The NFR Class of 2025…er, 2026? Maybe?

Other notes

• Before we go any further, let me state here and now that despite this January 2026 announcement, I am calling this the Class of 2025 going forward. If all goes according to plan we’ll get another 25 movies in December, and I don’t need competing Classes of 2026. This is confusing enough as it is.
• Looks like I got three films from my ballot on the list this year. Not bad at all. According to the NFR press release, there were 7,559 movies considered. That’s almost 800 movies more than last year. I love that the NFR has been gaining so much traction in the last couple of years.
• A quick Hail Fellow and Well Met to Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen, who to the best of my knowledge selected the NFR Class of 2025. Newlen did a fine job selecting films this year, continuing Dr. Carla Hayden’s emphasis on diversity in terms of talent, genre, and eras of film. As far as I’m concerned, Newlen can just keep on being Acting Librarian for the foreseeable future; let’s say at least the next three years.
• Like I said, this is a good lineup of movies. Clearly the emphasis was on “lost and found” silent films with recent restorations funded by the Library of Congress. My one bone to pick with these selections: There were NO movies from the ’30s, ’40s, ’60s, or ’70s that the NFR felt inclined to induct? That’s like half of my nomination ballot! I feel like it’s becoming an uphill battle inducting films from the Classic Hollywood studio era. And I get it: priority should be given to recently discovered silent films and newer more diverse titles. As exciting as it is reading these announcements, I always feel a little like Jimmy Kimmel’s Matt Damon bit: “Apologies to ‘The Great Escape’, we ran out of time.”
• Shoutout to “The Thing”, which received the most public votes of any nominee this year. “The Thing” is one of two Class of 2025 movies that is a remake of a previous NFR title, the other is “High Society”, aka “The Philadelphia Story: The Musical!”
• I was able to pick out a decent number of “double-dippers” without doing too much research, thanks in part to how many of these movies feature large ensembles. Among those represented twice in the Class of 2025: Antonio Banderas, Tom Berenger, Bing Crosby, Jeff Goldblum, Ed Harris, Edward Norton, Wallace Shawn, and Denzel Washington. I’m sure there’s plenty more behind the camera, and hopefully a few women.
• Speaking of actors: Two from my “Top 10 Actors Not on the Registry” list have finally made the cut: Jim Carrey and Glenn Close. There are plenty of other great actors making their NFR debut this year, but the one that surprised me the most was Wilford Brimley. I figured with as many bit parts and supporting roles Brimley played over the years he had already made the list. I look forward to finally getting an excuse to reference his commercials for oatmeal and “dye-a-bee-tus”.
• Due to the delay in the Class of 2025 announcement, I have several posts already written and waiting their turn in the queue. Now that the list is out, it’s time for me to start working on my “Grand Budapest Hotel” post, which you’ll see sometime in mid-March, with several more 2025 entries to follow. I’ll try not to turn the “Grand Budapest” post into a vent session about how much I hated “The Phoenician Scheme”, emphasis on “try”.

Happy viewing, and keep taking care of each other,

Tony