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Jeff Margolis will never forget his first time directing the Academy Awards — we won’t let him.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the 61st Academy Awards. You may not remember that “Rain Man” won Best Picture, Barry Levinson Best Director, Dustin Hoffman Best Actor, and Jodie Foster Best Actress for “The Accused.” But seared into our collective subconscious is the production number that opened the show — already, you’re cringing at the thought — featuring Snow White and Rob Lowe.

To this day, clickbait headlines (from The Guardian in 2019: “How Snow White and Some Coconuts Killed the 1989 Oscars”) are a testament to that debacle’s enduring legacy. Hollywood, nor the world, had never seen anything like it, which was kind of the whole point of the thing, according to Margolis, who spoke to IndieWire about his memories of what Collider just last year proclaimed, “the worst moment in Oscars history…...

While the past decade has brought an exponential rise in streaming services, none compare to Netflix’s catalog of stand-up specials. The streamer has become the go-to destination for the most popular comedians in the world. Its ubiquity has made watching stand-up easier than ever and helped launch comedy stars like John Mulaney, Hannah Gadsby and Ali Wong with high-profile specials.

But like the rest of its content, it can be hard navigating the field with so many great offerings. So if you’re in need of a laugh while scrolling through Netflix, here’s a list of some of the best stand-up comedy specials streaming right now.

John Mulaney: “Kid Gorgeous” (2018)

Every John Mulaney special has at least a few bits that will never leave your head but “Kid Gorgeous” is a collection of some of his best. This is the special that put Mulaney on the path of comedy culture domination.

The National Film Registry — known as the preservation arm of the Library of Congress — has added 25 new films to its 825 titles of culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant movies. But that’s just a small portion of the Library’s whopping 1.7 million titles.

Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, the movies must be at least 10 years old, and this year’s additions feature many film fan favorites. As reported by Variety, among them are “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” from 2001, “Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi” from 1983, Pixar’s “Wall-e” from 2008, 1997’s beloved musical biopic “Selena,” pioneering Black lesbian drama “The Watermelon Woman” from 1996, the cult classic original “A Nightmare on Elm Street” from 1984, and even a few canonical classics like “The Long Goodbye,” “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?,” and “Strangers on a Train.” See the full list below in chronological order.

Since 1989, the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress has been accomplishing the important task of preserving films that “represent important cultural, artistic and historic achievements in filmmaking.” From films way back in 1897 all the way up to 2010, they’ve now reached 825 films that celebrate our heritage and encapsulate our film history.

Today they’ve unveiled their 2021 list, which includes Jonathan Demme’s concert masterpiece Stop Making Sense, Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye, the horror classic Nightmare on Elm Street, the landmark queer film The Watermelon Woman, and even a few blockbusters.

The oldest film in this year’s registry class is a recently restored 3-minute actuality recording from 1902 showing a Ringling Brothers circus parade in Indianapolis. As the Library of Congress notes, “One reason why the film was selected for preservation is it also shows, by accident, a rare glimpse of a prosperous northern Black community at...

The Library of Congress has unveiled its annual list of 25 movies to make the cut for the National Film Registry. The selection, considered among America’s most influential motion pictures, features titles spanning from 1902-2008. Among them are Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 Strangers On A Train; 1962’s Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?, starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford; 1972 tearjerker Sounder, which brought Cicely Tyson a Best Actress Oscar nomination; John Waters’ Pink Flamingos (1972); and Michael Schultz’s 1975 Cooley High.

More recent classics such as 1983’s Star Wars: Episode VI – Return Of The Jedi, 1984’s A Nightmare On Elm Street, 2001’s The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring and 2008’s Wall-e are also honored (scroll down for the full list).

The roster further includes music and comedy performances: 1984’s Talking Heads pic Stop Making Sense from director Jonathan Demme and 1979’s Richard Pryor: Live In Concert, recorded at the Terrace Theatre in Long Beach,...

Pixar’s “Wall-e,” “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” and “Selena” have been selected for preservation by the National Film Registry.

Each year, the Librarian of Congress names 25 motion pictures that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant. Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, the movies have to be at least 10 years old.

Other titles added to the National Film Registry in 2021 include “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” Pink Flamingos,” “Who Killed Vincent Chin?,” “Richard Pryor: Live in Concert,” “Cooley High” and “Sounder.”

