The Best Movies of 2025


10. The Secret Agent (dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho)
The title is something of a misnomer. Wagner Moura’s Armando doesn’t really do much espionage. But as someone who refused to roll over to corruption in the authoritarian government of Brazil, a clandestine life becomes necessary. It would be an oversimplification to say the point of the film is that fascists suck and movie theaters are awesome, but apparently we need reminders of both these days.


9. No Other Choice (dir. Park Chan-wook)
A pitch-black comedy from a master director, No Other Choice will surely be relevant to anyone who’s been laid off and/or had to sift through hundreds of job postings on LinkedIn. After an American conglomerate buys the paper company Man-su (Lee Byung-hun) has devoted his life to, he’s distraught and can’t find work. Months after his worst-case scenario has come to pass, he gets a novel idea: eliminate his competition. It’s nasty, thought-provoking and often hilarious, as most of Park’s work is.


8. It Was Just an Accident (dir. Jafar Panahi)
I’ve not seen any of exiled Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s earlier work, and apparently this one is atypical for him. A relatively straightforward thriller with knotty emotions and morality, It Was Just an Accident explores what happens when revenge meets reality, and whether our oppressors deserve the mercy they never showed their targets.


7. Bugonia (dir. Yorgos Lanthimos)
Emma Stone continues her fruitful run with Yorgos Lanthimos, delivering another performance for the ages. As the She-EO Michelle, her icy and off-putting demeanor has her employees on edge. When two ill-prepared doofuses kidnap her, she assumes they want a ransom. But no, they’re convinced she’s an alien and they want to travel onto her mothership. What follows is a tense and devastating battle of wills that keeps you guessing until the very end.


6. Sinners (dir. Ryan Coogler)
To anyone who’s going to complain this isn’t higher… it’s my list! Make your own!

Anyway, Coogler’s wildly ambitious musical horror film has higher highs – including the audacious number pictured above – than just about anything this year. It overflows with ideas about race, identity, music, religion, assimilation, community, and more. They don’t all get fully explored, but what a great problem to have! At a time when so many big budget movies don’t have two brain cells to rub together (looking at you, Jurassic World Rebirth), this truly original work gives me hope. It’s no surprise audiences responded so favorably.

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The Best TV Performances of 2025


ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES
English Teacher
This was already a tight ensemble, but promoting Carmen Christopher to series regular took their rhythm to another level. At any moment, one of them could say the most absurd, outlandish thing you’ve ever heard. At the next, they’re giving genuine advice and occasionally showing real affection for their co-workers. Gonna miss these crazy kids.


ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Nathan Fielder, The Rehearsal
As brilliant as the show is, it doesn’t work if Fielder isn’t equally committed as a performer. While “Pilot’s Code” features an insane recreation of Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger’s life from birth to heroic landing, it’s Fielder’s “regular” persona that keeps the show compelling every episode. He walks an extremely fine line between playing a role and just being himself, and it’s often hard to tell which is which.


ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Rose Byrne, Platonic
Byrne is finally an Oscar nominee, and she’s almost as good week-to-week on AppleTV’s unheralded Platonic. She plays another put-upon mom dealing with life mostly on her own – though here her husband is home a lot more, which is not exactly helpful – but her indefatigability and “up for anything” nature make her one of the more compelling characters on television.

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The Best TV Shows of 2025, Part 2

Best Comedy Special


Robby Hoffman: Wake Up
(Netflix)
Since Curb Your Enthusiasm ended last year, I’d been wondering who would step up to become the next Larry David. Having only seen Hoffman on this season of Hacks, I had no idea it would be her. But this rowdy special covers her petty grievances and take-no-prisoners POV in a way that’s utterly relatable, even as it seems extreme. Her delivery is second-to-none.

Honorable Mentions


Abbott Elementary
– “Birthday”
The funniest and saddest episode the hit comedy aired in 2025. While Jacob worked on a Sufjan Stevens-inspired Christmas pageant for the kids – a subplot that felt squarely aimed at me – Janine dealt with her mother’s latest attempt to swoop in, hog the limelight, and passive-aggressively criticize her only daughter. Realizing she’d rather spend more time with her chosen family than her blood relations is an all-too-familiar feeling.


