Oscar movies to watch for in 2020/Early 2021
by AlexHartsell | created - 30 Aug 2019 | updated - 21 Jan 2021 | PublicRows 1-23: Best Picture to Screenplay Rows 24-29: Animation Rows 30-45: Visuals and Aural
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1. Irresistible (I) (2020)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Drama
A Democratic strategist helps a retired veteran run for mayor in a small, conservative Midwest town.
Director: Jon Stewart | Stars: Steve Carell, Rose Byrne, Chris Cooper, Brent Sexton
Votes: 23,424
2. Tenet (2020)
PG-13 | 150 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Armed with only the word "Tenet," and fighting for the survival of the entire world, CIA operative, The Protagonist, journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a global mission that unfolds beyond real time.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Juhan Ulfsak
Votes: 591,632 | Gross: $58.46M
3. Falling (I) (2020)
R | 112 min | Drama
John Peterson lives with his partner Eric and their adopted daughter in Southern California. When he is visited by his aging father who is searching for a place to retire, their two very different worlds collide.
Director: Viggo Mortensen | Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Lance Henriksen, Laura Linney, Terry Chen
Votes: 6,968
4. The Glorias (2020)
R | 147 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of feminist icon Gloria Steinem's itinerant childhood and its influence on her life as a writer, activist and organizer for women's rights worldwide.
Director: Julie Taymor | Stars: Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Janelle Monáe, Ryan Kiera Armstrong
Votes: 3,781
5. One Night in Miami... (2020)
R | 114 min | Drama
A fictional account of one incredible night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gathered discussing their roles in the Civil Rights Movement and cultural upheaval of the 60s.
Director: Regina King | Stars: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr.
Votes: 34,258
6. News of the World (2020)
PG-13 | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A Civil War veteran agrees to deliver a girl taken by the Kiowa people years ago to her aunt and uncle against her will. They travel hundreds of miles and face grave dangers as they search for a place that either can call home.
Director: Paul Greengrass | Stars: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Tom Astor, Travis Johnson
Votes: 95,553
7. Mank (2020)
R | 131 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
1930s Hollywood is re-evaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane (1941).
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, Tom Pelphrey
Votes: 82,664
8. Minari (2020)
PG-13 | 115 min | Drama
A Korean American family moves to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. Amidst the challenges of new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they discover the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.
Director: Lee Isaac Chung | Stars: Steven Yeun, Han Yeri, Alan Kim, Noel Cho
Votes: 96,764
9. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
R | 129 min | Drama, History, Thriller
The story of 7 people on trial stemming from various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.
Director: Aaron Sorkin | Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Alex Sharp, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong
Votes: 193,135
10. On the Rocks (2020)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A young mother reconnects with her larger-than-life playboy father on an adventure through New York.
Director: Sofia Coppola | Stars: Bill Murray, Rashida Jones, Marlon Wayans, Jessica Henwick
Votes: 36,402
11. The Prom (2020)
PG-13 | 130 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
A troupe of hilariously self-obsessed theater stars swarm into a small conservative Indiana town in support of a high-school girl who wants to take her girlfriend to the prom.
Director: Ryan Murphy | Stars: Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington
Votes: 29,219
12. The Old Guard (2020)
R | 125 min | Action, Thriller
A covert team of immortal mercenaries is suddenly exposed and must now fight to keep their identity a secret just as an unexpected new member is discovered.
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood | Stars: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari
Votes: 183,402
13. Four Good Days (2020)
R | 100 min | Drama
A mother helps her daughter work through four crucial days of recovery from substance abuse.
Director: Rodrigo García | Stars: Mila Kunis, Carla Gallo, Glenn Close, Stephen Root
Votes: 12,091
14. Da 5 Bloods (2020)
R | 154 min | Adventure, Drama, War
Four African-American vets battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis
Votes: 55,109
15. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)
R | 94 min | Drama, Music
Tensions rise when trailblazing blues singer Ma Rainey and her band gather at a recording studio in Chicago in 1927.
Director: George C. Wolfe | Stars: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo
Votes: 57,889
16. The Father (I) (2020)
PG-13 | 97 min | Drama, Mystery
A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.
