Watching Things: June 2022
By Austin Johnson
June was a spectacular month overall because I got married to the love of my life. We will never forget that day or the week that led up to it because it was a race to make sure all the little details were in order. Stressful for sure but so fucking worth it. We also won’t ever forget the week after the wedding because we both got Covid! What the fuck, right? While it’s annoying to miss work and be sick, I am actually grateful for that extended time with my wife. We made the best of it by watching random shit while camping out in our living room. A lot of the films that are on the end of this list are what my wife and I watched while quarantining. As far as films go, it was a pretty solid month.
*The Emigrants, 1971 (PC) - 8
Deliverance, 1972 (PC) - 8
*SubUrbia, 1996 (Criterion Channel) - 8
*Across 110th Street, 1972 (Criterion Channel) - 9
The Godfather, 1972 (Paramount+) - 10
*Naked, 1993 (Criterion Channel) - 9
*Practical Magic, 1998 (HBO Max) - 8
*Reign of the Supermen, 2019 (HBO Max) - 7
Batman: Hush, 2019 (HBO Max) - 8
Jurassic Park, 1993 (HBO Max) - 10
*Wonder Woman: Bloodlines, 2019 (HBO Max) - 7
*In the Mood for Love, 2000 (Criterion Channel/HBO Max) - 10
*As Tears Go By, 1988 (Criterion Channel) - 8
Heavyweights, 1995 (Disney+) - 8
*Days of Being Wild, 1990 (Criterion Channel) - 9
*Happy Together, 1997 (Criterion Channel) - 9
My Neighbor Totoro, 1988 (HBO Max) - 8
First Reformed, 2018 (PC/Showtime) - 10
*A Room with a View, 1986 (Criterion Channel/HBO Max/Showtime) - 7
*Hustle, 2022 (Netflix) - 8
*Jackass Forever, 2022 (Paramount+) - 8
*Our Father, 2022 (Netflix) - 7
*Candyman, 2021 (Amazon Prime) - 7
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, 2020 (HBO Max) - 9
First Time Watches - 16
Rewatches - 8
24 total films watched for an average of 8.33
Streaming Service Counter:
Amazon Prime - 1
Criterion Channel - 8
Disney+ - 1
HBO Max - 7
Netflix - 2
Paramount+ - 2
Personal Collection - 3
Top 5 June Watches
5. Justice League Dark: Apokolips War
Back in March, quite possibly my favorite film of the year so far, The Batman, came out and rocked me harder than any superhero film has in a long time. It caused me to go on this DC tear, in particular the DC Animated Movie Universe. There are 16 films in total ranging from 2013 to 2020. I finally finished that journey at the end of June with Apokolips War which is my favorite from the DCAMU along with the first film, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. All of them are on HBO Max and while they aren’t all great, they are all at least good which is quite a feat for a specific line consisting of 16 films.
4. Heavyweights
A few days before my wedding, my older brothers and I watched Heavyweights on Disney+ for some quality fun down nostalgia lane. We watched it so many fucking times while growing up that it has become a part of our cinematic language with one another. Our guy Ben Stiller is putting on a freakshow clinic as Tony Perkis that is honestly one of my favorite performances of his entire career. There’s also this cool connection of Steven Brill written films in the 90’s for my brothers and I. We didn’t know it while growing up, but he wrote The Mighty Ducks trilogy which makes so much sense. That trilogy and Heavyweights will probably go to the grave with us.
3. Hustle
I love the NBA and I love Adam Sandler, so I knew Hustle was going to be right up my alley when I heard about it. I expected to be entertained, but I think it’s actually a legitimately good film with a solid Sandler performance at the center. Juancho Hernangomez and Anthony Edwards both have some serious skills as actors, especially Edwards. I feel like he has the most charisma we’ve seen from an athlete in film in a good while. I was pleasantly surprised and had so much fun with all of the NBA cameos that took place from current players like Trae Young and Boban Marjanovic to hall of famers like Dirk Nowitzki and Julius Erving. Great shit from Jeremiah Zagar and Netflix, which is something I don’t say often.
2. The Godfather
Connor and I covered The Godfather and the other Best Picture nominees from the 45th Academy Awards on episode 105 of Oscar Sunday, which happened to be our two year anniversary episode. It was pretty cool to talk about one of the most well respected films in existence because there’s so much surrounding the film that is fascinating and it’s an honest favorite for Connor and I. When we do a Best Picture winner, we rank all of the nominees but the entire time we knew that The Godfather was going to be our number one because it’s that strong of a winner with a very low possibility of something competing against it. The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II are both on Paramount+ and I’ve slowly realized that the catalog on that service is pretty fucking strong.
1. In the Mood for Love
Holy fucking shit has Wong Kar-wai made me an even bigger film fan! That dude can flat out direct masterpiece after masterpiece with ease. I watched Fallen Angels and Chungking Express early on in the year, but in June I watched In the Mood for Love, As Tears Go By, Days of Being Wild, and Happy Together. I’m not kidding when I say he’s already one of my favorite filmmakers of all time due to how much his style pops and how I feel personally understood at times through the stories he is telling. I don’t know if In the Mood for Love is my favorite of the six films I’ve seen directed by Wong Kar-wai, but I do think it’s the best one. Thankfully, a lot of his work is on Criterion Channel and HBO Max which are so clearly my two personal favorite streaming services. Sign up to get those amazing film catalogs!
