Soderbergh's List
Wednesday, January 6, 2021 at 12:00PM 
Each year Steven Soderbergh releases his screening / reading / watching log. And here's what he watched and read in 2020. These lists are very fun but they always freak us out a little because Soderberg is an Oscar winner and voter and yet he doesn't watch very many current movies though he does catch the big nominees...
This is probably more common than many of us Oscar-obsessives would like to admit and goes a long way in showing how 'narratives' and campaigns can become such sure things and how egregious snubs happen, too, since industry voters are taking in fewer new releases than those in the media whose job it is to write about the movies in some capacity.
But of the current contenders for various categories this coming season -- and we assume that he fills out nomination ballots for three fields (Director, Screenplays... since those are the branches he'd belong to) in addition to Picture. We know that he's already seen Promising Young Woman, On the Rocks, Collective, Another Round, Nomadland, Midnight Sky, The Nest, French Exit, and Mank twice (the first was several months before it officially began screening so perhaps he's friendly with David Fincher?)... but did he like them? We'll never know.
But the list is fun and interesting. On Valentine's Day he watched Paul Newman in The Verdict (1982) of all things. His idea or his wife Jules Asner's? He randomly watched Jacqueline Susann's Once is Not Enough (LOL!) in December a movie which only Supporting Actress and/or Brenda Vaccaro aficionados tend to have seen. He had a litle Bob Fosse moment in September watching Cabaret and All that Jazz back to back.
Oh and in case you havent heard or have forgotten, he'll be producing the Oscars this year with Jesse Collins and Stacey Sher so... that's fun.
Reader Comments (13)
I appreciate he's not a snob when it comes to what he'll consume.
How does he have time to watch/read all that?!
When does the Academy send out screeners?
I think he's watching a pretty good selection of films. If all you do is watch the new films, you lose perspective. I wonder why he never got around to FIRST COW. Maybe he saw it in 2019. He seems to be plugged into a circuit where he can look at films early.
He saw Mank four times, not two. I wonder how he managed to watch The Woman in the Window, which has been in limbo for a very long time (not a good omen). Which version did he watch. Was this before or after the planned re-shoots? Given COVID, were they even shot? It was supposed to be the last picture by Fox before the merger with Disney.
Am I high or did he watch Mariah Carey’s Glitter?
I thought Academy members could only belong to one branch, so hyphenates had to choose. No?
Richard, I thought that as well. I remember reading a few years ago that Tina Fey switched from the writers to the acting branch.
Here's another candidate for Funniest Entry on Soderbergh's list.
He did not watch Wonder Woman 1984, but on Christmas Day when it premiered, he watched the 1975 TV series "Wonder Woman" instead.
Glitter? Really?!? ha ha ha
He consumes movie like other people eat pasta. Just W O W
He has seen some of the contenders for this award season like:
- Nomadland
- Mank (4 times)
- Pieces of a Woman
. French Exit (twice)
- On The Rocks
- Ma Rainey¨s Black Bottom
- Da 5 Blood
- Promising Young Woman
- Another Round
- The Midnight Sky
- The Assistant
- I’M YOUR WOMAN
He has seen some of Fincher´s work
Loved that he watched Die Hard this Christmas! I did too!
He saw "Let Them All Talk" a year ago! Man's got connections!
I always enjoy perusing his list. Funny enough: Both of us watched L'Avventura on Christmas.
Wow I could barely get through Mank once