The 2025 Academy Awards, like so many before them, were an extravagant showcase of film industry excellence, a pageant of talent, recognition, and carefully rehearsed gratitude. Yet, beneath the spectacle, the Oscars remain a cultural barometer, measuring not just who is being celebrated but how the film industry defines success

In the arts, sound is often treated as a background player—an accessory to the main event. But at its best, soundscaping is not just an addition to what we see; it’s the thing that makes us feel what we see. Without it, a performance can be technically impressive

It’s one of life’s little ironies that the more someone insists they are original, the more they seem exactly like everyone else who’s trying to be original. In acting, as in most of the arts, the pursuit of originality can lead to performances so desperate to be