Lester's List of Contenders for 2020
Best Picture Nominations
Blue Strong Contenders
“A Beautiful Day in the
Neighborhood” (Sony – November 22)
Director: Marielle Heller
Writers: Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster
Cast: Tom Hanks, Susan Kelechi Watson, Matthew Rhys
Plot: A jaded magazine writer is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers.
Director: Marielle Heller
Writers: Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster
Cast: Tom Hanks, Susan Kelechi Watson, Matthew Rhys
Plot: A jaded magazine writer is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers.
“Cats” (Universal – December 20)
Director: Tom Hooper
Writer: Lee Hall (who adapted T.S. Eliot’s poetry collection “Old Possum’s Books of Practical Cats”)
Cast: Jennifer Hudson, Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, James Corden, Rebel Wilson
Plot: A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.
Writer: Lee Hall (who adapted T.S. Eliot’s poetry collection “Old Possum’s Books of Practical Cats”)
Cast: Jennifer Hudson, Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, James Corden, Rebel Wilson
Plot: A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.
“Fair and Balanced” (Lionsgate
– December 20)
Director: Jay Roach
Writer: Charles Randolph
Cast: Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow, Allison Janney, Connie Britton
Plot: A few women decide to take on Fox News boss Roger Ailes and the toxic male culture he presided over.
Director: Jay Roach
Writer: Charles Randolph
Cast: Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow, Allison Janney, Connie Britton
Plot: A few women decide to take on Fox News boss Roger Ailes and the toxic male culture he presided over.
“Ford v. Ferrari” (20th Century Fox – November 15)
Director: James Mangold
Writers: James Mangold, Jason Keller, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth
Cast: Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Caitriona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Remo Girone
Plot: The true story of the battle between Ford and Ferrari to win Le Mans in 1966.
Director: James Mangold
Writers: James Mangold, Jason Keller, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth
Cast: Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Caitriona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Remo Girone
Plot: The true story of the battle between Ford and Ferrari to win Le Mans in 1966.
“Gemini
Man”
(Paramount – October 11)
Director: Ang Lee
Writers: Billy Ray, Jonathan Hensleigh
Cast: Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen
Plot: An over-the-hill hitman faces off against a younger clone of himself.
Director: Ang Lee
Writers: Billy Ray, Jonathan Hensleigh
Cast: Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen
Plot: An over-the-hill hitman faces off against a younger clone of himself.
“The
Goldfinch” (Warner Bros. – October 11)
Writer/Director: John Crowley (who adapted Donna Tartt’s novel of the same name)
Cast: Ansel Elgort, Nicole Kidman, Jeffrey Wright, Sarah Paulson
Plot: A boy in New York is taken in by a wealthy Upper East Side family after his mother is killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Writer/Director: John Crowley (who adapted Donna Tartt’s novel of the same name)
Cast: Ansel Elgort, Nicole Kidman, Jeffrey Wright, Sarah Paulson
Plot: A boy in New York is taken in by a wealthy Upper East Side family after his mother is killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
“Harriet” (Focus – Fall)
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Writers: Kasi Lemmons, Gregory Allen Howard
Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Janelle Monae, Joe Alwyn, Leslie Odom Jr.
Plot: The story of iconic freedom fighter Harriet Tubman, her escape from slavery and subsequent missions to free dozens of slaves through the Underground Railroad.
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Writers: Kasi Lemmons, Gregory Allen Howard
Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Janelle Monae, Joe Alwyn, Leslie Odom Jr.
Plot: The story of iconic freedom fighter Harriet Tubman, her escape from slavery and subsequent missions to free dozens of slaves through the Underground Railroad.
“The
Irishman” (Netflix – Fall)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writer: Steven Zaillian (who adapted “I Heard You Paint Houses” by Charles Brandt)
Cast: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Anna Paquin.
Plot: A mob hitman recalls his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writer: Steven Zaillian (who adapted “I Heard You Paint Houses” by Charles Brandt)
Cast: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Anna Paquin.
Plot: A mob hitman recalls his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa.
“Just Mercy” (Warner Bros. – December
25)
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Writers: Destin Daniel Cretton, Andrew Lanham (who adapted Bryan Stevenson’s memoir of the same name)
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Rob Morgan, Rafe Spall, Tim Blake Nelson
Plot: Civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson recounts his experiences and details the case of a condemned death row prisoner whom he fought to free.
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Writers: Destin Daniel Cretton, Andrew Lanham (who adapted Bryan Stevenson’s memoir of the same name)
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Rob Morgan, Rafe Spall, Tim Blake Nelson
Plot: Civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson recounts his experiences and details the case of a condemned death row prisoner whom he fought to free.
