Ryan McNeil
The Oscar race is quickly coming into focus with today’s announcement of the Director’s Guild of America award nominees. The shortlist for the DGA prize is as follows…
Quentin Tarantino: INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
James Cameron: AVATAR
Kathryn Bigelow: THE HURT LOCKER
Jason Reitman: UP IN THE AIR
Lee Daniels: PRECIOUS
What does this mean? Well since before Christmas, it has seemed that PRECIOUS, UP IN THE AIR, and HURT LOCKER had Best Picture Oscar nominations sewn up. This more or less cements those three. Likewise, it would be a huge shock if INGLORIOUS BASTERDS and AVATAR miss out on the BP ten. Both have prettymuch run the gauntlet in the award precursors. As for what the back five are in the Best Picture race, it’s anyone’s guess.
One last thing – the most interesting part of the DGA nominations? Quentin Tarantino getting nominated. It’s interesting, because QT is not a DGA member! Gotta dig a guild recognizing like that!
What the PR for DGA should do is note that they nominated Tarantino despite his not being a member and end the sentence with "suck on that WGA." Even though you know my opinion on An Education, I'd prefer Sherfig for Daniels here (though secretly I'd rather have Jones or Jonze in their place). Still with no Moon love I'll throw my support behind HL :).
Ah, DGA. Let me count the ways I disagree with you: 1: Daniels, 2:Tarantino, 3: Reiteman. Sheesh. Ah well. I suppose I should back Bigelow, but I'm actually hoping for a Cameron win [they're both equal to me] just to tell everyone suck it. I'm really tuning out of the race this season.
@ Andrew… This leaves me curious: Which directors would you have named to the five spots?
Well, ummm. Not to give away my year in review post… Sheesh, what the hell? They're not in chronological order, though. Scherfig for An Education, Oren Moverman for The Messenger, Peter Jackson for The Lovely Bones, maybe even Spike Jonze for Where the Wild Things Are, Henry Selick for Coraline: add Bigelow and Cameron and you have seven. I've still not seen Bright Star, but Campion comes to mind.
Still, this is DGA they like what they like, I just don't.