By far the coolest thing on the internet was the New York Times’ Making a Scene project, in which 11 of the year’s most celebrated actors — ranging from Cate Blanchett to Oprah Winfrey, Adele Exarchopoulos to Robert Redford — perform in individual short films directed by Oscar-winning cinematographer (and Steven Spielberg’s right-hand man) Janusz Kaminski. “Short” is the operative word: advertisement-like in length and style, they’re not exactly deep, but they’re a lot of fun, whether it’s Oprah channelling her inner torch diva or Bradley Cooper doing some rain ballet, all to stray strands of dialogue from the likes of Seth Rogen and Spike Jonze. Have fun. [New York Times]
Emma Thompson, Amy Adams, Oprah Winfrey, Lupita Nyong’o, Octavia Spencer and Julia Roberts are the guests at this year’s THR Actress Roundtable. [Hollywood Reporter]
Thompson, meanwhile, looks back on her career at her BAFTA Life in Pictures tribute. [Thompson on Hollywood]
Ever felt reassured by a “no animals were harmed” disclaimer in a film’s closing credits? You shouldn’t be, writes Lindsay Abrams. [Salon]
“Out of the Furnace” director Scott Cooper says he owes his career to Robert Duvall. [Variety]
Stephen Frears is participating in the restoration of “Night Will Fall,” a Holocaust doc in which Alfred Hitchcock played an advisory role. [Screen Daily]
Following a report on the financial success of recent female-directed (or written) British films, Catherine Shoard looks at the industry’s persistent gender imbalance. [The Guardian]
Steve McQueen on why Michael Fassbender’s “12 Years a Slave” character is not just a monster, but “one of us.”. [Vanity Fair]
Such a fun list, this: the 50 greatest musical numbers in film history. (Warning: this link may upset “Les Mis” fans.) [Film.com]