As you look over my latest Oscar predictions, you may notice that I’ve dropped two films that I originally had listed as major contenders. Disclosure Day opened to mixed reviews and it really seems to have vanished from the cultural conversation in the wake of the release of The Odyssey. Digger has not opened yet but I just get the feeling that this is going to be another pretentious Alejandro Iñárritu film. Whenever anyone mentions the previous victory of Birdman, it always seems to be done with a slight bit of embarrassment. I think Iñárritu’s time as an Oscar favorite might be over.
These predictions below are based on what’s been released, what will be playing at the major festivals, which trailers generated excitement (hello I Play Rocky!), which films are most likely to appeal to the Academy’s political biases (hello Ink and The Social Reckoning) and, as always, a lot of wishful thinking on my part. (Hello I Play Rocky again!)
To see how my thinking has or has not evolved, check out my picks for March, April, May, and June!
Best Picture
The Adventures of Cliff Booth
Being Heumann
The Debut
Dune: Part Three
Fjord
Ink
The Odyssey
Project Hail Mary
The Social Reckoning
Wild Horse Nine
Best Director
David Fincher for The Adventures of Cliff Booth
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller for Project Hail Mary
(Editor’s Note – With Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey being an Event Level film, this probably won’t be the only post/opinion on it. Expect multiple viewpoints to come over time and enjoy!)
It’s been a long time since I read anything on Homer’s The Odyssey. Perhaps sometime in Junior High or High School. I only remember bits and pieces, but earlier this year, I watched the 1997 2-Part Miniseries with Armand Assante(who can do no wrong, despite how some may feel about 1993’s Fatal Instinct) to refresh my memory. That is also a great miniseries, which I recommend. Theoretically, there’s nothing to spoil here, but I’ll try to say little.
2026 has been somewhat amazing when it comes to film. We’ve seen fresh young filmmakers like Mark Fischbach and Kane Parsons take what little resources they had and make some magic in Iron Lung and Backrooms, respectively. Of course, Corey Barker’s little indie/Inde film, Obsession, continues to amaze and break records thanks to Navarette’s and the rest of the cast’s unforgettable performances. It’s a great sight to behold. On the other end of the filmmaking spectrum, we have big pitch films like Project Hail Maryand Christopher Nolan’s version of The Odyssey, showcasing what we can pull off with the advancments in film technology or just great writing.
Most IMAX movies have that label stating “Filmed with IMAX cameras”, which usually means that key scenes were recorded in the format. My first IMAX experience was back in 2003 with The Matrix Revolutions in the AMC Lincoln Center IMAX (which is still by far the best NYC hotspot for a classic big screen experience), but that was remastered to fit the screen. Most of Nolan’s works were filmed with IMAX cameras for key scenes as of 2008’s The Dark Knight. It’s commonplace now to see a film shift from the old square 4:3 (1.33:1) ratio to a 2:35:1 letterboxed widescreen. The intro to Richard Donner’s Superman is one of my favorite examples of it. 2001’s Moulin Rouge! did something similar, though the boarders weren’t exactly visible. If you watch a movie on Disney Plus or HBO Max filmed with IMAX cameras, you can often see the change in aspect ratio, either abrupt or with a smooth transition. Large Format Screenings aren’t anything extremely new. My Dad once drove the family out to Long Island to see a 70 MM showing of The Empire Strikes Back.
What makes The Odyssey so amazing is that Nolan filmed it entirely with IMAX cameras. There are tons of documentaries shot this way, but it’s rare for a feature film to do so. According to an interview with ABC News, Nolan and the crew went through 2 million feet of IMAX film, shot in 3 minute intervals because the cameras would use up the roll in that amount of time. Imagine setting up a shot, getting everyone on their marks and then letting them know you’ve 3 minutes for the actors to get to where they need to be in the scene and nail it. Academy Award Winning Cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, who worked with Nolan since Dunkirk, captures some beautiful vistas and landscape shots that are just majestic regardless of the format you choose to watch the film in. If you can catch the film in the IMAX 70MM, you’re getting the best possible picture, though the Regal RPX I watched wasn’t a slouch by any means. I’m hoping I can catch it in IMAX before the run ends.
