OSCAR MADNESS

The Oscars are just a few days away which also means the conclusion of another awards season. Here for fun are a few Oscar-related (or adjacent) articles to peruse until the big night:

Vulture has once again taken the bold step of ranking all of the nominated feature and short films that received Oscar nominations this year. It is noted that six films received eight or more nominations but there is a grand total of fifty movies that earned the honor of being recognized by the Academy. I can tell you right now I don't agree where some of these films fell in this ranking and I'm certain some of you will find many that deserved higher (or perhaps lower, in some cases). But it's still a daring and amusing endeavor that you should check out.

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Vulture: Every 2026 Oscar-Nominated Movie Ranked

The New York Times have put together video clips of the filmmakers behind eight of the nominated Best Picture films where each discusses the details in how they put together pivotal sequences from their movies.

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NYT: Behind the Scenes of This Year’s Best Picture Oscar Nominees

This year marks the first presentation of a new Oscar category: Best Achievement in Casting. Michael Schulman of the New Yorker has decided to look back in Hollywood history to consider some films that not only would have been nominated but more than likely could have won the award.

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New Yorker: The Best Casting Jobs in Hollywood History

I love movie posters, especially those that really try to expand beyond the tried, true and expected of this underrated artform. Adrian Curry of Mubi Notebook has done his annual selection of what he considered the top ten best posters of last year along with an explanation on exactly why they were chosen. And there is a bonus of twenty well deserved runner-ups.

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Mubi: The Best Movie Posters of 2025

GREAT PERFORMANCES: LIGHTS CAMERA FEELINGS!

Acting involves a performer adopting a character in order to illustrate a story through various potential mediums. And great actors are able to express specific emotions on cue with astounding skill and impressive endurance.

For this year's New York Times celebration of Great Performances, the focus is on how these ten actors, who each gave brilliantly heartfelt and deeply moving film performances in 2025, were able to tap into such big feelings.

With photographs and video by Paul Kooiker and interviews by Amy X. Wang, the actors spotlighted are Jessie Buckley ("Hamnet"), Rose Byrne ("If I Had Legs I'd Kick You"), Kathleen Chalfant ("Familiar Touch"), Kirsten Dunst ("Roofman"), Jacob Elordi ("Frankenstein"), Lee Byung Hun ("No Other Choice"), Wunmi Mosaku ("Sinners"), Wagner Moura ("The Secret Agent"), Liam Neeson ("The Naked Gun"), and Teyana Taylor ("One Battle After Another").

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NYTimes: An Actor's Guide To Big Feelings

THE 100 BEST MOVIES OF THE 21ST CENTURY

The New York Times decided to make a list of the one hundred best movies from this current century. As there have only been twenty-five years to date, this task might not appear to be all that daunting. Yet when you consider such an extensive range and vast assortment of cinema created over this period, this project might be more of a challenge then it would seem. So to help decide which films were selected and ranked, five hundred filmmakers, actors, influential insiders and fans were asked to each vote for their personal top-ten favorites that were released since January 1, 2000. Then these votes were complied to create this listing of best movies which were revealed twenty at a time over five days that began on June 23rd.

Please click below for the complete list of films selected as the best of this current century:

The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century

I have seen ninety-three films from the list and below are the trailers of my ten favorites from this selection of one hundred best movies of the twenty-first century (not in ranking order). This was extremely difficult to narrow down and I never would have been able to finish if I had added some great movies that didn't actually make it on this list:

OSCAR MADNESS

In a matter of days, we will finally know the winners of The Oscars. In the meantime, here's a bit of information regarding the film industry that I found interesting:

The Criterion Collection has long been considered the gold standard for films as they focus on recognizing and preserving classic and contemporary films from across the globe. With their collection of over 1200 thoughtfully curated movies on DVD, filmmakers long to be a part of their prestigious catalog while cinephiles covet to collect each of their selections. Criterion pioneered the special features found on DVDs that included the use of trailers, deleted scenes, alternate endings and, most importantly, commentary tracks. The New York Times has examined the company, founded in 1984, from when Criterion began with laserdiscs, the short lived, home video format and has grown to now having their own subscription streaming service.