This year’s lineup brings the number of films in the registry to 825, a small portion of the 1.7 million movies in the Library’s collection. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, says the recent assemblage represents one of the most diverse classes of films to enter the registry, with movies dating back nearly 120 years and representing Hollywood studios,...

In the history of black filmmaking, “Stir Crazy” is rarely cited as a groundbreaker or an enduring high point. However, Sidney Poitier’s 1980 comedy sold more tickets in North America than “The Fate of the Furious,” or any other film by a black director.

Poitier’s career has included multiple breakout moments. He was the first black lead acting Oscar winner with “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner;” he starred in two blockbuster films in 1967 with “To Sir With Love” (over $300 million, adjusted gross) and “In the Heat of the Night” ($177 million, adjusted gross). He was, more than even Denzel Washington or any other black actor-turned-director, an icon of cinema when he made “Stir Crazy.” And it was this film, more than any other, that found access to all domestic audiences.

That said, it’s a film that doesn’t have the resonance of other historical blockbusters like “Gone With the Wind,...

J. Mark Travis, producer of theatre, film and television and former chief of staff to pastor Dr. Gene Scott of University Cathedral, died at age 61 after a short illness. He passed away Christmas morning at Glendale Adventist Medical Center, where he served in a leadership role or on the Foundation Board for over 20 years. Travis began his career as an agent representing a number of prominent music composers, including Don Ellis and Jack Nitzsche. His interest in music led him to convert a Mormon Church in Salt Lake City into a state of the art recording studio, where his client Jack Nitzsche recorded the Academy Award winning score for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Travis then segued into film production 1975, teaming up with Bill Sargent and film producer David Permut. Together they video-taped a one-man stage production, Give ‘em Hell Harry!, in front of a live audience. The...

J. Mark Travis of Calabasas, who co-produced and released the hit concert film  "Richard Pryor: Live in Concert" along with many other independent projects, has died. He was 61.  Travis produced projects across theater, film and television, and was also former chief of staff to pastor Dr. Gene Scott of University Cathedral. He passed away after a short illness on December 24, a representative for the family told TheWrap. Travis was best known for producing independent films in the 1970s, including "Richard Pryor: Live in Concert," which after being rejected by the major studios, Travis released...

If you're a New Yorker who stays up late, this news is for you. The Film Society of Lincoln Center has announced the lineup of its new Midnight Movies series running every Friday night in June, July, and August. Most are horror films, but even those that aren't deserve attention.

The voracious maw and mysterious subversives of horror and sci-fi are let out after dark in what's sure to be the most terrifying program of the summer. Here's the full schedule; for more info visit the official Film Society of Lincoln Center website.

Star Wars Uncut

Casey Pugh, 2012

Fri Jun 1: 11:59 pm

Galactic Premiere!

For this crowdsourced, shot-by-shot fan-film remake of George Lucas’ Episode IV – A New Hope, 473 volunteers reshot or animated their assigned 15-second sections as they saw fit. The result is one of the Internet’s true cinematic wonders.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Tobe Hooper, 1974

Fri...

Stand-up comedy is one of the most beloved art forms there is, and it's also one of the most difficult to master. For every Louis C.K., there are a hundred Jeff Dunhams. People often make lists of the best comedians of all time, or the best comedy albums, but when it comes to actual comedy TV specials, which is what every comedian strives for these days to get into heavy rotation on Comedy Central, it's a different story. There's a million of them - some are good, some are decent, some are iffy, and some are awful. Here, however, are some of the most innovative, groundbreaking comedy specials that have ever been made - shows you should really see if you're a fan of comedy at all (Note: specials are listed chronologically).

[#1-5]   [#6-10]   [Index]

George Carlin at USC (1977)

Any mention of innovative comedy specials has to start with George Carlin, who forged...

