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Pushback over Spielberg's conservative Oscar views


Comments in first one mostly oppose rich old white dinosaur. Second one has various small-time directors' positions.

Spielberg to Voice Concerns Over Netflix Oscar Competition at Academy Meeting https://www.imdb.com/news/ni62397870

Spielberg, as the Academy Governor of the directors branch, will be supporting changes to the awards rules at the annual post-Oscars meeting.

“Steven feels strongly about the difference between the streaming and theatrical situation,” an Amblin spokesperson told Indiewire. “He’ll be happy if the others will join [his campaign] when that comes up [at the Academy Board of Governors meeting]. He will see what happens.”
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Industry Debates Theatrical Distribution vs. Netflix Amid Academy Rule Change Speculation
https://variety.com/2019/film/news/theatrical-netflix-academy-rule-change-steven-spielberg-1203153926/

Reports that Steven Spielberg will be proposing a rule change at the next Academy meeting that will make it more difficult for Netflix films to compete at the Oscars has sparked debate online among the film community, with several arguing in favor of Netflix or pointing out that the situation is more complicated than theatrical release versus streaming.

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What's 'conservative' about standing up for the big screen?

Films are meant to be seen in cinemas, in a social environment, on the biggest screen possible. Not on a frickin phone.

We're becoming less social as it is. People now do everything at home. No-one goes out to clubs, bars, shops, theatres, anymore. Why are we so desperate to kill the cinema?

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Nobody watches these on their phones. 50" TV is cheaper than flagship phones.

Cineplex screens are not big anymore. Maybe you're too young to remember theaters with balconies.

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No film looks as good on a TV as it does on a cinema screen.

But who is going to pay ten or more dollars to see Roma, where it belongs on the big screen, when they can see it for free?

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"No film looks as good on a TV as it does on a cinema screen."

Not true.

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In my personal experience it is true.

I find it hard to enjoy a great film on TV that is already seen on the big screen. The two experiences are incomparable.

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I agree with Spielberg. Though I feel he's fighting a losing battle. Movies were meant to be seen on the big screen from the beginning. I've seen many movies in a theater that lost their impact on TV. Original artistic intent matters.

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Now you´re changing your statement.

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How so?

Admittedly, I can only speak for myself, but from that perspective my statements have remained consistent.

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"No film looks as good on tv as it does in cinema." to
"I find it hard to enjoy a great film on TV that is already seen on the big screen."

First one can be proven wrong since there are films on HDTV that do look better than viewing at a cinema. The second one is an opinion.

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Both were opinions, and I stand by them. Unless you have a giant home cinema screen inside a large room, it's hard to replicate the visceral experience of seeing a film at the cinema.

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I´m a cinema going fan myself but not every cinema experience is the same. I´ve been to some cinemas with poor lighting and sound, that´s why saying "no film looks as good on tv as it does in cinema" is tacitly untrue.

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Fair enough. I think you're being a tad pedantic, but I concede that literally speaking you are correct.

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No-one goes out to clubs, bars, shops, theatres, anymore. Why are we so desperate to kill the cinema?
You can thank Liam Neeson and his cosh for that! He has a particular set of Kills, I mean "Skills".

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I have to agree with him. This isn't new- there have been made-for TV movies for decades: not one of them wanted to be considered for Oscar contention. The very definition of what Netflix offers vs what a movie is negates it.

This is just Netflix trying desperately to be a "studio." What's next? Their streaming series are already up for Emmy's. They just want all the awards they can garner...

And meanwhile, my Saved Queue is STILL 3 times bigger than my DVD queue. How about spending some of that money on new DVD's?

..Joe

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I don't have a problem with Netflix becoming a studio, so to speak, and having exclusive broadcasting rights to their films, just as long as they agree to longer windows between theatrical releases and broadcast on their subscriber streaming service.

There should be an AMPAS policy that ensures that any film eligible for nomination has been on theatrical release for a minimum period before it is screened on TV.

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I agree that films should be in the cinema and have a gap between cinema presentation and streaming services before being considered for an Oscar.

That gap is short enough already with many Oscar nominated titles already on Blu Ray and streaming by the time the Academy Awards were broadcast.

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