The Bear
– “Bears”
A bit messier than an uneven Season 3, but still often quite wonderful. And few things warmed my heart on TV like this wedding episode. It was long, nearly plotless, and seemed to ignore the laws of physics. But there really was nothing quite as magical as everyone under the table, talking about their fears.


English Teacher
– “COVID in America”
Probably my No. 11 show of the year, this sadly canceled workplace comedy got even sharper in Season 2. I could have picked almost any episode, but I went with the sheer cringe comedy of the premiere, which saw the students putting on their own musical about growing up during the pandemic instead of the “boring” Angels in America.


Hacks
– “A Slippery Slope”
This fourth season had some of the realest, rawest emotions on display. But it often felt disjointed. But not in this Emmy-nominated penultimate episode, which saw everything go wrong on Deborah’s show, leading to arguably the first selfless decision the comedy legend had ever made. It made for great “real” TV.


The Handmaid’s Tale
– “Execution”
I had basically given up on this show, planning to skip its final season entirely. But multiple folks said it had recaptured what made it great, and they were right. This last season sees the handmaids in open revolt, with a much higher body count. This might have been the single most intense episode the show ever produced, with something resembling a victory. But one with a huge cost for all the freedom fighters.

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The Best TV Shows of 2025, Part 1

The problem I had last year didn’t show up in 2025. In fact, there were way too many good shows. I even had to cut down my honorable mentions (coming soon). But before we get to that, here are my top 10 shows of the year:


10. King of the Hill (Hulu)
Aging up Hank, Peggy, and especially Bobby could have gone wrong in so many ways. But the writing staff, which included younger people who grew up on the show, found the perfect balance for making the Hills face modern issues – like cultural appropriation, open relationships, and toxic masculinity – without betraying any of the characters’ personalities.
Standout episodes: “Chore Money, Chore Problems,” “Kahn-scious Uncoupling,” “No Hank Left Behind”


9. The Chair Company (HBO)
Some shows take a while to get used to their storytelling rhythms or performance styles. And then there’s The Chair Company, which never gives its audience any sense of direction. Every time the show seems to be heading for an obvious or mundane explanation, it takes one crazy-ass detour after another. Did the mystery resolve in any way? Not really. Will I still be watching Tim Robinson continue after everything has told him to stop? Absolutely.
Standout episodes: “Life goes by too fucking fast, it really does.” “@BrownDerbyHistoricVids Little bit of Hollywood? Okayyy.” “Minnie Mouse coming back wasn’t on my bingo card.”


8. The Studio (AppleTV)
This show was seemingly made for me in a lab, yet it’s only No. 8 on this list. That’s how much good TV there was this year. Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg’s relentless Hollywood satire didn’t pull any punches and had style to spare. Even the celebrity cameos had their own flavor, a key difference from a lot of streaming sitcoms of recent years.
Standout episodes: “The Oner,” “The Missing Reel,” “The War”


7. Severance (AppleTV)
An occasionally messy season still had higher highs than a lot shows, thanks to outstanding direction and cinematography, and of course the incredibly locked-in performances of its cast. Even though it frustratingly takes three years between seasons, every penny of its massive budget is apparent onscreen, creating a show that looks like nothing else on TV.
Standout episodes: “Woe’s Hollow,” “Chikhai Bardo,” “Cold Harbor”


6. The Lowdown (Hulu)
As someone who loved all three seasons of Sterlin Harjo’s previous show (Reservation Dogs) and loves just about everything about Ethan Hawke, I was immediately in the tank for this show. They delivered an outstanding pilot, then kept delivering on all its potential, exploring the white supremacist history of Tulsa and how that reverberates to this day. That the show managed to be this thrilling, thoughtful, and funny week-to-week made me believe there’s still at least some space in the modern TV landscape for people who love film noir and paperback crime novels.
Standout episodes: “Short on Cowboys,” “This Land?,” “Old Indian Trick”

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Final Oscar Picks 2026


BEST PICTURE
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams

Dark Horse: Bugonia
Long Shot: Avatar: Fire and Ash
Total Shock: Weapons

The skinny: After all the festivals, all the precursors (except WGA), we’re back where we started. Despite some legitimate criticism and a lot of idiotic pearl-clutching, One Battle After Another remains the front-runner. It’s the movie of the moment and I would be truly shocked if anything has a chance at unseating it, even on a preferential ballot.

