Academy Awards 2014 Best Director nominees predictions: ROUND 1

1. Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity

Born: November 28, 1961 - Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Previous Oscar recognition in directing: none

Oscar snubed directing work(s): 2006 - Children of Men

COMMENT: An ambitious sci-fi epic always often features great directing works and early word on Gravity is full of praise to the director's efforts. Cuarón never got nominated in the directing category but the AMPAS has already recognized him in other fields (screenplay and editing), so maybe it's time to give him a nod in one of the biggest categories. Plus, Gravity is one of the frontrunners in the Best Picture race and since Best Picture & Best Director are "twin categories", the future looks promising for the Mexican director.

2. Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave

Born: October 9, 1969 - London, England, UK

Previous Oscar recognition in directing: none

Oscar snubed directing work(s): 2011 - Shame

COMMENT: After the great Hunger and Shame, Steve McQueen is one of the most acclaimed "new" directors working today, so will his reputation, combined with his work in the Oscary-looking epic 12 Years a Slave give him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Director? His previous features ended totally snubed by the AMPAS, but his upcoming movie deals with a juicy and more conventional subject (slavery). Early reaction to the screenings suggest 12 Years a Slave is an Oscar-worthy movie and if the movie is caught in a wave of enthusiasm and awards heat until the voting days, McQueen will likely make part of the Best Director nominees shortlist.

3. David O. Russell for American Hustle

Born: August 20, 1958 - New York City, New York, USA

Previous Oscar recognition in directing: 2011 - Best Director for The Fighter (nom); 2013 - Best Director for Silver Linings Playbook (nom)

Oscar snubed directing work(s): none

COMMENT: The Academy discovered how to love David O. Russell and his last two movies gave him two Best Director nominations, will American Hustle give him a third one? He has a rare sensibility and he knows how to tell a story to the audiences and how to direct his actors and since American Hustle looks so damn awesome and it's surround by Oscar buzz (just watch the movie trailer), seeing him as a future Best Director nominee just sounds like the most likely thing to happen. I don't remember a movie from him I didn't like and I'm expecting American Hustle to be in the same high-quality level of The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook. The man seems to be living the best years of his career...

4. George Clooney for The Monuments Men

Born: May 6, 1961 - Lexington, Kentucky, USA

Previous Oscar recognition in directing: 2006 - Best Director for Good Night, and Good Luck. (nom)

Oscar snubed directing work(s): none

COMMENT: While I really don't know what to think about The Monuments Men at the moment, there are no doubts about if it succeeds, Clooney will end with an Academy Award nomination. The Ides of March was decent and he got a screenplay nomination, but The Monuments Men seems to be another kind of cinematic fun: a Inglorious Basterds meets Ocean's movies, which sounds appealing and promises to be a crowd pleasing feature that may become a box-office success. He already got nominated in the Best Director category once and, excluding Leatherheads, his previous directed movies were interesting and revealed good directing skills. Plus, the AMPAS seems to love this man (actor/director/writer/producer) and he's the one of the most popular member of Hollywood royality.

5. Ryan Coogler for Fruitvale Station

Born: May 23, 1986 - Oakland, California, USA

Previous Oscar recognition in directing: none

Oscar snubed directing work(s): none

COMMENT: Will the Academy nominate two black directors in the same year? I'm not calling AMPAS members racists, but there's a certain stigma in the awards world around black people, specially around black directors. Coogler proved to be one of the most promising directors of the new generation of filmmakers thanks to Fruitvale Station, a movie that is as honest as it is heartbreaking and, by far, one of the most interesting movies in years. The movie works thanks to his vision and the sensibility he used to approach certain question during the running time. Fruitvale won Sundance Film Festival biggest prizes and earned Coogler big raves and since the Oscar voters seem to be less concern about the directors' age, maybe this young man has a shot... Or maybe there's only one seat taged with "for the black director" and, in this case, Steve McQueen is in a better position thanks to 12 Years a Slave's dimension and the directors previous acclaimed movies.

6. Martin Scorsese for The Wolf of Wall Street
Born: November 17, 1942 - Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Previous Oscar recognition in directing: 1981 - Best Director for Raging Bull (nom); 1989 - Best Director for The Last Temptation of Christ (nom); 1991 - Best Director for Goodfellas (nom); 2003 - Best Director for Gangs of New York (nom); 2005 - Best Director for The Aviator (nom); 2007 - Best Director for The Departed (win); 2012 - Best Director for Hugo (nom)
Oscar snubed directing work(s): 1974 - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore; 1976 - Taxi Driver

COMMENT: The Wolf of Wall Street doesn't quite fit the profile of the previous movies that gave him an Oscar nod (it looks more like a crime/comedy than a crime/drama or just a drama), but the same could be said about Hugo (a fantastic and naïve story about childwood and the magic of cinema) and he ended as one of the frontrunners for that one. But he's one of the finest director alive, with a serious reputation in the industry, so if the movie impresses...

7. Woody Allen for Blue Jasmine

Born: December 1, 1935 - Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Previous Oscar recognition in directing: 1978 - Best Director for Annie Hall (win); 1979 - Best Director for Interiors (nom); 1985 - Best Director for Broadway Danny Rose (nom); 1987 - Best Director for Hannah and Her Sisters (nom); 1990 - Best Director for Crimes and Misdemeanors (nom); 1995 - Best Director for Bullets Over Broadway (nom); 2012 - Best Director for Midnight in Paris (nom)
Oscar snubed directing work(s): 1979 - Manhattan; 1985 - The Purple Rose of Cairo; 2005 - Match Point

COMMENT: One of the best and most prolific directors ever, for sure, Allen's latest, Blue Jasmine, ressembles some of his 90's dramas and it is a good thing. In spite of not loving the Academy, the Academy does love him and loves to recognize his genius and once Blue Jasmine received universal critical acclaim and it is making an impression at the box-office for a limited release, I can see a Best Director nod happening IF the AMPAS members want him back to the Best Director nominees so soon (Midnight In Paris was only two years ago and the Academy often tends to nominated Woody in the Best Original Screenplay instead).

8. John Wells for August: Osage County
Born: 1957
Previous Oscar recognition in directing: none
Oscar snubed directing work(s): none 

COMMENT: He's a successful T.V. producer, but will the Academy buy him as a director? The Company Men showed Wells has potential as a director and August: Osage County's source material (the play of the same name) is great and so it's the ensemble cast he reunited so, is he able make things work? Looking at the project at first, everything screams "Oscary" and early reactions to screenings has been positive so far, but it's only is second feature film, so let's be cautious about Wells and wait for the first reviews (and for the movie).

9. Ridley Scott for The Counselor
Born: November 30, 1937 in South Shields, Tyne & Wear, England, UK
Previous Oscar recognition in directing: 1992 - Best Director for Thelma & Louise (nom); 2001 - Best Director for Gladiator (nom); 2002 - Best Director for Black Hawk Down (nom)
Oscar snubed directing work(s): none

COMMENT: Not the best director working today, but sometimes he can surprise (and I loved his work in Gladiator) and The Counselor just looks so good... The AMPAS loves a good crime/thriller, so if The Counselor proves to be as good and thrilling as the movie trailer promises, maybe Mr. Scott can have some Oscar hopes.