The film acknowledges that that the setting is in an age of magic, and as such, some things may be a little beyond the pale. I have to wonder how Ray Harryhausen and Stan Winston would feel about some of the visual effect choices in The Odyssey. There are some pretty wild elements of horror here, which is surprising coming from Nolan. They’re still practical, everyday things, but I had a few whispered “Wow” or “Oh crap!” moments.
The Odyssey is the story of Odysseus (Matt Damon, Interstellar, Oppenheimer), King of Ithaca and loyal servant to King Agememnon (Benny Safdie, Oppenheimer, The Smashing Machine). set on a quest to claim the city of Troy. The film jumps between Odysseus in various phases of his journey. Through his actions, he defies the gods and is sent (along with his men) far from Ithaca. Back home, his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway, The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar) observes Zeus Law of hospitality to strangers. This, however, has brought many suitors who overstay their welcome and wish the claim both her hand and the throne in Odysseus’ absence, among them being the scheming Antinous (Robert Pattinson, Tenet, The Drama) and Polybus (Corey Hawkins, The Last Voyage of the Demeter). Her son, Telemachus (Tom Holland, the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day) believes his father is still out there, but knows little of him. Can Odysseus find redemption? Can he and his men make their way back to Ithaca?
The casting for The Odyssey is really good, but for as stacked as it is both with friends and new talent, not everyone gets to shine as much as one would think. They all have a role to play in this and surprisingly, the strongest performances are more from the supporting cast than the main ones. Damon is just fine here. He’s reliable when I’ve watched him in films like The Martian and The Bourne Films. He fits Odysseus okay, there’s really nothing wrong with him at all in this. The character is mentally tortured in some ways and he just wants to get home. I’m just not entirely sure I felt the whole weight of the character with Damon’s performance. This isn’t to say he dials it in, far from it. Again, that’s more me coming off of watching Assante do his thing in the 90s and then uncontrollably comparing. Hathaway, on the other hand, I suppose anyone who watched Troy (a film I don’t really remember, other than for Brian Cox’s screaming) may make similar comparisons to different elements of this film.
Hathaway and Holland do more in their roles to carry the story along. Penelope pines for her love and Telemachus knowledge of his father, and that both showcase the emotions that go with that well. I’m used to Holland playing younger characters. This may be one of the first few times where he seemed more like an adult, which he handles well. On the supporting cast side, both John Leguizamo (John Wick) as the family’s servant and Himesh Patel (Tenet) as one of Odysseus’ main soldiers really stood out with their roles. For the smaller parts, Elliot Page’s (Inception) Sinon, Samantha Morton’s (Minority Report) Circe make the best of their scenes. Safdie’s Agamemnon in particular doesn’t have to say a word. His mere presence was enough. Pattinson could have been a bit stronger or darker in nature, but I felt he carried his character well. Jon Bernthal (The Accountant 2) and Lupita Nyong’o(A Quiet Place: Day One) don’t have particularly large roles, but are important to the tale. Zendaya and Charlize Theron are kind of regulated to just a little expositional assistance here and there. They, along with Mia Goth (Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein) could have easily received a “guest starring” credit and no one would have known the difference.
I only have 2 issues with the movie. The first is that there are some elements in the overall story that never come into play(such as the Adverse Winds). Granted, you’re condensing a major text down to just 3 hours, so they had to pick and choose what they were going to work with. Still, I would have like to have seen some of those elements. For a film about gods and monsters, The Odyssey felt like it really veered more towards the monsters than anything else. Again, that’s just me coming off classic films like Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans. The gods here feel mostly like advisors, if nothing else. Again, not terrible, just different from my expectation. The other problem (or tic, nitpick, maybe) is that you may or may not find yourself chuckling a little and thinking of Monty Python’s The Holy Grail during some sequences that involve running. Maybe it was just me, but seeing everyone go from one adventure to the next just had me expecting a killer rabbit to be somewhere on the list of enemies. no matter how serious the film was.
