For our final Oscar Preview of 2018 and the last one to post until March, we had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

Vice

If you look at director Adam McKay’s filmography, you might see early films that seem like he was never going to be an Oscar player. Films like Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Step Brothers, The Other Guys, and Anchorman 2 are far from the kinds of films Oscar voters tend to recognize. Something happened in 2015 that upended the conversation and now McKay seems like he may be an Oscar mainstay.

The Big Short released late in the year 2016 and was a historical satire of the financial crisis that caused the U.S. economy to collapse. An all-star cast filled McKay’s film with gravitas and the political potency of the warning against future changes in the credit sector that would permit the kind of malfeasance that destroyed countless American lives. The film picked up five Oscar nominations, including citations for Best Picture, Directing, Supporting Actor (Christian Bale), Adapted Screenplay, and Editing. The film earned McKay and Charles Randolph Oscars for the screenplay.

Tackling an even more thorny political subject, McKay has taken 2018 by storm with his late-breaking satire of the rise to power of Dick Cheney played by Big Short Oscar nominee Bale. The production has steadily picked up various accolades and is set to earn several Oscar nominations. Bale is the most likely nominee, but Amy Adams has consistently earned recognition for her supporting work and the screenplay is a slam dunk nomination. McKay’s film will also likely earn a Best Picture nomination, which could pull him along in Directing. Beyond that, the film has a fairly strong chance at a Film Editing nomination and might also pull out a Supporting Actor nomination for recently-minted Oscar winner Sam Rockwell. Beyond that, the film’s prospects are grim, but this would be a notable haul.

The next question is: “will anyone win?” That question can’t be easily answered. While I doubt the Academy would fete the film itself, Bale has a chance at his second Oscar for the lead role and writing could carry the day as well. Adams is a long shot for the award, though she has a ton of nominations and no Oscar, which could be to her benefit. McKay could shock for a Best Directing win, but that seems unlikely. That leaves only Film Editing, which certainly could be the film’s consolation prize.