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

Belfast

Early in his directorial career, actor-director Kenneth Branagh focused much of his effort on following the mold of Laurence Olivier, cinema’s last great Shakespearean craftsman. With the occasional non-Shakespeare adaptation thrown into the mix, he left that all behind for several years following the release of As You Like It in 2006 with only the William Shakespeare biopic All Is True after it in 2018. His focus instead has been on diversifying his portfolio, much like Olivier did with The Prince and the Showgirl in 1957 and his adaptation of Anton Chekov’s Three Sisters in 1970.

Olivier only made 5 movies as a director whereas Branagh has went well beyond that. In that regard, Branagh has accomplished more, but his directorial filmography in the last two decades has been largely forgettable. That changes with Belfast, a film that has already been earning strong reviews and the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival, a good sign if there ever was one. His film is about a working class family living in Belfast during the beginning of The Troubles in the late 1960s as Ireland tried to encourage the reunification of Northern Ireland with the rest of the island nation.

With the plaudits already amassed, it looks like Belfast is for sure headed for several Oscar nominations with Best Picture, Original Screenplay, and Cinematography the most likely to score recognition, but with Branagh himself in contention for directing along with consideration for the editing, production design, costume design, makeup & hairstyling, and sound. Acting nominations also wouldn’t be unexpected, but whether they will only be in support or a blend of categories remains to be seen.

tick, tick…BOOM!

A film that never really seemed like an Oscar contender on paper has suddenly emerged as a solid competitor. The film is a musical from Lin-Manuel Miranda based on the struggles Jonathan Larson faced in bringing Tony-winning musical Rent to the Broadway stage. With Andrew Garfield in the lead, the film has earned incredibly strong reviews from those who’ve seen it so far.

Except for Disney, most recent original musicals have struggled for success in the wake of La La Land. That said, Miranda is still a hot commodity in Hollywood with the success of Hamilton. Yet, the adaptation of his Best Musical Tony winner In the Heights didn’t succeed nearly as well as expected, so perhaps feelings about him are a bit more tepid than expected. That said, the film is sure to be in contention for Best Actor for Garfield’s performance and the music is also a potential competitor. That said, I can’t see the film having a lot of opportunities outside of those categories.