Eight of these films are about as close to sure things as you can get, but those last two slots are tricky. There will be only room for one jaw-dropping blockbuster, and right now I’m leaning F1 over Avatar: Fire and Ash, given the former’s nod at the PGAs. The 10th slot will go to Train Dreams or Bugonia. The latter has a guaranteed acting nod, but doesn’t have as much broad support as past Yorgos Lanthimos films. People who love Train Dreams really love it. And while the months-long campaign for Amy Madigan will pay off, I don’t see Weapons gaining much traction outside the Supporting Actress category.


BEST DIRECTOR
Chloé Zhao, Hamnet
Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident
Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Dark Horse: Guillermo Del Toro, Frankenstein
Long Shot: Kleber Mendonça Filho, The Secret Agent
Total Shock: Park Chan-wook, No Other Choice

The skinny: Our big change here is one of the Safdie brothers, who made it into the DGA five. That means all the other internationally acclaimed filmmakers besides Jafar Panahi are on the outside looking in. That includes previous winner Guillermo Del Toro, as well as Joachim Trier, Kleber Mendonça Filho, and Park Chan-wook. If it were up to me, the latter would get in over Zhao.


BEST ACTOR
Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

Dark Horse: Jesse Plemons, Bugonia
Long Shot: Joel Edgerton, Train Dreams
Total Shock: Hugh Jackman, Song Sung Blue

The skinny: Oh, my beloved Ethan Hawke. We’ve been here before. You should have been nominated (and won) for First Reformed, but the Oscars were more enamored with Rami Malek lip-syncing Freddie Mercury. This feels more likely for you, given Sony Pictures Classics track record with (especially older) Academy voters. But Jesse Plemons is hot on your heels, long overdue for his first nod. It will be one of you, not both of you, sadly.

There is an outside possibility that Train Dreams‘ status as a Best Picture nominee pushes Edgerton to the forefront, but that seems unlikely. Yes, even more unlikely than Hugh Jackman getting nominated again for a musical.


BEST ACTRESS
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another
Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value
Emma Stone, Bugonia

Dark Horse: Amanda Seyfried, The Testament of Ann Lee
Long Shot: Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue
Total Shock: Jennifer Lawrence, Die My Love

The skinny: Ingenue Chase Infiniti now seems like a lock for a nomination, which puts One Battle After Another at five acting nods, something that hasn’t happened in decades. But that also means none of the ladies playing moms struggling with depression and mental illness can make it in. While some of this is a case of too many great nominees for five slots, part of this is definitely on Searchlight absolutely botching their campaign for The Testament of Ann Lee.

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The Anniversary Albums Project: Best of 2025

New music has lost a lot of hold on me over the last few years. And seven years ago I decided that instead of trying to keep up with it all, I’d look back at music history and listen to the albums celebrating milestones. Some of these I’d heard before, but many I had not. This made it much more enjoyable to discover and rediscover classics instead of just whatever was being dumped onto Spotify every Friday.

So below are my top 10s from each year I covered, along with some honorable mentions.


1975
1. Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run
2. Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks
3. Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac
4. Bob Dylan and the Band – The Basement Tapes
5. Tom Waits – Nighthawks at the Diner
6. NEU! – NEU! ’75
7. Patti Smith – Horses
8. Toots and the Maytals – Funky Kingston
9. Parliament – Mothership Connection
10. Keith Jarrett – The Köln Concert

HONORABLE MENTIONS
• Gato Barbieri – Chapter Four: Alive in New York
• David Bowie – Young Americans
• Burning Spear – Marcus Garvey
• Clifton Chenier – Bogalusa Boogie
• J.D. Crowe & the New South – J.D. Crowe & the New South
• Brian Eno – Another Green World | Discreet Music
• Fania All Stars – Live at Yankee Stadium
• Al Green – Greatest Hits
• Thelma Houston & Pressure Cooker – I’ve Got the Music in Me
• Elton John – Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
• KISS – Alive!
• Fela Kuti – Expensive Shit
• Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti
• Joni Mitchell – The Hissing of Summer Lawns
• Willie Nelson – Red Headed Stranger
• Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
• Queen – A Night at the Opera
• Roxy Music – Siren
• Paul Simon – Still Crazy After All These Years
• Neil Young – Tonight’s the Night
• Various Artists – Nashville: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Various Artists – Rocky Horror Picture Show