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How the Criterion Collection became the film world’s arbiter of taste

After many years of campaigning for recognition by the Oscars, casting directors have finally succeeded and the Academy have created a new category (the first in twenty-four years) for Best Casting and will be presented during the 2026 ceremony. Another group that have also been vigorously fighting almost as long to have a category for themselves during the Academy Awards are the stunt people, the men and women who have risked their well-being to create realistic looking falls, fights and crashes. So far, they remain unsuccessful but with casting now being honored, hopefully stunt work will not be far behind and will soon have their moment. In the meantime, Vulture have created the Stunt Awards to make up for this oversight. This began last year and was such an astounding success that the awards has been expanded with more entries and a larger voting body.

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And the Winners of the 2024 Vulture Stunt Awards Are …

Here's a photographic look back at the history of one of the most coveted afterparties on Hollywood's biggest nights; Vanity Fair's Oscars party. The magazine looks back at their first party in 1994 which came together not long after the passing of talent agent, Irving "Swifty" Lazar who had held an exclusive Oscars viewing and after party for many years. Graydon Carter, then the editor of Vanity Fair, and the producer Steve Tisch came together to fill the void and these parties have been going on, becoming bigger and more glamourous, ever since. They have put together an incredible collection of photos from these gatherings with all of the beautiful movies stars, athletes, musicians and celebrated figures of the day all having a grand, extravagant time.

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30 Years of Vanity Fair’s Oscar Parties

And finally, Vulture has ranked fifty of the most memorable, crazy, thought-provoking and moving acceptance speeches from all of the many awards shows over the last fifty five years. Not surprising, The Oscars have a large number of entries here but all of them are wildly entertaining.

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The 50 Greatest Awards-Show Speeches

OSCAR MADNESS

The Oscars are just a few days away, with Jimmy Kimmel returning to host the ninety-fifth ceremony. So here is a bit of cinema ranking and some lively bits of Oscar information to go over before showtime this Sunday:

There was much chatter about the recent polling by the British film magazine, Sight and Sound with their survey, taken every ten years, ranking the top-ten greatest movies of all-time. Beginning in 1952, with Vittorio De Sica's "Bicycle Thieves" topping the list, each decade saw a shifting in order of films but it was "Citizen Kane" that ruled the number one position starting in 1962. Orson Welles' 1941 masterpiece remained at the top of this poll until 2012 when the stylish psychological thriller, "Vertigo" by Alfred Hitchcock took over the top spot. At this time, the list was expanded to include one hundred movies and increased the number of international film professionals and critics to participate in the selections. And last year with the latest poll, "Vertigo" was replaced by a new film that had previously ranked thirty-seven on the list. The New York Times explores the history of the Sight and Sound poll, examining how opinions and tastes have changed over the decades.

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What Makes a Movie the Greatest of All-Time?

Many were taken aback when the British performer, Andrea Riseborough was announced this year as one of the nominees for Best Actress in a little-seen, off-the-radar, indie drama, "To Leslie". After just watching her searing performance in the film as an alcoholic, single mother who squanders all the prize money after winning the lottery and abandoning her son, it is quite clear to me that not only does Riseborough earn her spot in the category but is actually a true contender to receive the award. But this is hardly the first time that the actress has impressed audiences, critics and her fellow actors with her captivating, committed work. Vulture has selected eleven of Riseborough's previous film and television appearances to highlight, giving a better understanding on why she is in the conversation.

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Eleven Andrea Riseborough Performances That Will Turn You Into a Convert

Roger Deakins is one of the most honored cinematographers by the Academy with the British director of photography earning his sixteenth Oscar nomination this year for his breathtaking work in Sam Mendes' "Empire of Light". Cláudio Alves, for the blog, The Film Expereince, has ranked this visionary master's sixteen nominations, breaking them down from great although not thrilling to absolute transcendence.

