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

No Time to Die

In spite of its immense popularity, the James Bond film franchise has always had a legitimacy issue surrounding its genre trappings. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has quite a few genres they tend to ignore on a regular basis even when the result is acclaimed. As the progenitor of the spy thriller genre, Bond films have struggled for Academy recognition with a few nominations in below the line categories peppered throughout its 25-film history.

In recent years, films like Skyfall have redefined how the genre can be observed and while below-the-line considerations are generally the only ones the Academy makes, they are regularly willing to honor the series there as evinced by the last two Bond films winning the Best Original Song Oscar after years of being ignored there. That said, the utter disappointment of the last winning song might have tempered expectations, but No Time to Die should still be able to wrangle up a nomination in the category and Sound might also be a possibility, but I doubt it shows up anywhere else.

Mass

There have been a handful of small independent releases this year that are in early contention for Oscar nominations, but this film might well be one of the first batch of Autumn releases to make the list. Actor Fran Kranz makes his directorial debut with this interpersonal drama that stars well regarded actors Martha Plimpton, Jason Isaacs, Reed Birney, and Ann Dowd. Although the premise sounds like something that might have fit well on the Broadway stage, the show’s tryouts are cinematic rather than in minor theaters.

While all three have Broadway bona fides, Birney and Plimpton are the only Tony nominees in the cast, but all of them have delivered acclaimed performances. The interesting thing about this film is that it feels like a Broadway adaptation even if it isn’t, which might add some emphasis to the film’s Oscar contention. The film has received solid reviews out of the festival circuit and while I doubt the film will make either the Best Picture or Directing slates, Original Screenplay is a strong possibility, and all four actors could lay claim to Oscar nominations, either in each of the four acting categories or, if all are submitted in support, with anywhere from two to four nominations, the latter marking the first time a film has gotten double nominations in both supporting categories. If each were nominated in all four acting categories, it would be the first time in a very long while since such a feat occurred.