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© 2023 The Moonlight Awards
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The Oscars' Best Picture choices often look odd or incorrect in hindsight - so why not wait for the hindsight and then give the award? Welcome to the Moonlight Awards! Hosts Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck journey through film history, one year at a time, nominating five movies from each year and honoring one Moonlight winner - the one film from that year that's best stood the test of time. (It's not just our opinion: we base our choices on critics' lists, general-audience votes, and a survey we're conducting of some of the most renowned film scholars in America.) #whowinsthemoonlight
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Was 1975 the best year ever for movies? Everybody says 1939, but you can make a very strong case that film hit its peak right here. Tarkovsky triumped with Mirror; Steven Spielberg dropped Jaws; Stanley Kubrick returned with Barry Lyndon; Dog One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest swept the Oscars; Monty Python and Rocky Horror redefined the comedy, the musical, and the cult classic - and hovering above them all is Chantal Akerman's fascinating, hypnotic Jeanne Dielman, just feted by Sight & Sou...
What's the best year ever for a director? Victor Fleming co-directed Gone With The Wind and The Wizard of Oz in 1939; Ingmar Bergman released Wild Strawberries and The Seventh Seal in 1957; and Steven Spielberg dropped both Jurassic Park and Schindler's List in 1993. They're all contenders, but 1974 may have them all beat: not only is this the year Francis Ford Coppola finished Godfather II and The Conversation, it's also the year Mel Brooks wrapped up both Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenst...
It's 1973, and it's a rough time in world and U.S. history. The Vietnam War is still raging, there's a massive oil shortage, and crime is rampant - even in the White House. So it's no surprise that our top films of '73 share a sort of unease about the present, channeled into horror (The Exorcist) or cynicism (Mean Streets) or nostalgia for the past (American Graffiti). They have that much in common - but which one film best stands the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck ...
Some years are easier than others. This time, we're tackling 1972, a year that has always been dominated by The Godfather. But while Brando and company are likely to take gold this time, it's still a fascinating battle for second - including a resurgence of European films, which had been lacking amidst the predominance of the New Hollywood movement. Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, the greatest film scores, the craziest lead actors, the best musi...
The New Hollywood movement has been on the rise for the last few years, and by 1971 it's dominant. From directors like Altman, Friedkin, and Bogdanovich to actors like Bridges, Beatty and Hackman, we're now encountering all the stars that will define the industry for the next generation. But the old guard is still very much around - and standing amidst them all is Stanley Kubrick, who's back again with yet another visually striking masterpiece. But which one film best stands the test of ...
1970 is a transition year for world history, and the movies are no different. With the studio system era in the rear view mirror and the French New Wave past its peak, the dawn of the 70s brings a whole new generation of filmmakers to center stage. For the second year in a row, the year's top films are all made by directors we've not yet encountered - though in a couple cases, we'll encounter those directors again, and again. But which one film best stands the test of time? Join Rachel...
The 1960s began with the rise of the French New Wave, but it ends with the dominance of the New Hollywood: a new generation of American filmmakers, inspired by their French counterparts, freed from the oppressive Hays Code, and reacting to a period of war, transformation, and social upheaval. The movies they made in 1969 were bleak, violent - and revolutionary, influencing cinema for decades to come. But which one film best stands the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron ...
1968 is the year of the genre film! "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Planet of the Apes" pioneered in science fiction, "Rosemary's Baby" is a horror classic, "Night of the Living Dead" practically invented the zombie trope, and "Once Upon a Time in the West" ranks among the greatest Westerns ever made. We're also in an era of independent film, with directors like George Romero and John Cassavetes leading the way. But in a year of beloved classics, which one film best stands the test of time? ...
It's 1967, and the film world is about to be conquered by the New Hollywood: a new generation of young American actors and directors, influenced by the French New Wave, galvanized by tumultuous cultural and political movements, and liberated by the collapse of the stifling Hays code. This year, "the curve comes to reassert itself over the straight line," as the critic Philip Kemp said about "Playtime": norms and mores are violated, elites are exposed, marriages are exploded, weddings are disr...
