Watching Things: February 2022
By Austin Johnson
February was an action packed month for me entertainment wise. The Super Bowl, NBA All-Star weekend, and the return of Champions League soccer all occurred this past month. I still watched 20 films and had an absolute blast with them as I actually had more first time watches than rewatches. I typically have more rewatches because I’m obsessed with re-evaluation, but it’s nice to see new shit with a fresh perspective. I’m going to start marking first time watches with an asterisk and then leave rewatches as they are.
*1.Silkwood, 1983 (DVD) - 8
*2. Lilies of the Field, 1963 (Amazon Prime/Tubi) - 8
*3. Stolen Kisses, 1968 (Criterion Channel) - 8
4. Ponyo, 2008 (HBO Max) - 8
*5. Nightmare Alley, 2021 (HBO Max/Hulu) - 8
*6. The Power of the Dog, 2021 (Netflix) - 9
*7. Pina, 2011 (Criterion Channel) - 8
8. Undefeated, 2011 (Netflix) - 8
*9. Written on the Wind, 1956 (Criterion Channel) - 9
*10. jeen-yuhs: act i: VISION, 2022 (Netflix) - 8
*11. The Last Duel, 2021 (HBO Max) - 8
12. 12 Years a Slave, 2013 (DVD/HBO Max) - 9
13. Despicable Me 2, 2013 (Netflix) - 7
14. The Proud Family Movie, 2005 (Disney+) - 7
*15. Matador, 1986 (Criterion Channel) - 8
*16. Get on the Bus, 1996 (Criterion Channel) - 9
17. 4 Little Girls, 1997 (HBO Max) - 9
*18. jeen-yuhs: act ii: PURPOSE, 2022 (Netflix) - 9
19. Do the Right Thing, 1989 (DVD/Peacock) - 10
*20. Cleo from 5 to 7, 1962 (Criterion Channel/HBO Max) - 9
First Time Watches - 13
Rewatches - 7
20 total films watched for an average rating of 8.35
Streaming Service Counter:
Amazon Prime - 1
Criterion Channel - 6
Disney+ - 1
DVD - 3
HBO Max - 4
Netflix - 5
Top 5 February Watches
5. jeen-yuhs: act ii: PURPOSE
The conversation surrounding Kanye West is exhausting and I’m kind of over it but geez, the jeen-yuhs documentary on Netflix has really rocked me so far. I am a huge fan of the first half of Kanye’s discography, but then the stuff from the past decade he has put out is just not for me. jeen-yuhs is built as a trilogy and if you’re reading this, the third and final part of the trilogy is out but I will include it in my March diary entry. The first part titled VISION is dope as we see Kanye trying to break out of beat maker to rapper and then the second part titled PURPOSE, is really fucking good. That has a lot to do with my admiration for his debut album, College Dropout which is the focus of PURPOSE. I think my favorite bit is when Jamie Foxx shows up to the studio with Kanye to record "Slow Jamz." Such a killer track.
4. The Power of the Dog
The Oscar nominees were announced on February 8th, and that is always something I pay attention to as I want to try and at least see all of the Best Picture nominees before the ceremony. Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog racked up the most nominations with 12 and I finally watched it on Netflix the day the nominees were announced. Sheesh, what a film and I really do think it will take home Best Picture, Best Director, and a few others. Jane Campion is the first woman to ever be nominated twice in the Best Director category which is pretty sad, but I’m rooting for her. I also watched Nightmare Alley the day the nominees were announced and I’ve already seen some of the others but I will use March as a month to get to them all before the ceremony on March 27th.
3. Written on the Wind
I’m a sucker for Texas-based films, so it was just a matter of time before I got to Douglas Sirk’s Written on the Wind. It’s on Criterion along with some other Douglas Sirk films but this was my first time with him and surely won’t be the last. Written on the Wind is very dramatic and centered around a love triangle. Well, actually a love square I guess? Haha either way, I loved it and we will definitely use it as an Oscar Sunday episode because Dorothy Malone won Best Supporting Actress at the 29th Academy Awards. Robert Stack was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor and the film also got a nomination for Best Original Song. Good shit.
2. Cleo from 5 to 7
The French New Wave is an era I take pretty seriously as a fan, which I realize is an annoying and pretentious thing to say out loud. I just can’t deny my admiration for the shit that was put out during that time from a specific place in the world. I watched Francois Truffaut’s Stolen Kisses at the beginning of February and then Agnes Varda’s Cleo from 5 to 7 at the very end of February. Both films are on Criterion and well worth anyone's time, but I do feel like Cleo from 5 to 7 is an absolute must see as it uses Paris better than I think I’ve ever seen and Corrine Marchand’s performance as Cleo is one of those roles that people watch films for. I will definitely be seeking out the Criterion edition for my personal collection. Also, there’s a bit in the film where you can see an Elmer Gantry movie poster in the background. I fucking love Elmer Gantry.
1. Do the Right Thing
Ahh man, Spike Lee is the shit. We covered his work, mainly Do the Right Thing, on episode 91 of Oscar Sunday. I watched Get on the Bus, 4 Little Girls, and Do the Right Thing all in the same week to get prepped for the show and just to remind myself of the power of Spike’s filmmaking ability. In December, my guy Connor and I were able to visit the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures which had this huge room dedicated to Spike Lee. It was really fucking inspiring and I will now think of that room every time I watch one of his films. Do the Right Thing is on Peacock right now but it has been on my shelf for like a decade now and it’s undoubtedly the best overall film I watched in February.
