The Moonlight Awards

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...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

Are you ready for a three-way showdown? 1955 brings us several classics, including a suspenseful French thriller and a Danish masterpiece that Sight & Sound cited as one of the 25 best films ever made. But it's all going to come down to a battle between three movies, featuring an iconic film villain, James Dean's most famous role, and a hitherto-unknown Indian director whose labor of love finally comes to fruition. But which one film has best stood the test of time? Join Rache...

The 1950s is a great period for movies - but not so much for American movies, as the Red Scare is driving many great artists out of the business. European and Japanese filmmakers are thriving, though, so this year they dominate the spotlight. Will we have our first non-English-language winner since Bicycle Thieves in '48? There's a four-out-of-five chance... Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, the Hollywood blacklist, the poor man's Cary Grant, the ...

It's a time of transition for the movies: Marlon Brando is hitting the screen with an all-new acting style, the European and Japanese film industries are reemerging after the devastation of World War II, and in America, Cold War paranoia is giving rise to the golden age of science fiction. It all leads to an influx of very good films in 1951 - but which one film has best stood the test of time? Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in film, "model" actors, ...