I have no problem with Netflix crashing the Oscar game, it could help and push the other major studios to step up their game and actually produce more original content instead of the money-hungry, franchise-obsessed mindset that is currently running rampant in almost every major exec's head.
With all that said, Netflix will be legitimizing itself even further this year as a major studio with its star-studded fall lineup, which includes Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman.”
Some people still aren't taking Netflix seriously as a distributor of "cinema." Those unwilling to accept that, yes, a Netflix movie should be counted as a real movie, one that is gunning for credible awards contention, will be proven wrong, eventually.
Some of the most important Hollywood filmmakers are now making the jump to the streaming giant. After all, Hollywood executives from the other major studios have all but killed the idea of giving highly talented directors the room for creative freedom.
Martin Scorsese seems to agree with my assessment. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the legendary director explains quite simply but eloquently why Netflix IS cinema. “They came up with the money, and the freedom,” said Scorsese. And it’s that sort of logic that has led Netflix and its streaming brethren signing up almost every major filmmaker and A-list actor to create more and more content.
Of course, this evolution is a legitimate cinematic streaming enterprise will take time for some, Scorsese added “I want people to be patient with them, because they need to try different things . . . argue it out, because it makes you think, ‘What is a film? And how should a film be presented, especially in a new world?’ I think the cards are stacked for the big budget, and that’s a problem.”
Netflix is in charge of distributing, maybe, the most anticipated film for cinephiles of these past few years: Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman." It's been 25 years since Scorsese/De Niro teamed up for a movie (1995's "Casino") but during that time the director/actor behind such classics as "Goodfellas," 'Taxi Driver," The King of Comedy" and "Mean Streets" have seen their work age like fine wine and turn into the stuff of legend, with even millennials jumping onboard and taking great affinity to the staggering body of work these two artists concocted in their 3+ decades of work together.
No surprise, “Practical Magic 2” is not doing well with critics. We all saw it coming. The first was also hammered with bad reviews. The only reason we’re getting a sequel is due to its cult base and ‘90s nostalgia.