Welcome to 1966, a year of tremendous turmoil worldwide, with the Cold War at its peak, the Vietnam War still on the rise, anti-colonial upheaval across the globe, and rapidly advancing movements for racial justice, gender equality, and sexual liberation. That's all reflected on screen too: the very best movies of 1966 all bring us into the lives of characters living through times of uncertainty, anxiety and possibility, when things have come unmoored, searching for a foundation or a sense of...
The 1960s are a great period for the movie musical, with all-time classics like West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins, and more. The era is also defined by the French New Wave, with one iconic film after another by Varda, Truffaut, Resnais, and all the rest. Maybe the most influential French New Wave director was Jean-Luc Godard - but so far, he's never won a Moonlight. Likewise, no musical has won a Moonlight since Singin' in the Rain back in 1952. Will one of those streaks change this...
Here we are in 1964: one of the best years ever for movie musicals, with classics from Hollywood and Europe, and the breakout year for legendary directors like Sergio Leone and Stanley Kubrick. The French New Wave is rippling worldwide, the Cold War is as hot as it will ever be, and the Beatles have taken over the airwaves. All of those trends factor into our five Best Picture nominees, plus a few other classics that didn't quite make our cut. But which one film best stands the test of t...
It's 1963, and the Cold War is at its peak - and luckily for us, so is cinema. Alfred Hitchcock continues his run with another horror classic, Jean-Luc Godard and Federico Fellini unveil masterpieces of their own, and Luchino Visconti returns with a lavish historical epic that only he could have made. But which one film of 1963 has best stood the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, multilingual casts, Communist allegories, special effe...
Welcome to 1962, a year of geopolitical tension, rising anticolonialism, and (at least in the US) an urgent push for racial justice. In the theaters, the French New Wave hits its peak, David Lean attempts the biggest epic ever, and American filmmakers tackle racism, paranoia, and the whereabouts of Baby Jane. But which one film of 1962 has best stood the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, the New Wave's "ideal woman," Agnes Varda's fe...
It's 1961! Cold War tensions are at a fever pitch, the anti-colonial movement is rising, and in theaters, the French New Wave is at its peak. In Hollywood, moviegoers are getting their first looks at Audrey Hepburn's little black dress - and their first listen to the musical genius of (the late, great) Stephen Sondheim. Around the world, great directors like Luis Buñuel and Akira Kurosawa are making some of their most treasured classics. But which one film of 1961 has best stood the test of t...
We've arrived at the 1960s, and the decade begins with a bang: 1960 brings us five of the most indelible, acclaimed, celebrated, homaged, and influential movies ever made. In Europe, Jean-Luc Godard, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Federico Fellini are changing the game; in the States, Billy Wilder and Alfred Hitchcock deliver two of their most treasured classics, one a brilliant comedy, the other a shocking slasher. They're all great - but which one film from 1960 has best stood the test of...
We've arrived at the end of our third decade! And it's a busy, transformative period for the movies. The French New Wave has kicked into high gear; the Hays Code is finally in decline; and Alfred Hitchcock is in the middle of (arguably) the greatest run of films a director's ever had. But which one film from 1959 has best stood the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, the French New Wave, auteur theory, cross-dressing, Cary Grant impres...
We're nearing the end of the 1950s, and it's an exciting period for the movies. The French New Wave is stirring, Eastern European artists are emerging, and Alfred Hitchcock, already far and away our most acclaimed director, is about to have an incredible run that (arguably) tops everything that's come before. But which one film has best stood the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, cool titles, misleading titles, Miles Davis, Bern...
In film history, there are certain years that stand out. 1939 may be the most famous example, but there are some years that shine even brighter than that. We've arrived at 1957, arguably the best year ever for movies - with two classic war movies, possibly the greatest courtroom drama of all time, masterpieces by Kubrick and Fellini and Kurosawa - and not one but two all-timers from Ingmar Bergman, who might have had the best year ever for a film director. But which one film, out of all those...
Thus far in our journey through cinema history, we've nominated a lot of "genre" films - but very few have won. So far we only have one sci-fi/horror winner, 1935's Bride of Frankenstein, and no Western winners at all. But 1956 gives us one film that's often described as the greatest Western ever made - and another film that's been called the best B horror flick. Will one of them finally break through? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, satiri...
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