Image credit: Jamie McCarthy/WireImage.com
Now that we’ve tackled the Best Picture race, let’s move on to the Best Director category and explore which filmmakers might hear their names called on nomination morning.
BEST BETS
David Fincher, The Social Network (pictured)
Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
Christopher Nolan, Inception
POSSIBILITIES
Ben Affleck, The Town
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, True Grit
LONG SHOTS
James L. Brooks, How Do You Know
Mike Leigh, Another Year
Roman Polanski, The Ghost Writer
David O. Russell, The Fighter
Peter Weir, The Way Back
Among the directors I’ve left off: Toy Story 3‘s Lee Unkrich (who’d be the first director ever nominated for an animated film), Winter’s Bone‘s Debra Granik, and Shutter Island‘s Martin Scorsese. Do you think the Academy would include an animation guy or is that never going to happen?
i’m rooting for danny boyle but second choice would have to be david fincher for the social network ’cause i liked that movie way more than i thought i would
Aronofsky deserves a nomination… he deserved one for “The Wrestler.”
Chris Nolan!
No Tim Burton? Alice in Wonderland didn’t conjure itself.
why does this read as serious in my head?
It’s baffling how sincere it sounds.
I love Tim Burton and I’ve been waiting for him to win his much-deserved Oscar for years now. But it’s not going to be for Alice in Wonderland. Nor should it be.
I’m really surprised you don’t think Danny Boyle and 127 Hours are strong bets for Best Director and Best Picture. Considering the rave reviews the film has gotten, the great box office it’s doing, and the fact that, well, Boyle did a brilliant job bringing this tough subject to life… well, I’d think he would be a lock.
Oscar politics, its highly unlikely that they’ll reward Boyle again so soon after Slumdog Millionaire. Considering he’s up against a frontrunner (Fincher) and two infamous snubs (Nolan and Aronofsky) in 2008, it just weakens his chances. Its unfair but its usually how they work. My guess is…
1. David Fincher
2. Christopher Nolan
3. Tom Hopper
4. Darren Aronofsky
5. Danny Boyle
Dave, have you been right in the past no so much… I think the Academy voters are snobs, and they love anything British first then American or should I say something Foreign then American. But I have not seen all the movies and you have so I base my predicitions on the movies I have seen. First, let’s start at the beginning of the year, “Shutter Island” Best Actor Leonardo DeCaprio, he was amazing in this movie..and Mark Ruffalo for Supporting Actor! (No Director bid) Best Actress, Ms. Benning or Julliane Moore (or they split Supporting Actress, here’s a shocker, Thandie Newton for For Colored Girls, (ha, did not see that coming or Kimberly Elise) There was not a dry eye in the house for their scenes!! Best Pictures three way tie, Toy Story, Inception and The King’s Speech. (Ok we got the Brit in…) Now for few surprises… Jesse Einberg competing with Leonardo and James Franco for another three way tie. More to come.
“I think the Academy voters are snobs, and they love anything British first then American or should I say something Foreign then American.”
On what basis, exactly? The number of foreign films (certainly, foreign language films) to win Best Picture can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
This is quite frankly the stupidest comment I’ve read on this site. A three way tie for Best Picture? A three way tie for Best Actor?
Pleae, Lee Unkrich for Best Director(at least a nomination)!
And I think that Danny Boyle has a better shot at best director than Ben Affleck.
Animators do so much work and get so little love I think the director of Toy STory 3 was amazing but seriously Hayao Miyazaki is considered one of the greatest film makers of all time… period you don’t have to add to that acculade so why do they get so little recognition. Pete Doctor, Hayao Miyazaki and Lee Unkrich all have deserved and do deserve some formal recognition from the Academy I don’t even care if it’s a special award.
At this point the award is Fincher’s to lose. Don’t see that changing.
I am amazed that you keep ranking True Grit as highly as you do! NO ONE HAS EVEN SEEN IT YET. Just having the Coen brothers attached doesn’t automatically elevate it to being a good bet for Best Pic or Best Director. If industry insiders had already watched it and were buzzing, then yeah, into the mix it goes.But until I hear some reaction to a finished, screened product, it doesn’t get an free pass. We’ll see in the weeks ahead…
“Just having the Coen brothers attached doesn’t automatically elevate it to being a good bet for Best Pic or Best Director.”
Two of the Coen’s last three films have been nominated for Best Picture, and it stars recent Oscar winner Jeff Bridges. Sounds like Oscar bait to me.
Christopher Nolan would be my choice, Inception will likely not win best movie but he has a great change with his directing.
If I were to guess now I would say the nominees will be (in no particular order)
*Christopher Nolan
*David Fincher
*The Coen Brothers
*Tom Hooper
*Darren Aronofsky
And I think Lee Unkrich is the dark horse.
That would be a great list. I don’t even know who I would root for! I’m a huge fan of Nolan, Aronofsky, Fincher, and the Coens. I don’t think I’ve seen anything from Tom Hooper before, but The King’s Speech sure looks good.
harry potter as the dark horse?
I enjoyed Inception but, going on previous years, I can only see it winning technical awards.
I haven’t seen True Grit (like everyone else) so I won’t consider it. I can see David Fincher winning directing award.
Boyle is definitely getting a nomination. My 5 guesses are:
-Fincher
-Boyle
-Nolan
-Hooper
-Arronofsky
With Fincher taking the win.
David Fincher all the way. Talk about an amazing film. The best part about The Social Network was the conversation is sparked afterwards. I also hope that Aaron Sorkin takes home the oscar for best original screenplay.