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Ranking Roger Deakins' Oscar Nominations

Vulture has also gone on to rank all fifty-four films nominated this year for an Oscar (including the short films). This is an impressive endeavor and I have to say I'm a little shocked at what was ranked at the bottom of this list. Check it out for yourself:

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All 54 Oscar-Nominated Movies Ranked

And to close this Oscar Madness out, here is a clip of the first, almost thirty minutes of the 1974 Academy Awards which includes a dazzling opening musical number by Liza Minnelli that pays tribute to the award, an introduction by then-Academy President Walter Mirisch (who just recently passed away in February at the age of 101) and opening comedy monologue by host Burt Reynolds:

OSCAR MADNESS

The Academy Awards is finally just one day away. So while you wait in anticipation and to help fill the time until then, here is some silly trivia and fascinating information about the Oscars to distract you until the big show:

If you win an award, you are expected to give a speech. And over the many years of the Oscars, there have been many wild, moving, rambling, inspiring, and confusing speeches given. Joe Reid of Vanity Fair tries to figure out why some of these words of thanks and gratitude have become popular viewings on the official Oscars YouTube channel, listing the current top-ten speeches along with the number of views.

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How Did These Becomes The Most Popular Oscar Speeches

It's seems like it's been a long time since the Oscar race has been this wildly unpredictable on who will be the actual winners, particularly in the acting categories this year. There have been times when there is one actor who appears to be a sure thing in taking home the gold prize after winning most of the other cinema awards and critics prizes. Yet on Oscar night, somebody's else name is called to pick up the coveted award. Vulture has highlighted nine of the most shocking upsets over the last twenty-five years of the Academy Awards.

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The Nine Most Chaotic Oscars Acting-Category Upsets

And this year marks the 50th anniversary since the release of "The Godfather", the 1972 Best Picture winner which is considered by many to be one of the greatest works ever in cinema. On March 25, 1972, the first film in Francis Ford Coppola's trilogy of the crime drama saga about the Corleone family was released, receiving immediate acclaim from critics and audiences, making it become a highly influential, groundbreaking film. There is a rumor buzzing around that there might even be a cast reunion during this year's Oscar telecast (let's hope). The New York Times takes a look back with an interview with the eighty-two year old Coppola who discusses the extensive process it took to get "The Godfather" looking as close as possible to what it did during it's original release in time for it's golden re-release. And there is a fun, trivia quiz about the film that tests your knowledge on this classic. 

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Restoring 'The Godfather' to Its Original (Still Dark) Glory

'The Godfather' Quiz Nobody Asked for

GREAT PERFORMERS: THE BEST ACTORS OF 2021

For this year's Great Performances in the New York Times magazine, the chief film critic, A.O. Scott made the selections all on his own. And his choices are inspired and inspiring, singling out actors who gave us remarkable performances that were truly uncanny and complex. There were the performers who have been receiving plenty of critical praise and award buzz; an almost unrecognizable Will Smith in "King Richard"; the very British, Benedict Cumberbatch as an unpleasant Montana cowboy in "The Power of the Dog"; Kristen Stewart delivers an unexpectedly transformative performance with the American actor playing the late British Royal, Princess Diana; Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga play off of each other brilliantly in the period drama, "Passing"; another acting team, Joaquin Phoenix and Gaby Hoffmann are siblings trying to sort out their complicated past through her son in "C'mon C'mon" and Denzel Washington shaking up his Hollywood routine by playing the Scottish lord who would become King in the latest Shakespeare re-telling, "The Tragedy of Macbeth".

