With just days to go before the Oscar nominations, it’s feeling more and more like a battle between Avatar and The Hurt Locker for the two big wins, Best Picture and Best Director. Hurt Locker and its director, Kathryn Bigelow, won both prizes at the Broadcast Film Critics Awards, while James Cameron’s opus fired back with wins at the Golden Globes. But then Locker returned with the Producers Guild prize. This weekend brings the Directors Guild Awards, where Cameron and Bigelow will compete against Up in the Air‘s Jason Reitman, Inglourious Basterds‘ Quentin Tarantino, and Precious‘ Lee Daniels. But clearly this is a two-horse race. Over at Gold Derby, Tom O’Neil has assembled predictions from loads of professional guessers (including myself), and the current tally is 20 for Bigelow vs. 8 for Cameron. I’m on “Team Bigelow,” as Tom puts it, because I feel like the DGA members will go for Bigelow’s feet-on-the-floor vibe over Cameron’s computer-generated achievement. And isn’t it just amazing that they’re (albeit friendly) ex-spouses?
Am I right on predicting Bigelow? Or will it be Cameron this Saturday?
Image credit: Cameron: Mark Fellman; Bigelow: Jonathan Olley
The only one with the remotest chance is Quentin Tarantino, for delivering a vision perfectly stamped with his personality.
Tarantino is a genious! Plain and simple. But between Cameron and Bigelow, I’d have to give it to Bigelow. THE HURT LOCKER is an AMAZING movie. Much better than AVATAR. AVATAR is visually stunning, but it’s the EXACT same story as POCAHONTAS with some FERN GULLY mixed in. THE HURT LOCK was ALL original!
I would love to see Cameron win simply because it takes an incredible amount of vision to put an entirely made-up world together while shooting in a warehouse. Also, it would create a near-perfect divide in the competition between “Avatar” and “The Hurt Locker” for the big Oscar races, and that is something that hasn’t really happened in a while.
The video game industry does virtual reality all the time. I agree about the divide, that would be fun and exciting, something the award shows lack lately
Agree with you on Cameron’s visionary work but Bigelow’s Hurt Locker is rooted in reality in a way that jolts you. The media has put the war on the backburner for some time now. We still have soldiers dying and those who aren’t are traumatised and developing behaviors that will be difficult to deal with once the wars are over. Cameron’s Avatar is spectacular, no doubt….Pandora stays with you…But Bigelow’s Hurt Locker haunts you in a way thats impossible to ignore….I think come Oscar night Bigelow’s gonna be the once with the statue
I’m not sure about your prediction, but I’m rooting for Bigelow. Hard to tell exactly where the wind is blowing.
Rooting for Bigelow, too.
I’m rooting for Bigelow too. The Hurt Locker was excellent!
Yes, a fabulous achievement. I was on the edge of my seat throughout — she has amazing control of her technique.
I rooting for Bigelow too, but only because she is woman. The whole award season is run on hype and buzz and not merit but at least this time someone different will benefit from they hype. Hurt locker is a very ordinary film, but they can’t resist awarding her because they will reinforce the fact that the DGA is a boys club. It’s all about the buzz. That why she couldn’t get a spirit director nomination last year but a year later with hype, she is the front runner for the Oscar.
Oh no she didn’t get a spirit award!!! thats because 5 freaking people saw it last year. The Hurt Locker is not an ordinary film. It seems as though you saw it, if you didn’t like it fine. But the direction is fabulous. The tension is almost unbearable, and it feels so realistic at the same time. Kathryn Bigelow deserves all the buzz she is getting.
I hope for it go to either Bigelow or Tarantino.
Here Here!!!
Agreed.
I should amend my post. I’d love for either Bigelow or Tarantino to win. IB was my favorite movie of the year.
Bigelow deserves it more… sorry Avatar fans but the Hurt Locker is mind blowing and it doesn’t even need blue people to do that.
1) this is a great list of nominees 2)Kathryn Bigelow is winning and 3) why doesnt James Cameron keep his hair short, it looks better on him
yeah right! They FINALY let a woman win Best Director…for a movie that could’ve been directed by a MAN!!
Unclear as to your meaning. Are you upset that The Hurt Locker wasn’t girly enough, or that a man didn’t direct it?
I think that she is saying that it’s so gritty that your first inpression would be that it was directed my a man.
No! Im saying that it is SO INSIGNIFICANT, that it could have been directed by a goat!
Bigelow will win. She must win.
Lee Daniels for the upset.
Team Bigelow! (By the way, it’s pretty crazy THL’s biggest supporter is its biggest competition.)
Bigelow will/should win.
Ugh, I vote for neither. The Hurt Locker = Boring and Depressing. Avater = Pocahontas with a sci-fi twist. I don’t even like Tarantino but I say go Quentin.
Ordinarily, I’d ask if you found THL “boring” because it didn’t have enough explosions for you, but …
Team Bigelow! The Hurt Locker was raw and real. I feel like the DGA will go for that. Never know, though! Could be split votes and QT will take it.
Bigelow should and will win. She made a stunningly crafted film, and she deserves every accolade.