This weekend’s New York Times Magazine features exclusive videos and photos of 14 actors who defined the year in cinema. It’s a very cool feature which you can check out here – the slide show of stills is absolutely gorgeous and the video clips are rather odd but strangely engrossing.
My personal favorites include:
- Tilda Swinton clearly doing her best impression of Maria Falconetti in Dreyer’s “The Passion of Joan of Arc.” Never thought of it until now, but Swinton would’ve made an extraordinary silent era actress.
- Michael Douglas looking oddly similar to Jüri Järvet in Kozintsev’s “King Lear.”
- James Franco doing whatever the hell he is supposed to be doing.
- Javier Bardem breaking shit. Remind me not to piss him off.
- Vincent Cassel clearly auditioning for somebody’s “Singin’ in the Rain” remake, and absolutely nailing it (unsurprising; though I don’t actually know what his dancing training is, in his Hollywood work alone he’s shown some serious chops. Remember the absurd-but-entertaining heist in “Ocean’s Twelve?”). Can we please get this guy into a classic studio-style musical ASAP?
The Best Films of Our Lives 
Michael Douglas came up and I thought it was King Lear. And I didn’t even read the rest of your post. That was so strange.
James Franco should just flirt with himself all the time.