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Best movies of 2025, ranked by AP film writers

The bean counters might say otherwise, but 2025 was a good year for movies. Filmmakers working in and out of the studio system managed to make bold, personal, wildly imaginative and singular works. Some of them even broke through to the mainstream — how extraordinary that “Sinners” is among the highest earning of the year in North America, alongside all those “safe” sequels, reboots and known brands? Most, however, are more likely destined for cult classic status. Hollywood as we know it is undergoing seismic changes, with yet another studio, Warner Bros., staring down a ...

Gray Areas: 2025 leaves mostly happy memories … at least with local entertainment

Year-end columns are a chance to look back fondly on the year that was. They’re also intimidating. No matter how much I try to cram in, there’s something that gets overlooked. Here are some of the events that stand out in local entertainment for 2025, and hopefully the first column of 2026 won’t be filled with apologies for the things I forgot. Anniversaries, endings and beginnings Youngstown Playhouse wrapped up its centennial celebration with a gala in June that featured both current performers and people who hadn’t been on the Playhouse stage in decades. The W.D. ...

Mahoning Valley arts and entertainment

Art ARTS & EDUCATION AT THE HOYT, 124 E. Leasure Ave., New Castle, Pa.: “Floating Beauty: Women in the Art of Ukiyo-e,” through Jan. 29, 2026. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday. hoytartcenter.org and 724-652-2882. BUTLER INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN ART, 524 Wick Ave., Youngstown: “Robert Rauschenberg: A Centenary Tribute,” through Jan. 4, 2026. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. www.butlerart.com and 330-743-1107. MEDICI MUSEUM OF ART, 9350 E. Market St., Howland: “ZODIAC: ...

Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, Wednesday on AP’s best songs list

NEW YORK — The Associated Press has selected the 10 best songs of the year, presented in no particular order. Read on and then listen to all of the tracks on our Spotify playlist. “Lo que le paso a Hawaii” Bad Bunny Selecting just one song from Bad Bunny’s pivotal 2025 album “Debi Tirar Mas Fotos” is a fool’s errand. Most would likely select one of the ubiquitous, up-tempo hits: “DtMF,” “Baile Inolvidable,” “NuevaYol.” And they’d be just as right. But at its heart, this album is both Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio’s love letter to Puerto Rico and ...

Year’s best albums span many genres

NEW YORK — The Associated Press has selected its 10 best albums of the year, presented in no particular order and with a legend describing who might particularly enjoy them, in the vein of our revamped music reviews. Like our picks and want more? Enjoy bonus recommendations accompanying each entry. “Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party” Hayley Williams Call her Miss Paramore if you must, but this year, it’s all about Hayley Williams. The fierce frontwoman has detoured on her own before — the explorative interiority of 2020’s “Petals for Armor” and 2021’s “Flowers ...

Ticket stubs

Science center hosts Winter Wonder Days Winter Wonder Days start today at the Great Lakes Science Center, 601 Erieside Ave., Cleveland. Special attractions include Polysnow and Hockey Friction hands-on activity carts, a Gingerbread Scavenger Hunt and a Snowflake Symmetry Community Build. The Fire & Ice Big Show is presented daily. Holiday hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the center will be open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on New Year’s Day. For more information, go to greatscience.com.