But there were some pleasantly surprising choices that Scott made looking outside of conventional American cinema; Hidetoshi Nishijima has made a major impression in the three-hour long, Japanese drama, "Drive My Car" based on a short story by Haruki Murakami; Katia Pascariu and her dazzlingly turn in the Romanian comedy with the great English translated title, "Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn"; the sisters, Joséphine and Gabrielle Sanz playing a daughter and her mother who meet as children in Céline Sciamma's lovely dramatic-fantasy, "Petite Maman"; The comedian/musician, Bo Burnham with his inventive Netflix special, "Inside" that he made completely by himself in his home during quarantine and Honor Swinton Byrne in the rare art-house sequel, "The Souvenir Part II".

Last year, largely due to the movie business essentially put on hold, the selections for Great Performers issue included performers that we were watching for the first time outside of cinema. This list is made up almost entirely of cinematic performances as we were able to finally return to the theaters this year. But not everyone was ready to come back, making the movie business remain on shaky ground. Yet there were still many movies that reached cinemas; some new Hollywood fare and 2020 holdbacks that were seen by a wide audience and made some big money. But smaller, indie films struggled, unable to reach their full potential as their audience decided to wait until they could stream. With a new COVID variant beginning to surface, effecting the vaccinated and non-vaccinated at a worrying rate, it is unclear what the new year will have in store. Yet I am hopeful that we will continue to adjust and be able to move forward carefully.

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NYT: The Great Performers Issue 2021

OSCAR MADNESS

The Oscars are finally happening in a matter of days after a delay of almost two months. It appears that this year's show will attempt to be the closest to a traditional program despite the on-going threat of COVID-19 in our lives with Oscar producers, Steven Soderbergh, Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins taking every measure to make sure all nominees and participants will be safe during this Sunday's live event. I'm thrilled and can't wait to see this glamourous celebration of the moviegoing experience.

In the meantime, I'm going to share some interesting links that involve discussions on the long history and the potential future of the Academy Awards:

The New York Times takes us on the journey of how the Academy Awards evolved from a low-key fifteen minute ceremony to a three-hour plus event, with it's move to television in 1953 helping to create the grand spectacle of the show and solidify it's cultural importance.

NYT: From a 15 Minute Ceremony to a Marathon

Nate Jones of Vulture looks at the cultural and artistic debates involving the Oscars, which he reveals to be hardly a new development with these complaints about the lack of diversity, category fraud, cancel culture, political speeches and honoring "popular" movies have been previously discussed over the last seventy years.

Vulture: We’ve Been Having the Same Fights About the Oscars for 70 Years

The Los Angeles Times goes back to the Oscars twenty years ago with the three way battle between "Traffic", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Gladiator" with film critics, Justin Chang and Glenn Whip discussing how these ultimate choices have aged and the beginning of internationalism in the movie industry.

LAT: 2001 Oscars Heads Back to the Arena

LAT: 2001 Oscars Rewind: What Won and What Should Have Won

After a year of the proliferation of streaming channels and watching new films at home, what does this mean for the future of cinema and the Oscars? Wesley Morris of The New York Times examines the movies that were nominated despite the lack of traditional theatrical distribution and critical buzz from film festivals and the concern of more mid-budget titles bypassing movie theaters completely.

NYT: In the Year of Streaming, What Do The Oscars Mean?

And with two women nominated in the Best Director category this year (making that a total of seven in the ninety-three year history of the awards), Joy Press for Vanity Fair looks back at a time in the 1970's when female filmmakers like Claudia Weill, Joyce Chopra, Barbara Loden, Joan Micklin Silver, Penelope Spheeris, Martha Coolidge, Joan Tewkesbury and Julie Dash were emerging to make their first movies, thrilling and inventive works, and the difficult struggle for them in trying to continue with their careers.