Musically, Ludwig Goransson hasn’t slowed down since winning an Oscar for Sinners last year. His score for Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu was easily the best part of that film. For The Odyssey, Gorannson was asked to use Peter Gabriel’s Passion (the soundtrack for Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ and one of my favorite sources for background writing music) as inspiration for his own score. Working with classic instruments, he did very well here. I’m listening to it now as I’m working on this piece. While I’m still trying to recall what sound went where, it’s a solid score overall.
Overall, I absolutely enjoyed The Odyssey. I’m not sure how it’ll fare come Awards Season, but I do hope it finds itself in the mix, at least from a Cinematography standpoint.
These predictions are still too early to be taken seriously. The year is getting off to a slow start as far as the Oscars are concerned. That said, here are my predictions for June!
Check out my predictions for March and April and May!
Best Picture
The Adventures of Cliff Booth
Digger
Dune Part Three
Fatherland
Fjord
I Play Rocky
Primetime
Project Hail Mary
The Social Reckoning
Wild Horse Nine
Best Director
David Fincher for The Adventures of Cliff Booth
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller for Project Hail Mary
Leave it to Josh Safdie to make an anxiety-ridden film about ping pong.
That’s not a complaint, by the way. Both with his brother Benny and working solo on this film, Josh Safdie has proven himself to be a master at making anxiety compelling. Much more so than Benny’s 20205 offering, The Smashing Machine, Josh’s Marty Supreme keeps you off-balance. Marty Supreme may be set in the 50s but it’s deliberately shot in the gritty style of 70s-era Scorese and Lumet. Meanwhile, the background music is largely made up of classic songs from the 80s. Timothee Chalamet may play the title role of Marty Mauser, a shoe salesman who also happens to be a ping pong champion. And the film may also feature recognizable actors like Odessa A’Zion, Gwyneth Paltrow, Fran Drescher, and Emory Cohen (remember him?). But the majority of the cast is made up of people best-known for not being actors. Shark Tank co-host and aspiring lead of Canada Kevin O’Leary plays Paltrow’s husband and Marty’s occasional sponsor. Director Abel Ferrara plays a gangster who is searching for his dog. Penn Jillette plays a New Jersey farmer who shoots first and asks questions later. David Mamet, Isaac Mizrahi, early internet sensation Ted Williams, former New York mayoral candidateJ ohn Catsimatidis, rapper Tyler The Creator, and performance artist Sandra Bernhard all show up in small roles, creating a very New York atmosphere that somehow feels both familiar and artificial. Watching the movie is like living the tourist’s dream of traveling to New York, seeing your favorite Manhattan celebrities hanging out in Brooklyn, and then having them curse you out for owing them money.
As is to be expected from a Safdie film, Marty Mauser is not always a sympathetic protagonist. He’s been having an affair with the married Rachel (Odessa A’Zion) but, even after he finds out that Rachel is pregnant, that doesn’t stop him from having a purely sexual relationship with former actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), the wife of businessman Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary). Marty thinks that he’s the world’s best ping pong player, which is why he has a hard time accepting being humiliated at the hands of Japan’s champion, Endo (Koto Kawaguchi). Marty’s efforts to return to Japan for a rematch lead to an at times dizzying array of complications. Marty is the type who will steal his lover’s necklace just to return it and apologize after learning that it was only worth two bucks because it was costume jewelry. Fortunately, Marty is played by Timothee Chalamet, who gives such an energetic and charismatic performance that it’s hard not to be charmed by the character even while his actions might upset, annoy, or even offend you. The film never claims that Marty is the best ping pong player in the world. Only Marty claims that. Instead, the film shows just how unshakeable Marty’s belief in himself is. It’s hard not to like someone who refuses to accept defeat.
In many ways, Marty is a quintessential American figure. He believes in himself and he’s not going to apologize for it. Both the character and the film celebrate the individualism that make America unique. That 50s setting really does make sense. Marty truly is the post-war American, dedicated and unapologetic. And, in that context, the film’s “stunt” casting, for lack of a better description, makes sense as well. David Mamet, Kevin O’Leary, Penn Jillette, Abel Ferrara, John Catsimatidis, and so many of the other familiar faces that float through Marty Supreme: they’re all people who have gone their own way, even at the risk of alienating the establishment.
