Watching Things: September 2022
By Austin Johnson
I felt like I was in a sort of movie slump during September. The NFL came back early on in the month, the WNBA Finals ran through the middle of the month, and the MLB heated up as the playoffs will start very soon. I love sports so it’s always a balancing act with movies and sports in my life as well as work and all that jazz. I was able to check out some decent stuff and the Best Picture showdown from the 73rd Academy awards we knocked out on Oscar Sunday was really fun. Overall, I got to 22 films and the range is quite random.
Chocolat, 2000 (Paramount+) - 6
*The Gleaners and I, 2000 (Criterion Channel) - 8
*Billy Elliot, 2000 (Starz) - 8
The Town, 2010 (Netflix) - 9
*Eyes Without a Face, 1960 (Criterion Channel/HBO Max) - 9
*Chan Is Missing, 1982 (Criterion Channel) - 9
Poltergeist, 1982 (HBO Max) - 8
*Thor: Love and Thunder, 2022 (Disney+) - 4
*Elvis, 2022 (HBO Max) - 5
*Yi Yi, 2000 (Criterion Channel) - 10
Erin Brockovich, 2000 (Peacock) - 8
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2000 (Amazon Prime/HBO Max/Hulu) - 10
Traffic, 2000 (Borrowed from Connor) - 8
Gladiator, 2000 (Amazon Prime) - 9
*2 or 3 Things I Know About Her, 1967 (Criterion Channel/HBO Max) - 8
*Hud, 1963 (Criterion Channel) - 9
All the President’s Men, 1976 (HBO Max) - 9
*Come Back, Little Sheba, 1952 (Criterion Channel) - 8
*Come and Get It, 1936 (Amazon Prime) - 7
Role Models, 2008 (Amazon Prime) - 7
*Basketball County: In the Water, 2020 (Showtime) - 8
Boogie Nights, 1997 (Netflix) - 10
First Time Watches - 12
Rewatches - 10
22 total films watched for an average of 8.04
Streaming Service Counter:
Amazon Prime - 4
Borrowed from Connor - 1
Criterion Channel - 7
Disney+ - 1
HBO Max - 3
Netflix - 2
Paramount+ - 1
Peacock - 1
Showtime - 1
Starz - 1
Top 5 September Watches
5. 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her
First off, Rest In Peace to Mr. Jean-Luc Godard. Obviously I’ve known about his impact on cinema for a long time but I didn’t discover his work for myself until I signed up for the Criterion Channel about 2 and a half years ago. I watched a handful of his films shortly after signing up and found out that his stuff is kind of right up my alley. After he passed away, I watched 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her which is ambitious as hell and definitely not for everyone. Godard narrates certain sections of the film, asking these massive questions about life and what the hell we are all doing here. I enjoyed it quite a bit but my favorite of his works remains Vivre Sa Vie by a long shot. That one blows my mind! The Criterion edition now sits on my shelf as I bought a copy at the wonderful Amoeba store in Hollywood.
4. Eyes Without a Face
I very rarely show up on our Filmgazm podcast as I host the Oscar Sunday show every week. When I do show up, it’s for something I have a true passion for. On episode 205, Connor and I discussed the Georges Franju directed Eyes Without a Face from 1960. It’s on the Criterion Channel and HBO Max and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes horror and the subgenres that stem from it. Eyes Without a Face is also a really cool gem from the French New Wave era that stands out due to its haunting premise and legitimately frightening scenes. I will definitely try to buy this one at some point because that first watch was extremely memorable and I always love going back to the basics with my great friend, Connor.
3. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
I mentioned earlier how solid the Best Picture Showdown was in September. The 73rd Academy Awards saw Gladiator win the big award over Chocolat, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Erin Brockovich, and Traffic. Aside from Chocolat, I would say it’s one of the better overall Best Picture groups from this century. My personal favorite of the bunch is Crouching Tiger, which is a film I’ve owned for a really long time as it was one of the first foreign language films I ever saw. That gave the film a really special place in my heart, but when I rewatched it for the podcast, I remembered just how damn good it is. This Ang Lee directed masterpiece is available on Amazon Prime, HBO Max and Hulu!
2. Boogie Nights
One of my favorite podcasts to listen to in my spare time is The Rewatchables. Towards the end of the month, they did a 2 part episode on Boogie Nights that lasted over 4 hours. I’ve seen the film so many times, but I got suckered into rewatching it because of The Rewatchables. It’s what they do! If you know me, then you know I’m totally fine with spending any given night with Paul Thomas Anderson’s filmography. I especially like rewatching Boogie Nights because it’s definitely his most entertaining film and it will always have a seat at the table when fans discuss what the best work of his career is.
1. Yi Yi
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again… Every once in a while, I will watch a film that reminds me of why I constantly inhale this shit. Yi Yi, directed by Edward Yang is a 3 hour epic about a family in Taipei dealing with very relatable issues. I watched it because I was trying to watch a shit ton of films from 2000 leading up to our Best Picture showdown based around Gladiator. That’s a super good year overall with all kinds of amazing stuff and Yi Yi entered my personal Top 5 favorite films from the year because of how heavily it impacted me. It’s available on the Criterion Channel and will likely end up on my shelf at some point.
