There is no way to write about the year in film that was 2023 without writing about the strikes that shut down Hollywood for months. For the entertainment industry, there was no bigger story over the past year. The Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild took to the picket lines to insist the future of the industry look better than the present and recent past. They made great gains, but only time will tell if the film world can avoid the fate of so many other industries corrupted by the promises of big tech and bigger profits.
The unions sought important concessions in specific areas such as the regulation of artificial intelligence and the establishment of a fairer and more equitable streaming model. These were absolute must-haves if the film industry is to be sustainable moving deeper into the 21st century. However, the labor strife – the blame for which lies entirely at the doorstep of the studios – is emblematic of a larger rot at the core of Hollywood, itself a bellwether for the crumbling infrastructure of any number of industries.
That rot cannot be easily summarized, but if asked to pinpoint an origin, in a word, I would say “consolidation.” Too much power, influence, and money rests in the hands of too few. It has always been this way, but it feels as though we are at a tipping point, after which we will tumble inexorably into the gaping maw of a beast we have fought but could not slay.
Just last week, the terrible news came that the heads of Max and Paramount+ met to discuss a potential merger. Much will have to happen for that to take place, but let there be no mistake: This is a disaster in the making, and it is happening faster than we can possibly comprehend. To wit, if I had written that same sentence a mere five years ago, it would have been meaningless. The Max brand did not exist. Paramount+ was but a faint glimmer on the horizon. Yet here we are, in a world where each controls its own vast piece of the very history of film.
Add in Disney, which controls the other biggest portion of our shared cultural heritage, and you have the three companies that could destroy the past, present, and future of the movie industry while writing it off as little more than a tax deduction. If this sounds hyperbolic, ask any of the hundreds of people who worked on the Batgirl movie what they think. If a high-profile comic book movie can be the victim of a tax scam – seriously, it’s straight out of The Producers – then it can happen to anyone at any time.
Coyote vs. Acme, another completed film nearly killed for the writedown, was saved only by the fury and anger of a populace sick of seeing its culture devalued by the cultureless heads of state at these companies. But, fury and anger can only burn so bright for so long. If the price of preserving the future of the artform is eternal vigilance, I am not certain our collective vigilance can last an eternity.
Still, that is what we do here at Last Cinema Standing. We are devoted to the art, to the artists, and to all who stand with them. At the end of the day, all we have is each other. In the dark of the theater, after the curtain has gone up but before the screen has begun to flicker, we sit together in silence, sharing one hope, one mission, one love: the cinema.
It was not my intent to begin the Year in Review – ostensibly, a celebration of a year in a cinema – on such a down note, but it would be a dereliction of duty not to reckon with an industry on the brink, staring down an uncertain future. Beyond that, I would be remiss not to acknowledge that the film industry and its problems are but one small piece of a world beset by war, genocide, inequality, and instability.
It was a devastating year for the world and its peoples. Things are tough out there, and they are not getting better, though plenty are working toward that goal. I have faced a number of personal challenges that pale in comparison to the true problems we all face but which have made life that much more difficult for me anyway. So, what do I do? I do what I have always done and what I will continue to do as long as the space exists. I go to the movies. I celebrate the art I love. And, I share it with the people who care, like you. Let’s try to find some joy together as we look back at the year in cinema that was 2023.
Check back next time for Part II of Last Cinema Standing’s Year in Review series as we take a look back at some of the most memorable movie-going experiences of the year.
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