Marty Supreme was nominated for 9 Oscars but failed to win any of them. Indeed, the amount of negative stories that were breathlessly reported about the film’s director and lead actor after the nominations were announced indicates that there was an organized whisper campaign against the film. (In a sad sign of the time, there was a good deal of negative backlash online from the dishrag brigade, who were upset that the film’s lead character was Jewish.) Despite being the best of the nominated films, Marty Supreme lost to One Battle After Another.
These predictions are still too early to really be taken seriously. The year is getting off to a slow start as far as the Oscars are concerned. That said, here are my predictions for May!
I grew up on stuff like Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans and Jim Henson’s The Storyteller. Part of me looks at Christopher Nolan’s new Trailer for The Odyssey and is hopeful for crazy Harryhausen-like CGI and what his take may be on the Greek Gods. I’m also wondering if it’ll just focus on the humans and will give us something practical like Wolfgang Petersen’s Troy. Either way, The Odyssey will look amazing on the IMAX, I’m sure. The trailer keeps things simple, which is good.
This film hasn’t been on my radar much, but looking at the cast list, the line up is pretty nice. Nolan’s called a few friends back with Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises & The Devil Wears Prada 2), Elliot Page (Inception & Close to You) and Benny Safdie (Oppenheimer & The Smashing Machine). They are joined by Robert Pattinson (The Batman), Jon Bernthal (The Accountant 2), Lupita Nyong’o (A Quiet Place: Day One), Charlize Theron (Atomic Blonde), Mia Goth (Frankenstein) and Zendaya & Tom Holland (Spider-Man: No Way Home).
I slept on it before writing this, to let the euphoria pass.
Matt Reeves’ The Batman surprised me in a number of ways, some of which can’t be mentioned without throwing spoilers. I’ll perhaps write a second piece on this, but for now, understand that this film has effectively pushed The Dark Knight to the side as my favorite live-action Batman film (The Lego Batman Movie stands on a pedestal all it’s own above all the rest). My favorite Batman stories are the detective tales. Gotham by Gaslight. The Long Halloween. Hush.
On film, the Caped Crusader has moments of investigation, but they often took a backseat either to the action or the resolution came as quickly as a Batcomputer search. For me, The Batman had closer ties to films like David Fincher’s Seven, Alan J. Pakula’s Klute, Bruce Malmuth’s Nighthawks, and even Shane Black’s The Nice Guys to some degree. It does all this legwork while finding a way to avoid giving us the same clip of the Monarch Shooting of the Waynes. That alone is worth it for me. This is Batman. After more than 9 films, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone on the planet younger than maybe six who doesn’t know how he got that way.
Living in NYC, I can relate to Gotham City. On the surface, it’s beautiful. For those who can afford it, there are tons of amenities available to its citizens. Peel back that layer, though, and you’ll always have Crime in a city holding 9 million people. It’s a constant as rain. Gotham City is on the verge of breakdown. Looking at the torn poster filled streets and I was reminded of a cross between Walter Hill’s Streets of Fire and Alex Proyas’ The Crow .and the way most of Manhattan looks now with it’s closed down stores. The city almost serves as a character itself in The Batman. It’s a throwback to some of the classic black and white detective movies my parents grew up on like 1947’s Kiss of Death. For all his gadgets and resources, there’s an argument suggesting the Batman can never really save his beloved city, though we love his efforts.
“Forget it, Bruce. It’s Gotham.” one might as well say.
Visually, the movie is a little dark, but that makes sense given the tone of the film. Cinematographer Greig Fraser (Dune, Zero Dark Thirty) is somewhat new to me, but I’m liking his work, which felt a little like Janusz Kaminski’s Lost Souls. It wasn’t dark to the point where I couldn’t make out elements (and I was sitting in the front row, far left side in my theatre), I’ll say that much. I’ll keep an eye on him in the future.
