Every year, hundreds of Best of 2019 lists get published (many of them on this very website) with hot takes galore and debates to follow. But each year, there’s one list that I can’t wait to read. And it’s not a ranking at all. For my money, the best list each and every year is the Seen, Read list put together by Steven Soderbergh. And in 2019, he did not disappoint.
For those unaware, Soderbergh’s annual Seen, Read list is a collection of every film, TV series, book, and play he viewed or read over the course of the year. He breaks it down day-by-day giving you an update of what he watched at any given time. Curious when Soderbergh first saw “The Lighthouse?” Well, that was on December 18. What about when he began binging Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Too Old to Die Young?” July 27. It’s the anti-Best Of list, not paring anything down to the cream of the crop. Instead, it’s a regurgitation of one man’s (obsessive) viewing habits. And it’s a joy to behold.
Just as a sheer exercise in completionism, there’s something truly admirable about what Soderbergh publishes at the end of the year. Film fans are going to love looking over his daily habits, noticing trends, picking out double-features, and seeing which films he decided to skip entirely (sorry, Marvel).
Perhaps the most interesting, if not altogether weird day, was November 28, aka Thanksgiving Day. On that day, Soderbergh had a full day of viewing beginning with the incredible “Marriage Story,” followed by three episodes of M. Night Shyamalan’s “Servant” streaming series, and ending with “The Irishman.” Who needs turkey when you have a Baumbach, Shyamalan, Scorsese triple feature? Also weird? Soderbergh watched the “Star Wars” fan film “Kenobi” for some reason (watch the trailer below).
Another useful by-product of Seen, Read is an update on the status of current Soderbergh features. This year, the filmmaker is putting the finishing touches on “Let Them All Talk,” a new film starring Meryl Streep, Gemma Chan, Lucas Hedges, Dianne Wiest, and Candice Bergen. Due to his insistence that every action gets documented, we know that production on the film began on August 14 and he was already looking at a rough cut on September 13. (The man is quick, what can we say?)
He actually watched a cut of the film once a month until the end of the year, with his last 2019 viewing occurring on December 30. So, it would seem as if maybe we’ll get a release date for this HBO Max film soon enough. Maybe it’ll premiere around launch time in May?
Seriously, if you’re a film fan, there’s nothing you need to do today that’s more fun than pouring over this list. It’s a blast and one of the few peeks into the mind of one of film’s greatest creators living today.