Movies

When choosing the best film performances of the year, I decided to highlight only one actor per movie. Even with that rule, I still couldn’t find space for anyone from Sentimental Value, despite being completely captivated by the entire cast – Stellan Skarsgård, Renate Reinsve, Elle Fanning, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas. I also didn’t include Emma Stone or Jesse Plemons, who delivered incredible performances in a tense and gripping Bugonia. And despite their strong work, George Clooney, Adam Sandler, and Billy Crudup – as the complex and troubled friends of Jay Kelly – were left off the list, hoping for recognition from the Academy instead.

Despite our complaints about lackluster film festivals and disappointing awards seasons, it turns out there were actually a lot of excellent movies released this year. I could easily create a top-twenty – or even top-thirty – list, and I will be sharing a longer one on social media. I was particularly pleased to see a return to beautifully crafted storytelling and directors willing to take risks. Most importantly, these films were genuinely enjoyable, even the ones dealing with difficult and heartbreaking topics like loss and political turmoil. That’s the power of good storytelling – it allows us to process difficult emotions.

Before Law & Order: SVU even began, Florek was part of the original Law & Order series. Although his character had retired from police work years ago – which allowed Olivia Benson to lead the team – he continued to appear on the show and even in Chris Meloni’s later series, Law & Order: Organized Crime.

From December 1st to 7th, 2025, Ebaster’s TV experts are highlighting five new series on Paramount+ that are getting fantastic reviews and quickly becoming popular. Many of these shows just launched and are already a hit around the world! Our number one pick has an impressive 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so it’s a show all Paramount+ subscribers won’t want to miss.

For now, fans will have to revisit James Bond’s past adventures. While Amazon is continuing the Bond series without the original producers and recently named Denis Villeneuve as director, the release date for the 26th Bond film is still unknown. However, December will bring some good news for Bond fans who are looking for a deal, along with their favorite action!

Michael Cusack, co-creator of Smiling Friends, recently shared that new episodes are in development. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he revealed the team has already written two scripts for Season 4 and is working on a third, expressing excitement about the creative process and generating new ideas.

From December 1st to 7th, 2025, Ebaster’s TV experts are highlighting five new Prime Video series that are getting amazing reviews and quickly becoming popular worldwide. Many of these shows just launched, and our top pick has a fantastic 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – it’s a must-see for anyone with a Prime Video subscription!

Looking at what everyone chose as their favorites, a few clear trends emerged. Sinners was the most popular film, Adolescence the most beloved TV show, and Oh, Mary! the top Broadway production of the year. While most people (79%) identified a song of the summer, opinions were widely varied. Interestingly, The Rehearsal both increased and decreased people’s fear of flying. Many of the people we surveyed, including Rachel Zegler, Supriya Ganesh, and Gabby Windey, turned to the writings of Joan Didion for inspiration. It was also fascinating to learn how and why they enjoyed different forms of culture – often fitting episodes or albums into busy schedules, or using them to prepare for work (like Ben Ahlers listening to Kendrick Lamar’s GNX before an audition). It became clear these 50 influential people were also inspired by each other’s work. For example, Chase Sui Wonders enjoyed Lola Tung’s performance in The Summer I Turned Pretty, and Lola Tung was moved by Sadie Sink in John Proctor Is the Villain. Sadie Sink, in turn, watched season two of Severance during breaks from rehearsals, and this pattern continued throughout the group.

Disney received approximately $104.7 million (£82 million) in tax credits from the U.K. for the film Deadpool & Wolverine. This includes $77.6 million (£60.9 million) in 2024 and $26.8 million (£21.1 million) in 2023, as reported by The London Standard and Forbes. This is the biggest tax credit given to a single movie production in the U.K. since 2007.

From December 1st to 7th, 2025, Ebaster’s TV experts are highlighting five new Netflix series that are getting amazing reviews and quickly becoming popular around the world. Many of these shows just launched, and our top pick has an impressive 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – it’s a must-see for any Netflix user!