With the Oscar nominations in the rearview mirror, folks are still trying to unpack all the nods, many of which have focused more on popular and accessible titles getting award nominations than in previous years. Also, the leftfield Best Actress nomination for Andrea Riseborough for “To Leslie” took up a lot of oxygen. But we’re still looking at a ceremony that is embracing films that did extremely well at the box office (“Avatar 2” “Top Gun: Maverick”) as they attempt to court a wider television audience and try and revitalize the dwindling ratings. Meanwhile, writer/director Steven Soderbergh is sharing his own opinions on the Oscars switching gears and isn’t terribly sure movies have the same “cultural real estate” they once had. Soderbergh obviously produced the Oscar ceremony in 2021 and has some thoughts.
READ MORE: Academy Board of Governors Taking No Action Over Andrea Riseborough Controversy
The filmmaker was recently speaking with Rolling Stone Magazine about the upcoming ceremony and that the show embracing popular titles could, in fact, expose deeper problems. That active attempt to court a younger and younger audience each year might have a limit and could also reveal further issues down the line. He also suggests they also have nowhere to hide this year, given the excuses pundits and the Academy made about always nominating lesser-seen art movies, dramas, and films for “elites.”
“This year is going to be very telling. You cannot this year say, ‘Well, they didn’t nominate any popular movies!’ You cannot say that. So, we’ll find out if that’s really the issue or if it’s a deeper philosophical problem, which is the fact that movies don’t occupy the same cultural real estate that they used to. They just don’t,” Soderbergh told Rolling Stone.
Asked if this was because of television as a quality content competitor to movies, he responded. “I’m sure that’s part of it. But they just don’t. In cultural terms, they don’t matter in the same way that they did twenty years ago. As a result, especially for younger viewers, it’s not as compelling as it once was. They’re going to learn a lot this year. We all will.”
Soderbergh’s not wrong, as it’s hard to say how impactful the Oscars will be in 2023 and or if culture has just moved on from Awards shows (which, besides the GRAMMYS’ minor ratings uptick, seems to be the case). So, what happens if the ratings don’t reflect their attempt to have a greater representation of more audience-friendly titles? We’re looking at Jimmy Kimmel hosting, a particularly safe choice, all things considered, after the Will Smith slap rocked last year’s awards show and likely aren’t terribly interested in a repeat of on-stage confrontations. We won’t truly know if these moves have worked in their favor until after the ratings numbers are released. Then again, are ratings important to an awards show or simply the value of the awards themselves?
As for the ongoing debate about superheroes owning everything in cinemas and not leaving room for anything else?
“The issue of what happens to the audience is truly a chicken-and-the-egg thing,” he said, weighing in on the current anxiety about the health of the theatrical industry.” The reason they are pushing other movies off the screen — mid-level adult dramas for grownups — is because people are spending more money to see those movies than mid-level adult dramas. The exhibitors are just trying to survive, which is becoming increasingly difficult for them, so it’s this weird mélange of forces, both economic and cultural, that have landed us here. Now, every time I lament, “Is this the way it’s always gonna be? Are we stuck here?” Somebody, unbeknownst to all of us, is out there making something that’s gonna come out six months or a year from now that’s gonna invert the trajectory we think we’ve been on, and things will start moving in another direction. I always believe in the ability of filmmakers to turn the direction of the industry around. I believe in artists’ ability to figure shit out.”
In the meantime, Soderbergh’s latest, “Magic Mike’s “The Last Dance,” comes out February 17 and is already receiving some rave reviews (including ours).