Skip to content

Top Navigation

EW.com EW.com
    • All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • Recaps
    • What to Watch
    • Animated
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Horror
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
    • All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
    • All Music
    • Music Reviews
    • All What to Watch
    • What to Watch Podcast Episodes
    • TV Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
    • All BINGE
    • EW's Binge Podcast Episodes
    • Recaps
    • Survivor
    • This is Us
    • RuPaul's Drag Race
    • Stranger Things
    • The Boys
    • The Blacklist
    • The Walking Dead
    • Better Call Saul
    • All The Awardist
    • The Awardist Podcast Episodes
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
    • All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
    • All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
    • All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe

Explore EW.com

EW.com EW.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Comic-Con 2022: Stars strike a pose in EW's photo studio

      Comic-Con 2022: Stars strike a pose in EW's photo studio

      From the casts of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever  and The Walking Dead  to Chris Pine and Regé Jean-Page, see who dropped by EW's Comic-Con headquarters at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego. Read More
    • Power players: Inside The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

      Power players: Inside The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

      Go behind the scenes of Amazon Prime Video’s ambitious fantasy epic, which hopes to introduce J.R.R. Tolkien to a new generation. Read More
    • Biggest bombshells in unsealed Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard court docs: Erectile dysfunction, nude photos, and Marilyn Manson

      Biggest bombshells in unsealed Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard court docs: Erectile dysfunction, nude photos, and Marilyn Manson

      Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be more to learn about the high-profile defamation trial, more than 6,000 pages of court docs were released over the weekend. Read More
  • TV

    TV

    See All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • Recaps
    • What to Watch
    • Animated
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Horror
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
  • Movies

    Movies

    See All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
  • Music

    Music

    See All Music
    • Music Reviews
  • What to Watch

    What to Watch

    See All What to Watch
    • What to Watch Podcast Episodes
    • TV Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
  • BINGE

    BINGE

    See All BINGE
    • EW's Binge Podcast Episodes
    • Recaps
    • Survivor
    • This is Us
    • RuPaul's Drag Race
    • Stranger Things
    • The Boys
    • The Blacklist
    • The Walking Dead
    • Better Call Saul
  • The Awardist

    The Awardist

    See All The Awardist
    • The Awardist Podcast Episodes
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
  • Books

    Books

    See All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
  • Theater

    Theater

    See All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
  • Events

    Events

    See All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Movies
  3. Oscars 2020: Us, Toy Story 4, Quentin Tarantino, more early contenders of the year so far

Oscars 2020: Us, Toy Story 4, Quentin Tarantino, more early contenders of the year so far

Joey Nolfi
By Joey Nolfi July 09, 2019 at 10:00 AM EDT
Skip gallery slides
FB

1 of 14

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Oscar season is upon us

OUAT-TS4-US
Credit: Andrew Cooper/Columbia; Disney/Pixar; Claudette Barius/Universal

Just four months after Green Book's 2019 awards season success, the gears of the 2020 Oscar machine are already back in motion. With standout Sundance titles, Cannes darlings, and theatrical breakouts gunning for Oscar attention at the year's midway point, read on for potential 2020 Academy Award contenders that have screened for audiences so far this year.

EW will update this post with new contenders — especially with awards-positioning festivals in Telluride, Toronto, and Venice right around the corner — as we traverse the awards trail in the months ahead.

1 of 14

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 14

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

The Report (dir. Scott Z. Burns)

The Report - Still 1
Credit: Atsushi Nishijima/Amazon

Annette Bening. Wigs. Ascots. What more could you ask for in an Oscar-bound drama? Adam Driver looking swell in a suit, perhaps? Scott Z. Burns' Steven Soderbergh-produced political drama has all of those things and, according to early reviews out of Sundance, quite a lot to say about how our government handled post-9/11 paranoia. Driver leads the film as Senate staffer Daniel Jones, who spearheads an investigation into the CIA's interrogation techniques adopted following the 2001 terrorist attacks. As rapidly diversifying as the Academy's ranks are, one thing the group has consistently supported over the years is a tense political drama based on real events, and Bening's wigtastic supporting turn as Dianne Feinstein has been singled out as the fiery cherry on top of one of Amazon's major players. Categories to watch: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Annette Bening), Best Original Screenplay

2 of 14

3 of 14

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Us (dir. Jordan Peele)

Film Title: Us
Credit: Claudette Barius/Universal

Jordan Peele bowled audiences (and Oscar) over with his directorial debut, Get Out. Where that movie fused horror, comedy, and social commentary in a dramatically satisfying package, Us — about a vacationing family being stalked by their violent clones — leans into genre mechanics moreso than its predecessor. While viscerally appealing in different ways, both films hail from a unique (Oscar-winning) mind who's quickly shaping up to be one of the modern era's most beloved (and commercially successful) filmmakers. Though they decorated Peele's last project, the Academy has repeatedly failed to welcome horror into the fold, however, and that time-tested bias stands as Us' only impediment. Regardless, Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o gives a towering performance in the lead role, which could rightfully earn her a follow-up nomination (and Peele's Academy-verified writing skills should fetch enough pre-season support to enter the race as well). Categories to watch: Best Actress (Lupita Nyong'o), Best Original Screenplay