1985
1. The Replacements – Tim
2. Sam Cooke – Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963
3. Kate Bush – Hounds of Love
4. The Pogues – Rum Sodomy & the Lash
5. Tom Waits – Rain Dogs
6. Wynton Marsalis – Black Codes (From the Underground)
7. Various Artists – The Indestructible Beat of Soweto
8. Barbra Streisand – The Broadway Album
9. Hüsker Dü – New Day Rising | Flip Your Wig
10. Prince – Around the World in a Day

HONORABLE MENTIONS
• The Cars – Greatest Hits
• Elvis Costello – The Best of Elvis Costello and the Attractions
• The Cure – The Head on the Door
• Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms
• The Jesus and Mary Chain – Psychocandy
• LL Cool J – Radio
• Mekons – Fear and Whiskey
• New Order – Low-Life
• Oingo Boingo – Dead Man’s Party
• Prefab Sprout – Steve McQueen
• R.E.M. – Fables of the Reconstruction
• Rites of Spring – Rites of Spring
• Sade – Promise
• Wham! – Make It Big

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Oscar Picks: December 2025

We finally have a little bit of clarity, as most of the critics’ groups and some of the bigger precursors have unveiled their nominees. But it still feels like One Battle After Another is in pole position, even after its backlash and good-but-not-great box office.


BEST PICTURE
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein
Hamnet
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams

Falling off: Jay Kelly, Wicked: For Good
Rising star: Bugonia

The skinny: Netflix was never going to have more than two films in this race, and it looks like Train Dreams is picking up steam (pun sort of intended) while Jay Kelly is yesterday’s news. Speaking of which, if Wicked: For Good can’t pick up a nod in the Golden Globes Musical or Comedy category – with six slots, no less – there’s no way in hell it’s making it here. Bugonia will likely have to settle for Actress and Adapted Screenplay nods, but it is hitting streaming at just the right time to surge into the race.


BEST DIRECTOR
Chloé Zhao, Hamnet
Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Falling off: None
Rising star: Guillermo Del Toro, Frankenstein

The skinny: This feels like our five, unless Sentimental Value is on shakier ground than I thought.


BEST ACTOR
Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

Falling off: George Clooney, Dwayne Johnson
Rising star: Joel Edgerton, Train Dreams

The skinny: Chalamet is on a charm offensive the likes of which we’ve never seen. And losing Best Actor last year is all part of it. But Clooney and the Rock falling out of the final five is great news for Ethan Hawke (who should have more nods) and Michael B. Jordan (who’s never gotten one). This could be an all-timer lineup after more than a decade of lackluster winners.


BEST ACTRESS
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value
Amanda Seyfried, The Testament of Ann Lee
Emma Stone, Bugonia

Falling off: Cynthia Erivo, Jennifer Lawrence
Rising star: Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another

The skinny: There’s only room for so many grieving mothers, so out goes Jennifer Lawrence (despite giving the best performance of her career). But that means we’ve got a hell of a showdown between Jessie Buckley and Rose Byrne. And if One Battle After Another continues to dominate, the Oscars might get a chance to show an ingenue some love by giving some much-deserved recognition to Chase Infiniti.

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Best Songs of the Decade… So Far

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve all but forsaken keeping up with new music. Sure, I’ll check out a band a friend recommends or listen to the latest release by some of my favorite artists. But by and large, it’s not part of my regular music consumption anymore. But there were still plenty of great songs released since January 2020 (oh, what simpler times). Here are my 100 favorites. You can listen to this entire playlist on Spotify.