“The Last
Thing He Wanted” (Netflix – Fall)
Writer/Director: Dee Rees (who adapted Joan Didion’s novel of the same name)
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Willem Dafoe, Ben Affleck, Toby Jones
Plot: A journalist quits her newspaper job and becomes an arms dealer for a covert government agency.
Writer/Director: Dee Rees (who adapted Joan Didion’s novel of the same name)
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Willem Dafoe, Ben Affleck, Toby Jones
Plot: A journalist quits her newspaper job and becomes an arms dealer for a covert government agency.
“The Laundromat” (Netflix – Fall)
Writer/Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas, Alex Pettyfer, David
Schwimmer, Will Forte, Matthias Schoenaerts, Jeffrey Wright
Plot: A group of journalists unearth 11.5 million files, linking the world’s
most powerful political figures to secret banking accounts to avoid taxes.
“Little Women” (Sony – December 25)
Writer/Director: Greta Gerwig (who adapted Louisa May Alcott’s novel of the same name)
Writer/Director: Greta Gerwig (who adapted Louisa May Alcott’s novel of the same name)
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Timothee Chalamet, Emily
Watson, Meryl Streep
Plot: Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.
Plot: Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.
“Once
Upon a Time in Hollywood” (Sony – July 26)
Writer/Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie
Plot: A faded TV actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry in 1969.
Writer/Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie
Plot: A faded TV actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry in 1969.
“The
Report” (Amazon – Fall)
Writer/Director: Scott Z. Burns
Cast: Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm, Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Morrison
Plot: In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, CIA agents begin using extreme interrogation tactics on those they think were behind it.
Writer/Director: Scott Z. Burns
Cast: Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm, Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Morrison
Plot: In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, CIA agents begin using extreme interrogation tactics on those they think were behind it.
“Ad Astra” (20th Century Fox – Fall)
Director: James Gray
Writers: James Gray, Ethan Gross
Cast: Brad Pitt, Ruth Negga, Tommy Lee Jones
Plot: An astronaut travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of the planet.
Director: James Gray
Writers: James Gray, Ethan Gross
Cast: Brad Pitt, Ruth Negga, Tommy Lee Jones
Plot: An astronaut travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of the planet.
“Dry Run”
(Focus
Features – Fall)
Director: Todd Haynes
Writers: Matthew Carnahan, Mario Correra
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Mark Ruffalo, Bill Pullman, William Jackson Harper
Plot: A corporate defense attorney takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company that exposes a lengthy history of pollution.
Director: Todd Haynes
Writers: Matthew Carnahan, Mario Correra
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Mark Ruffalo, Bill Pullman, William Jackson Harper
Plot: A corporate defense attorney takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company that exposes a lengthy history of pollution.
“Joker” (Warner Bros. – Oct. 4)
Director: Todd Phillips
Writers: Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy
Plot: A failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and becomes a psychopathic murderer.
Director: Todd Phillips
Writers: Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy
Plot: A failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and becomes a psychopathic murderer.
“Judy” (BBC Films – Fall)
Director: Rupert Goold
Writers: Tom Edge (who adapted Peter Quilter’s stage play “End of the Rainbow”)
Cast: Renée Zellweger, Rufus Sewell, Finn Wittrock
Plot: Judy Garland arrives in London in the winter of 1968 to perform a series of sold-out concerts.
Director: Rupert Goold
Writers: Tom Edge (who adapted Peter Quilter’s stage play “End of the Rainbow”)
Cast: Renée Zellweger, Rufus Sewell, Finn Wittrock
Plot: Judy Garland arrives in London in the winter of 1968 to perform a series of sold-out concerts.
“Lucy in
the Sky” (Fox Searchlight – Fall)
Director: Noah Hawley
Writers: Brian C. Brown, John-Henry Butterworth
Cast: Natalie Portman, Zazie Beetz, Jon Hamm
Plot: The story of a female astronaut who, upon returning to Earth from a life-changing mission in space, begins to slowly unravel and lose touch with reality.
Director: Noah Hawley
Writers: Brian C. Brown, John-Henry Butterworth
Cast: Natalie Portman, Zazie Beetz, Jon Hamm
Plot: The story of a female astronaut who, upon returning to Earth from a life-changing mission in space, begins to slowly unravel and lose touch with reality.
“Motherless
Brooklyn” (Warner Bros. – November 1)
Writer/Director: Edward Norton (who adapted Jonathan Lethem’s novel of the same name)
Cast: Edward Norton, Willem Dafoe, Bruce Willis, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Leslie Mann, Bobby Cannavale, Alec Baldwin
Plot: A private detective afflicted with Tourette’s Syndrome tries to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend in 1950s New York.
