I have a luxury at Awards Wiz that many other sites don't. Although I often peek at my stats/readership...numbers have NEVER been a driving factor in what I publish. I make no money off of this site, so the truth of the matter is, the number of clicks I get mean very little in the grand scheme of things.
As a reader, I am looking for quality writing, keen observations and original, thought provoking entertainment...but I would be lying if I didn't say that at this stage in both my life and in my Oscarwatching, I gravitate toward like-hearted, if not like-minded, individuals.
Not that I'm afraid to be challenged, but I have no interest in reading, for example, a piece about Quentin Tarantino's treatment of women in films based on his reaction to an interview question about Margot Robbie's screen time in a film I haven't seen. That many of the people who are writing about this situation have not seen. I also don't have interest in reading the think pieces about those think pieces.
Could this "story" cost Tarantino the Palme d'Or? It's hard to tell because the internet is not real. Film Twitter is not real. Ask "Roma." Better yet...ask "Green Book."
I know one thing for sure...once the next outrage comes along, this will be a thing of the past. Tha'ts our new pattern.
Hopefully it won't cost Quentin the Palme. If he deserves it, that is.
So, what do I do? Do I stop reading the sites that are guilty of this sort of reporting? I love Indiewire, for example, particularly Screen Talk with Anne Thompson and Eric Kohn, but Indiewire has been notorious for this behavior for quite some time. Even my dearly beloved Anne and Eric are not immune to this webdemic characteristic.
Then again, neither am I.
During the final weeks of "Game of Thrones" I found myself wrapped up in the insanity of the fan reaction to the direction Daenerys Targaryen's character headed in a matter of very few episodes, mostly reacted upon by men, with little focus on Daenerys herself...other than a very well acted close up atop her dragon, that was described by GOT creators as a spontaneous decision.
I became so enveloped in the outrage, obsessed even....reading site after site, comment after comment, that I even signed the petition to reshoot the final season.
WHAT?! Did I really do that?!
I don't want them to reshoot! The last episode was actually quite good, and already, a few days separated for the finale, I can better see Dany's trajectory and how it was laid out in all 8 seasons. It simply wasn't what I wanted for her.
The one shining light in the webisphere in regard to "Game of Thrones" was James Hibberd and his coverage at Entertainment Weekly.
I strive to be more like Entertainment Weekly. After all, EW helped star it all for me back in the early 90s.
So, why do I bring any of this up? Well, there has been a decision bouncing around in my head for the past few weeks, and having told my therapist, my bestie, and passively mentioning it on Facebook, it is time to tell you.
I started Awards Wiz 10 years ago this month. It was originally called "Brian's Blog," and in that very first post I said this –
Well hello!
I'm testing out this whole blogger thing. Hoping to start a place for my ramblings and movie reviews. I want lots of followers...so we shall see if this is the home.
I started my reviews on facebook...but two of the movies I have seen this year, both at Tribeca Film Festival, were not available...so I'm thinking I need a new home.
And I don't think I want anything as extravagant as a website...at least not yet.
SO....let's see how this goes.
Brian
I find this first post so very innocent. I find my desire for "lots of followers" to be a bit groan inducing, considering what I've just written, but when I put myself back where I was in May of 2009, I can almost guarantee those "lots of followers" dreams were in the lower hundreds. As I said, innocent.
Oscars 2016/17 and 2017/18 were absolute delights for me. "Moonlight" and "La La Land," not only duked it out for my personal top 10, but also the Academy's Best Picture prize. Then came "Call Me By Your Name" and my interviews with Timothee Chalamet and Peter Spears. My Foreign Film pieces at Awards Daily and the interviews with the nominated directors.
It was all pretty incredible.
But I had also been worn down a bit by late 2018, and definitely come Oscars 2019.
From the Film Twitter takedown of "La La Land" to the claims of racism toward "Three Billboards," to the opinion that LGBTQ people alone must play LGBTQ roles, I was finding myself on the outskirts of opinion and unsure of my voice.
This last Oscar season was such a challenge for me that I even had to write an Oscars Mission Statement to get through it. Well, I no longer want to "get through it."
In the vein of "Game of Thrones" and "Schitt's Creek" I am announcing a final season here at Awards Wiz, and I couldn't be more excited to take this last journey with you.
So, what will this look like?
In the next few weeks I will be working on my film directorial debut. Once shooting is done I will be publishing a very exciting profile on my friend, Writer/Director Will Stewart.
Following that, I will revisit last summer's Best Films Rewatch with several films I left off the list. (How could I forget "Zero Dark Thirty!?") And then?
One final Oscars season as we know it here at Awards Wiz.
For the first time in a long time, I can't wait. See you in a few weeks.
No comments:
Post a Comment