I blinked once, and suddenly it was time for the end-of-2025 lists. Few things signal the upcoming rush as prominently as Cahiers du cinéma's annual countdown, which has typically included a mix of American favorites, major festival debuts, and titles still looking for their moment in the spotlight. At the forefront is Albert Serra's Afternoons of Solitude (a film debuting in 2024 that only reached many regions this year), followed closely by Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another, which takes the commendable second place. The review continues with Nadav Lapid’s Yes and Kleber Mendonça Filho's The Secret Agent; further down, Richard Linklater's Nouvelle Vague receives perhaps the most meaningful recognition that film could get, while Christian Petzold's somewhat polarizing Miroirs No. 3 wraps up the list. Among films that have garnered less attention in North American markets, Pedro Pinho's I Only Rest in the Storm and Sophie Letourneur's L’aventura hold middle positions; trailing behind are Vincent Barré and Pierre Creton's 7 Walks with Mark Brown, alongside Matteo Eustachon, Léo Couture, and Anton Balekdjian's Laurent dans le vent. See the complete list below:
As Saturday Night Live marks its 51st season, here are some behind-the-scenes anecdotes that highlight some of the most outrageous and unpredictable moments that occurred offstage.
From inappropriate language to notable protests, these instances created jitters for Lorne Michaels and his team.
So with that, live from New York… it’s Saturday night.
**Bill Murray vs Chevy Chase**
According to Nick De Semlyen in his excellent book *Wild and Crazy Guys*, Bill Murray punched Chevy Chase when Chase returned to host the eleventh episode of Season 3 on February 18, 1978.
Murray took over for Chase after he exited the show mid-Season 2, leaving the SNL crew feeling betrayed by Chase, as Semlyen notes. His comeback was not well-received, leaving “a bad taste in everyone’s mouth," the author remarks.
Tensions rose before the taping as Murray and Chase exchanged barbs, culminating in a physical altercation. John Landis, who witnessed the fight, described it as “a huge altercation,” adding, “They were both big guys and really going at it.” Murray, however, characterized it as “really a Hollywood fight; a don’t-touch-my-face kinda thing.”
The show continued despite the brawl, and Murray and Chase eventually reunited amicably for the film *Caddyshack* in 1980.
**The Mask of Jeff Daniels**
Before Jeff Daniels hosted the episode on October 5, 1991, he underwent a common procedure for hosts: getting a mask made in the makeup department.
In his engaging memoir *Almost Interesting,* SNL star David Spade explained that if the makeup team needs to create a dummy resembling the host or depict a scene like a head explosion, they make a mold by layering a plaster-like substance on the face.
This process requires a stocking cap to be placed over the head and straws to be inserted for breathing while the material sets, typically taking around 15 minutes.
However, Spade revealed that Daniels’ mask hardened so much that it wouldn’t come off. Lorne Michaels had to summon a plastic surgeon to 30 Rock, and the plaster was eventually peeled from Daniels’ face. During the process, the surgeon used an X-Acto knife, resulting in cuts to Daniels’ eyebrows and eyelashes, but the mask was removed in time for the next night's episode.
Spade noted, "If you watch that old show, you can see his eyebrows were drawn on," with Daniels appearing alongside Dana Carvey at the beginning of the episode. Surprisingly, it went unnoticed by the audience.
**Chris Farley Showers With Mike Myers**
The late, legendary Chris Farley was one of the funniest cast members in SNL's history and a genuine movie star, known for films like *Tommy Boy.* Behind the scenes, he was a notorious prankster who pushed boundaries.
Mike Myers recounted on the *Fly on the Wall* podcast a bizarre ongoing joke where Farley would regularly crash the shower while Myers was in. Farley would press against him and profess his love.
“I’d beat on him. I’d go ‘Farley, get the f— out of here! Get the f— out!’ I couldn’t hit him very hard because it was so funny,” Myers recalled.
Despite the annoyance, Farley continued this prank week after week, while Myers, focused on the show, never anticipated it.
“Every week I forgot — you’d think you’d remember every week,” Myers explained, attributing his forgetfulness to the busy demands of the show.
**Richard Pryor Hosts**
Lorne Michaels took extraordinary measures to persuade NBC executives to allow Richard Pryor to host the show's seventh episode on December 13, 1975.
Due to concerns that Pryor would be too vulgar and unpredictable, Michaels consented to a five-second delay to censor any curse words — making it the first instance when SNL was not fully live during its initial broadcast.
The delay proved necessary because although Pryor refrained from using any four-letter words, he did say a three-letter word that rhymes with "sass" twice.
As detailed in *Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live* by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad, the censor operating the delay overlooked both instances, but both were cut from the recorded version aired on the West Coast.
**The Fight to Save Charles Rocket**
Charles Rocket was part of the tumultuous 1980-81 season following the departure of all the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players and Lorne Michaels (who returned mid-1980s).
SNL fans will remember Rocket for a slip-up during a segment inspired by the famous *Dallas* plotline “Who Shot J.R.?,” during which he mistakenly said, “It’s the first time I’ve ever been shot in my life. I’d like to know who the f— did it.”
As chronicled
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I blinked once, and suddenly it was time for the end-of-2025 lists. Few things signal the upcoming rush as prominently as Cahiers du cinéma's annual countdown, which has typically included a mix of American favorites, major festival debuts, and titles still looking for their moment in the spotlight. At the forefront is Albert Serra's Afternoons of Solitude (a film debuting in 2024 that only reached many regions this year), followed closely by Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another, which takes the commendable second place. The review continues with Nadav Lapid’s Yes and Kleber Mendonça Filho's The Secret Agent; further down, Richard Linklater's Nouvelle Vague receives perhaps the most meaningful recognition that film could get, while Christian Petzold's somewhat polarizing Miroirs No. 3 wraps up the list. Among films that have garnered less attention in North American markets, Pedro Pinho's I Only Rest in the Storm and Sophie Letourneur's L’aventura hold middle positions; trailing behind are Vincent Barré and Pierre Creton's 7 Walks with Mark Brown, alongside Matteo Eustachon, Léo Couture, and Anton Balekdjian's Laurent dans le vent. See the complete list below:
These behind-the-scenes tales from SNL reveal some backstage incidents that were even more outrageous than the show itself.
