It sounds elitist at first, but Spielberg's main gripe isn't that the quality of Netflix movies are low, but it's with their distribution channels. Netflix movies, he argues, should be classified as TV movies. And there are other award shows for TV movies, such as the Emmys.
The eligibility criteria for Oscar-nominated films states that pictures need to be:
"for a qualifying run of at least seven consecutive days, during which period screenings must occur at least three times daily, with at least one screening beginning between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily"
So, Netflix would show their movies in select theatres for a week, before pulling these screenings. After that, the movies would only be available for streaming.
While this is the most cost-effective way to promote a film for Netflix (you'd get Oscar buzz, which is like free marketing, while only paying cinemas for one week of screening, and then you'd have a cheap method of distribution to a wider audience through the Netflix site), Spielberg's view is that it taints what the Academy's purpose is: to celebrate the cinemas.
Note: the cinemas. Not movies in general, but the cinema. The theatre.
There is a difference between an independent movie only being shown for one week because of budget constraints, and whatever Netflix is doing. This is the main gripe that Spielberg has: Netflix's intentions to screen movies in cinemas are not to celebrate cinema, but just to receive awards.
For me, if those are the Academy's requirements, then the fact that Netflix found a loophole to exploit it does not bother me at all. But this raises an interesting question: is Netflix killing the Big Screen?
Over the past few years alone, it has been increasingly difficult to get ahold of a DVD/Blu-ray without buying it. Video rental stores nationwide are disappearing at a faster rate than when all those froyo chains appeared.
But we adapted, moving on to the DVD vending machines located sporadically in shopping centres. But these only have a limited selection, and finding older movies is much harder now, especially since not every older or less-mainstream film is available on Netflix (especially Netflix Australia, but that's another topic).
The availability of less common films on Netflix is getting better, but there is still a lot of room for improvement.
But even if the availability got to the same level as what we have now with DVDs and Blurays, streaming sites still pose problems for avid DVD/Bluray collectors such as myself, and it still poses problems for cinemas.
According to Wikipedia, ^these were the top grossing films of 2017 worldwide.
Notice how they are all big blockbuster franchise movies (bar a random Chinese movie)?
It's getting harder and harder for smaller, more independent movies to compete with these big studio action movies. And while this may sound a bit pretentious, it's harder for more thought-provoking and artsy movies to be successful in light of these big action and visual movies.
One movie that's been in the news for exactly that reason is Annihilation (2018).
It's an amazing movie, and if you haven't seen it, please do.
Where can you see it? Well, that's the kicker isn't it.
The film was distributed in theatres all across the U.S., but internationally it was only released on Netflix. There's been quite a bit of controversy surrounding Paramount's decision to not let international audiences see it on the big screen, mainly because they thought the movie was too smart for mainstream audiences.
Sure enough, it wasn't successful, so Paramount was right in their judgement.
It still sucks though, because I feel like I missed out on the chance for the best experience to watch the movie. The visuals and the score were amazing, and watching it on a home TV just didn't do it justice. Intricate details needed to be bigger, sound needed to be more... surround (?), Natalie Portman needed to be bigger to better appreciate her phenomenal acting, and overall the atmosphere needed to be more serious in order to fully appreciate the movie. Casual watching at home on Netflix just isn't good enough for a film like Annihilation.
But yes, despite all that, I'll concede it's a pretty bizarre film. The ending reminded me of the ending of Under the Skin (2013), and if you've seen that movie then you know it's bizarre and not for everyone.
So Paramount was right, and the best avenue for this movie was Netflix I suppose. You can't really blame them, but you can blame moviegoers for not seeing movies like Annihilation.
Society is evolving, and as much as I hate to admit it, maybe the film industry should evolve too. Allowing Netflix movies into the Oscars might encourage more Netflix movies to be made, forcing theatre-released films into extinction, but if Netflix is the only way we can keep the film industry not only thriving but producing quality content, then I will begrudgingly resign to a life of watching movies on my TV screen, munching on leftovers from the fridge in my pyjamas. Just let me upgrade my home theatre system first.