The Batman takes place in our hero’s second to third year, according to an early narration (much like Blade Runner). Batman has a good rapport with Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright, No Time to Die) and his butler, Alfred (Andy Serkis, reuniting with Reeves since Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), for the most part, there are some results. Criminals flee when the bat symbol shines in the night sky, because no one really knows where The Dark Knight will strike. A new murder brings both Gordon and the Batman into play, as his opponent leaves various riddles for them to solve. The mystery brings Batman into various circles, including those of Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz, Kimi), crime boss Carmine Falcone (John Turturro, The Big Lebowski) and Oz (Colin Farrell, The Gentlemen). They all bring in great performances, including Peter Sarsgaard (Green Lantern), but it’s Paul Dano (Ruby Sparks, There Will Be Blood) who really runs away with things as The Riddler. I’ve never considered The Riddler to be a creepy villain, but this was quite dark, even for DC’s standards. I can’t imagine how it would have turned out if this was a Rated R film. I’m really curious to know.
Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) and The Batman (Robert Pattinson) do some Detective work in Matt Reeves’ The Batman
Bruce Wayne has never been an easy character to handle on screen.
There are whole books written on the Psychology of the Batman. Here you have an individual who witnessed his parents being murdered as a kid and grows up in a near empty mansion with butlers and maids. The individual decides to dedicate his life (and vast resources) to studying criminal investigation techniques, martial arts and even Ninjitsu for a singular focus: To rid Gotham City of Crime. Add to this the concept of instilling fear in one’s enemies, and dressing up like a Bat to pummel thugs with fists and gadgets just adds to Wayne’s madness. Pattinson honed in on this and turns Bruce Wayne into a pretty isolated and brooding individual. For someone with nearly unlimited resources, he doesn’t seem happy with any of it at all. At least Keaton pretended to party and Clooney’s Wayne truly did party. Bale’s Wayne let Fox focus on research and development. Hell, even Affleck’s Wayne recognized he was rich and flaunted it like a superpower all its own. Pattinson’s Batman is lean and really looks like the kind of guy you might find stepping out of the shadows just past Wall Street late at night. No offense to Affleck’s Batman, who for some is the pinnacle of what the character should be, but I’ve always associated that look with the older, fresh out of retirement Batman of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns.
Together, Pattinson and Kravitz’ chemistry was really nice on screen. I’ll admit, I enjoyed the romance between the two. Both characters accept tha they’re Creatures of the Night, and there’s this sweet give and take between the two as they nudge each other. Selina doesn’t have to do crime, and Batman doesn’t have to be the spirit of Vengeance, but they’re caught up in what works best for them. I enjoyed that aspect.
At first listen (about a week ago), I thought Michael Giacchino’s theme needed something outside of the four note motif it had. Hearing the music with the movie is a different beast, and I have to say, it works really well here. In some places, it’s as minimalistic as Hans Zimmer’s Nolan scores.
Now, a little Devil’s Advocate. The main problem I had with The Batman was the same I had with Spider-Man: No Way Home. I understand DC & Warner Bros. want to draw people into the theatre, but in this age where every element of a trailer is scanned and studied, I’d argue that 40% of the action you watched on screen were already somewhat spoiled by the trailer (or trailers, if you watched every one the Warners released). I’m not saying one should refrain from watching trailers – I only watched the teaser and the main trailer – but I would have liked if they held some scenes back. One might also argue The Batman was lighter on action than the other films, but it’s the detective work and the character performances that make up for it.
There’s also a lot of rain. Almost too much. Remember the sequence in Jurassic Park with the first appearance of the T-Rex? I would say that most of The Batman is set under somewhat similar conditions. It felt like it either just rained, was about to, or you were in the middle of a downpour. Then again, so did The Crow. Perhaps that’s just a nitpick on my part.
Also, clocking in at 2 hours and 56 minutes, it’s a long film. You might not really notice it, but I’d go so far to say that the time didn’t feel wasted. I noticed 3 or 4 people who left for the restroom in my showing, if that’s any indication.
Overall, The Batman was a wonderful surprise from the DC side of things, and I’m liking the direction it’s going. It might not be a completely connected universe like Marvel’s lineup, but they’re proving they can still weave some amazing stories with the characters they have.
