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| 007 has received no Oscar love since For Your Eyes Only (1981). |
Skyfall is finally opening in the U.S. this week. Since it is getting some Oscar buzz, I thought it would be interesting to look back at the last two campaign efforts in the Bond franchise.
After a 4-year absence, Bond returned in 2006's Casino Royale, with Daniel Craig taking over the classic character in this reboot. In the wake of great reviews and a healthy box office take, it became the highest grossing 007 film, and awards talk began. A new, grittier Bond that was actually successful had to lead to some awards, right? And so it did. From the studio's campaign, the film received 9 BAFTA nominations, including a Best Actor nod for Daniel Craig and a win for Best Sound. The film's original song "You Know My Name" even got a Grammy nomination the following year. But Oscar never came calling.
Two years later, Bond and Craig were back in Quantum of Solace, and audiences were ready for more...until the film was released. The backlash began with mixed reviews, followed by the general disappointment of fans everywhere. (I think it's a mishandled gem, but that's neither here nor there.) Despite the negative reaction, the film became the second highest grossing Bond film ever. So, the studio went for it again, campaigning the film in technical categories. And it worked, to some extent. The film actually received 2 BAFTA nominations and 2 Critics Choice nods. While the original song "Another Way to Die" wasn't as popular, it did get some awards attention as well. Still, Oscar passed on the film.
Now, Skyfall will be trying for a third time (as a Craig-helmed 007 film), and it appears to have the best chance at nabbing some Oscar nods. It has a realistic shot at 5 nominations. Will it get them? We'll have to wait until January to see.
Bond movies always get ignored at the Oscars but w/ Mendes at the helm it could be a game changer!
ReplyDeleteWell, some of them have been recognized, but, yeah, most them don't. Oh, I hope it's a game changer.
DeleteI wouldn't nominate previous 2 Bond Craig movies, except maybe Casino Royale for Cornell's song, but I really hope Skyfall gets nominated for cinematography - it was really great and Adele's song is worthy of a nom too.
ReplyDeleteI think it has great chance of getting those two nominations. Fingers crossed.
DeleteIt'll be interesting to see the Bond movies being taken more seriously by the academy. I suspect they suffer from the same bias inflicted by people who think "genre" novels (like mysteries) are inherently inferior to "literary" novels. Completely unfair.
ReplyDeleteI agree. It's unfair, but hopefully this film will be embraced by the Academy. If not, I'm sure we can expect a slew of BAFTA nods at least.
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