VF: Promising Young Women

GREAT PERFORMANCES: THE BEST ACTORS OF 2020

There's no need to remind anyone of the challenges that was placed on entertainment this year, especially with the movies. The annual "Great Performers" issue in the New York Times magazine has usually focused on film work yet due to a significant shortage of theatrical movies released throughout the year, the critics, A.O. Scott and Wesley Morris had to get creative and expand beyond cinema. There were certainly some great performances in feature films to highlight like Julia Garner in "The Assistant" that was released earlier in the year before the shutdown; Luca Marinelli in the Italian feature, "Martin Eden"; Viola Davis's electrifying turn in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"; Andy Samberg and Cristin Millioti in the sci-fi, romantic-comedy, "Palm Springs"; the precocious, Fathia Youssouf in the controversial French drama, "Cuties" and the legendary Sophia Loren's glorious return before the cameras (thanks to her son, director Edoardo Ponti) in "The Life Ahead".

But now we have some great television performances from Zoë Kravitz in "High Fidelity"; the very intense Ethan Hawke in "The Good Lord Bird"; Jason Sudeikis starring in the sitcom, "Ted Lasso" about an American football coach trying to lead an English football club; Maitreyi Ramakrishnan in "Never Have I Ever"; Jack Dylan Grazer and Jordan Kristine Seamon in Luca Guadagnino's soapy, limited-series drama, "We Are Who We Are" and the beautifully understated work by Zoe Kazan in the stirring mini-series, "The Plot Against America". 

We have female storytellers using their lives as inspiration with writer/director/star, Radha Blank and her feature film debut, "The 40 Year Old Version"; Hannah Gadsby in her offbeat, stand-up comedy special, "Douglas"; Maya Erskine and Anna Konklein with the second season of their cringe-comedy series, "Pen15"; and Michaela Coel and her harrowing yet hilarious limited series, "I May Destroy You".

The importance of social media is acknowledged here with comedians, Sarah Cooper, Jeff Wright, Kylie Brakeman and Blaire Erskine who all found fame and success on TikTok and Twitter. And there was even room to honor an extraordinary performance from the past with Cher's Oscar-winning turn in the beloved 1987 romantic-comedy, "Moonstruck".

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NYT Great Performers 2020

THE 25 GREATEST ACTORS OF THE 21ST CENTURY (SO FAR)

The crazy idea to name just twenty-five of the greatest actors of the twenty-first century is certainly a lofty and incredibly daunting proposition. But the chief film critics of the New York Times, A.O. Scott and Manohla Dargis have bravely taken on this challenge and selected the performers whose work over the last twenty years they have considered to be absolutely transformative experiences. Most of the actors on this list have been working long before the year 2000 but the focus was on their extraordinary work they have created specifically during this century.

I am certain there will be many who will be equally outraged by the selections and the omissions of actors on this highly subjective list. They are certain names on here I would not have put on my list and I might have rearranged the order. But regardless of all that, it is a thoughtful and intriguing selection that features a diverse and international group of actors that I'm sure many will agree have delivered several of the most outstanding and memorable performances of all time.

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25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century

10 FRENCH FILMS TO TRANSPORT YOU TO PARIS

I am craving to get on a plane and go somewhere --- anywhere at this point. I love the idea of escaping from the challenges and difficulties we have faced throughout this year especially after months of having to shelter in place. However the reality of actually getting on an airplane right now is not in my comfort zone nor is traveling for leisure really practical at this moment in time. 

Jason Farago of the New York Times feels the same way with the desire to go to Paris. And what any cinephile knows is that the movies are the next best way to transport you anywhere you may want to go. Farago has selected ten French films that he feels will take you right in to the heart of this enchanting city, telling many different stories throughout various eras. And these films represent the work of some of the greats like Jean Renoir, Jean-Luc Godard, Agnès Varda, Éric Rohmer, Claire Denis and Céline Sciamma.

The first country I ever visited was France and it was truly a magical moment for me. It's been many years since I've been to Paris and these films remind me that I'm long overdue for another visit. And while these movies may not completely satisfy my wanderlust, they do offer a pleasant escape to times that were (at least it seems) far less complicated.

