We had three films release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

CODA

Sian Heder’s adaptation of the French film La Famille Belier premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January and earned a great deal of praise and selling for $25 million. That price tag is a fairly high for a festival acquisition, which means Apple TV has a bona fide Oscar contender for this year, perhaps one that could pull in numerous nominations. The film, about a Child of Deaf Parents has a lot to say about the struggles facing the deaf and their children who must not only act as a surrogate for their parents, but consistently deal with the harangues of prejudice while trying to live their own lives.

Best Picture and directing citations are possible, though the film’s best chance at winning is a screenwriting award. While it’s possible that some acting nominations might be given, I doubt the film gets more than a handful of citations, but it will certainly be boosted by film critics for year-end awards.

Free Guy

One of the year’s big budget effects extravaganzas, Free Guy stars Ryan Reynolds as a mild mannered bank teller who finds himself at the center of a conspiracy when he discovers that he is more than just an NPC (Non-Playing Character) in a violent video game. As he learns more about his importance to the video game world, he grows more confident in his abilities while falling in love with on of the players.

Reviews have been strong and Reynolds is a funny guy, but the film’s best, and likely only, Oscar chances are in the creative categories. While I doubt Production Design is a possibility, both Sound and Visual effects are possible with Makeup & Hairstyling and Film Editing both distant possibilities.

Respect

Biopics have been an Oscar mainstay since the early days when biopics of people like Benjamin Disraeli, Henry VIII, and Louis Pasteur to name a few, while George Arliss didn’t win for Disraeli, both Charles Laughton and Paul Muni won Oscars for The Private Life of Henry VIII and The Story of Louis Pasteur respectively. Women have had a much more difficult time earning recognition for playing real life figures, but Hollywood as a thing for biopics and actors starring in them.

Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson took home her Oscar for Dreamgirls, the hit Broadway Musical based loosely on the tumultuous rise to fame of Diana Ross and The Supremes. Anyone who can sing “I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” and do it well ahs the vocal chops to take on Aretha Franklin, the queen of Soul and that’s why Hudson remains a solid contender for a Best Actress nomination for her performance in Respect. The film also has chances at Production Design and Costume Design nominations as well as a distant potential for Sound. The problem is that the film was positively reviewed, but they reviews weren’t ecstatic. Being this far out before the Oscars, and the dump of the film into the August theatrical window, suggests the studio doesn’t have a lot of hope for them film and they are probably not wrong.