Chocolat, 2000 (Paramount+) - 6
*The Gleaners and I, 2000 (Criterion Channel) - 8
*Billy Elliot, 2000 (Starz) - 8
The Town, 2010 (Netflix) - 9
*Eyes Without a Face, 1960 (Criterion Channel/HBO Max) - 9
*Chan Is Missing, 1982 (Criterion Channel) - 9
Poltergeist, 1982 (HBO Max) - 8
*Thor: Love and Thunder, 2022 (Disney+) - 4
*Elvis, 2022 (HBO Max) - 5
*Yi Yi, 2000 (Criterion Channel) - 10
Erin Brockovich, 2000 (Peacock) - 8
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2000 (Amazon Prime/HBO Max/Hulu) - 10
Traffic, 2000 (Borrowed from Connor) - 8
Gladiator, 2000 (Amazon Prime) - 9
*2 or 3 Things I Know About Her, 1967 (Criterion Channel/HBO Max) - 8
*Hud, 1963 (Criterion Channel) - 9
All the President’s Men, 1976 (HBO Max) - 9
*Come Back, Little Sheba, 1952 (Criterion Channel) - 8
*Come and Get It, 1936 (Amazon Prime) - 7
Role Models, 2008 (Amazon Prime) - 7
*Basketball County: In the Water, 2020 (Showtime) - 8
Boogie Nights, 1997 (Netflix) - 10
First Time Watches - 12
Rewatches - 10
22 total films watched for an average of 8.04
Streaming Service Counter:
Amazon Prime - 4
Borrowed from Connor - 1
Criterion Channel - 7
Disney+ - 1
HBO Max - 3
Netflix - 2
Paramount+ - 1
Peacock - 1
Showtime - 1
Starz - 1
Top 5 September Watches
5. 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her
First off, Rest In Peace to Mr. Jean-Luc Godard. Obviously I’ve known about his impact on cinema for a long time but I didn’t discover his work for myself until I signed up for the Criterion Channel about 2 and a half years ago. I watched a handful of his films shortly after signing up and found out that his stuff is kind of right up my alley. After he passed away, I watched 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her which is ambitious as hell and definitely not for everyone. Godard narrates certain sections of the film, asking these massive questions about life and what the hell we are all doing here. I enjoyed it quite a bit but my favorite of his works remains Vivre Sa Vie by a long shot. That one blows my mind! The Criterion edition now sits on my shelf as I bought a copy at the wonderful Amoeba store in Hollywood.
4. Eyes Without a Face
I very rarely show up on our Filmgazm podcast as I host the Oscar Sunday show every week. When I do show up, it’s for something I have a true passion for. On episode 205, Connor and I discussed the Georges Franju directed Eyes Without a Face from 1960. It’s on the Criterion Channel and HBO Max and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes horror and the subgenres that stem from it. Eyes Without a Face is also a really cool gem from the French New Wave era that stands out due to its haunting premise and legitimately frightening scenes. I will definitely try to buy this one at some point because that first watch was extremely memorable and I always love going back to the basics with my great friend, Connor.
3. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
I mentioned earlier how solid the Best Picture Showdown was in September. The 73rd Academy Awards saw Gladiator win the big award over Chocolat, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Erin Brockovich, and Traffic. Aside from Chocolat, I would say it’s one of the better overall Best Picture groups from this century. My personal favorite of the bunch is Crouching Tiger, which is a film I’ve owned for a really long time as it was one of the first foreign language films I ever saw. That gave the film a really special place in my heart, but when I rewatched it for the podcast, I remembered just how damn good it is. This Ang Lee directed masterpiece is available on Amazon Prime, HBO Max and Hulu!
2. Boogie Nights
One of my favorite podcasts to listen to in my spare time is The Rewatchables. Towards the end of the month, they did a 2 part episode on Boogie Nights that lasted over 4 hours. I’ve seen the film so many times, but I got suckered into rewatching it because of The Rewatchables. It’s what they do! If you know me, then you know I’m totally fine with spending any given night with Paul Thomas Anderson’s filmography. I especially like rewatching Boogie Nights because it’s definitely his most entertaining film and it will always have a seat at the table when fans discuss what the best work of his career is.
1. Yi Yi
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again… Every once in a while, I will watch a film that reminds me of why I constantly inhale this shit. Yi Yi, directed by Edward Yang is a 3 hour epic about a family in Taipei dealing with very relatable issues. I watched it because I was trying to watch a shit ton of films from 2000 leading up to our Best Picture showdown based around Gladiator. That’s a super good year overall with all kinds of amazing stuff and Yi Yi entered my personal Top 5 favorite films from the year because of how heavily it impacted me. It’s available on the Criterion Channel and will likely end up on my shelf at some point.