*The Emigrants, 1971 (PC) - 8
Deliverance, 1972 (PC) - 8
*SubUrbia, 1996 (Criterion Channel) - 8
*Across 110th Street, 1972 (Criterion Channel) - 9
The Godfather, 1972 (Paramount+) - 10
*Naked, 1993 (Criterion Channel) - 9
*Practical Magic, 1998 (HBO Max) - 8
*Reign of the Supermen, 2019 (HBO Max) - 7
Batman: Hush, 2019 (HBO Max) - 8
Jurassic Park, 1993 (HBO Max) - 10
*Wonder Woman: Bloodlines, 2019 (HBO Max) - 7
*In the Mood for Love, 2000 (Criterion Channel/HBO Max) - 10
*As Tears Go By, 1988 (Criterion Channel) - 8
Heavyweights, 1995 (Disney+) - 8
*Days of Being Wild, 1990 (Criterion Channel) - 9
*Happy Together, 1997 (Criterion Channel) - 9
My Neighbor Totoro, 1988 (HBO Max) - 8
First Reformed, 2018 (PC/Showtime) - 10
*A Room with a View, 1986 (Criterion Channel/HBO Max/Showtime) - 7
*Hustle, 2022 (Netflix) - 8
*Jackass Forever, 2022 (Paramount+) - 8
*Our Father, 2022 (Netflix) - 7
*Candyman, 2021 (Amazon Prime) - 7
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, 2020 (HBO Max) - 9
First Time Watches - 16
Rewatches - 8
24 total films watched for an average of 8.33
Streaming Service Counter:
Amazon Prime - 1
Criterion Channel - 8
Disney+ - 1
HBO Max - 7
Netflix - 2
Paramount+ - 2
Personal Collection - 3
Top 5 June Watches
5. Justice League Dark: Apokolips War
Back in March, quite possibly my favorite film of the year so far, The Batman, came out and rocked me harder than any superhero film has in a long time. It caused me to go on this DC tear, in particular the DC Animated Movie Universe. There are 16 films in total ranging from 2013 to 2020. I finally finished that journey at the end of June with Apokolips War which is my favorite from the DCAMU along with the first film, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. All of them are on HBO Max and while they aren’t all great, they are all at least good which is quite a feat for a specific line consisting of 16 films.
4. Heavyweights
A few days before my wedding, my older brothers and I watched Heavyweights on Disney+ for some quality fun down nostalgia lane. We watched it so many fucking times while growing up that it has become a part of our cinematic language with one another. Our guy Ben Stiller is putting on a freakshow clinic as Tony Perkis that is honestly one of my favorite performances of his entire career. There’s also this cool connection of Steven Brill written films in the 90’s for my brothers and I. We didn’t know it while growing up, but he wrote The Mighty Ducks trilogy which makes so much sense. That trilogy and Heavyweights will probably go to the grave with us.
3. Hustle
I love the NBA and I love Adam Sandler, so I knew Hustle was going to be right up my alley when I heard about it. I expected to be entertained, but I think it’s actually a legitimately good film with a solid Sandler performance at the center. Juancho Hernangomez and Anthony Edwards both have some serious skills as actors, especially Edwards. I feel like he has the most charisma we’ve seen from an athlete in film in a good while. I was pleasantly surprised and had so much fun with all of the NBA cameos that took place from current players like Trae Young and Boban Marjanovic to hall of famers like Dirk Nowitzki and Julius Erving. Great shit from Jeremiah Zagar and Netflix, which is something I don’t say often.
2. The Godfather
Connor and I covered The Godfather and the other Best Picture nominees from the 45th Academy Awards on episode 105 of Oscar Sunday, which happened to be our two year anniversary episode. It was pretty cool to talk about one of the most well respected films in existence because there’s so much surrounding the film that is fascinating and it’s an honest favorite for Connor and I. When we do a Best Picture winner, we rank all of the nominees but the entire time we knew that The Godfather was going to be our number one because it’s that strong of a winner with a very low possibility of something competing against it. The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II are both on Paramount+ and I’ve slowly realized that the catalog on that service is pretty fucking strong.
1. In the Mood for Love
Holy fucking shit has Wong Kar-wai made me an even bigger film fan! That dude can flat out direct masterpiece after masterpiece with ease. I watched Fallen Angels and Chungking Express early on in the year, but in June I watched In the Mood for Love, As Tears Go By, Days of Being Wild, and Happy Together. I’m not kidding when I say he’s already one of my favorite filmmakers of all time due to how much his style pops and how I feel personally understood at times through the stories he is telling. I don’t know if In the Mood for Love is my favorite of the six films I’ve seen directed by Wong Kar-wai, but I do think it’s the best one. Thankfully, a lot of his work is on Criterion Channel and HBO Max which are so clearly my two personal favorite streaming services. Sign up to get those amazing film catalogs!