Twenty five films, including THE MUPPET MOVIE, THRILLER and PILLOW TALK, were added to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry, an official federal archive of "culturally significant" films that are deemed suitable for preservation. These films are now among 500 other pictures in the Registry, which began in 1989 as an integral part of the National Film Preservation Act. Other highlights from the list of 25 new films include THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN and ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (more).

In the countdown to 2010, a review of this decade in films reveals a new era for Hollywood, which has reached the $10 billion mark. Ticket revenues in North America from 2000 through 2009 are slightly more than $10 billion, which sets a new record for the movie business (more).

2009 was the year of THE HANGOVER. How does that make you feel?

The New York Times writes about THE HANGOVER as the epitome of a "2009 film", the type of "relatable, nonthinking comedy" that moviegoers turned to during the recession to escape their troubles and have a good laugh. "A little raunch but not too much, please (BRUNO seemed to push it too far) are the perfect balm for the recession," the article says. THE HANGOVER cost $35 million to produce and sold $459.4 million at the global box office (more).