Hi, movie fans!
Never has a headline spoken to me more than when Variety published — two weeks ago, mind you — a story that asked, “Shouldn’t the Oscars Have Happened by Now?” The Academy Awards are unusually late this year, but truth to tell, I’m really excited for Sunday’s ceremony because, as my colleague Kyle Buchanan explained, “In all the years I’ve spent predicting the Oscars, I can hardly remember a season that felt so competitive until the very last minute.”
Though he has made his predictions, Buchanan noted that several major categories, including most of the acting races, still feel like tossups. While that doesn’t exactly include best picture, which Buchanan thinks will go to “One Battle After Another,” the late surge by “Sinners” (thanks to, among other things, the Screen Actors Guild awards) means that you can’t count it out either. That’s partly why Buchanan has given the best-actor edge to the “Sinners” star Michael B. Jordan over Timothée Chalamet, the “Marty Supreme” lead, who seemed to be a lock at the start of the season.
(Since I’ve been closely tracking the races, these predictions weren’t entirely unexpected, but check out Buchanan’s pick for international feature. That did surprise me and while I usually go with his choices in my Oscar pool, I’m not sure about that one.)
As you can probably tell, we’re all Oscars all the time right now, and that includes the newest category, best casting. My colleague Esther Zuckerman has a good explanation of how that process has changed drastically over the years, sometimes benefiting performers, sometimes not.
In the office, as we talked about this category, we couldn’t help but think about the times casting went wrong. We came up with a list of recent mismatches of actor and role that astounded us and asked readers to vote. (The polls close on Monday.) While we’ll have more on the outcome of that race next week, you can take a dive into the entertaining comments from more than 1,500 readers sharing their miscasting thoughts, and chiding us (OK yelling at us) for some of our choices.
Hey, I can take the heat. In the meantime, stop back at nytimes.com on Sunday night and follow along as the Oscars are handed out. Until then, enjoy the movies!
Neon; Warner Bros.; Focus Features
The Projectionist
Oscars 2026 Predictions: Who Will Win Best Picture, Actor and Actress?
“Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” have been neck and neck all season. Here’s what our expert thinks will go the distance.
By Kyle Buchanan
Warner Bros.; Paramount Pictures; MGM
Vote on Your Favorite Miscast Stars in the Movies
A new Oscar celebrates the process of matching actor and role. But whether a star is hired for artistic or box office reasons, mismatches can be memorable. Here our favorites from recent decades. What do you think?
By Manohla Dargis, Stephanie Goodman, Mekado Murphy, Maya Salam and Alissa Wilkinson
A24
With a New Oscar on the Line, the Process of Casting Has Changed Drastically
What once involved an actor and a casting director in a room is now a technologically advanced exercise with pros and cons for performers.
By Esther Zuckerman
CRITICS’ PICKS
Dustin Rabin/A24
Critic’s Pick
‘Undertone’ Review: And Now a Word From Our Demon!
An effective if occasionally bumpy debut horror film makes full use of the audience’s ears — and imagination.
By Alissa Wilkinson
Abramorama
Critic’s Pick
‘Group: The Schopenhauer Effect’ Review: The Art of Being Patient
Group therapy sessions are dramatized in this absorbing film from the writer-director Alexis Lloyd.
By Ben Kenigsberg
ANATOMY OF A SCENE
Top to bottom; A24, Neon, Warner Bros.
anatomy of a Scene
Go Behind the Scenes of This Year’s Best Picture Oscar Nominees
In these videos, directors walked us through pivotal sequences from their 2026 Academy Award-nominated films.
By Mekado Murphy
MOVIE REVIEWS
Michelle Faye/Universal Pictures
‘Reminders of Him’ Review: A Second Chance at Love
The movie, based on a Colleen Hoover book, is an unabashed tear-jerker. Terrific lead actors Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers make it work.
By Glenn Kenny
Bleecker Street and Tideline Entertainment
‘Slanted’ Review: Narratively Botched
This body horror thriller, about a Chinese American girl who undergoes a surgery to appear white, relies on dated tropes to construct a pale genre pastiche.
By Brandon Yu
Laszlo Andacs/Abramorama
‘Space Cowboy’ Review: A Sky-diving Cinematographer’s Highs and Lows
This documentary about the ace sky-diving cameraman Joe Jennings unexpectedly, but meaningfully, looks at the man’s struggle with depression.
By Nicolas Rapold
Kino Films
‘Bushido’ Review: A Samurai’s Dangerous Moves
In this period drama, a vagrant samurai slays with a sword and his mastery of the game Go.
By Manohla Dargis
HBO
‘Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare’ Review: An Emotional Choice
This documentary offers a rundown of the 2011 nuclear meltdown with special attention to the shift workers who risked their lives while trying to stabilize the plant.
By Natalia Winkelman
NEWS & FEATURES
Jordan Strauss/Invision, via Associated Press
Reporter’s Notebook
‘It Ends With Us,’ but It Starts With Her
The work of the novelist Colleen Hoover has become hot property in Hollywood. Here’s why studios clamor to adapt her books.
By Alexis Soloski
James Devaney/Getty Images
Critic’s Notebook
Timothée Chalamet Has a Point About Ballet
This art form is alive, and Chalamet, who comes from a dance family, knows it. But what value does ballet have for the world at large?
By Gia Kourlas
Amy Harrity for The New York Times
Michelle Pfeiffer Makes It Look Easy. It Isn’t.
At 67, the actress is still reinventing herself, with two new TV shows, “The Madison” and “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” and an evolving attitude about her work.
By Alexis Soloski and Amy Harrity
via Saleh family
Angelika Saleh, the Angelika of Angelika Film Center, Dies at 90
After making the journey from prewar Germany to Madison Avenue opulence, she gave her name to one of New York’s most influential indie cinemas.
By Alex Traub
Lorenzo Franzoni/Getty Images
Quentin Tarantino Plans ‘Swashbuckling’ Play for London’s West End
“The Popinjay Cavalier,” written and directed by Tarantino, will open next year. It is described as a “rambunctious comedy of deception” set in 1830s Europe.
By Derrick Bryson Taylor
A New Oscar for Best Casting
This year, there’s a new category at the Oscars: the Academy Award for best achievement in casting. Our reporter Esther Zuckerman spoke with all five nominees to find out what makes good casting.
By Esther Zuckerman, Léo Hamelin, Laura Salaberry and Edward Vega
STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS
20th Century Studios
Five Science Fiction Movies to Stream Now
In this month’s picks, there are time-looping teenagers, a dermatologist’s nightmare and a story from the alien’s perspective.
By Elisabeth Vincentelli
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