Richard Pryor, one of the most groundbreaking comedians of the late 20th century, died Saturday morning of a heart attack at his home in the San Fernando Valley; he was 65. Pryor had been suffering from multiple sclerosis for years, and according to his wife Jennifer Pryor, passed away very quickly with little suffering. Born in Peoria, Illinios, Pryor reportedly grew up in a brothel run by his grandmother, and was performing at as young an age as 7, when he played drums for a nightclub. After graduating high school and serving two years in the army, Pryor began his comedy career in the 60s, working in nightclubs and earning a reputation for himself. Soon talk show and variety show appearances led to small parts in movies throughout the late 60s and early 70s, with a noteworthy supporting role opposite Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues (1972). He also wrote for a number of television shows, including Sanford and Son, and worked on the script for Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles. Pryor skyrocketed to fame, however, on the strength, appeal, and hilarity of his stand-up performances, which challenged the establishment at a time when censorship laws still held sway, and his explicit, profane routines, centering on racial and sexual topics and everything in between, won him both controversy and fame. He also became a highly popular (and highly paid) actor in the 70s, with hit films such as Silver Streak to his credit and a controversial TV show on NBC. His biggest film success, though, was with a concert film of his stand-up routines, and Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979) remains one of his best and one of the most influential comedy films of all time. Just as his fame reached its zenith in 1980 (the year the hit film Stir Crazy was released), Pryor almost lost his life in a notorious drug-related accident, as he suffered burns on over 50% of his body while freebasing cocaine at home. The incident began Pryor's long road to recovery, and he talked and joked freely about it in his next concert film, Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip. Free to make whatever films he liked, Pryor signed a $40 million, five-year contract with Columbia Pictures in 1983, which took him from cult hero to mainstream star, though the movies, including Superman III, The Toy and Brewster's Millions, diluted his considerable talent. He had more critical, if not commercial, success with two autobiographical-influenced films, Some Kind of Hero and Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling, a thinly fictionalized biopic. By the late 80s, though, Pryor's films were becoming bigger and bigger failures, and he all but retired from performing in the 90s, after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; in 1990 he suffered a massive heart attack and underwent triple bypass surgery. He made a brief appearance in the film Lost Highway, and did a guest stint on Chicago Hope, which earned him an Emmy nomination, but rarely worked; in 1998, he received the first Mark Twain Prize for humor from the JFK Center for the Performing Arts. He married six times, and had two sons and three daughters, including actress Rain Pryor. Pryor is survived by his wife Jennifer, who was his fourth wife and whom he remarried in 2001. --Prepared by IMDb staff...

Richard Pryor, one of the most groundbreaking comedians of the late 20th century, died Saturday morning of a heart attack at his home in the San Fernando Valley; he was 65. Pryor had been suffering from multiple sclerosis for years, and according to his wife Jennifer Pryor, passed away very quickly with little suffering. Born in Peoria, Illinios, Pryor reportedly grew up in a brothel run by his grandmother, and was performing at as young an age as 7, when he played drums for a nightclub. After graduating high school and serving two years in the army, Pryor began his comedy career in the 60s, working in nightclubs and earning a reputation for himself. Soon talk show and variety show appearances led to small parts in movies throughout the late 60s and early 70s, with a noteworthy supporting role opposite Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues (1972). He also wrote for a number of television shows, including Sanford and Son, and worked on the script for Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles. Pryor skyrocketed to fame, however, on the strength, appeal, and hilarity of his stand-up performances, which challenged the establishment at a time when censorship laws still held sway, and his explicit, profane routines, centering on racial and sexual topics and everything in between, won him both controversy and fame. He also became a highly popular (and highly paid) actor in the 70s, with hit films such as Silver Streak to his credit and a controversial TV show on NBC. His biggest film success, though, was with a concert film of his stand-up routines, and Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979) remains one of his best and one of the most influential comedy films of all time. Just as his fame reached its zenith in 1980 (the year the hit film Stir Crazy was released), Pryor almost lost his life in a notorious drug-related accident, as he suffered burns on over 50% of his body while freebasing cocaine at home. The incident began Pryor's long road to recovery, and he talked and joked freely about it in his next concert film, Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip. Free to make whatever films he liked, Pryor signed a $40 million, five-year contract with Columbia Pictures in 1983, which took him from cult hero to mainstream star, though the movies, including Superman III, The Toy and Brewster's Millions, diluted his considerable talent. He had more critical, if not commercial, success with two autobiographical-influenced films, Some Kind of Hero and Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling, a thinly fictionalized biopic. By the late 80s, though, Pryor's films were becoming bigger and bigger failures, and he all but retired from performing in the 90s, after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; in 1990 he suffered a massive heart attack and underwent triple bypass surgery. He made a brief appearance in the film Lost Highway, and did a guest stint on Chicago Hope, which earned him an Emmy nomination, but rarely worked; in 1998, he received the first Mark Twain Prize for humor from the JFK Center for the Performing Arts. He married six times, and had two sons and three daughters, including actress Rain Pryor. Pryor is survived by his wife Jennifer, who was his fourth wife and whom he remarried in 2001. --Prepared by IMDb staff...