So word comes that the 2018 Oscars didn’t do that well, ratings-wise.

As usual, our “President” decided to make an issue of it (he’s nothing if not content to make everything about him) and was promptly slammed by its host, Jimmy Kimmel but, frankly, this is side-issue stuff.

The thing that intrigues me is the fact that the Oscar rating are down and, like our “President”, I’m going to make it about me…

(Sorta) Kidding!

I noted when I first wrote about the Oscars (you can read that here) the following:

I missed the whole thing.  Like, everything.  I knew it was on.  I usually catch at least a minute or two here and there.

The bottom line, though, was that I completely and totally missed the whole thing.

I opined that maybe my lack of interest in seeing the Oscars was related to the movies that were being honored and in the running.  I certainly think this is a pretty big factor.

But there’s another thing: Times change and what was once an interesting event can become something that simply isn’t all that interesting anymore.

There was a time that roadside parades were a HUGE thing in cities.  Perhaps they still are in many of them.  But I don’t think they’re as popular as they were.

Movies, too, have changed, at least in the way we see them.

Used to be we’d see them in theaters and, at least when I was much younger, I was incredibly eager to see what was about to be released and what I could catch.  Nowadays, and because things get to be so damn busy, I’m lucky if I find the time to catch them.  Further, if I do miss the films in theaters, all I have to do is wait a few months and -voila- the movie becomes available on home video.

Suddenly, seeing a new film in theaters during its release isn’t such a big deal anymore.

There are, of course, exceptions to this.  The recently released (and big hit) Black Panther was eagerly anticipated by many before its release and people are flocking to theaters to see it.  Same, a little before that, with The Last Jedi.

Nonetheless I would argue such movies are increasingly becoming the exception rather than the rule.

The last film I saw in theaters, Game Night, I didn’t know anything about until I read the review of it in my local paper on the day of its release!  And I didn’t know about it because, I suspect, I didn’t actively look around at what films were coming out.

In effect, I didn’t much care about films being released and figured I’d read about them as they come out.

Could this indifference extend to things related to movies, such as Oscars?

Obviously, what I’m musing about here is my own personal experiences/opinions, but I can’t help but wonder if others don’t feel the same thing.

Times do, as I mentioned before, have a way of changing things.

…I missed the whole thing.

Like, everything.

I knew it was on.  I usually catch at least a minute or two here and there.  But this time around?

I know, I know.  I’m sounding like that cranky old “get off my lawn” guy.  But the truth’s the truth: I haven’t seen any of the films nominated for best picture, though I did pick up the digital copy, via VUDU as it was on sale, of Dunkirk.  Alas, I haven’t had the time to watch it as of yet.

Here’s the cold hard reality of my situation: I haven’t seen any of the films on the major lists nor am I all that interested in seeing them.  A good friend of mine highly recommended the big winner of last night’s Oscars, The Shape of Water, but I dunno.  As I said, I have Dunkirk but I’m not in a huge rush to see it.

Enough, though, of the negativity.  Author Sam Adams over on Slate.com points out one of the better stories coming out of the Oscars, something even a crumudgeon like me could appreciate:

Roger Deakins broke one of Oscar’s longest losing streaks

The above mentioned Mr. Deakins, as it should be obvious from the article’s title, won an Oscar last night for his cinematography on the film Blade Runner 2049.  Mr. Deakins, as the article further notes, was previously nominated in this category a whopping 13 times between 1995 and 2017 and, as Mr. Adams further notes, in 2008 he was nominated for best cinematographer twice.  It goes without saying but until last night, he hadn’t won for any of those nominations.

Unlike the best picture nominees, I have actually seen Blade Runner 2049 and, though I feel the film was too bloated for its own good, there is absolutely NOTHING negative I have to say about the look of the film and the cinematography.  Indeed, it is quite brilliant and worthy of the adulation it has received.

Good going, Mr. Deakins.  This cranky old man totally agrees you deserved this Oscar… even if he hasn’t seen too many of the other nominated films.