Director: Florian Zeller | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss, Olivia Williams
Votes: 192,682
17. Ammonite (2020)
R | 117 min | Drama, History, Romance
1840s England, acclaimed but overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning and a young woman sent to convalesce by the sea develop an intense relationship, altering both of their lives forever.
Director: Francis Lee | Stars: Kate Winslet, Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Jones, James McArdle
Votes: 23,282
18. Nomadland (2020)
R | 107 min | Drama
A woman in her sixties, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.
Director: Chloé Zhao | Stars: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Linda May, Gay DeForest
Votes: 183,147
19. Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
R | 126 min | Biography, Drama, History
Offered a plea deal by the FBI, William O'Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton.
Director: Shaka King | Stars: LaKeith Stanfield, Daniel Kaluuya, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback
Votes: 91,392
20. The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021)
R | 126 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Follows Holiday during her career as she is targeted by the Federal Department of Narcotics with an undercover sting operation led by black Federal Agent Jimmy Fletcher, with whom she has a tumultuous affair.
Director: Lee Daniels | Stars: Andra Day, Trevante Rhodes, Garrett Hedlund, Natasha Lyonne
Votes: 14,657
21. The Life Ahead (2020)
PG-13 | 94 min | Drama
In seaside Italy, a Holocaust survivor with a daycare business takes in a 12-year-old street kid who recently robbed her.
Director: Edoardo Ponti | Stars: Sophia Loren, Ibrahima Gueye, Renato Carpentieri, Iosif Diego Pirvu
Votes: 15,537
22. Pieces of a Woman (2020)
R | 126 min | Drama
When a young mother's home birth ends in unfathomable tragedy, she begins a year-long odyssey of mourning that fractures relationships with loved ones in this deeply personal story of a woman learning to live alongside her loss.
Director: Kornél Mundruczó | Stars: Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, Ellen Burstyn, Iliza Shlesinger
Votes: 56,196
23. The Courier (2020)
PG-13 | 112 min | Drama, History, Mystery
Businessman Greville Wynne is asked by a Russian source to try to help put an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Director: Dominic Cooke | Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Merab Ninidze, Rachel Brosnahan, Vladimir Chuprikov
Votes: 73,408 | Gross: $6.61M
24. Onward (I) (2020)
PG | 102 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
In a magical world full of technological advances, elven brothers Ian and Barley Lightfoot set out on an adventure to resurrect their late father for a day.
Director: Dan Scanlon | Stars: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer
Votes: 169,736 | Gross: $61.56M
25. Soul (2020)
PG | 100 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Joe is a middle-school band teacher whose life hasn't quite gone the way he expected. His true passion is jazz. But when he travels to another realm to help someone find their passion, he soon discovers what it means to have soul.
Directors: Pete Docter, Kemp Powers | Stars: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House
Votes: 378,916
26. Wolfwalkers (2020)
PG | 103 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A young apprentice hunter and her father journey to Ireland to help wipe out the last wolf pack. But everything changes when she befriends a free-spirited girl from a mysterious tribe rumored to transform into wolves by night.
Directors: Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart | Stars: Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Sean Bean, Simon McBurney
Votes: 38,588
27. A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (2019)
G | 86 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
When an alien with amazing powers crash-lands near Mossy Bottom Farm, Shaun the Sheep goes on a mission to shepherd the intergalactic visitor home before a sinister organization can capture her.
Directors: Will Becher, Richard Phelan | Stars: Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Amalia Vitale, Kate Harbour
Votes: 15,597
28. Over the Moon (2020)
PG | 95 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
In this animated musical, a girl builds a rocket ship and blasts off, hoping to meet a mythical moon goddess.
Directors: Glen Keane, John Kahrs | Stars: Glen Keane, Brycen Hall, Ruthie Ann Miles, John Cho
Votes: 24,952
29. Earwig and the Witch (2020 TV Movie)
PG | 82 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
An orphan girl, Earwig, is adopted by a witch and comes home to a spooky house filled with mystery and magic.
Director: Gorô Miyazaki | Stars: Taylor Henderson, Jazmín Abuín, JB Blanc, Tom Bromhead
Votes: 5,797
30. Birds of Prey (2020)
R | 109 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins superheroines Black Canary, Huntress, and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from an evil crime lord.
