulse to tears by the end. Where Is the Friend’s House? has so many lovely moments and an ending that had me smiling ear to ear. I can see some modern filmmakers that I love being inspired by that Iranian gem. L’Argent has an argument for being Robert Bresson’s finest film and that’s saying a lot because he was an incredible filmmaker that made filmmaking feel as important as it’s ever felt. A true titan of the craft.
Random and Wonderful
Magnolia (1999)
Animal Factory (2000)
The Batman (2022)
Magnolia is my favorite film of all time and I had the honor of seeing it on the big screen because Connor bought tickets for my birthday. What a fuckin' beautiful experience. The audience knew when to laugh, when to shut the hell up, and when to applaud as Paul Thomas Anderson’s name hit the screen at the end of the film. I’ll never forget that day. Animal Factory is a hidden gem that my older brother suggested I watch and I’m glad he did because it’s another Willem Dafoe performance that proves why he is one of my favorites. Great prison film that needs more love. The Batman is a film I have revisited more than any other from 2022. It’s the best live action Batman film in my eyes. The vibes are on a different level in Matt Reeves’ Gotham.
Newer Shit
Rustin (2023)
The Zone of Interest (2023)
The Greatest Night in Pop (2024)
I adore Colman Domingo, so it was essential to watch his Oscar nominated performance in Rustin. The film itself didn’t totally work on me but he’s fantastic. Pretty late into February, I went by myself to the theater to see The Zone of Interest. What a daunting film that is technically masterful. The sound design and production design is fucking unreal and I’m totally okay with it landing some Oscar wins because it’s a theater experience I won’t be shaking off anytime soon. Last but not least is The Greatest Night in Pop, which feels like something that actually had a pop culture moment where I was hearing other people talk about how much they enjoyed watching all these mega stars gather for one night/morning to record a song with real depth behind it. As a huge Bob Dylan fan, I thoroughly enjoyed watching him stick out as an artist who is so fucking unique. Everyone in that song is wicked talented, but he had my favorite moments.