Writer/Director: Edward Norton (who adapted Jonathan Lethem’s novel of the same name)
Cast: Edward Norton, Willem Dafoe, Bruce Willis, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Leslie Mann, Bobby Cannavale, Alec Baldwin
Plot: A private detective afflicted with Tourette’s Syndrome tries to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend in 1950s New York.
“1917” (Universal – December 25)
Writer/Director: Sam Mendes
Cast: Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay
Plot: Set against the backdrop of the last full year of World War I.
Writer/Director: Sam Mendes
Cast: Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay
Plot: Set against the backdrop of the last full year of World War I.
“Pain &
Glory”
(Sony
Pictures Classics – Fall)
Writer/Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz, Asier Etxeandia
Plot: A film director reflects on the choices he’s made in life as past and present come crashing down around him.
Writer/Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz, Asier Etxeandia
Plot: A film director reflects on the choices he’s made in life as past and present come crashing down around him.
“Wendy” (Fox Searchlight – Fall)
Writer/Director: Benh Zeitlin
Cast: Shay Walker, Tommie Milazzo
Plot: Set on a mysterious island where aging and time have come unglued, the tale of two children from different worlds fighting to maintain their grip on freedom and joy.
Writer/Director: Benh Zeitlin
Cast: Shay Walker, Tommie Milazzo
Plot: Set on a mysterious island where aging and time have come unglued, the tale of two children from different worlds fighting to maintain their grip on freedom and joy.
“The Farewell” (A24 – July 12)
Writer/Director: Lulu Wang
Cast: Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin
Plot: A Chinese family discover their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decide to keep her in the dark, scheduling a wedding to gather before she dies.
Writer/Director: Lulu Wang
Cast: Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin
Plot: A Chinese family discover their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decide to keep her in the dark, scheduling a wedding to gather before she dies.
“The King” (Netflix – Fall)
Writer/Director: David Michod
Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Robert Pattinson, Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton
Plot: A retelling of Shakespeare’s “Henry V”
Writer/Director: David Michod
Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Robert Pattinson, Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton
Plot: A retelling of Shakespeare’s “Henry V”
“Knives
Out”
(Lionsgate – November 27)
Writer/Director: Rian Johnson
Cast: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Lakeith Stanfield, Michael Shannon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer.
Plot: A modern murder mystery in a classic whodunit style.
Writer/Director: Rian Johnson
Cast: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Lakeith Stanfield, Michael Shannon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer.
Plot: A modern murder mystery in a classic whodunit style.
“Queen & Slim” (Universal – November 27)
Director: Melina Matsoukas
Writers: James Frey, Lena Waithe
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Bokeem Woodbine, Jodie Turner-Smith
Plot: A couple’s first date takes an unexpected turn when a police officer pulls them over.
Director: Melina Matsoukas
Writers: James Frey, Lena Waithe
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Bokeem Woodbine, Jodie Turner-Smith
Plot: A couple’s first date takes an unexpected turn when a police officer pulls them over.
“Tolkien” (Fox Searchlight – May 10)
Director: Dome Karukoski
Writers: David Gleeson, Stephen Beresford
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Lily Collins, Colm Meaney, Anthony Boyle, Patrick Gibson
Plot: The formative years of the orphaned author as he finds friendship, love and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts at school.
Director: Dome Karukoski
Writers: David Gleeson, Stephen Beresford
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Lily Collins, Colm Meaney, Anthony Boyle, Patrick Gibson
Plot: The formative years of the orphaned author as he finds friendship, love and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts at school.
“Where’d You
Go Bernadette” (United Artists – August 16)
Writer/Director: Richard Linklater (who adapted Maria Semple’s novel of the same name)
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Kristen Wiig, Laurence Fishburne, Emma Nelson
Plot: After her anxiety-ridden mother disappears, 15-year-old Bee does everything she can to track her down.
Writer/Director: Richard Linklater (who adapted Maria Semple’s novel of the same name)
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Kristen Wiig, Laurence Fishburne, Emma Nelson
Plot: After her anxiety-ridden mother disappears, 15-year-old Bee does everything she can to track her down.
“The Light House” (A24 - Release TBD)
Director: Robert Eggers
Cinematography: Jarin Blaschke
Screenplay: Robert Eggers, Max Eggers
Cast: Willem DaFoe and Robert Pattinson
Plot: The story of two lighthouse keepers on a remote and
mysterious New England island in the 1890s.
“Clemency” (December 27, 2019 (USA)
Director: Chinonye Chukwu
Cast: Alfre Woodard – Aldis Hodge
Bernadine is a stoic prison warden, but two back-to-back
executions put a strain on her marriage, career and convictions.
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