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10 French Films To Transport You to Paris

FILM STREAMING @ THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

One place you may not have thought to stream movies is the US Library of Congress. They actually have an extensive online library that consists of over 7000 videos, the largest in the world, and they can be viewed absolutely free. While you're definitely not going to find many contemporary films, you will be able to view a full range of fascinating historical cinematic artifacts. Manohla Dargis, film critic for the New York Times has put together a list that highlights some films you may be interested in viewing. This ranges from "Sneeze", a 1894 short from Thomas Edison’s New Jersey studio and one of the library’s earliest surviving copyrighted motion pictures to "Within Our Gates", a 1920 feature from early African-American filmmaker, Oscar Micheaux to actress, Ida Lupino's turn as a director with the 1953 film noir, "The Hitch-Hiker".

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Film Treasures, Streaming Courtesy of the Library of Congress

OSCAR MADNESS

If it seems too soon for the winners of this year's Academy Awards to be announced - well - it actually is. In effort to combat a feeling that the Oscars have become "anti-climatic" due to so many awards given out prior to the telecast, the Academy decided last year to move up the show by two weeks. However, all the date change did was force all of the other awards to move up the date of their ceremonies with the Oscars still being the last awards given out. Hopefully the Academy will come to their senses and push the show back to it's usual time next year to allow people more time to try and watch all of the nominated films. In the meantime, here is a bit of interesting Oscar news to keep you entertained until the big show this Sunday:

Since viewership has been declining over the last few years, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences have been actively trying to reverse this trend by making "improvements" to the Oscars telecast. Some of these plans have not seen the light of day (remember the widely derided "Best Popular Film" category?) or have been difficult to actually make happen (like completing the show in three hours). But one notable idea that did happen was to expand the Best Picture nominees from five selections to up to ten. As an Oscars purist, I was initially appalled by this plan but have come to embrace this decision. While there still will only be one winner, this prestigious nomination will bring attention (and in some cases, much needed) to these movies and help keep the selections far more diverse. Kyle Buchanan of the New York Times has examined this move ten years after it went in to effect and how it has improved the Best Picture category.

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10 Years Later: An Oscar Experiment That Worked

Vulture has decided to give the Academy a hand by helping them select the scene of each of the Best Picture nominees that should be shown during the telecast which best represent the spirit of the film and give viewers (who may not have seen the movie) a true idea of what this selected movie is really all about.

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The Best Scenes from the 2020 Best Picture Nominees

And finally, we all know that today's Best Picture winner might become in twenty years a "What were they thinking??" Best Picture casualty. 24/7 Tempo has identified some popular and beloved movies that should have received an Oscar. As you go through this list, you will see that most of these popular films did actually receive plenty of nominations ("The Color Purple", "Taxi Driver", "American Hustle", "Do The Right Thing", "The Shawshank Redemption") yet failed to take home any awards. Some of these classics (Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times" and Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil") shockingly did not even get a single Oscar nomination. We are also reminded of the films that actually won the award instead of some of these clearly more deserving movies.

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The Greatest Movies That Should have Won an Oscar

THE MOST INFLUENTIAL FILMS OF THE DECADE

Not only is this year quickly coming to a close but we are about to move on to the next decade of the twenty-first century. And that also means looking back on the last ten years in cinema. Now I certainly have my own opinions on what were the best and influential movies of the decade but to be perfectly honest, I just simply don't have the time to try and put together my own list. So I decided to go with some reliable sources and share their lists with you. First up, the co-chief film critics of the New York Times, A.O. Scott and Manohla Dargis have together selected the ten movies (and not necessarily the best) that have made an impact on entertainment and beyond. And then each critic gives their own personal favorites from the 2010's.