This weekend, several trailers were dropped for the upcoming installments in the DC Extended universe. People on twitter certainly were excited, though I have to admit that, with the exception of Wonder Woman, I’ve never cared much about the DC films.
Then again, that could change. To be honest, I haven’t been that enthusiastic for the new MCU films. I’m even kind of dreading Black Widow because the way the character was killed off in Infinity War still bothers me. Speaking of which, with the exception of killing off Natasha, I loved Infinity War but I have to admit that it kind of felt almost like to perfect an ending for the entire MCU. All the films that follow will be in its shadow. Meanwhile, the DC films are still finding themselves and that could potentially be interesting to watch. Or not. We all remember Man of Steel.
Then again — and yes, I know, I’m indecisive — it’s hard for me to get excited for yet another Batman film. “This Batman is dark and serious!” Oh, you mean as opposed to all the other recent Batman films? Y’know why people loved LEGO Batman? Because it was willing to poke fun at itself and the character.
Anyway, here’s the trailer for The Batman, with Robert Pattinson in the lead role. I think Robert Pattinson is an excellent actor who has more than proven that he deserves to be known for more than just playing Edward Cullen. For the record, though this is a DC film, it’s apparently not considered to be a part of the DCEU. So, I guess maybe it’s taking place in the same cinematic universe as Joker.
(Seriously, it’s kind of hard to keep all these universes straight….)
Earlier on Friday, the Detroit Film Critics Society released their nominations for the best of 2019!
Now, back in 2018, the DFCS honored some great films that were overlooked by the Academy, films like Eighth Grade, A Quiet Place, and First Reformed. I mean, I really, really loved the 2018 DFCS awards. And you know what? I’m pretty happy with what they came up with for 2019 as well! I especially like the nomination for Anna Paquin in The Irishman. With all the overblown controversy about how many lines she spoke in the film, it is often overlooked that she gave a great performance and, with just the power of her withering glare, pretty much transformed Peggy into the conscience of the film.
Here are the DFCS nominees for the best of 2019! The winners will be announced on December 9th!
BEST PICTURE
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Parasite
BEST DIRECTOR
Noah Baumbach – Marriage Story
Bong Joon-ho – Parasite
Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Taika Waititi – Jojo Rabbit
BEST ACTRESS
Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
Julianne Moore – Gloria Bell
Lupita Nyong’o – Us
Charlize Theron – Bombshell
Renee Zellweger – Judy
BEST ACTOR
Robert De Niro – The Irishman
Adam Driver – Marriage Story
Robert Pattinson – The Lighthouse
Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
Adam Sandler – Uncut Gems
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Willem Dafoe – The Lighthouse
Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Joe Pesci – The Irishman
Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Sam Rockwell – Richard Jewell
Wesley Snipes – Dolemite Is My Name
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Kathy Bates – Richard Jewell
Laura Dern – Marriage Story
Scarlett Johansson – Jojo Rabbit
Anna Paquin – The Irishman
Florence Pugh – Little Women
BEST SCREENPLAY
The Irishman
The Lighthouse
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Parasite
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Frozen II
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
I Lost My Body
Klaus
Toy Story 4
BEST USE OF MUSIC
1917
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Rocketman
Uncut Gems
Wild Rose
BEST ENSEMBLE
Dolemite Is My Name
The Farewell
The Irishman
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Parasite
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Amazing Grace
Apollo 11
Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror
Knocking Down the House
Rolling Thunder Review: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese
BREAKTHROUGH
Ana de Armas – actress (Knives Out, The Informer, Yesterday)
Jessie Buckley – actress (Wild Rose, Judy)
Kaitlyn Dever – actress (Booksmart, Them That Follow)
Aisling Franciosi – actress (The Nightingale)
Paul Walter Hauser – actor (Richard Jewell)
Florence Pugh – actress (Fighting with My Family, Midsommar, Little Women)
Lulu Wang – director (The Farewell)
Olivia Wilde – director (Booksmart)
Through the Shattered Lens 