1.
Ben Affleck for Argo
Born: August 15, 1972 - Berkeley, California, USA
Previous Oscar directing recognition: none
Oscar snubed directing work(s): none
One of the biggest promises of filmmaking, Ben Affleck showed the world he may be not be one of best actors working today, but he's an outstanding director and Argo is the movie that estabilishes him as a director you have to respect. After doing an impression with Gone Baby Gone and The Town, award recognition came this year and he may be seen as the front-runner of the Best Director war (since Spielberg already has 2 Best Director golden men at home and Bigelow is... well, a woman who already won in this same category 3 years ago). With Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Award nominations and an honorable 3rd place in the Best Director category of NYFCC Award, Affleck's Oscar dream seems close to come true, specially since Argo is seen as a major contender for a Best Picture win and since Best Picture and Best Director categories are like "best friends forever"... His first Best Director nod is likely to happen and he will be a name in contention in the battle for the win, for sure, but let's first see what DGA says about him.
One of the biggest promises of filmmaking, Ben Affleck showed the world he may be not be one of best actors working today, but he's an outstanding director and Argo is the movie that estabilishes him as a director you have to respect. After doing an impression with Gone Baby Gone and The Town, award recognition came this year and he may be seen as the front-runner of the Best Director war (since Spielberg already has 2 Best Director golden men at home and Bigelow is... well, a woman who already won in this same category 3 years ago). With Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Award nominations and an honorable 3rd place in the Best Director category of NYFCC Award, Affleck's Oscar dream seems close to come true, specially since Argo is seen as a major contender for a Best Picture win and since Best Picture and Best Director categories are like "best friends forever"... His first Best Director nod is likely to happen and he will be a name in contention in the battle for the win, for sure, but let's first see what DGA says about him.
2.
Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Previous Oscar directing recognition: 2010 - Best Director for The Hurt Locker (win)
Oscar snubed directing work(s): none
The only woman who have ever won the Academy Award of Best Director, Kathryn Bigelow may also become the first female director with two Oscar nominations in the Best Director category if she gets nominated for Zero Dark Thirty. She already got nominated for a Golden Globe and a Critics' Choice Award of Best Director and took home the NYFCC Award, the CFCA Award and the National Board of Review Award of Best Director, getting also the 2nd place of the LAFCA Award of the same category. The woman behind the critical praised sensation of the moment, a director who likes to challenge audiences, Bigelow seems to be lock and a front-runner in the Best Director race. A nomination seems assured, but will the AMPAS be open-minded enough to give a second Best Director Oscar to a woman? Well, I guess it's too early for this kind of discussion, but I belive that, in the end, it will be a war between Affleck, Bigelow and Spielberg...
3.
Steven Spielberg for Lincoln
Previous Oscar directing recognition: 1978 - Close Encounters of the Third Kind (nom); 1982 - Raiders of the Lost Ark (nom); 1983 - E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (nom); 1994 - Schindler's List (win); 1999 - Saving Private Ryan (win); 2006 - Munich (nom)
Oscar snubed directing work(s): The Color Purple (1985); Minority Report (2002)
One of the biggest names of filmmaking, Steven Spielberg presented a movie about one of the biggest names in History: Lincoln, a major player in this awards season and a box-office success. In fact, if there's a man who can relate "blockbuster" and "critical praise" better than anyone it's Spielberg, but Lincoln is already seen as a strong contender for a Best Picture win. Thanks to Spielberg's vision the movie is a major contender in almost every category (in acting and artistic/technical fields) and it's easy to imagine Lincoln as the movie with most Oscar nods this year. He got some solid Best Director Oscar buzz for his work in the "good not brilliant" War Horse, but he missed a nod, but unless Lincoln receives "The Color Purple treatment", Spielberg will score another Best Director Oscar nomination easily. He's locked.
4.
Tom Hooper for Les Misérables
Previous Oscar directing recognition: 2011 - The King's Speech (win)
Oscar snubed directing work(s): none
The man who took home the Best Director Oscar instead of David Fincher (The Social Network), I believe the Academy members won't miss this oportunity to nominate him in order to prove they have no regrets about his win for his directing work in The King's Speech. While Les Misérables isn't the critics' darling of the year, it shows great ambition and a lot of freshness and heart by having the actors recording the songs on camera (that "I Dream a Dream" scene...), mostly thanks to Hooper's vision. He missed a Golden Globe nomination, just like David O. Russell, but Les Miz has epic proportions and achieves dramatic greatness, something Oscar voters simply love. No matter what, a DGA Award nomination may be crucial in order to guarantee a spot between the Oscar nominees.
5.
David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook
Previous Oscar directing recognition: 2011 - The Fighter (nom)
Oscar snubed directing work(s): Flirting with Disaster (1996)
Silver Linings Playbook is one of the best movies of the year, with no shadow of doubt, thanks to David O. Russell's sensitive direction and ability to pull great and charismatic performances from his actors. He got a Best Director nod 2 years ago for The Fighter, but Mr. Russell seems to be in a fragile position in this year's Best Director Oscar race. After missing a Golden Globe nomination, he needs DGA support, so a DGA Award nomination may be crucial for his Oscar chances. Critics associations showed some considerable love for him and he also got a Critics' Choice Award nomination. Plus, Silver Linings is doing an immaculated awards season, which only benefits him, but it is no epic piece of cinema: the movie is simple, no period piece and nothing visually striking like Life of Pi. Silver Linings may not have greatness, but it touches audiences like no other movie this year and I hope the AMPAS takes it in consideration (no one does a family drama like David O. Russell!).
