Are We Headed for a 2020 Oscars Disaster? Plus: How Disney Runs the Movie World, and Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Stearns on 'The Art of Self-Defense' I Discussion

Spider-Man: Far From Home 2019

Outpaced projections. Amanda's verdict: a charming teen summer trip movie for its target audience, less so as a set-piece film; Gyllenhaal's Mysterio 'doing Fincher the whole time.'

Midsommar 2019

A mild opening the same weekend. Amanda skipped it but had the plot spoiled by Chris Ryan.

Avengers: Endgame 2019

The benchmark the 'second-tier' Marvel movies are measured against; with no Marvel release for nine months, Sean chews on what the gap does to moviegoing.

The Lion King 2019

Jon Favreau's remake runs 118 minutes to the 1994 original's 88; Sean can't find where the extra 30 minutes of story come from.

Aladdin 2019

A big international earner; the genie 'was just very genie.' Kids like it more than the hosts do.

The Little Mermaid 1989

Halle Bailey cast as Ariel for the coming remake; the hosts read the online outrage as mostly bots and a few loud idiots.

Beauty and the Beast 2017

Amanda went alone in the afternoon and remembered every word of the songs.

Mulan 2020

Niki Caro directs; the trailer dropped during the Women's World Cup final and staffers immediately asked where the talking dragon went.

Mary Poppins Returns 2018

Rob Marshall, set to direct the 'Little Mermaid' remake; neither host thought this one worked, and it missed the major Oscar categories.

Cinderella 2015

The Lily James version, one of the classics already ticked off.

Dumbo 2019

Pinocchio 1940

The original animation. Both find it genuinely disturbing, 'especially the donkey boys.' A remake was long rumored.

Lady and the Tramp 2019

Headed straight to Disney+ later in the year.

Cruella 2021

The '101 Dalmatians' prequel, with Emma Stone; part of a decade of IP still to mine.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 2019

The first real studio Oscar contender of the year; Sean rewatched 'Inglourious Basterds' and is very excited. Amanda counters it may be Hollywood-loves-Hollywood in the La La Land mold, not a broad crowd-pleaser.

Pain and Glory 2019

The new Almodovar; well received at Cannes, with Antonio Banderas a likely best-actor play, but no one's crowning achievement.

The Farewell 2019

A24; Sean interviewed writer-director Lulu Wang for the following week. He's unsure it's a best-picture candidate.

A Hidden Life 2019

The Malick WWII film, from Fox Searchlight; Sean expects an 'it's time for Malick' campaign.

The Report 2019

Amazon's CIA docudrama from Scott Burns; strong at Sundance, but the hosts have heard mixed responses since.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood 2019

The Mr. Rogers picture with Tom Hanks.

Cats 2019

Tom Hooper; Sean swears he'll be angry if it lands a major nomination. Amanda doubts Taylor Swift moves tickets for a movie about cats.

The Goldfinch 2019

Big literary adaptation from the director of 'Brooklyn.' Looks like an Oscar movie from another decade.

Little Women 2019

Greta Gerwig's adaptation; Sean is looking forward to a Gerwig-versus-Baumbach awards season.

The Woman in the Window 2021

One of many unreleased titles clogging the early contender lists.

Ford v Ferrari 2019

American-engineering muscle Sean thinks some voters will respond to, though he worries about the jingoism riding alongside it.

Harriet 2019

Kasi Lemmons' Harriet Tubman biopic, with Cynthia Erivo; classic Oscar material on paper.

Triple Frontier 2019

J.C. Chandor's Ben Affleck heist movie, reportedly $115M ('that movie had $80 million'). A report claimed its performance was pushing Netflix to rein in film spending; Ted Sarandos said 63M households watched it.

Red Notice 2021

The Rock, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds; a Universal cast-off Netflix swooped in for mid-episode, undercutting the whole 'Netflix is cutting back' thesis. The Rock's deal: $21M plus 30% of profits, which Netflix has to buy out in full.

The Irishman 2019

Scorsese's de-aging epic with De Niro, Pesci, and Pacino; rumored at $150M-plus. Sean notes even Scorsese rarely converts: 'Hugo' and 'Gangs of New York' didn't; only 'The Departed' got him across the line.

Marriage Story 2019

The then-untitled Noah Baumbach film, in post for over two years and slated for a big Netflix push; a smaller Oscar gamble than 'The Irishman.'

Roma 2018

The last time Netflix went all-in on an Oscar campaign; a great film that lost to 'Green Book.'

The Art of Self-Defense 2019

Stearns' karate comedy about the aspiration of masculinity; a 25-day shoot, dead-earnest tone, jiu-jitsu instead of a stunt-double gloss. Eisenberg on the writing: 'we knew the purpose of every single shot.'

Faults 2014

Stearns' first feature; seeing the new dailies made him realize he had a style after all: his cheat pick for an ideal double feature.

Fargo 1996

Stearns names it (with 'Punch-Drunk Love') as the kind of specific, self-contained world he tries to build.

Punch-Drunk Love 2002

Green Room 2015

Where Stearns became a fan of one of his cast members.

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter 2014

David Zellner's film; Stearns admired his performance and cast him as Henry.

Climax 2018

Stearns' last-great-thing pick, though 'Enter the Void' remains his favorite Gaspar Noe.

Enter the Void 2010

The Living Wake 2007

Eisenberg's reference point for funny-but-not-comic tone: a gift to act inside a consistent world.

Zombieland: Double Tap 2019

Eisenberg contrasts its million-shots, cut-it-together scale with the precision of 'The Art of Self-Defense.'