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The NYT Ten Most Influential Films of the Decade (and Twenty Other Favorites)

Richard Brody of the New Yorker has selected twenty-seven feature films that are from what he refers to as "the decade of mumblecore". You may recall these were movies that tended to be very low-budget, largely improvised works that were usually built around some personal experience of the filmmakers. These were not the only types of films chosen by Mr. Brody (more conventional filmmakers like Clint Eastwood, Spike Lee, Wes Anderson and Martin Scorsese also appear on the list) but he wanted to place special emphasize on their importance and influence over the last ten years.

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The New Yorker Twenty-Seven Best Movies of the Decade

And the most ambitious of these lists is from the film critics of New York Magazine which attempts to rank every movie from the decade. For each film to be considered, they had to have played in at least four U.S. theaters (exceptions were made if a film had been nominated for an award or appeared on a critic's Best-of-the-Year list) released from 2010 to 2019. That leaves a total of 5,279 movies that were ranked and the list was broken down from the top 53 films, followed by 214 runner-ups, 4,961 just-okay movies and the final 51 which represents the very worse of the decade.

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Every Movie of the 2010's Ranked

GREAT PERFORMERS: THE BEST ACTORS OF 2019

For this year's New York Times Great Performers, there is no clever theme involved this time. It has simply presented what they consider are some of the best screen performances of 2019. A. O. Scott and Wesley Morris, the NYT film critics, have selected ten actors who delivered memorable and moving work that particularly stood out in a year that had quite a few outstanding performances.

Those included are Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio ("Once Upon a Time . .  In Hollywood"); Lupita Nyong’o ("Us"); Julianne Moore ("Gloria Bell"); Jennifer Lopez ("Hustlers"); Robert De Niro ("The Irishman"); Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson ("Marriage Story"); Antonio Banderas ("Pain & Glory") and Elizabeth Moss ("Her Smell"). The critics explain why each of these actors were selected and the article is accompanied by vibrant black & white photographs by Jack Davison.

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Great Performers: The Ten Best Actors of The Year

WILL THE MOVIES EXIST IN TEN YEARS?

Many people have been bemoaning that the end is near of the cinematic experience for quite some time now and with several of this summer's big-budget Hollywood sequels and remakes failing to get audiences to leave their homes, these rumblings have grown even louder. This begs the question on whether this is just a fluke or is this truly a sign that people eventually will no longer be willing to go out to see a film? The New York Times has assembled some key figures working in the film industry today to offer their opinions on what they think is in store for the future of the movies.

We have writer/director, Lena Waithe; Franklin Leonard of The Black List for the best unproduced screenplays; producers, Jordan Horowitz, Jason Blum and Amy Pascal; Jeffrey Katzenberg of Dreamworks animation; Sony Pictures chief, Tom Rothman; Michael Barker & Tom Bernard, co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics;  Nancy Utley & Steve Gilula, co-chairs of Fox Searchlight; Netflix film chief, Scott Stuber; Amazon Studios chief, Jennifer Salke; directors, John M. Chu, Ava DuVernay, Barry Jenkins, J.J. Abrams, Joe and Anthony Russo and Paul Feig; and actors, Elizabeth Banks, Kumail Nanjiani, Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer. They are asked a variety of questions including if anything can succeed beyond the Hollywood blockbuster, will more women and people of color help the industry move forward and will the next generation still care about the movies?

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How Will The Movies Survive The Next Ten Years?

GREAT PERFORMANCES: LET'S DANCE

For this year's annual New York Times Great Performances, the theme is all about dance. Movement has always been a part of cinema and with the arrival of sound, the all-singing, all-dancing musical would become a beloved staple of Hollywood.

A. O. Scott and Wesley Morris, the chief film critics for the Times, have highlighted twelve distinguished actors and their magnificent performances from 2018. Those selected are Glenn Close ("The Wife"), Ethan Hawke ("First Reformed"), Toni Collette ("Hereditary"), Lakeith Stanfield ("Sorry To Bother You"), Regina Hall ("Support The Girls"), Julia Roberts ("Ben Is Back"), Yalitza Aparicio ("Roma"), Elsie Fisher ("Eighth Grade"), Yoo Ah-In ("Burning"), and the acting trio from "The Favourite"; Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz.