The 1975 – “About You”
Adele – “Love Is a Game”
Alvvays – “Belinda Says”
Fiona Apple – “For Her”
Julien Baker – “Bloodshot”
Beyoncé – “Break My Soul”
The Blessed Madonna feat. Uffie – “Serotonin Moonbeams”
Blood Orange feat. The Durutti Column, Tariq Al-Sabir, Caroline Polachek, and Daniel Caesar – “The Field”
boygenius – “Not Strong Enough”
Phoebe Bridgers – “I Know the End”
Leon Bridges feat. Terrace Martin – “Sweeter”
Zach Bryan feat. Kacey Musgraves – “I Remember Everything”
BTS – “Butter”
Bullion feat. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Rare”
Bully – “Days Move Slow”
Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
Sabrina Carpenter – “House Tour”
Charli xcx – “360”
Lucy Dacus – “Thumbs”
Deafheaven – “Great Mass of Color”
Dexter and the Moonrocks – “Cry”
Bob Dylan – “Murder Most Foul”
Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather”
Everything but the Girl – “Nothing Left to Lose”
Father John Misty – “Screamland”
Florence + the Machine – “Sympathy Magic”
Margaret Glaspy – “Act Natural”
Ludwig Göransson – “Turning Red”
Kyle Gordon – “Ugliest Girl on the Beach”
HAIM – “Summer Girl”
Brittany Howard – “Prove It to You”
Japanese Breakfast – “Be Sweet”
Cassandra Jenkins – “Hard Drive”
Carly Rae Jepsen – “This Is What They Say”
Jordana – “Like a Dog”
Noah Kahan – “Stick Season”
Khruangbin feat. Leon Bridges – “B-Side”
Killers – “Dying Breed”
Ben Kweller – “Optimystic”
Steve Lacy – “Bad Habit”
Lady Gaga – “Stupid Love”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Laufey – “Silver Lining”
LCD Soundsystem – “New Body Rhumba”
MJ Lenderman – “You Are Every Girl to Me”
Lil Yachty feat. Diana Gordon – “Drive Me Crazy!”
Lizzo – “About Damn Time”
Lorde – “What Was That”
Magdalena Bay – “Death & Romance”
The Magnetic Fields – The Day the Politicians Died
Steve Martin – “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?”
John Mayer – “Last Train Home”
Brian Metolius – “Robert Dyas (The Funky Range of Our Christmas Gifts)”
Cristin Milioti – “715 Creeks”
Kacey Musgraves – “Easier Said”
NewJeans – “Super Shy”
Noname – “Rainforest”
Genesis Owusu – “Leaving the Light”
Caroline Polachek – “Welcome to My Island”
Pusha T – “Diet Coke”
Addison Rae – “Diet Pepsi”
David Ramirez – “I Wanna Live in Your Bedroom”
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – “Match Point”
RMR – “Rascal”
Chappell Roan – “Good Luck, Babe!”
Olivia Rodrigo – “Deja Vu”
Run the Jewels – “Walking in the Snow”
RXKHNephew – “American tterroristt”
Silk Sonic – “Leave the Door Open”
Smile – “Wall of Eyes”
Snail Mail – “Valentine”
Soccer Mommy – “Shotgun”
Sparks feat. Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, and Simon Helberg – “So May We Start”
Spoon – “Wild”
St. Vincent – “Flea”
Sufjan Stevens – “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?”
Bartees Strange – “Mustang”
Sun Kil Moon – “All the Artists Live in L.A.”
Taylor Swift feat. Bon Iver – “Exile”
T-Pain feat. Yaeji and Girl Talk – “Believe in Ya”
Kae Tempest feat. Kevin Abstract – “More Pressure”
Thee Sacred Souls – “Running Away”
Thundercat – “Dragonball Durag”
Tinashe feat. Wax Motif – “Undo (Back to My Heart)”
Trombone Shorty – “Come Back”
Yves Tumor – “Gospel for a New Century”
Turnstile – “Look Out for Me”
Tyler, the Creator – “Wilshire”
Vandoliers – “Life Behind Bars”
Vesta – “I Am a Fire”
Joshua Ray Walker – “Christmas in Dallas”
The War on Drugs feat. Lucius – “I Don’t Live Here Anymore”
Jessie Ware – “Spotlight”
Waxahatchee feat. MJ Lenderman – “Right Back to It”
The Weather Station – “Neon Signs”
Tierra Whack – “Dolly”
Hayley Williams – “True Believer”
Willow feat. Travis Barker – “Transparent Soul”
Lola Young – “Messy”
Yuno – “Somebody”

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Oscar Picks: November 2025

It’s been a weird year. A lot of films pegged as contenders early on have been met with shrugs. There hasn’t been a single runaway contender yet. Even One Battle After Another and Hamnet have their detractors. So who’s in at this point? Read on, but I’m sure it will change next month.


BEST PICTURE
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein
Hamnet
It Was Just an Accident
Jay Kelly
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Wicked: For Good

The skinny: Though it won’t be the most financially successful or the most universally acclaimed film to make the final list, One Battle After Another still feels like the one to beat. It’s got the scope, the timeliness, the great acting, the clever writing, and the “it’s time” narrative for director Paul Thomas Anderson.


