You're probably reading this in hope of learning what the year in movies was like. Well, I'll tell you: it was just like last year, only with different movies. In 2012 the big Oscar contenders included a fact-based political intrigue set in the late 70s (Argo), a period piece about slavery (Django Unchained), a screwball comedy about a mentally ill man and his wacky family (Silver Linings Playbook), and a historical drama set in the White House (Lincoln). In 2013 the big Oscar contenders include a fact-based political intrigue set in the late 70s (American Hustle), a period piece about slavery (12 Years a Slave), a screwball comedy about a mentally ill man and his wacky family (Nebraska), and a historical drama set in the White House (The Butler).
A number of people have demonstrated that the highest-grossing films don't change much from year to year, that the popular cinema is repetitive and regressive, but the Oscar-level films aren't so different.
One-Way Street 