With contenders like Amy Adams, Viola Davis, Carey Mulligan and Frances McDormand, it might surprise you to hear that it is actually British newcomer Vanessa Kirby who is the frontrunner for best actress at the upcoming Academy Awards.

With 100 less films reviewed than a normal year, no film festival attendance, larger budget films postponed, 2020 was unusual to say the least.

“Promising Young Woman” is an original script that’s part satirical revenge flick and whole hardily a conversation starter.

Going to the movies on Christmas Day is a tradition many of us enjoy. That’s typically when some of the best films of the year finally open to the public. Like everything else in 2020, that tradition will be greatly impacted as some cities find their local cinemas out of business.

To be fair, George Clooney’s character in the new Netflix thriller “The Midnight Sky” doesn’t actually go into space. Clooney also is the director and producer of the film adapted from Lily Brooks-Dalton’s book.

It's your choice this week, serious Meryl Streep or outrageously campy Meryl Streep. Which one will you choose? If Streep isn’t your thing, perhaps a time bending love story called “Wander Darkly” might be the alternative for you.

Of the three major releases this week, two are guaranteed awards players. Oscar-nominated director David Fincher (“Gone Girl,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) returns with a look at old Hollywood in “Mank.”

Despite some theater chains being closed and many big-budget Hollywood releases still on hold, new films are still coming out each week. With the Golden Globes, the Oscars and others all pushed to early spring, most films that were already gunning for awards consideration are debuting as planned.

In what is easily one of the best-acted films of Ron Howard’s directorial career, “Hillbilly Elegy” joins the ranks of films like “August Osage County,” “Fences” and “The Fighter,” exploring the contentious side of family life.

Before it premiered, there were hopes that Francis Lee’s new film would put Kate Winslet in the race for next year’s best actress Oscar. Hopes were dashed though after the reviews from this year’s virtual Toronto Film Festival, labeling it as dry, mute and bleak.

“Let Him Go” is a tense drama leaning heavily in the direction of a thriller with sharp performances from Diane Lane and Lesley Manville.

“Monster in the iPad” is the simplest way to sum up Jacob Chase’s adaptation of “Larry,” a five-minute short film turned into a full-length feature film.

Netflix delivers a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s only best-picture winner “Rebecca,” based on Daphne Du Maurier’s novel.

Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin is one of the few that can make a thriller out of people sitting in a room. In many ways his latest, “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” uses some of the same techniques that won him the Academy Award for writing “The Social Network.”

Woody Allen’s 48th feature-length film is another forgettably trite romantic comedy — ironic since “A Rainy Day in New York” has become one of his most controversial.

Too young to remember writer, feminist and political activist Gloria Steinem? This film by Julie Taymor (“Frida”), based on Steinem’s recently released autobiography, documents not only her achievements but her struggle along the way.

“Misbehaviour” tackles a large portion of London’s women’s liberation movement of the early ‘70s, beginning with a scrappy group that infiltrated the Miss World Pageant in 1970.

“Antebellum” is hiding a good movie somewhere, with social commentary and a twist that could knock your socks off.