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

Skyfall

With the 50th Anniversary of the James Bond Franchise being talked about a great deal, the inevitable discussion of Skyfall earning a series-first Best Picture nomination is everywhere. Will this be another case similar to Gary Oldman whose film was mostly ignored by the Academy getting a career nomination? Or will this be more akin to the Star Trek event where a popular genre franchise scored with audiences and critics and failed to get a Best Picture nomination due to its franchise pedigree? I’m more likely to support this latter idea. That does not apply in tech categories however.

Cinematographer Roger Deakins is an Academy mainstay and could reap the franchise’s first Best Cinematography nomination. While I’m not certain this will occur, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing seem better bets for nods, but the category I think it’s chief hopes lie in is Best Original Song. Celebrated, Grammy-winning artist Adele has been all the talk in various circles for the last couple of years. Her fame accompanied by her back-to-basics performance of the title track should have little trouble garnering a nomination where the franchise has been notably absent. At this point, it’s the kind of track that Academy voters love to recognize and could bring the series its first Oscar.

Lincoln

The film has earned the respect of critics, the biggest hurdle Steven Spielberg has had in recent years. Audiences invariably turn out, even to his smaller efforts, but a historical drama like this requires the appreciation of critics to be taken seriously as a top contender. Before the critics weighed in, several nominations were pretty much assured: Best Picture, Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), Original Score, Art Direction, Costume Design and Makeup. With the approval of critics, it becomes a major contender in several other categories including Best Director, Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee-Jones), Supporting Actress (Sally Field), Original Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and possibly even Visual Effects. The weakest links here are Visual Effects and Sally Field. Much derision has been poured on Field’s work and since she’s two-for-two, a failure to get nominated may be more a comment on her chances of winning than of her quality as an actress.

It’s been long enough since Spielberg has been the most assured nominee at the Oscars and I see this coming very close to Saving Private Ryan in terms of chances. While it’s not the slamdunk Schindler’s List was, the possibilities are high that the film could beat out a lot of prestige pics at the end of the year for a Best Picture win. A lot will depend on how audience’s embrace the film. If it’s a meager success, its chances are weaker. If it’s a huge hit, look for it to be one of the top predictions for the year-end, possibly competing with the likes of Les Misérables and Silver Linings Playbook.

A Royal Affair

The Danish entry for this year’s Foreign Language Film award has been receiving largely positive reviews. While it has an uphill battle for the win over Michael Haneke’s Amour from Austria, I see A Royal Affair as a strong contender for at least a nomination. Its period setting adds to its chances as the Academy has a penchant for such endeavors.