We had two films releasing this weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

Oz the Great and Powerful

With it’s strong opening weekend, Oz is very likely to be talked about for several weeks, but a March release is still a challenge. Sam Raimi’s film is likely to be a nominee in the fantasy sections of the Art Directors Guild and Costume Designers Guild awards next January; however, translating that into Oscar recognition will be a difficult task.

The film’s lush visuals are among the most talked about this year, but it’s the film’s visual effects that are far more likely to pique Oscar voters’ interests than its production design or costumes. Raimi is no stranger to the category with his first two Spider-Man films received five Oscar nominations between them with the second film taking the award for Best Visual Effects. A win for this film seems unlikely, but a nomination might not be unexpected. Likewise, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing could also be in play with a remote possibility of Production Design and Costume Design if the rest of the year’s films don’t pan out.

Emperor

Before it was released, many thought Tommy Lee Jones could receive another Oscar nomination as legendary General Douglas MacArthur. Some might believe that the film was shelved so he didn’t compete with himself for Lincoln. However, the film hasn’t been well received by critics and was dumped in March, making it a very long shot at a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Jones. My guess is we don’t hear another word about the film from this point forward.