Silver Linings Playbook is one of the best movies of the year, with no shadow of doubt, thanks to David O. Russell's sensitive direction and ability to pull great and charismatic performances from his actors. He got a Best Director nod 2 years ago for The Fighter, but Mr. Russell seems to be in a fragile position in this year's Best Director Oscar race. After missing a Golden Globe nomination, he needs DGA support, so a DGA Award nomination may be crucial for his Oscar chances. Critics associations showed some considerable love for him and he also got a Critics' Choice Award nomination. Plus, Silver Linings is doing an immaculated awards season, which only benefits him, but it is no epic piece of cinema: the movie is simple, no period piece and nothing visually striking like Life of Pi. Silver Linings may not have greatness, but it touches audiences like no other movie this year and I hope the AMPAS takes it in consideration (no one does a family drama like David O. Russell!).
6. Ang Lee for Life of Pi
Born: October 23, 1954 - Pingtung, Taiwan
Previous Oscar directing recognition: 2001 - Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (nom); 2006 - Brokeback Mountain (win)
Oscar snubed directing work(s): Sense and Sensibility (1995)
If Ang Lee misses a Best Director Oscar nomination this year, it won't be because of the Academy simply didn't want to recognize him, but because this year's a really competitive one in the Best Director category (and it is simply delicious for a prediction folk like me). Life of Pi is a visually striking piece of cinema and an outstanding adaptation of a novel most people said it would be impossible to translate into a movie. Will he be honoured for making the impossible happen? Golden Globes recognized him instead of O. Russell and Hooper, so he has a chance...
If Ang Lee misses a Best Director Oscar nomination this year, it won't be because of the Academy simply didn't want to recognize him, but because this year's a really competitive one in the Best Director category (and it is simply delicious for a prediction folk like me). Life of Pi is a visually striking piece of cinema and an outstanding adaptation of a novel most people said it would be impossible to translate into a movie. Will he be honoured for making the impossible happen? Golden Globes recognized him instead of O. Russell and Hooper, so he has a chance...
7. Paul Thomas Anderson for The Master
Born: June 26, 1970 - Studio City, California, USA
Previous Oscar directing recognition: 2008 - There Will Be Blood (nom)
Oscar snubed directing work(s): Magnolia (1999)
After a huge wave of love and respect for The Master, PTAnderson's latest lost a lot of its Best Picture and Best Director buzz during the awards season, in spite of being the product of a true directing genius. In spite of all the recognition in the Best Director field from the critics associations, Anderson missed some major honours from Golden Globes and Critics' Choice Awards. We can't forget the DGA hasn't announced its nominees yet and The Master is that kind of movie for which a certain kind of AMPAS members may actually fall in love (it's a delicious movie for "serious audiences").
8. Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained
Born: March 27, 1963 - Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Previous Oscar directing recognition: 1995 - Pulp Fiction (nom); 2010 - Inglorious Basterds (nom)
Oscar snubed directing work(s): Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Django emmerged as a major Oscar player this awards season and it is having a great box-office performance. Getting the "one more Tarantino masterpiece" kind of reviews, the movie is generating good Oscar prospects for Tarantino. It has a directing genius behind the camera (and in front of the camera), but I believe Django Unchained may be too much Tarantino-like (blood, strong language, violence, etc) and not Best Picture-worthy enough in order to get a Best Director nomination.
Django emmerged as a major Oscar player this awards season and it is having a great box-office performance. Getting the "one more Tarantino masterpiece" kind of reviews, the movie is generating good Oscar prospects for Tarantino. It has a directing genius behind the camera (and in front of the camera), but I believe Django Unchained may be too much Tarantino-like (blood, strong language, violence, etc) and not Best Picture-worthy enough in order to get a Best Director nomination.
9. Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild
Born: ??? - Sunnyside, Queens, New York, USA
Previous Oscar directing recognition: none
Oscar snubed directing work(s): none
The breakthrough director of the year, Benh Zeitlin is the man behind Beasts of the Southern Wild, but unlike I was expecting he isn't much recognition in the Best Director field. Beasts is likely to get nominated in the Best Picture category, so there's some hope for Zeitlin, since the AMPAS always love to surprise Oscar predictions folks, but the question is: who'll be the acclaimed Hollywood director that's going to be snubed?
The breakthrough director of the year, Benh Zeitlin is the man behind Beasts of the Southern Wild, but unlike I was expecting he isn't much recognition in the Best Director field. Beasts is likely to get nominated in the Best Picture category, so there's some hope for Zeitlin, since the AMPAS always love to surprise Oscar predictions folks, but the question is: who'll be the acclaimed Hollywood director that's going to be snubed?
10. Michael Haneke for Amour
Born: March 23, 1942 - Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Previous Oscar directing recognition: none
Oscar snubed directing work(s): Caché (2005); The White Ribbon (2009)
One of the finest European directors alive, Haneke's latest is the front-runner in the Best Foreign Picture category, but will the Academy nominate him instead of major Hollywood names? It's unlikely to happen, but Oscar voters already did it with Pedro Almodóvar and Talk To Her wasn't even eligible for Best Foreign Picture.
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