BEST DIRECTOR
Chloé Zhao, Hamnet
Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler, Sinners

The skinny: This could easily be the most international line-up this category has ever had, as PTA and Coogler are the only American-born filmmakers in the bunch. For the latter – as well as Panahi and Trier – these nominations are long overdue.


BEST ACTOR
Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
George Clooney, Jay Kelly
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
Dwayne Johnson, The Smashing Machine
Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

The skinny: What’s this? A category with mostly honest-to-god movie stars in it?! Chalamet and Clooney will go on a charm offensive that hasn’t been seen here for years, while DiCaprio and Johnson will hit the circuit to show how much work they put into their roles. That fifth slot may go to Cannes winner Wagner Moura, though he certainly has competition from Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon) and Jeremy Allen White (Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere).


BEST ACTRESS
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Cynthia Erivo, Wicked: For Good
Jennifer Lawrence, Die My Love
Amanda Seyfried, The Testament of Ann Lee
Emma Stone, Bugonia

The skinny: This is a damn good line-up, featuring some extremely challenging performances. If Wicked: For Good doesn’t have quite as much acclaim, box office, and goodwill as its predecessor, Erivo may find herself swapped with Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (my personal favorite).

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The List: Top 10 ‘Saturday Night Live’ Sketches

This may have been my most foolish endeavor yet. How do you possibly distill 50 years of comedy greatness (and a lot of crap) into a top 10 list? You can’t do it. While I could have made a more idiosyncratic list of just my favorite sketches, it feels like a major oversight to ignore some of the show’s most popular moments. So I tried to balance the two, even if it meant cutting personal favorites like “Puppet Class” and “Kiss Me I’m Irish.” (My favorite performer, Bill Hader, is well-represented on this list already.) Besides, I tend to prefer my sketches brief, dark, and not filled with celebrity cameos or impersonations, which is not really what the show is about.

So I’ve given a spotlight to some great sketches that for one reason or another have been scrubbed from the internet (though I’d give the Instagram account @snlreelz a follow). And I’ve listed my top 10 commercial parodies (in alphabetical order) before getting to the list proper. I’ve also included links where applicable

SPECIAL COMMENDATION – 5 Great Sketches You Can’t Find Online


“Halftime Motivation” with Peyton Manning (aired 3/24/2007)
Though you can find a few snippets of the joyous absurdity on display, there seems to be no full version of this sublimely silly sketch. Will Forte tries to motivate his team – who have gotten their asses kicked in the first half – with a song that will pump them up and raise their spirits, only to deliver a freewheeling dance to a ridiculous instrumental. His goofy moves even got Kenan Thompson to break.


“Love Is a Dream” (aired 1988)
There aren’t really any laughs to be had in this lovely short film. But it’s still one to admire for its surprising production values and sweetness. Now that its stars have both passed, it takes on added resonance.


“Make ’em Laugh” (Opening Monologue) with Joseph Gordon-Levitt (aired 11/21/2009)
A young star performing a song in lieu of a traditional monologue is old hat at this point. It’s usually a pretty weak tune that you’re begging to be over quickly. But at the height of his fame, JGL instead paid tribute to Donald O’Connor’s all-timer number from Singin’ in the Rain. Music rights surely keep this from being available widely, but it deserves to be as famous as Tom Holland’s performance of “Umbrella” on Lip Sync Battle.


“New York City Stories, Part 2” (aired 10/7/2006)
The less said about this short’s siblings with Amy Poehler as Yoko Ono and Rosie Perez, the better. But this one, with Poehler as Patti Smith and Fred Armisen as Lou Reed mourning the closing of CBGB, is hilarious and wildly specific. When Reed says he saw Iggy Pop take a swing at a cop’s horse, you believe him.


“Victims of Recession” with Anne Hathaway (aired 10/4/2008)
While an edited version of this can be found on the show’s official YouTube page, you can’t find the original, which I watched live. That’s because it was “too mean” to some of the real architects of the subprime mortgage crisis. All future versions had that part cut out. That’s one of a long line of cowardly decisions by Lorne Michaels, but the sketch itself still goes after bigger cowards like President George W. Bush and Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

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