To honor these performers, a collection of short films were conceived, choreographed and directed by Justin Peck, the resident choreographer of New York City Ballet. And while many were certainly not dancers, the goal was to create a beautiful sense of movement and that was definitely accomplished.  There are also wonderful photographs by Phillip Montgomery that have created some memorable images.

Please click below to watch the videos and read about their great achievements as actors this year:

The Best Actors of 2018

Let's Dance: The Year's Best Performers in a Series of Short Films

THE WOMEN BEHIND HOLLYWOOD

When people think of the history of cinema and the ground-breaking work of inspired filmmakers, most tend to only come up with the names of important men who were behind the creation of the motion pictures. And while this may be accurate, there were also several women involved in this process whose names are not only rarely mentioned but many seemed to have been completely forgotten.

The New York Times has placed a very long-overdue look at twenty pioneering women who helped shaped the early innovation of the movies. Some names you may be familiar with include Anita Loos, a successful novelist and playwright who brought her talent to the big screen; actress Ida Lupino who after being frustrated with the roles she was getting, formed her own production company and started directing; And Edith Head, the eight-time Oscar winning costume designer who brought undeniable style and glamour to Hollywood. But there is also lesser known talent revealed like Barbara Loden, a director who only made one film but it has since been heralded as an important indie feature ahead of it's time; Marion E. Wong, another filmmaker who only made one film in her career but it was one of the first Chinese-American feature films in 1917; And recognized as the very first female filmmaker beginning back in 1896, Alice Guy Blaché who is thought to have gone on to direct at least 1000 short films in many genres.

Please click below to see the complete list and read about their great accomplishments:

You Know These 20 Movies. Now Meet the Women Behind Them

RANKING THE OSCAR BEST PICTURE WINNERS

Oscar Sunday is finally here and in a matter of hours we will know who will take home the gold. So for a fun distraction until showtime, here are a couple of things to check out. First, as we know, there have been ninety previous Best Picture winners and shortly, another film will be selected for this honor. Stacker has decided to rank these prestigious movies from those that have not managed to endure over time quite as well to those that have remained undeniable classics. I've seen fifty-five of these Best Pictures and I tend to agree with most of where these movies have fallen in the ranking.

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Ranking the Best Picture Winners From Every Year

And here is a fun quiz from the New York Times to test your skill and knowledge about all things Oscars. I'm not one to brag but I did answer all eleven questions correctly. Click below to take the quiz:

NYT Oscars Quiz for Movie Lovers

28 FILMS FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH

February is Black History Month and what better way to look back and explore that rich history than through cinema and the work of many important African-American film makers. Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott, film critics of the New York Times, have selected twenty-eight films that they recommend to be seen which examines the vibrant yet challenging life and history of African-Americans throughout the 20th century.

Beginning with early black film makers like Oscar Micheaux and Spencer Williams who made what were then called "race movies" in the 1920's and made specifically for black audiences. When African-Americans did appear on screen in Hollywood films in '30's and '40's, they were mostly assigned to the role of maids and butlers but glamorous stars did manage to emerge like Lena Horne who starred in the all-black musical, "Stormy Weather" and even appeared in mainstream Hollywood musicals although her scenes were easily removed when screened in the segregated South. By the 1960's, social issues began to take shape in films like Gordon Parks’s “The Learning Tree” and the very first black Hollywood superstar arrived; Sidney Poitier. "Blaxploitation" films began in the 1970's designed to instill pride and rage against oppression. And thrilling independent cinema came on the scene in the 1980's which spoke on the varied African-American experience in bold and artistic ways and includes such features as "Killer of Sheep" by Charles Burnett; Marlon Briggs' poetic "Tongues Untied"; Julie Dash's "Daughters of the Dust" and Spike Lee's "She's Gotta Have It".

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28 Days, 28 films For Black History Month