Steven Soderbergh fans, you know what time it is. Another new year brings us another new comprehensive “Seen, Read” list of films, TV series, books, plays, and other media consumed by the acclaimed filmmaker. And for the astute among us, it allows for speculation galore as we get a peek into the viewing habits of one of the best filmmakers working today. So, with that out of the way, what the hell did Steven Soderbergh watch in 2021.
Well, “Below Deck,” of course!
Much like 2020, it appears Soderbergh continued to fuel his reality TV habit with a healthy dose of “Below Deck” episodes. We’re talking 35 episodes (at least the ones he documented) of the Bravo TV reality show that were watched throughout the year by Soderbergh. If the filmmaker has anything resembling TV comfort food, “Below Deck” would appear to be it.
For those who don’t know, Soderbergh releases a year-end list compiling all of his media consumption for the year. We believe it’s true that the filmmaker only lists things that he watches in their entirety. So, if he turned off a film or TV series for whatever reason (like if it’s just dreadful), he doesn’t list it. And if you’re wondering why some things are left out that you know he probably watched, then that would be the reason. Well, there’s also the chance that he just forgot to list some things, as he’s known to update the post with things he remembered watching but failed to initially list.
So, all that said, what else stands out? First, let’s talk about some features. Steven Soderbergh has some favorite films, clearly, including David Fincher’s underrated thriller “Panic Room,” as well as Steven Spielberg’s classic, “Jaws.” For “Panic Room,” he watched it twice in the early part of 2021, but for “Jaws,” he spaced out four viewings over the course of the year.
One of the more interesting aspects of Soderbergh’s year-end list is that it gives us a glimpse at his fast filmmaking schedule. In 2021, the filmmaker began production on “KIMI,” which stars Zoe Kravitz, on March 30. He then watched an early cut of the film on May 14, just a month-and-a-half later. Considering he spent much of June watching cuts of the film, you have to assume “KIMI” is basically finished and ready for HBO Max to release this year.
And finally, it appears Soderbergh ended his year with one of the best films ever—John Carpenter’s “Escape From New York.” Maybe that film is just a healthy reminder that even the toughest years are still not nearly as bad as John Carpenter’s futuristic New York City hellscape?