We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

Emma

There have been several adaptations of Jane Austen’s classic 1815 novel, with two direct English adaptations on the big screen. The 1995 version starred Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Northam, Denys Hawthorne, Alan Cumming, and Toni Collette. Directed by Douglas McGrath, it earned Oscar nominations for Original Comedy/Musical Score and Costume Design taking home the composition Oscar.

This version stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Bill Nighy, Josh O’Connor, and Mia Goth and is directed by Autumn de Wilde. The first trailer was rather amusing and is poised to make a solid expansion in theaters this coming week. The critics were largely pleased, though a 69 at MetaCritic isn’t as impressive as the 87% at Rotten Tomatoes makes things sound.

The period setting is the kind of realm that has often tickled Oscar fancies, but there are so many that it takes a great deal of impact to be a major player. A strong box office performance might help Oscar voters remember the film until the end of the year, but I suspect it’s not going to impress enough to make more than the guild list and not the Oscars.