Wondering Where the Movie Magic Has Gone

This year’s Oscar surprise was the Spielberg movie, The Fabelmans. It wasn’t a surprise that there was a Spielberg movie, he makes one every other year, even now at 76, even though the movies are not worth comparing to the spectacular first half of his career. Nor are his many nominations a surprise: Best Director, Best Picture, Best Screenplay. He’s been nominated almost once per year since 2006, mostly for his worse movies, by an Academy that didn’t much care to acknowledge his best work.