Director: Cathy Yan | Stars: Margot Robbie, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett
Votes: 264,486 | Gross: $84.16M
32. Emma. (2020)
PG | 124 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In 1800s England, a well meaning but selfish young woman meddles in the love lives of her friends.
Director: Autumn de Wilde | Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Mia Goth, Josh O'Connor
Votes: 62,545
33. Dolittle (2020)
PG | 101 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A physician who can talk to animals embarks on an adventure to find a legendary island with a young apprentice and a crew of strange pets.
Director: Stephen Gaghan | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent
Votes: 71,262 | Gross: $77.05M
34. The One and Only Ivan (2020)
PG | 95 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
A gorilla named Ivan tries to piece together his past with the help of an elephant named Ruby as they hatch a plan to escape from captivity.
Director: Thea Sharrock | Stars: Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Phillipa Soo, Chaka Khan
Votes: 13,432
35. The Witches (2020)
PG | 106 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A young boy and his grandmother have a run-in with a coven of witches and their leader.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Chris Rock
Votes: 46,523 | Gross: $0.20M
36. Enola Holmes (2020)
PG-13 | 123 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
When Enola Holmes (Sherlock's teen sister) discovers her mother is missing, she endeavours to find her, becoming a super-sleuth in her own right as she outwits her famous brother and unravels a dangerous conspiracy.
Director: Harry Bradbeer | Stars: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Helena Bonham Carter
Votes: 219,097
37. Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)
PG-13 | 91 min | Adventure, Comedy, Music
Once told they'd save the universe during a time-traveling adventure, two would-be rockers from San Dimas, California find themselves as middle-aged dads still trying to crank out a hit song and fulfill their destiny.
Director: Dean Parisot | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Kristen Schaal, Samara Weaving
Votes: 52,984
38. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
PG-13 | 151 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Diana must contend with a work colleague, and with a businessman whose desire for extreme wealth sends the world down a path of destruction, after an ancient artifact that grants wishes goes missing.
Director: Patty Jenkins | Stars: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal
Votes: 291,532 | Gross: $46.37M
39. Clouds (I) (2020)
PG-13 | 121 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Based on real events, a young musician discovers his cancer has spread, leaving him just a few months to live. With limited time, he follows his dream and makes an album, unaware that it will soon be a viral music phenomenon.
Director: Justin Baldoni | Stars: Fin Argus, Neve Campbell, Sabrina Carpenter, Madison Iseman
Votes: 11,593
40. Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
PG | 99 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
After discovering a small, blue, fast hedgehog, a small-town police officer must help him defeat an evil genius who wants to do experiments on him.
Director: Jeff Fowler | Stars: Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Jim Carrey, Tika Sumpter
Votes: 158,967 | Gross: $148.97M
41. The Midnight Sky (2020)
PG-13 | 118 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
This post-apocalyptic tale follows Augustine, a lonely scientist in the Arctic, as he races to stop Sully and her fellow astronauts from returning home to a mysterious global catastrophe.
Director: George Clooney | Stars: George Clooney, Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, Caoilinn Springall
Votes: 89,346
42. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)
PG | 122 min | Family, Fantasy, Musical
An imaginary world comes to life in a holiday tale of an eccentric toymaker, his adventurous granddaughter, and a magical invention that has the power to change their lives forever.
Director: David E. Talbert | Stars: Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, Hugh Bonneville, Anika Noni Rose
Votes: 20,731
43. Giving Voice (2020)
PG-13 | 87 min | Documentary
This film follows the annual August Wilson Monologue competition and the thousands of high schoolers who enter the competition for the opportunity to perform on Broadway.
Directors: James D. Stern, Fernando Villena | Stars: Mary Alice, Annette Bening, Glenn Close, Viola Davis
Votes: 336
44. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
PG-13 | 123 min | Comedy, Music
When aspiring musicians Lars and Sigrit are given the opportunity to represent their country at the world's biggest song competition, they finally have a chance to prove that any dream worth having is a dream worth fighting for.
Director: David Dobkin | Stars: Will Ferrell, Rachel McAdams, Dan Stevens, Mikael Persbrandt
Votes: 102,280
45. The Invisible Man (I) (2020)
R | 124 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
Director: Leigh Whannell | Stars: Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Harriet Dyer, Aldis Hodge
Votes: 254,945 | Gross: $70.41M
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