3 of 14

Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

4 of 14

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Midsommar (dir. Ari Aster)

Midsommar
Credit: Gabor Kotschy / A24

Outside of Glenn Close losing for the seventh time, the industry's spectacular mishandling of Ari Aster's horror masterpiece Hereditary (as well as Toni Collette's career-best turn in the lead role) registered as last year's biggest awards season injustice. If Aster's critically lauded, pitch-black horror-comedy Midsommar hits at the summer box office as hard as it landed in the good graces of film journalists, voters might be obligated to right their wrongs done unto the budding auteur as he continues to shift the genre in exciting new directions (at the same time the Academy continues to expand its scope of open-minded voters, who might finally be ready to embrace horror). Categories to watch: Best Original Screenplay

4 of 14

Advertisement

5 of 14

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Toy Story 4 (dir. Josh Cooley)

TOY STORY 4
Credit: Disney/Pixar

Since the Academy implemented its Best Animated Feature category in 2001, Pixar has walked away with a statuette nine times. Though the category didn't exist at the time the studio (which has since become a subsidiary of Disney) broke new ground for animated films with the first Toy Story in 1995, the third film in the franchise made up for it by taking the honor in 2011. With its massive $118 million opening weekend, Toy Story 4 is surely heading for a nomination, though stiff competition from Disney's Frozen sequel (as well as a slight decline in positive critical reception from Toy Story 3 to Toy Story 4) could block the film's path to victory. Categories to watch: Best Animated Feature

5 of 14

6 of 14

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

The Farewell (dir. Lulu Wang)

The Farewell - Still 1
Credit: A24

After sharing her emotional story of traveling to China, where her family purposely didn't tell her grandmother that she had a terminal illness, on an episode of This American Life in 2017, Lulu Wang adapted the story as a movie with budding superstar Awkwafina in the lead role. While its mid-summer release date (July 19) could work against its staying power, the film has been hailed as an emotional masterpiece out of its Sundance premiere. And if there's anything that endures throughout awards season, it's passion for a film that latches into viewers' hearts and doesn't let go. Categories to watch: Best Actress (Awkwafina), Best Adapted Screenplay

6 of 14

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

7 of 14

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Booksmart (dir. Olivia Wilde)

BOOKSMART Beanie Feldstein stars as Molly and Kaitlyn Dever as Amy in Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, BOOKSMART, an Annapurna Pictures release. Credit: Francois Duhamel / Annapurna Pictures
Credit: Francois Duhamel/Annapurna Pictures

First-time directors rarely get a fair shake in Hollywood. First-time female directors fare even worse; first-time female directors who began their careers as actresses, though? As long as the boys club runs the show, forget it! (Just ask Meg Ryan, Angelina Jolie, and Natalie Portman how the industry treated their first directorial outings.) Olivia Wilde has broken the mold, however, with her whip-smart, stylish, hilarious, and superbly acted coming-of-age comedy Booksmart that blends its helmer's progressive contemporary vision with classic genre elements to make for a warm, dynamic film that ranks among the most genuinely entertaining of the year so far. Oscar voters, take note. Categories to watch: Best Picture, Best Director (Olivia Wilde), Best Original Screenplay

7 of 14

Advertisement
Advertisement

8 of 14

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

The Last Black Man in San Francisco (dir. Joe Talbot)

THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO
Credit: Peter Prato/A24

Joe Talbot's Sundance breakout has been hailed by critics as one of the best films of the year so far, with particular praise going to Talbot's unique vision for a tale about a young man (Jimmie Fails) searching for a place to fit in amid a city that has seemingly cast him aside. It might be too small and too early to break out among weightier studio titles vying for Academy attention later this year, but Talbot's brilliant work (and producer support from the Oscar-winning team behind Moonlight and 12 Years a Slave, including Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner) is worthy of your attention either way. Categories to watch: Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography

8 of 14

Advertisement

9 of 14

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood (dir. Quentin Tarantino)

ONCE UPON TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
Credit: Andrew Cooper/Columbia

Beloved filmmaker Quentin Tarantino made headlines at Cannes as he entered his bold, 1960s-set epic into the Palme d'Or competition, with critics mostly praising it as one of the most exciting entries in his recent filmography. The film reportedly packs a grisly punch in its closing moments, however, as it closes its story of a fading TV actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his loyal stuntman (Brad Pitt) by restaging the events surrounding the Manson murders. Even when the buzz surrounding a Tarantino picture isn't as strong as Hollywood's is, the Academy listens (case in point: Despite making a mere $54 million at the box office, The Hateful Eight scored three Oscar nods). With likely box office weight fueling its hunt for Oscar attention, Hollywood could have a fairy tale ending on the Academy podium if critics outside the festival bubble react the same way journalists did at Cannes. Categories to watch: Best Picture, Best Director (Quentin Tarantino), Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio), Best Supporting Actor (Brad Pitt), Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design