*1.Silkwood, 1983 (DVD) - 8
*2. Lilies of the Field, 1963 (Amazon Prime/Tubi) - 8
*3. Stolen Kisses, 1968 (Criterion Channel) - 8
4. Ponyo, 2008 (HBO Max) - 8
*5. Nightmare Alley, 2021 (HBO Max/Hulu) - 8
*6. The Power of the Dog, 2021 (Netflix) - 9
*7. Pina, 2011 (Criterion Channel) - 8
8. Undefeated, 2011 (Netflix) - 8
*9. Written on the Wind, 1956 (Criterion Channel) - 9
*10. jeen-yuhs: act i: VISION, 2022 (Netflix) - 8
*11. The Last Duel, 2021 (HBO Max) - 8
12. 12 Years a Slave, 2013 (DVD/HBO Max) - 9
13. Despicable Me 2, 2013 (Netflix) - 7
14. The Proud Family Movie, 2005 (Disney+) - 7
*15. Matador, 1986 (Criterion Channel) - 8
*16. Get on the Bus, 1996 (Criterion Channel) - 9
17. 4 Little Girls, 1997 (HBO Max) - 9
*18. jeen-yuhs: act ii: PURPOSE, 2022 (Netflix) - 9
19. Do the Right Thing, 1989 (DVD/Peacock) - 10
*20. Cleo from 5 to 7, 1962 (Criterion Channel/HBO Max) - 9
First Time Watches - 13
Rewatches - 7
20 total films watched for an average rating of 8.35
Streaming Service Counter:
Amazon Prime - 1
Criterion Channel - 6
Disney+ - 1
DVD - 3
HBO Max - 4
Netflix - 5
Top 5 February Watches
5. jeen-yuhs: act ii: PURPOSE
The conversation surrounding Kanye West is exhausting and I’m kind of over it but geez, the jeen-yuhs documentary on Netflix has really rocked me so far. I am a huge fan of the first half of Kanye’s discography, but then the stuff from the past decade he has put out is just not for me. jeen-yuhs is built as a trilogy and if you’re reading this, the third and final part of the trilogy is out but I will include it in my March diary entry. The first part titled VISION is dope as we see Kanye trying to break out of beat maker to rapper and then the second part titled PURPOSE, is really fucking good. That has a lot to do with my admiration for his debut album, College Dropout which is the focus of PURPOSE. I think my favorite bit is when Jamie Foxx shows up to the studio with Kanye to record "Slow Jamz." Such a killer track.
4. The Power of the Dog
The Oscar nominees were announced on February 8th, and that is always something I pay attention to as I want to try and at least see all of the Best Picture nominees before the ceremony. Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog racked up the most nominations with 12 and I finally watched it on Netflix the day the nominees were announced. Sheesh, what a film and I really do think it will take home Best Picture, Best Director, and a few others. Jane Campion is the first woman to ever be nominated twice in the Best Director category which is pretty sad, but I’m rooting for her. I also watched Nightmare Alley the day the nominees were announced and I’ve already seen some of the others but I will use March as a month to get to them all before the ceremony on March 27th.
3. Written on the Wind
I’m a sucker for Texas-based films, so it was just a matter of time before I got to Douglas Sirk’s Written on the Wind. It’s on Criterion along with some other Douglas Sirk films but this was my first time with him and surely won’t be the last. Written on the Wind is very dramatic and centered around a love triangle. Well, actually a love square I guess? Haha either way, I loved it and we will definitely use it as an Oscar Sunday episode because Dorothy Malone won Best Supporting Actress at the 29th Academy Awards. Robert Stack was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor and the film also got a nomination for Best Original Song. Good shit.
2. Cleo from 5 to 7
The French New Wave is an era I take pretty seriously as a fan, which I realize is an annoying and pretentious thing to say out loud. I just can’t deny my admiration for the shit that was put out during that time from a specific place in the world. I watched Francois Truffaut’s Stolen Kisses at the beginning of February and then Agnes Varda’s Cleo from 5 to 7 at the very end of February. Both films are on Criterion and well worth anyone's time, but I do feel like Cleo from 5 to 7 is an absolute must see as it uses Paris better than I think I’ve ever seen and Corrine Marchand’s performance as Cleo is one of those roles that people watch films for. I will definitely be seeking out the Criterion edition for my personal collection. Also, there’s a bit in the film where you can see an Elmer Gantry movie poster in the background. I fucking love Elmer Gantry.
1. Do the Right Thing
Ahh man, Spike Lee is the shit. We covered his work, mainly Do the Right Thing, on episode 91 of Oscar Sunday. I watched Get on the Bus, 4 Little Girls, and Do the Right Thing all in the same week to get prepped for the show and just to remind myself of the power of Spike’s filmmaking ability. In December, my guy Connor and I were able to visit the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures which had this huge room dedicated to Spike Lee. It was really fucking inspiring and I will now think of that room every time I watch one of his films. Do the Right Thing is on Peacock right now but it has been on my shelf for like a decade now and it’s undoubtedly the best overall film I watched in February.