9 of 14

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

10 of 14

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Rocketman (dir. Dexter Fletcher)

Rocketman
Credit: David Appleby

Given the four Oscars secured by Fletcher's last film, Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, despite significant turmoil between its original director (Bryan Singer) and lead actor (Rami Malek), it's safe to assume the filmmaker's follow-up is already on the Oscar radar. The Elton John-centered film has largely steered clear of controversy and has been hailed for its soaring musical numbers, elaborate costumes, as well as Taron Egerton's lead performance as the pop music icon. Weaker-than-expected box office and an early-season release date could impede the film's Oscar crescendo as we head into the crowded season ahead, though. Categories to watch: Best Actor (Taron Egerton), Best Costume Design

10 of 14

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

11 of 14

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Apollo 11 (dir. Todd Douglas Miller)

APOLLO 11 - Still 1
Credit: Neon/CNN Films/Sundance Institute

With nearly $9 million and counting in domestic box office receipts, Sundance's Apollo 11 — charting the titular mission to the moon, led by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins — is the top-earning documentary of the year so far. With commercial might and an accessible, appealing, cross-demographic narrative (it celebrates a monumental achievement in American history) fueling its pre-Oscar run, Apollo 11 has launched too big and too bright for the Oscars' documentary branch to ignore. Category to watch: Best Documentary Feature

11 of 14

Advertisement
Advertisement

12 of 14

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Foreign language contenders

Portrait-of-a-Lady-on-Fire-Parasite
Credit: Lilies Films; CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

Cannes typically facilitates the rise of Oscar contenders across the board, from Best Picture nominees like last year's BlacKkKlansman to one-off nominees in the vein of Isabelle Huppert's Elle or Nadine Labaki's Capernaum. Though most of its competition titles don't break into the awards conversation, Cannes' main slate typically hosts premieres for several films that pop up in the Best Foreign Language race. This year, Palme d'Or winner Parasite, from Korean director Bong Joon-ho, and Céline Sciamma's French drama Portrait of a Lady on Fire appear to be strong contenders. Neon acquired rights to both films, and will drop them into the fray with release dates set for this fall.

12 of 14

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

13 of 14

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Pain and Glory (dir. Pedro Almodóvar)

Pain and Glory
Credit: Manolo Pavón/ Sony Pictures Classics

Antonio Banderas received the best reviews of his career for his leading performance as a self-reflecting movie director in celebrated filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar's Cannes-debuting drama Pain and Glory. Almodóvar has a healthy track record with the Academy, with his projects scoring nods for Best Foreign Language Film as well as Best Director, Screenplay, and in various acting categories. Here, Banderas' narrative as a beloved yet undecorated performer (believe it or not, he has never received an Oscar nomination) coupled with the film's industry-centric narrative (Hollywood loves stories by and about the entertainment world) could spell success for the talent in front of and behind the camera on this project. Categories to watch: Best Actor (Antonio Banderas), Best Original Screenplay, Best Foreign Language Film

13 of 14

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

14 of 14

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Late Night (dir. Nisha Ganatra)

LATE NIGHT
Credit: Emily Aragones/Amazon Studios

Mindy Kaling's witty comedy courted a record-breaking $13 million distribution deal out of the Sundance Film Festival, and for good reason: The film boasts one of the sweetest scripts of the year, coupled with a fine turn from beloved actress Emma Thompson, who plays a curmudgeonly late-night talk show host who diversifies her staff by hiring its first female writer (Kaling). Despite the film's underperformance at the domestic box office, expect Amazon to put some weight behind campaigns for Kaling's script and Thompson's performance. Categories to watch: Best Supporting Actress (Emma Thompson), Best Original Screenplay

14 of 14

Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

  • By Joey Nolfi @joeynolfi

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 14 Oscar season is upon us
    2 of 14 The Report (dir. Scott Z. Burns)
    3 of 14 Us (dir. Jordan Peele)
    4 of 14 Midsommar (dir. Ari Aster)
    5 of 14 Toy Story 4 (dir. Josh Cooley)
    6 of 14 The Farewell (dir. Lulu Wang)
    7 of 14 Booksmart (dir. Olivia Wilde)
    8 of 14 The Last Black Man in San Francisco (dir. Joe Talbot)
    9 of 14 Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood (dir. Quentin Tarantino)
    10 of 14 Rocketman (dir. Dexter Fletcher)
    11 of 14 Apollo 11 (dir. Todd Douglas Miller)
    12 of 14 Foreign language contenders
    13 of 14 Pain and Glory (dir. Pedro Almodóvar)
    14 of 14 Late Night (dir. Nisha Ganatra)

    Share & More

    Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message
    EW.com

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Meredith© Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright EW.com. All rights reserved. Printed from https://ew.com

    View image

    Oscars 2020: Us, Toy Story 4, Quentin Tarantino, more early contenders of the year so far
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.